How To Fall Asleep With Anxiety: 10 Tricks And Tips For A Restful Night

Anxiety can make it hard to fall asleep, leaving you tossing and turning when you need rest the most. Anxiety not only keeps your mind racing but also disrupts your body's ability to relax, making it harder to drift off. What’s more, sleep deprivation can trigger or worsen anxiety symptoms, causing significant disruption to daily functioning and overall well-being.

Here, you’ll find some simple-yet-effective strategies for calming your mind and preparing your body for a peaceful night's sleep, including tricks you can use tonight and helpful tips for better sleep habits going forward.

Understanding anxiety and sleep disturbances

Sleep issues are common among individuals with anxiety disorders; in fact, sleep disturbances can be a key symptom. Surveys indicate that, among those who experience symptoms of insomnia, 24% to 36% are also living with anxiety disorder. 

Anxiety-related sleep issues can create a vicious cycle. Anxiety can lead to restless nights, as the mind races with worry and the body's stress response remains activated, preventing relaxation. In turn, lack of sleep exacerbates anxiety, reducing the brain's ability to control emotions and cope with stress. 

This cycle can become self-perpetuating, with poor sleep heightening anxiety and increased anxiety further disrupting sleep. Over time, this ongoing struggle can significantly impact your health and well-being, making it crucial to address both issues.

10 research-backed tips for better sleep with anxiety

Whether you’re living with an anxiety disorder or are experiencing a period of heightened stress or anxiety, it’s crucial to maintain good sleep habits: When you’re well-rested, you’ll be better able to contend with the challenges and stresses of everyday life. Here are some tips to help you fall asleep and stay asleep:

1. Use relaxation techniques

If you’re struggling to fall asleep with anxiety, it’s probably worth having a few relaxation exercises in your toolkit to help you ward off the anxious thoughts keeping you awake. Relaxation training is known to be beneficial for managing anxiety, and the techniques taught in this type of therapy can be especially helpful for managing anxiety-related insomnia.

Here are a few evidence-based relaxation methods to try:

• The military method: The military sleep method is said to be used by soldiers to fall asleep quickly in any environment. Start by relaxing your entire face and mouth. Drop your shoulders to release tension and let your hands fall to the side of your body. Exhale, relaxing your chest, then relax your legs, starting from the thighs and working down. Clear your mind for 10 seconds by imagining a relaxing scene, or try repeating the words “don’t think” over and over.

• Progressive muscle relaxation: This involves tensing and then slowly relaxing each muscle group in your body. Start at your toes, tensing the muscles for a few seconds and then releasing. Gradually work your way up your body, ending with your face. This helps to release physical tension and promote relaxation.

• Deep breathing: Practice slow, deep breaths by inhaling deeply through your nose, allowing your abdomen to expand, and then exhaling slowly through your mouth. Focus on your breath and try to make your exhalations longer than your inhalations. This technique helps to reduce stress and promote a sense of calm.

• Guided imagery: This involves following along with a recording that guides you through a visualization exercise. You can find these sessions on many apps and streaming services, or even use your own knowledge of mindful visualization to calm your mind with a peaceful, vivid scene in your imagination.

• Counting: Folk wisdom tells us to “count sheep” to induce sleep, but this can in fact be a helpful trick—counting works as a grounding method for when you need to distract your mind from racing thoughts and relax. You could count backwards from 100, count your breaths, or count different sequences (by two, by seven, etc.).

2. Try a guided meditation

If your thoughts are racing when you’re trying to fall asleep, it may be worth trying a guided meditation. While more research is needed, a number of studies have found that mindfulness meditation interventions may be beneficial for improving sleep quality.

You can find many types of guided meditation on streaming services and mindfulness apps, including those intended for reducing anxiety and inducing sleep. It may be worth aiming to make an evening meditation practice a regular part of your nighttime routine—with consistent practice, you may find it easier to manage anxious thoughts on a moment-to-moment basis.

3. Create a comfortable sleep environment

When you sleep, you enter a particular physiological state: Your core temperature drops by about 1-2 degrees, your heart rate and blood pressure decrease, and your brain releases melatonin. As such, it may help to optimize your surroundings for sleep. 

If possible, turn the thermostat down a few degrees or use fans to cool you down. This will facilitate the temperature drop needed to slip away into the land of nod. To trigger a melatonin release, ensure the room is completely dark and screens are switched off and, ideally, kept as far away as possible.

You can lower your heart rate and blood pressure using the other tips in this article, but it may also help to keep a neat and tidy room. Cluttered and disorganized spaces are known to contribute to higher levels of stress and anxiety, and waking up surrounded by a mess may not be ideal.

4. Establish a consistent sleep schedule

Consistency is crucial for controlling your body’s sleep cycle. Also known as your “body clock,” the circadian rhythm uses natural light-dark cycles and other cues to help control when you feel awake and when you feel sleepy over a 24-hour period. 

By going to bed and waking up at the same time each night, you reinforce this sleep-wake cycle, meaning sleep hormones like melatonin are released in time for you to get a full 8 hours. While it can be tempting to stay up late and sleep in on weekends, irregularity can interfere with that all-important melatonin release, making it hard to fall asleep.

Instead, try to maintain a consistent schedule. It might help to set an alarm for bedtime and, even if you aren’t yet tired, engage in your bedtime ritual, turn off the lights, and do your best to sleep. Over time, your body will adapt, making it easier to fall asleep and wake up naturally at the desired times.

5. Create a relaxing evening ritual

Winding down before bed is one of the most effective ways to combat the sleep disruptions caused by anxiety. Try to engage in calming activities in the hour or two before bedtime, aiming to keep the same routine each night. This not only helps combat nighttime anxiety, but also signals to your brain that it’s time to release sleep hormones like melatonin. 

One study on mice, for instance, found that their pre-sleep rituals of nesting and grooming helped them fall asleep faster and sleep through the night. Here are some suggestions for your nighttime ritual:

• Dim the lights

• Read a book

• Take a warm bath or shower

• Write in a journal

• Listen to soothing music or nature sounds

• Drink herbal tea

• Meditate

It might take one to two weeks for your new evening routine to have the desired effect—that is, for these rituals to trigger your body’s internal sleep mechanisms. Be patient and consistent with your routine, avoiding the temptation to revert to old habits.

6. Avoid screen time around bedtime

Excessive screen time is a fact of life for many of us, but scrolling, watching TV, or even working late in the evening can cause significant disruption to your sleep cycle. 

In addition to being potentially overstimulating, the blue light emitted by screens can interfere with the production of melatonin. This is because blue light mimics daylight, which tricks the brain into thinking it’s still daytime. 

As such, it’s best to avoid screens in the hour or two before bedtime. If you’re tempted to check your phone in bed, consider leaving it elsewhere—preferably outside of the bedroom entirely. 

7. Exercise regularly and limit sedentary time

Exercise and increased physical activity are among the most effective ways to manage anxiety and stress, and there is some evidence to suggest it can be helpful for combating insomnia symptoms. 

In addition to making exercise a regular part of your day, it might help to limit sedentary time—that is, time spent sitting or lying down. A wealth of facts shows that sedentary behavior puts you at a higher risk of sleep issues and insomnia, and that can be true even with physical activity; in other words, exercise may not be enough to counteract the effects of sedentary time.

Aerobic exercise is thought to be most effective for improving sleep, so consider making time for a walk, jog, or bike ride each day, making sure you’re keeping your heart rate elevated for at least 30 minutes. 

8. Limit caffeine and alcohol

Caffeine and alcohol are known to exacerbate both anxiety and sleep problems. Caffeine is a stimulant, meaning it increases alertness and can interfere with your ability to fall asleep if consumed too late in the day. It can also heighten feelings of anxiety and stress. Thus, it’s advisable to limit caffeine intake and switch to non-caffeinated beverages in the afternoon and evening.

Alcohol, while initially causing drowsiness, can also disrupt your sleep cycle—it interferes with the REM state of sleep, leading to poorer sleep quality and frequent awakenings during the night. 

Hangovers are also known to trigger stress and anxiety, likely due to the stress hormones that are released as the body metabolizes alcohol. Try to limit or avoid alcohol altogether, ensuring your body time to process the alcohol before it’s time for bed.

9. Start each morning with daylight

In addition to avoiding light and screens around bedtime, you might find it helpful to begin each day with bright morning light. 

A wealth of evidence supports the connection between our sleep-wake cycles and exposure to light and darkness, with some studies suggesting that spending time in daylight each morning can facilitate the production of melatonin at night.

To help you manage anxiety and mitigate sleep issues, aim to spend 20 minutes or so outside each morning. This may also be a good time to get a brisk walk in before you start your day, helping you feel energized and centered.

When to seek professional help

If your sleep and anxiety issues don’t improve with the suggestions discussed here, it may be worth talking to a doctor or mental health provider for further evaluation. A healthcare provider can assess your symptoms, offer a proper diagnosis, and recommend treatments that may include therapy, medication, or a combination of both. 

Talk therapy for anxiety and sleep issues 

While sleep medications may have their place, they are often intended only for short-term use; ideally, you might seek to address your sleep problems with non-pharmaceutical interventions like psychotherapy. 

Here are some types of therapy to consider:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I): This type of therapy focuses on changing the thoughts and behaviors that contribute to sleep problems, and has been found to be effective in treating chronic insomnia. CBT-I helps you improve sleep hygiene and develop healthy lifestyle habits that promote good sleep. 

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety (CBT-A): Similar to CBT-I, CBT-A aims to identify and change negative thought patterns and behaviors that contribute to anxiety. It includes techniques like exposure therapy, relaxation training, and stress management to reduce anxiety symptoms. This approach is well-supported by research, making it a worthwhile consideration.

• Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR): MBSR is another evidence-based therapy that uses mindful practices like meditation and yoga to help reduce stress and anxiety. Mindfulness can help you focus on the present and let go of the anxious thoughts that may be keeping you up.

Online therapy for anxiety and sleep

Research into the effectiveness of online CBT-I has repeatedly found it to be just as effective as in-person interventions, and may offer some distinct advantages. Online therapy tends to be more affordable than face-to-face therapy, and might be preferable for those who find it challenging to make it to in-person appointments each week. 

Through platforms like BetterHelp, you can attend weekly CBT-I sessions with a licensed therapist specializing in sleep problems, plus check in daily with your therapist using its messaging feature. You’ll also have group sessions, guided journaling, digital CBT worksheets, and educational webinars, helping you get the most out of your time in therapy.