I feel very anxious and jittery when I don’t have a good night’s sleep

Hi. It’s Jenny at AnxietyBoss.com. Our question today comes to us from Ben in Michigan. I feel very anxious and jittery when I don’t have a good night’s sleep. Does sleep help me be less anxious?

Absolutely. Scientific studies have found that sleep disruption and sleep deprivation are often linked with psychiatric disorders. In the past, scientists were stumped whether sleep disruption and deprivation were the causes or the effects. But in more recent research, scientists have found that sleep deprivation can actually trigger the brain’s medulla[?], an insular cortex region, that control our emotional processing and also increase our anxiety.

That’s why when you don’t get a good night’s sleep, you tend to be more irritated and edgy. And if you are a worrier to begin with, you’re much more likely to have a full-blown panic attack just from the impact of inadequate sleep.

Now having said that, don’t think that oversleeping is healthy for you. It’s been documented that many people who suffer from oversleeping also known as hypersomnia experience headaches, symptoms of anxiety, generally low energy, low attention span, and also memory problems.

Researchers suggest that oversleeping affects the serotonin neurotransmitters. That’s why when you oversleep, you tend to feel groggy and not so good. Having the correct sleep cycle is absolutely essential, especially if you’re suffering from anxiety.

You should visit AnxietyBoss.com to learn more about what you can do to help you sleep better at night without forcing yourself to take any kind of sleeping pills.