10 Anxiety Attack Symptoms
- 1. Brenes, G. A., Miller, M. E., Stanley, M. A., Williamson, J. D., Knudson, M., & McCall, W. V. (2009). Insomnia in older adults with generalized anxiety disorder. The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, 17(6), 465–472. https://doi.org/10.1097/jgp.0b013e3181987747
6. Sleep Problems
Sleep problems are very common among people with anxiety disorders. In Generalized Anxiety Disorder, sleep disturbances can involve difficulty falling asleep, restless sleep, or struggle to stay asleep. In fact, it is estimated that roughly seventy-five percent of people with this disorder suffer from insomnia1Brenes, G. A., Miller, M. E., Stanley, M. A., Williamson, J. D., Knudson, M., & McCall, W. V. (2009). Insomnia in older adults with generalized anxiety disorder. The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, 17(6), 465–472. https://doi.org/10.1097/jgp.0b013e3181987747. However, bear in mind that experiencing sleep disturbances does not necessarily mean you have a medical condition.
Sleep disturbances may be the result of a state of increased alertness caused by the disorder itself. In fact, people with anxiety disorders report that insomnia occurs more frequently during or at the beginning of an episode of anxiety. On the other hand, insomnia is also a risk factor for anxiety disorders1Brenes, G. A., Miller, M. E., Stanley, M. A., Williamson, J. D., Knudson, M., & McCall, W. V. (2009). Insomnia in older adults with generalized anxiety disorder. The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, 17(6), 465–472. https://doi.org/10.1097/jgp.0b013e3181987747. If you are struggling with sleep problems and other symptoms of anxiety disorders, don’t hesitate to ask for help and seek professional attention.
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