Sleep, Anxiety, and Insomnia: How to Sleep Better When You're Anxious

Summary

In this video, licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Emma McAdam addresses the issue of worry and anxiety hindering sleep. She introduces a strategy to retrain the brain to stop worrying at night, emphasizing the importance of a consistent bedtime routine and the practice of 'deliberate worry' during the day to process concerns effectively. McAdam also suggests using a sleep mask to aid in sleep hygiene and offers a discount for Manta Sleep products, which are designed to block out light and facilitate a better sleep environment.

Takeaways

• 😌 Worry and anxiety can disrupt sleep, causing the brain to stay active with thoughts of past actions or future concerns.
• 🛌 To combat worry-based insomnia, Emma McAdam, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, offers a method to retrain the brain for better sleep.
• 🌙 The video introduces a lasting solution to manage worry at night, emphasizing the importance of not seeking a quick fix.
• 💆‍♀️ Sponsored by Manta Sleep, the video highlights the benefits of using a sleep mask to block out light, aiding the brain's transition to sleep mode.
• 🔄 Our brains naturally want to sleep, but habitual behaviors can interfere with this natural sleep response, requiring retraining.
• 🕘 Establishing a consistent bedtime routine helps create a mental association between the routine and sleepiness, similar to how advertisements can trigger salivating.
• 🤯 People with insomnia often develop the habit of ruminating on the day's events when they lie down, associating the bed with worry instead of sleep.
• 🧠 The brain can rewire itself to form new associations, allowing for the retraining of bedtime habits to focus on sleep rather than worry.
• 📝 Deliberate worry involves setting aside specific time each day to address and plan for worries, reducing the brain's need to worry at night.
• 📅 Writing down worries and sorting them into actionable and hypothetical categories helps in managing them effectively during the day.
• 🏋️‍♀️ Taking the smallest action on actionable worries and accepting the ones that cannot be immediately solved contributes to reducing nighttime worry.
• 🌿 Shifting focus to gratitude and positive aspects of life after addressing worries can help in maintaining a positive mindset before sleep.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video?

The main topic of the video is how worry and anxiety can make it difficult to fall asleep, and how to train your brain to stop worrying at night.

Who is the speaker in the video and what is her qualification?

The speaker in the video is Emma McAdam, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.

What does the speaker say about the purpose of worry?

The speaker says that worry serves a function by trying to keep us safe, getting things done, and ensuring that we take care of tasks.

What analogy does the speaker use to explain how our brain handles worries?

The speaker compares the brain to a computer, explaining that just like a computer needs to take breaks to update and organize files, our brain needs time to process and work through worries.

What is 'deliberate worry' and how can it help with falling asleep?

Deliberate worry is the practice of intentionally setting aside time each day to address and plan for your worries. This helps signal to your brain that worries will be taken care of during the day, reducing the likelihood of worrying at night.

What steps does the speaker recommend for dealing with worries during the day?

The speaker recommends five steps: (1) Plan time for deliberate worry, (2) Write down your worries, (3) Sort your worries into actionable and non-actionable categories, (4) Create a plan for actionable worries, (5) Accept what cannot be controlled and shift focus to gratitude.

Why does the speaker emphasize not doing deliberate worry right before bed?

The speaker emphasizes this because addressing worries right before bed can make it harder to fall asleep. It’s better to set aside time for this earlier in the day.

How can writing down worries help, according to the speaker?

Writing down worries makes them more manageable and helps in organizing thoughts, allowing for better planning and action.

What short-term solutions does the speaker suggest for those trying to fall asleep while worrying?

The speaker suggests getting out of bed to do a brain dump by writing down thoughts, then setting them aside for the next day. Additionally, engaging in activities like reading, meditation, or watching a video on relaxation techniques can help.

What long-term solution does the speaker offer for worry-based insomnia?

The long-term solution offered is to consistently practice deliberate worry throughout the day and establish a bedtime routine with good sleep hygiene to retrain the brain to associate bed with sleeping rather than worrying.