Why Anxiety Feels Worse at Night, And Tips To Calm Your Mind

Do you find it hard to fall asleep or stay asleep because of anxiety? You are not alone. For many people, anxiety feels stronger at night. When the world around us finally quiets down, the thoughts and worries we’ve been holding back during the day can start to surface. If you’ve ever found yourself lying awake with a restless mind or racing thoughts, know that this is a common experience and there are gentle, effective ways to find more peace at night.

Why Nighttime Anxiety Happens

Research shows that racing thoughts at bedtime are closely linked to trouble falling asleep (Pihlaja et al., 2021). This happens because:

• There are fewer distractions. At night, we have more space to notice our worries.

• Our body stays alert. Anxiety keeps the mind and body in a state of “hyperarousal” that makes it hard to rest (Riemann et al., 2023).

• Anxiety and poor sleep fuel each other. When we sleep poorly, our ability to manage emotions drops—making anxiety worse (Aloia et al., 2024).

• Worry about sleep adds stress. Thoughts like “I have to sleep or tomorrow will be ruined” can make falling asleep even harder (Johnson et al., 2023).

Calming Nighttime Anxiety

Write it out: Spending 5–10 minutes writing down worries before bed can help clear your mind and make it easier to fall asleep (Taylor et al., 2021).

Try CBT‑I skills: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT‑I) is considered the gold standard treatment for insomnia and is highly effective for people whose anxiety disrupts sleep. It focuses on changing both unhelpful sleep thoughts and behaviors that make it harder to rest (Maurer et al., 2021). A few CBT‑I techniques include:

• Sleep Restriction: Limiting the time spent in bed to match actual sleep time, then gradually increasing it as sleep improves.

• Stimulus Control: Training the brain to associate the bed only with sleep (and intimacy). This means getting up if you’re lying awake for more than 15–20 minutes.

• Cognitive Restructuring: Identifying and challenging anxious thoughts about sleep, like “If I don’t sleep, tomorrow will be ruined.”

• Relaxation Training: Incorporating progressive muscle relaxation, mindfulness, or slow breathing exercises before bed to reduce pre-sleep arousal.

• Sleep Hygiene Practices: Creating a consistent bedtime routine, avoiding screens before bed, and limiting caffeine and alcohol.

CBT‑I is not a quick fix, but research shows it can lead to lasting improvements in sleep quality and anxiety symptoms without the side effects of sleep medications (Maurer et al., 2021).

Use mindfulness or relaxation: Mindfulness, deep breathing, and progressive muscle relaxation can calm the body and mind so sleep comes more naturally (Ong et al., 2023).

A Simple Nighttime Prompt: Write your answer, then close your notebook.

“What thoughts are keeping me awake? If I set them aside until morning, what gentle reassurance can I give myself right now?”

Nighttime anxiety is common and it does not mean you are doing something wrong. It simply means your mind and body are holding on to more than they can process during the day.

With simple tools, like journaling, CBT‑I skills, and mindfulness, you can break the anxiety–sleep cycle and find more peace at night. If anxiety continues to impact your sleep, please know our trained clinicians are here to support you and you do not have to work through insomnia alone.

Thanks for being here,

Dr. E

References

Aloia, M. S., et al. (2024). Sleep, sleep disorders, and mental health: A narrative review. Journal of Sleep Research, 33(4), e13604. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.13604

Johnson, E. O., et al. (2023). Sleep-related metacognitive processes and anxiety’s impact on insomnia. Sleep Medicine Research, 14(4), 311–319. https://doi.org/10.17241/smr.2023.01534

Maurer, J. T., et al. (2021). Effects of cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia on sleep-related metacognition. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 705112. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.705112

Ong, J. C., et al. (2023). Mind-body therapies for sleep disturbance: A meta-analysis. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 66, 102890. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2022.102890

Pihlaja, M., et al. (2021). Investigating racing thoughts in insomnia: A neglected piece of the mood–sleep puzzle. Journal of Sleep Research, 30(6), e13373. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.13373

Riemann, D., et al. (2023). The psychoneurobiology of insomnia: Hyperarousal and REM sleep instability. Clocks & Sleep, 7(4), 30. https://doi.org/10.3390/clockssleep7040030

Taylor, D. J., et al. (2021). The effects of bedtime writing on difficulty falling asleep. Behavioral Sleep Medicine, 19(5), 531–542. https://doi.org/10.1080/15402002.2020.1859828