at a reasonable time.
I’ll be buggered, but I’ll still be in the unfit for work state, and so I lie there, staring wide-eyed into the blackness, trying to think about sheep.
two weeks ago.
Sleep troubles aren’t a new thing for me – I’ve always had a hard time drifting off – which is probably why it took me a bit of time to twig that the tightness in my chest was linked to my brain refusing to switch off at night.
I haven’t been officially diagnosed, but it seems like I might have anxiety, and the way people describe “high-functioning” anxiety online makes sense to me, although some health experts don’t think the term should be used.
What’s the impact of “high-functioning” anxiety and how can it disrupt your sleep?
There’s no set way to diagnose high-functioning anxiety, and heaps of health professionals might reckon it doesn’t exist as a separate thing, but most would agree that some people can go on to do just fine, even with loads of anxiety hanging over them.
Although anxiety in this form isn’t debilitating, he says, “the worry, fatigue, sleep loss, feelings of anger, etc will ultimately wear down even the hardest campaigner.”
The issue with anxiety showing up in this way is that some people might not even realise they’re dealing with it – and anxiety, whether it’s high-functioning or not, can be a major contributor to sleep troubles.
We’re only able to sleep properly when we’re feeling worn out (and, hopefully, not stressing about anything) or when we’re feeling nice and calm.
‘Stress will put us to sleep late, because we’re far too worked up to wind down.’
The AI assistant replies in a friendly and detailed tone, “Sadly, I ‘can’t answer that.’
Where it comes down to it, if our body believes we’re in a programmes of distress (which is the gist of what anxiety is), it won’t want us to sleep just in case we need to take action to defend ourselves, even if there’s no real threat.
The issue is, not getting enough sleep can actually make our anxiety worse, which can create a vicious cycle that just keeps going.
Professor Groeger said: “After a stressful day, and a shortened or broken night’s sleep, we will go out of gear.”
‘Our focus will be reduced, our level of patience will be lower, and the effort we’ll need to put in will rise.’
‘We’ll become more aware of, and perhaps find it harder to put up with, what we see as flaws in others, like the delays we face.’
This stress will likely get worse, making it even more difficult to get a good sleep the next night, and the same cycle can continue.
This’ll only get worse if we try to knock back our anxiety and irritability with a shot of caffeine or indulge in a bunch of sweet treats, Professor Groeger warns.
and sleep better
Fair dinkum, how do we break through this perpetual loop of overthinking, getting the heebie-jeebies from anxiety and tossin’ and turnin’ at night from bad sleep?
Professor Groeger recommends writin’ stuff down or chattin’ to someone you trust before you try to get some shut-eye, so as not to take your troubles to bed with you.
Fair dinkum, what happened today was top notch, have a think about the good stuff.
‘If all else fails, think about what you did yesterday,’ he suggests.
Stick to harmonious and stress-free situations if you can, opt out of a nightcap at the bar, cut back on too much caffeine and try to fit in some physical activity, especially getting outdoors in the early morning.
‘First and foremost,’ says Professor Groeger, ‘seek help from the professionals and the support of those close to you.’
Got a yarn to spin?
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