Sleep anxiety is when you are worried about not getting enough sleep and worried about all the consequences of being tired. It’s tricky because worry about insomnia can be self-fulfilling. Sometimes we get worked up worrying about not sleeping and thus, CAN’T SLEEP.
There are many CBT-i (cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia) techniques to help, but my favorite is using uncertainty statements. Instead of trying to force yourself to fall asleep, say “Yeah I'm going to be tired tomorrow. It's going to suck.”
Say it again.
And again.
Say it and think it and focus on it until your brain gets tired of the thought.
Remember two things:
A sleepless night means you’ll be able to get to sleep more easily the next night (don’t take a nap!)
You’ve survived worse.
Remember, this is just one of many excellent techniques. Learn more about CBT-i, the gold-standard treatment, here.