Getting a proper amount of sleep is undoubtedly essential for the human body, as it affects your performance the following day and impacts your mood. Sleeping well also provides the body enough time to rest — to regain energy, heal, and be at your best. However, some factors can ruin sleep quality, including outside forces or internal ones. Most times, the voices inside a person's head are much louder than the noises in the environment. Those voices are your anxiety talking, and it's never easy to overcome the struggle.

Photo: Pexels/Darina Belonogova

Thoughts still overflow in your mind no matter how tightly you shut your eyes. Sometimes it can be fear of the future, and other times because of something that bothered you that day. You create a web of anxious thoughts that get you trapped and wide awake. And because the brain is so active, even exhaustion can't help you eliminate the negativities. You just lie there, eyes wide open, waiting for the sun to rise again. If not given a remedy, the lack of sleep due to anxiety might become insomnia.

Photo: PxHere

If it has gotten worse and you haven't had decent sleep for days, there are various solutions that might help. Many people are going through this struggle, and researchers have shared their studies about the matter. Since this is a worldwide challenge, a Reddit user with the name igrievedifferenthuh opened a discussion on the platform. OP posted a question on the AskReddit section, "People that struggled sleeping due to stress/anxiety, what was a game changer for you?"

Your mental health is on the line if lack of sleep is unsolved. So here are some game changers for Reddit users who participated in the discussion.

Photo: Unsplash/Brittney Weng

Weighted Blankets

Comfort is the answer when the body is tense and stressed out. A hug can be acquired by using weighted blankets if you are sleeping alone. "Weighted blankets! So comfortable and it feels like being enveloped in a giant hug/becoming a nice cozy burrito," pivotalmoments answered. There is also an existing study from 2020 by Swedish researchers. The team concluded that weighted blankets improved sleep quality — mainly for those diagnosed with certain mental illnesses.

Photo: Unsplash/Jenny Hill

Healthy Habits

Your daily routine can affect your sleeping schedule, making it necessary to build healthy habits. According to Scryer_of_knowledge, "walks, breathing exercises in bed, workout, and healthy diet" was the game changer that helped fight insomnia. Healthy habits condition your body to prepare it for a relaxing sleep. Moreover, your anxiety is also hugely impacted by your daily routine. If you notice that your concern is aggravated at night, it's a sign that certain adjustments should be applied to your daily routine.

Medication

There will be nights when willpower won't be enough to fight the voices inside your head. Taking medication is a recommendable alternative, and others have proven its effectiveness. Medication is even more vital when the person is diagnosed with a mental illness. VergilHS shared, "Medication. Seriously, only after getting meds for anxiety did I start having rather good sleep. Took a few months to get even better." In a lengthy comment, the Reddit user also explained how it changed his sleeping routine and how a history of mental illness contributed to his lack of sleep. It's best to consult your doctor so they can prescribe you a suitable anxiety medication.

Photo: Pexels/SHVETS production

Phone Usage

Put away all distractions before going to sleep, most importantly, your phone. "I have to put the phone in another room to start shutting down my mind. I eat some kind of filling snack, take a hot shower. Then when I try reading a book, it makes me sleepy," Chelzor suggested. The various activities you can do on your phone are a huge distraction. Instead of going to sleep, your brain may be focused on other stuff that might also trigger anxiety. Furthermore, blue light from your phone decreases melatonin in your body and strains your eyes.

Photo: Pexels/MART PRODUCTION

Journaling

Anxiety is when the mind is filled with thoughts that pile up on one another so that you don't know where to focus. Disorganized thoughts can heavily bother your brain. That's why journaling is recommended before sleeping. "Journaling. Literally, before bed, I would just write in a journal for pages and pages about whatever came to mind —usually what I was overthinking about enough to keep me awake. Once it's on the page, it stops being so loud in your mind, so it made me go to sleep with a little less overthinking," GoldAd8894 explained.

Prioritizing your mental health is essential, as it affects your whole well-being. Healing from anxiety and other mental illnesses won't be easy, but there are ways to win that battle. You can alternate each method — ensure consistency in applying healthy habits in your lifestyle.

Of all the things that you should never lack, sleep is among the most important of them all. If you have struggled with it in the past and overcame it or are still fighting it, feel free to join the discussion and share your game-changer. Engage with a community that understands each other — providing proven and tested solutions to alleviate the issue.