V. Can I Combine Good Sleep With Other Treatments to Help With My Anxiety?

Improving sleep through some of the exercises described here should be part of all your efforts to lower anxiety. As you have seen in this lesson, there are many ways stress and anxiety can affect the body in our daily lives and in the long-term, the mind and body. The scientifically supported benefits of proper sleep can improve physical and psychological wellbeing so that you can take advantage of other anxiety treatments. When using sleep improvement techniques as part of your treatment plan for anxiety, you should keep in mind the following:

• You may want to visit the Nutrition and Medication lesson to learn about herbs for sleep and relaxation that can be used safely and regularly to improve sleep. You can also learn more about medications that help to treat anxiety, as anxiety at a high level can prevent sleep.
• Physical Exercise is known to regulate normal sleep patterns and reduce anxiety that hinders sleep. It is also a treatment for anxiety itself when you select the exercises that work for you and you work out at times that do not prevent sleep in the evening. Combining the two can have incredible positive effects for your physical health and wellbeing.
• Breathing exercises can help to bring focus and calm to combat anxiety in our waking lives, but can also be a way to help you reach a restful sleep if exercised before going to bed.
• Because people with anxiety who experience insomnia often have a broad range of worried thoughts, it may be important to combine exercises that address worried thought patterns with Cognitive Therapy to achieve a better sleep.

After trying other therapies or combining them with these exercises, you may find that the exercises presented in this lesson are all you need for your level of anxiety. You can always use these sleep improvement techniques by themselves without other therapies.