Sometimes anxiety or depression is the cause of insomnia (sleeplessness), particularly early morning waking. If you think anxiety is your problem see your doctor. Your doctor will be able to prescribe the best treatment for your anxiety, which might include anti depressant medication and perhaps cognitive therapy.
Cognitive therapy can be very helpful for retraining your mind when you have chronic insomnia. If you feel depressed you may think that insomnia has caused your depression, whereas in fact it may be the other way around. Depression is very often the cause of sleeplessness.
If you have any of the following symptoms you need to visit your doctor immediately:
- Feeling very sad
- Being tearful
- Forgetfulness
- Problem concentrating
- Thinking about suicide
Cognitive therapy is a very successful treatment for depression, either alone or alongside antidepressant medication. It is also one of the few successful non drug treatments for anxiety and depression. Studies have shown that counseling and psychotherapy do not work, but cognitive therapy often does.
Although many people suffer from problems of a similar kind, some people cope while others became depressed. This shows that it isn’t the actual events that cause the anxiety and depression but how it is dealt with. Cognitive therapy sets out to improve the way events are viewed.
One person may feel that they have a problem which can never be cured and which will ruin their lives. Another sees it as a short term problem with which they can cope. Cognitive therapy can help the former to see the situation as a temporary curable problem. This reduces anxiety and allows them to sleep.
You can ask your doctor to refer you to a cognitive therapist if you think that this might help you. You may also like to read the book “Feeling Good” by David D.Burns.MD
