Tip of the Month - October 2022

The Relationship: Anxiety and Poor Sleep

One of the most common sleep disorders – insomnia – is a significant public health concern. Several psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety disorders and depression, have shown strong relationships with insomnia. The pandemic over the past years has contributed to social isolation, fear, and anxiety not only in the general society but also among athletes of all ages although, depending on age, type and level, anxiety and stresss may vary. 

Anxiety can cause loss of sleep because athletes have trouble falling asleep when first lying down, worries keep them awake or wake them when otherwise they should be sleeping. If that’s the case, they may be feeling extra tired during the day. The relationship between sleep and anxiety is complex. Anxiety can disrupt sleep and lack of sleep can eventually make athletes more anxious. 

In a 2019 study, people with insomnia were 9.8 times more likely to have anxiety than the people in the study who didn’t have insomnia. 

Anxiety is a feeling of fear, dread, or apprehension, and can be brought on by a stressful event or by thinking about it (training/competition). Sometimes athletes feel anxious even when there doesn’t seem to be an external trigger at all. When perceiving a threat, the hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal glands release a torrent of hormones. In response, one might feel any or all of these physical symptoms:

• Shaking

• Quickened heart rate

• Chest pain

• Fast, shallow breathing

• Dry mouth

• Muscle tension

• Dizziness 

• Nausea

• Diarrhea

Chronic exposure to stress changes the brain and body in mostly negative ways. Researchers found that exposure to long-term stress and anxiety can:

• Harm memory

• Affect judgment

• Lead to mood disorders

• Suppress immune system

• Cause heart problems

• Disrupt gastrointestinal system

Long-term anxiety and distress are also associated with chronic fatigue syndrome a condition that makes athletes feel tired no matter how much rest they get, Often, athletes experience mononucleosis. Symptoms are prominent in adolescents while younger children have fewer symptoms and the disease often goes unnoticed.

Common Symptoms:

• Fatigue/tiredness

• Headaches

• Sore throat

• Fever

• Night sweats

• Swollen lymph nodes in neck and armpits

• Swollen tonsils and spleen

• Skin rash 

Coaches, therefore, need to be monitoring athletes more closely and turn to anxiety/stress-reducing strategies. In addition, a daily wellness log and sleep log should be developed for monitoring purposes.

Reference: 

Chang-Myung Oh, Ha Yan Kim, Han Kyu Na, Kyoo Ho Cho, &Min Kyung Chu (2019). The effect of anxiety and depression on sleep quality of individuals with high risks for insomnia: A population study. National Library of Medicine. PubMed Central (PMC). Front Neurol, 10: 849. Online 2019, August 13. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2019.00849. 

Healthline (n.d.). Anxiety & Depression. Can having anxiety make you feel tired? Retrieved October 27, from source

Schloder, M.E. (2022). Notes. Canadian National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP). Module Prevention & Recovery.

Vassend, O. (Nater, U.M, Editor). (2018). Fatigue symptoms in relation to neuroticism, anxiety-depression, and musculoskeletal pain: A longitudinal twin study. National Library of Medicine. PubMed Central (PMC). PloS One, 13(6). PMC5991664:e0198594. Online June 7, 2018. doi: 10.1371.journal.pone.0198 594.