19. Sleep Anxiety (How to fall asleep when anxious)

19. Sleep Anxiety (How to fall asleep when anxious)

From The Panic Pod: Anxiety Help by Joshua Fletcher

April 14, 2026 · 20 min · Season 1 · Episode 19

About this episode

This episode explores sleep anxiety and how to fall asleep when feeling anxious, addressing the fixation on sleep that can exacerbate anxiety disorders.

In Episode 19, we look at sleep anxiety and the question of how to fall asleep when you feel anxious. Many people with anxiety disorders become preoccupied with sleep, trying to optimise it, worrying about not getting enough, or fearing that poor sleep will make anxiety worse. In this episode, I explore how this fixation can become part of the problem. We look at the role of attention, the urge to force sleep, and how these patterns can turn into subtle compulsions. I also touch on the shift required in the body’s state for sleep to occur, and why trying to control this often backfires. Drawing on both professional insight and personal experience, this episode aims to change your relationship with sleep rather than give another set of rules to follow. Keywords: sleep anxiety, insomnia anxiety, how to fall asleep, anxiety at night, panic attacks at night, overthinking at night, anxiety disorder, threat response, intrusive thoughts, OCD recovery, Pure O, anxiety therapist, anxiety podcast, sleep and anxiety, forcing sleep, night anxiety

People in this episode

Host: Joshua Fletcher

Topics covered

  • sleep anxiety
  • falling asleep
  • anxiety disorders
  • compulsions
  • attention and sleep
  • personal experience

Keywords

  • sleep anxiety
  • insomnia anxiety
  • how to fall asleep
  • anxiety at night
  • panic attacks at night
  • overthinking at night
  • anxiety disorder
  • threat response
  • intrusive thoughts
  • OCD recovery

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