not gonna lie ive been so stressed out by my end of year exams its giving me insomnia cause i get so stressed at night i cant sleep and now i think i associated sleep time as stress time :(( is there anyway to undo that cause i really want my sleep back and i wanna stop stressing about insomnia at night when im trying to sleep. Last night i was so stressed i was gonna throw up for no reason
Hello @harmonioushedgehog9990 ! The cycle you’re describing is called conditioned arousal, where your brain has learned to associate bedtime with stress rather than sleep. It can be unlearned.
The most important thing if you’re lying awake and anxious, get up and do something calm until you feel sleepy. Staying in bed while stressed just reinforces the association.
A consistent wind-down routine also helps. At the same time, do some calming activities so your brain gets a reliable “day is over” signal. And slow breathing with a longer exhale (in for 4, out for 7-8) can take the edge off when anxiety spikes at night.
The nausea is just your stress response going into overdrive like unpleasant but harmless, and it settles as the anxiety does.
If it doesn’t improve after exams are over, it’s worth talking to a doctor since there are really effective structured treatments for this. Hope you get some rest soon.