Dr. Freeman's Blog Posts

Can health anxiety cause insomnia worried person experiencing sleep anxiety, health fears, and insomnia symptoms

Can Health Anxiety Cause Insomnia?

Yes. Health anxiety can cause insomnia, and insomnia can make health anxiety worse. A person may begin with a real sleep problem, but the fear about what poor sleep means can become one of the main reasons the nervous system stays awake.

This pattern often starts suddenly. Someone who has

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A tense woman carefully arranging colorful paper clips in perfect rows to represent perfectionism, rumination, and insomnia

Can Perfectionism Cause Insomnia?

Yes. Perfectionism can cause insomnia when the mind stays active at night reviewing mistakes, judging performance, comparing life progress, and trying to prevent future failure. The person may be exhausted, but the nervous system remains on alert.

Many perfectionistic people do not think of themselves as anxious. They may describe

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Mountain sunrise above a sea of clouds representing anxiety-related chronic insomnia, emotional recovery, and the return of restorative sleep

Can Anxiety Cause Chronic Insomnia?

Yes, anxiety can absolutely cause chronic insomnia. It can also maintain it long after the original stressor has passed. In my clinical work, I often see that people are not just struggling with sleep. They are struggling with a nervous system that has learned to stay alert, a mind that

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A service member in a therapy session discussing PTSD-related insomnia, hypervigilance, nightmares, and sleep recovery

Can PTSD Cause Insomnia?

Can PTSD Cause Insomnia? By Dr. Charles R. Freeman, Ph.D. Yes, PTSD can cause insomnia. Post-traumatic stress disorder can keep the nervous system on alert long after the danger has passed. A person may be physically safe in bed, but the brain and body may still be scanning for threat.

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Dr. Freeman's Articles on Sleep, Trauma, and Behavioral Medicine