The author's personal connection to anxiety and insomnia

Insomnia can stem from anxiety and consequently take an enormous physiological toll on the body. I personally have been struggling with both, not so much now, but often. I have trouble falling asleep and when I do, I usually don't stay asleep for more than 3-6 hours. I frequently wake up at 5am with a racing mind, finding it quite the challenge to go back to sleep. When I sleep poorly, I'm irratable, easily frustrated, distractable, very physically fatigued, have a strong headache near my upper neck, bottom head (near the brain stem and medulla, which mediate sleep and breathing). I worry about being able to sleep and these worries combined with lack of sleep can create a vicious cycle where I don't sleep well, then worry about it all day, which makes me sleep worse. Right now, however, it's not too bad.