Natural Anxiety Solutions

Anxiety and insomnia are illnesses that can dramatically affect the day to day activities of otherwise highly functioning individuals depending upon the degree and severity of the symptomologies. Anxiety has a variety of categories and causes such as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), stress-related anxiety, panic disorder, social anxiety, medical illnesses, or anxiety as a subset of additional mental disorders (Preston & Johnson, 2007, p. 29-31). Symptoms of anxiety can vary greatly from having muscle tension, to feeling tense or edgy, to having full blown panic attacks with developing phobias.

Insomnia is equally as complex as anxiety with regard to levels of severity and treatment options. Over one third of adults in the United States suffer from this disorder and it can result in snoring, disrupted breathing while sleeping, restless leg syndrome such as kicking or jerking, narcolepsy, or feeling sleeping during the day as if there has been a switch between day and night sleeping patterns ( Schatzberg, Cole, DeBattista, 2007, p. 397).

Traditionally both anxiety and insomnia are treated with anxiolytic or hypnotic medications. However, there are also alternatives to anxiolytic & hypnotic medications that should be assessed because often situations arise, such a pregnancy or an inability to mix medications, that do not allow for a patient to consume anxiolytic or hypnotic medications. Additionally, alternative and complementary and non-pharmacological approaches to treatment of anxiety and sleep disorders may be necessary because the root of the disorder may be an allergic reaction to food or nutrients so behavioral and nutritional approaches to managing these illness should be investigated (Sahley, 2002, 52-3).

Patients suffering from insomnia can benefit from behavioral approaches to treatment so that long term changes after the cessation of the medication can be maintained. One example of behavioral management surrounds redefining behavior that can take place in the bed or bedroom. For example, those suffering from insomnia should not eat in the bed, watch TV in the bed, or read in the bed. Rather, the bed should only be used for sleeping purposes (the exception being intimacy) and if a person is not feeling sleepy they should not remain in their bed ( Schatzberg, Cole, DeBattista, 2007, p. 401). Additional examples of alternate approaches to treatment include sleep restriction therapy (reduction in time spent in bed), bright light therapy (exposure to a light box), or continuous positive airway pressure (which is helpful for those whose insomnia results in sleep apnia).

Those suffering from anxiety may benefit from the utilization of relaxation and biofeedback techniques. Biofeedback works in a congnitive fashion to teach a person how to control their bodily functions and reactions to anxiety inorder to reduce over all stress ( Lederman, 1995). Relaxation techniques include progressions relaxation which is purposeful relaxation of the muscles in a controlled manner.

Nutritional changes can also benefit those suffering from disorders that traditionally require psychopharmacological treatments such as anxiolytic & hypnotic medications. For example, Balch and Balch (1997, p. 133) recommend that those suffering from anxiety, panic attacks, or insomnia should avoid coffee, soda, black tea, large amounts of animal protein, sugar, or alcohol. Additionally, it is recommended that those suffering from anxiety should increase consumption of vitamin B complex, drink milk, increase intake of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and selenium (Werbach, 1999, p.70-79). For those suffering from insomnia the same advice can be given but it is additionally important to rule out any potential food allergies or reactive hypoglycemia (Werbach, 1999, p.320-25).  

Combining psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy with different forms of anxiety can be beneficial. Pharmacotherapy may be an excellent solution for those suffering from acute anxiety that is associated with a life altering event such as a death of a loved one, a divorce, or the loss of a job. In these instances it is important to understand the relationship that depression, anxiety, and stress have with the activation in the amygdala (which manages aggression and fear responses) and the role of the hippocampus (which manages declarative memory) as these areas of the brain may be hypersensitive to certain events and patients may respond to longer-term psychotherapy to help re-write the manner in which these areas of the brain interpret events (Sapolsky, 2003). Regardless, a holistic approach to managing anxiety and insomnia is the ideal treatment scenario.

Balch, J. F. & Balch, P. A. (1997). Prescription for nutritional healing: A practical a-z reference to drug-free remedies using vitamins, minerals, herbs, & food supplements (2^nd ed.). Garden City Park, NY: Avery Publishing Group.

Lederman, R. P. (1995). Treatment strategies for anxiety, stress, and developmental conflict during reproduction. Behavioral Medicine, 21(3), 113-22.

Preston , J. & Johnson, J. (2007) Clinical psychopharmacology made ridiculously simple (5th ed.). Miami, FL: Medmaster, Inc.

Sahley, B. J. (2002). The anxiety epidemic: A wounded healer tells you how to use gaba and other amino acids to control anxiety and panic attacks. San Antonio, Texas: Pain & Stress Publications.

Sapolsky, R. (2003). Taming stress. Scientific American, 289(3), 88-95.

Schatzberg, A.F., Cole, J.O., DeBattista, C. (2007). Manual of clinical

psychopharmacology (6th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.

Werbach, Melvyn R. (1999). Nutritional influences on mental illness, (2nd ed.). Tarzana, CA: Third Line Press.