Is anxiety stealing your sleep? — measure racing thoughts at bedtime, night-time worry, and morning anxiety. Understand the sleep-anxiety cycle with our 15-question assessment.
Take the Free Test →Sleep anxiety is a form of anxiety specifically centred around the anticipation of sleep or the experience of lying awake at night. It is estimated that 40% of people with an anxiety disorder experience clinically significant sleep disturbance, and the relationship is bidirectional — anxiety worsens sleep, and poor sleep amplifies anxiety.
For many people, sleep anxiety begins as soon as they get into bed. The quiet, dark environment removes the distractions that keep anxious thoughts at bay during the day, and the mind fills with unresolved worries, replayed conversations, and fears about tomorrow. The frustration of not being able to sleep then adds a second layer of anxiety, making the problem self-perpetuating.
Our free sleep anxiety test measures the frequency and severity of bedtime worry, racing thoughts, night-time waking, morning cortisol surges, and the overall impact of poor sleep on your daily functioning.
Common searches that lead people here include "why do I feel anxious at night?", "I can't sleep because of anxiety", and "what does sleep anxiety feel like?" This sleep anxiety quiz free addresses all of these. It functions as a comprehensive sleep anxiety questionnaire that distinguishes between general insomnia and anxiety-driven sleeplessness — a clinically important distinction, since the two require different interventions.
Sleep anxiety often develops from a conditioning process: one or more nights of poor sleep due to a stressful event leads to worry about sleep itself, which then causes further sleeplessness. The bed becomes associated with wakefulness and worry rather than rest — a pattern that CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia) directly targets.
Elevated cortisol from chronic stress is also a key driver. Cortisol should be lowest at night and highest in the morning, but chronic anxiety disrupts this pattern, producing cortisol spikes during the night that jolt you awake.
If sleep anxiety has persisted for more than four weeks and is affecting your work, mood, or relationships, seeking support is recommended. CBT-I has the strongest evidence base for treating sleep anxiety and insomnia — and outperforms sleep medication in long-term outcomes. A GP referral or direct booking with a sleep therapist are good starting points.
15 questions. Instant results. Free personalised management plan.
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