Anxious at Night?

If you’ve ever crawled into bed, ready to unwind after a long day, only to find your mind suddenly racing with worry, you’re not alone. Many people experience heightened anxiety at night — when everything’s quiet, the lights are off, and there’s finally “time” to think.

What’s supposed to be a moment of rest becomes a mental marathon of what-ifs and worst-case scenarios.

As a Chicago anxiety therapist, I often hear clients say things like, “I’m fine during the day, but as soon as I try to sleep, my anxiety takes over.” If this sounds familiar, it’s not just in your head — there are real psychological and biological reasons why anxiety tends to spike at night.

Related: Morning anxiety explored

Let’s break down what’s happening, why it’s worse after dark, and what you can do to calm your mind before bed.

Why Anxiety Feels Worse at Night

There’s something about nighttime that makes anxious thoughts louder. During the day, our minds are busy — we’re answering emails, commuting through Chicago traffic, chatting with coworkers, or scrolling social media. But when the noise quiets down, your brain finally has space to process everything it’s been avoiding.

Here’s why night anxiety is so common:

Less distraction – During the day, external activity keeps your mind occupied. At night, without distractions, your thoughts can flood in all at once.
Unresolved stress – If you’ve been suppressing stress throughout the day, it tends to resurface when things slow down.
Physiological arousal – Anxiety activates your body’s “fight or flight” system. Even if you’re lying in bed, your body might still be running on adrenaline.
Blue light exposure – Scrolling on your phone or laptop before bed disrupts your body’s melatonin production, which can heighten anxiety and delay sleep.
Anticipatory worry – For many people, nighttime triggers worries about the next day: deadlines, family stress, or what might go wrong tomorrow.

The Brain and Body Connection

Anxiety at night isn’t just psychological — it’s also physical. Your body’s stress response system can get thrown out of balance over time. The cortisol rhythm, which helps regulate energy levels, is meant to decrease in the evening so your body can rest. But if you’ve been under chronic stress, cortisol levels can stay elevated, making you feel alert when you should be winding down.

This is especially true in high-pressure cities like Chicago, where many people work long hours and rarely have a chance to fully decompress. Even when you’re home, your nervous system might still be on high alert from the day’s pace.

When cortisol and adrenaline are still pumping, your body sends signals like:

Racing heart or fluttering chest
Restlessness or tossing and turning
Tight muscles in your neck or shoulders
Trouble shutting off thoughts or “what if” thinking
Feeling a sense of impending doom

Sound familiar? These are signs your nervous system hasn’t yet shifted into “rest mode.”

Common Triggers for Nighttime Anxiety

Everyone’s anxiety looks a little different, but here are some common triggers people in therapy often mention:

Overthinking conversations or events from the day (“Did I say the wrong thing in that meeting?”)
Worrying about tomorrow (“What if I mess up that presentation?”)
Relationship stress (“Why hasn’t my partner texted back?”)
Financial concerns (“How am I going to cover rent this month?”)
Health worries (“What if this headache means something serious?”)
Fear of not sleeping (“If I don’t fall asleep soon, I’ll be exhausted tomorrow.”)

That last one — fear of not sleeping — is one of the most common and vicious cycles. The more you worry about not sleeping, the harder it is to actually fall asleep.

How CBT Therapy Can Help

At Calm Anxiety CBT Clinic on Chicago’s North Side, we often help clients break the cycle of nighttime anxiety using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) — a structured, evidence-based approach that helps you change unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors.

Here’s how CBT can help you sleep more peacefully:

Identify thought traps – CBT teaches you to recognize distorted thinking patterns, like catastrophizing (“If I don’t sleep, I’ll ruin my whole day”) or mind reading (“My boss must think I’m terrible at my job”).
Challenge anxious thoughts – Once you spot them, you learn how to test their accuracy and replace them with more balanced perspectives.
Calm your body – CBT often includes relaxation training, deep breathing, or mindfulness techniques to reduce physical tension before bed.
Build better sleep habits – You’ll learn how to create a consistent bedtime routine, reduce screen time, and signal your brain that it’s time to rest.
Reduce anticipatory worry – By addressing the anxious “what ifs” during the day, you prevent them from spilling into your nighttime hours.
Creating a plan – Use of an anxiety toolkit that is uniquely designed for your needs and situation.

CBT doesn’t just mask the anxiety — it helps you retrain your brain’s response to stress, so you can approach bedtime with a sense of calm instead of dread. Visit our extensive CBT Chicago page to learn more.

Practical Tips to Ease Nighttime Anxiety

Even if you’re not in therapy yet, there are practical things you can start doing tonight to manage nighttime anxiety.

Create a wind-down routine – Dim the lights, put your phone away at least 30 minutes before bed, and do something relaxing like reading or gentle stretching.
Try progressive muscle relaxation – Tense and release each muscle group slowly, starting at your feet and working upward. It helps discharge built-up tension.
Keep a “worry notebook” – If your mind races at bedtime, write down your thoughts earlier in the evening so they’re not bouncing around in your head later.
Practice slow breathing – Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds, hold for 4, and exhale slowly for 6. Repeat until your body starts to relax.
Limit caffeine and alcohol – Both can disrupt your sleep cycle and make anxiety symptoms worse.
Avoid doomscrolling – News and social media can amplify stress, especially right before bed.
Ground yourself in the present – Focus on sensory details around you: the feeling of your sheets, the sound of your breath, or the softness of your pillow.

When to Reach Out for Help

If anxiety is consistently keeping you up at night, it may be time to get professional support. Chronic sleep disruption and nighttime rumination can take a toll on your mental and physical health.

A therapist who specializes in anxiety — especially one trained in CBT — can help you identify what’s driving your nighttime anxiety and teach you specific strategies to manage it. You don’t have to figure it out on your own.

At Calm Anxiety CBT Clinic here in Chicago, we help people who wake up tense, can’t fall asleep, or find themselves overthinking after dark. Whether it’s stress from work, relationship worries, or simply a racing mind, therapy can help you retrain your brain and body to relax again.

The Bottom Line

Nighttime anxiety isn’t a sign of weakness — it’s your nervous system’s way of saying it hasn’t had time to catch up from the day. Between the noise, pace, and pressure of Chicago life, your mind might just need help learning how to rest again.

The good news? With the right strategies and support, you can break the pattern. Whether through CBT therapy, relaxation techniques, or lifestyle changes, it’s possible to find calm at night and wake up actually feeling refreshed.

If you’re ready to stop battling anxiety every evening, our team at Calm Anxiety CBT Clinic can help you get there — one peaceful night at a time.