The Psychology of Over-Control in Sleep Anxiety Among College Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53104/curr.res.psychol.sci.2025.07003Abstract
Sleep anxiety among college students is not only caused by poor sleep itself. It is also closely related to the strong wish to control sleep. When students treat sleep as a task that must be completed on time, they may become more alert before bedtime. They may check the clock, notice small body feelings, and worry about the effect of poor sleep on study and daily life. These actions seem to help at first, but they often make the mind more tense. This essay analyzes sleep anxiety from the view of over-control psychology. It argues that excessive sleep effort, self-monitoring, fear of losing control, and repeated negative sleep experiences can form a cycle of anxiety. A more flexible view of sleep may help reduce this pressure. Sleep should be supported by stable habits, but it should not be forced through strict control.
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