Post-Election Stress and Anxiety: Sleep, Worry and When to Get Help
Last reviewed: 11/05/2026
Reviewed by: Dr. Kiesa Kelly
The days after an election can feel heavy, whatever you hoped would happen. Sleep gets thin. Your jaw stays clenched. You check your phone at red lights and again at 2 a.m. Conversations that used to be easy now feel like walking on ice. If that sounds familiar, you are in a lot of company: in an American Psychological Association survey taken in August 2024, months before that year's presidential election, 69% of U.S. adults already named the election as a significant source of stress [1].
Post-election stress is not a diagnosis. It is a stress response to an uncertain, high-stakes event, and in our clinical experience it often eases as life settles. Sometimes it does not. This article is about telling those two apart, and about what helps in the meantime. If you want a quick, private read on where your anxiety stands right now, the GAD-7 anxiety screener is a short, free check; it is a starting point, not a diagnosis.
In this article, you'll learn:
What post-election stress can look like in your body, your head, and your home
Three common beliefs that keep stress running longer than it needs to
Why stress goes after your sleep first, and a few steps that protect it this week
How to set limits on news without tuning out the world
The signs that stress may be turning into an anxiety or depressive disorder, and what to do next
Why the days after an election can feel so heavy: the short answer
An election is a hard kind of stressor: the stakes can feel personal, the outcome is out of your hands, and the news keeps coming. That last part, living with uncertainty, is often what keeps worry running. The American Psychological Association describes the usual result as a mix of emotional reactions, such as worry, tension and irritability, and physical ones, such as headaches, insomnia and stomach problems [2].
This is not new. In a 2017 national survey of 800 U.S. adults, so many people said politics had stressed them that the researchers estimated the number at roughly 94 million Americans, with about 44 million saying they had lost sleep over it [3]. Daily-diary research has found the same thing day to day: political events tend to bring negative emotions, and those emotions track with worse psychological and physical well-being [4].
🧠 Key takeaway: Feeling shaken after an election is a common stress response, not a sign that something is wrong with you.
Three beliefs that keep post-election stress running
"If I'm this upset, something must be wrong with me." A strong reaction to a high-stakes, uncertain event is common [1][2]. What matters clinically is not whether you feel stress, but how long it lasts and how much it takes over your days. That is the line this article keeps coming back to.
"Staying on top of every update keeps me prepared." In our clinical experience, it rarely works that way. After a different kind of distressing national event, the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, six or more hours a day of bombing-related media in the following week was associated with higher acute stress than direct exposure to the bombings [6]. That study was not about elections, and it shows a link rather than a cause. But it fits a later finding about elections specifically: in a two-wave study of U.S. young adults, stress about election news was linked to higher odds of both depression and anxiety symptoms [5]. If your mood has dipped, the PHQ-9 depression screener is one way to check in with yourself.
"Post-election stress disorder is a real diagnosis, so I must have it." It is a phrase the media uses, not a condition in the diagnostic manuals. The conditions clinicians do diagnose, such as generalized anxiety disorder and major depression, are defined by how long symptoms last and how much they interfere with daily life [7][8].
📰 Key takeaway: More news is not more control. Deciding when you check the news is one of the few levers you fully hold this week.
What post-election stress can look like
In your body: tension, a racing heart, a knotted stomach
Stress often shows up in the body. APA lists headaches and stomach problems among common physical reactions [2], and in our clinical experience people also notice tight shoulders, a clenched jaw, or a heart that speeds up when a headline pops up. Some people feel restless and cannot sit through a meal. Others feel flat and tired, as if they ran a race they never signed up for.
In your head: worry, replaying and checking the news
Here is a composite example. You wake at 3 a.m. and reach for your phone "just to see." Twenty minutes later you are reading comment threads about something that will not be decided for months. You lie back down, but your mind keeps running the same what-if, rehearsing arguments you may never have. In the morning you feel foggy, and by lunchtime you have checked the news a dozen times without learning anything new.
At home and at work: a shorter fuse
Another composite example. You and your partner followed the same results and came away with different feelings about them. Dinner gets quiet. You snap at your teenager for something small, then feel guilty. At work, you read the same email three times. None of this means your relationships are in trouble. It means stress is using up the patience you usually have for everything else. In APA's 2024 survey, about a third of adults said the political climate had caused strain between them and family members [1]. If family friction is the biggest part of this for you, our companion post on politics at the Thanksgiving table goes deeper.
Why stress goes after your sleep first
Sleep comes more easily when you can switch off, and stress keeps part of you on watch, so the racing mind tends to show up at bedtime. Our post on the anxiety and insomnia cycle walks through that loop. Sleep trouble tied to a passing stressor usually settles once the stressor does; when it keeps going for weeks after life calms down, it may have become chronic insomnia, and for chronic insomnia the American College of Physicians recommends cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) as the first treatment [9], which our insomnia services offer.
Small steps that protect sleep this week
Set a news curfew. APA suggests a short evening news check-in rather than constant updates [2]; making it the last one of the day, well before bed, keeps it from following you into the night.
Park your worries early. In our clinical experience, writing tomorrow's worries and one next step for each on paper in the evening, not in bed, helps many people stop rehearsing them at night.
If you still lie awake for long stretches weeks after things settle, the CBT-I techniques in the anxiety and insomnia guide above are the next step.
🌙 Key takeaway: Short-term stress sleep usually recovers on its own. Sleep trouble that outlasts the stress for weeks deserves its own treatment.
Getting unstuck from worry
Worry, rumination and useful problem-solving
Worry can feel productive because it is about things that matter, but going over the same question without an answer is not the same as solving a problem. Our guide to how clinicians tell worry and rumination apart covers the difference, and the uncertainty post linked above explains why not knowing can keep worry running.
Setting limits on news without tuning out the world
You do not have to choose between staying informed and staying well. APA suggests scheduling a short block of time in the morning and one in the evening to catch up on the news, rather than checking every update through the day [2]. Notice how you feel after each check-in. If you come away tense or unable to sleep, shorten it or move it earlier. Use the time you win back on something that refuels you: a walk, a meal with someone, a hobby that absorbs your attention.
Research on daily political stress points the same way. Handling politics-related emotions with strategies such as rethinking a situation or turning attention elsewhere predicted greater well-being [4]. The same study found a trade-off: those strategies also went with less motivation to take political action [4]. Managing your stress does not mean caring less. It means deciding how and when you engage.
Turning a worry into one next step
When a worry shows up, ask: is there one concrete thing I can do about this today? If there is, write it down and do it. If there is not, set the worry aside for a set time later. Our guide to scheduled worry time explains how to do this step by step.
🧭 Key takeaway: Two planned news check-ins a day and one written next step per worry are small changes that cut down a lot of mental noise.
When the people around you see it differently
Elections land differently on different people, even inside the same home. You do not have to agree with someone to stay connected to them. APA's advice is simple: if a political conversation cannot stay calm and constructive, it may be best to step away from it [2]. "I care about you, and I don't want to fight about this tonight" is a complete sentence. If you are dreading a family gathering this month, the Thanksgiving post covers how to steer, pause, or leave a political argument without taking sides.
🤝 Key takeaway: Stepping out of a heated conversation is a way of protecting a relationship, not giving up on it.
When stress becomes something more: anxiety or depression
Stress after a big event is expected. A disorder is different, and the difference is mostly about time and impact.
Generalized anxiety disorder involves worry that is hard to control on most days for at least six months, along with symptoms such as restlessness, fatigue, trouble concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, or sleep problems [7].
Major depression involves depressed mood or loss of interest most of the time for at least two weeks, enough to get in the way of daily life [8].
In the 2025 young-adult study, stress in the run-up to the election and stress about election news were both linked to higher odds of depression symptoms, but stress about the election outcome was not [5]. The authors say this shows the value of separating different kinds of election stress; the study was of young adults, so it may not apply to everyone.
Signs it is worth talking to a professional
In our clinical experience, these are the signs worth acting on:
Worry fills most of your day and you cannot switch it off, even when nothing new is happening.
Your sleep has not recovered weeks after the news settled.
You have lost interest in things you usually enjoy, or you feel down most days. The PHQ-9 screener mentioned above can help you check.
You are pulling away from friends or family, missing work, or leaning on alcohol to get through the evening (APA lists alcohol among coping habits that do not help [2]).
Stress keeps building instead of fading.
If you are having thoughts of harming yourself
If you are having thoughts of harming yourself, or the future feels hopeless, please reach out now. Call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24 hours a day [10]. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
⚖️ Key takeaway: Short-lived and easing points toward ordinary stress. Lasting, building, or getting in the way of your life points toward a conversation with a clinician.
How therapy helps with stress, worry and sleep
Therapy does not ask you to change your views or stop caring about the world. It works on what stress is doing to you. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) helps you notice the thought patterns that keep worry running and practice responding to them differently; you can read more about CBT for anxiety in Tennessee. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) helps you make room for hard feelings while still acting on what matters to you. When insomnia has become chronic, CBT-I is the first-line treatment [9].
If you are not sure what you need, a free 15-minute consultation is a low-pressure way to talk it through.
Our therapy team works with anxiety and depression, and with couples and families when stress is showing up at home.
Next step: getting support
The heavy days after an election are a stress response doing its job a little too well. In our clinical experience, protecting sleep, setting limits on news, and stepping out of conversations that cannot stay calm are often enough to let it settle. If it does not settle, or if it keeps growing, that is not a failure. It is information, and anxiety and depression are conditions clinicians treat every day.
Anxiety running the show?
Evidence-based therapy can turn the volume down on anxiety — a clinician can help you find the approach that fits your life rather than a one-size-fits-all plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I calm down political anxiety after an election?
Start with your body and your news habits, not your opinions. Slow breathing, a walk, or a few minutes of an absorbing task can bring your stress response down in the moment. Then set two short news check-ins a day instead of following every update, and protect your sleep. If worry still fills most of your day after a few weeks, or you cannot switch it off, that is worth talking through with a clinician.
Is post-election stress disorder a real diagnosis?
No. Post-election stress disorder is a phrase the media uses, not a diagnosis in the DSM-5-TR. Stress after a high-stakes event is a common, understandable reaction. What a clinician looks at is how long it lasts and how much it gets in the way of daily life. Worry about many things that is hard to control on most days for at least six months, along with symptoms such as restlessness or poor sleep, or low mood or lost interest most of the day for at least two weeks, can point toward a treatable condition.
How long does post-election stress usually last?
In our clinical experience, stress tied to a single event often eases as the news cycle moves on and daily routines settle back in. There is no fixed timeline, though. If you are still losing sleep, feeling on edge, or pulling away from people several weeks later, or the stress keeps building instead of fading, it may be turning into something that deserves a proper look from a clinician.
Can political stress lead to depression?
It can be part of the picture. In a 2025 study of U.S. young adults, stress about election news and stress in the run-up to the 2024 election were linked to higher odds of moderate or more severe depression symptoms, while stress about the election outcome was not. That is a link, not proof of cause. Low mood or lost interest lasting two weeks or more is worth checking with a clinician. If you feel hopeless or think about harming yourself, call or text 988, or call 911.
Should I stop following the news to protect my mental health?
You do not need to tune out the world. Many people find it helps to decide when and how much. A short check-in in the morning and one in the evening keeps you informed without the constant pull of updates. Notice how you feel afterward: if you come away tense, angry, or unable to sleep, shorten the check-in or move it earlier in the day.
About the Author
Dr. Kiesa Kelly is a licensed clinical psychologist and the founder of ScienceWorks Behavioral Healthcare, with more than 20 years of experience in psychological assessment and evidence-based treatment. Her clinical work centers on anxiety, obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders, trauma-related conditions, and insomnia, including CBT for insomnia, along with neurodevelopmental assessment in adults and adolescents.
She earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in Neuropsychology from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, and completed practica, internship, and an NIH-funded postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Chicago, the University of Wisconsin, the University of Florida, and Vanderbilt University. Dr. Kelly is a psychologist, not a physician, and does not prescribe medication.
References
1. American Psychological Association. APA poll: Future of nation, economy and presidential election top U.S. stressors [press release]. 2024 Oct 22. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2024/10/top-us-stressors
2. American Psychological Association. Managing stress related to political change. 2024 Oct 22. https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/political-change
3. Smith KB, Hibbing MV, Hibbing JR. Friends, relatives, sanity, and health: The costs of politics. PLoS One. 2019;14(9):e0221870. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0221870
4. Ford BQ, Feinberg M, Lassetter B, Thai S, Gatchpazian A. The political is personal: The costs of daily politics. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2023;125(1):1-28. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000335
5. Zhao C, Woolverton GA, Rastogi R, Menor A, Hahm HC, Liu CH. 2024 presidential election stress and its association with depression and anxiety among U.S. young adults: A two-wave survey study. Psychiatry Res. 2025;351:116574. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2025.116574
6. Holman EA, Garfin DR, Silver RC. Media's role in broadcasting acute stress following the Boston Marathon bombings. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014;111(1):93-98. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1316265110
7. National Institute of Mental Health. Generalized anxiety disorder: what you need to know. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/generalized-anxiety-disorder-gad
8. National Institute of Mental Health. Depression. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression
9. Qaseem A, Kansagara D, Forciea MA, Cooke M, Denberg TD; Clinical Guidelines Committee of the American College of Physicians. Management of chronic insomnia disorder in adults: a clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians. Ann Intern Med. 2016;165(2):125-133. https://doi.org/10.7326/M15-2175
10. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. https://988lifeline.org/
Disclaimer
This article is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Screeners such as the GAD-7 and PHQ-9 are not diagnostic tests, and only a qualified clinician can diagnose an anxiety or depressive disorder. If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988, or call 911 in an emergency.