Sleeping Problems

[celestw]

for the past couple days i haven’t been sleeping good at all, i keep waking up in the middle of the night suddenly feeling anxious, almost like if you where having a nightmare and a jump scare just happened. Tonight i was trying to sleep earlier because i usually stay up until like 7 or 8 in the morning, so i fell asleep and i felt like i was sleeping pretty normally, i wasn’t having a bad dream...at least..i don’t think i was but again i can’t rlly remember, but then all the sudden i jus woke up and bolted upright while breathing in sharply and i felt scared like i just has a nightmare..i don’t have sleep apnea or anything, but i feel scary like i just saw something horrifying, then i end up having a panic attack and have to run to the bathroom and try and calm down, the whole ordeal usual last like 10 minutes, this has been happening every day for the past couple days and it’s exhausting, i’ve also been having really vivid and unusual dreams, has anyone else been through similar experiences or am i going crazy...

it may be due to my extremely poor sleep schedule, idk but i can never seem to get to sleep at night,,sleeping is really hard...also what should i do who do i tell if this keeps going on?

[Hidden]

Hi there. Am I understanding correctly that you don't go to sleep until 7 or 8 in the morning? Is this your choosing, or do you try and are just unable to sleep until these hours? I'm just trying to understand so I can maybe help.🙂

[celestw in reply to Hidden]

yea unfortunately i stay up until 7 or 8 but sometimes it’s 4 or 5 😔sometimes i’ll try to fall asleep earlier but for some reason i’m scared to fall asleep so then i stay up for long hours, it’s like my choice but also mentally it’s not my choice it’s really confusing i usually just stay up on my phone until i fall asleep but then now i’ve been randomly waking up jolting up like i had a nightmare and then that makes it hard to fall back asleep bc i’m scared it’ll happen again

[Hidden in reply to celestw]

So you are initially scared to fall asleep, is this correct? I totally get this because of my RLS and it stinks. I'm ever so sorry. Do you have a bedtime routine that is calming? Examples would be taking a shower/soaking in the tub before bed, reading, doing a crossword, drinking herbal tea, etc. I have become a fan of asmr sleep videos. There are lots on Youtube. Have a happy new year!

[celestw in reply to Hidden]

thank you i’ll consider trying those things! i usually just fall asleep while on my phone i don’t rlly try to relax😅happy new year!🎉

[Hidden in reply to celestw]

You're welcome! Relaxing would be good. You need sleep. Trust me on this one...Thanks!

[Catsamaze ADAA Volunteer]

Hi Celest. I think I remember that we corresponded before. Nice to do it again. Your normal sleep schedule is very unusual but has it consistently worked for you until the past few nights? If that’s the case, roll with it and the rough patch may resolve on its own. If it goes on for any length of time seeing a doctor and/or therapist might be a good idea. You may need or want to change your sleep schedule at some point with guidance from a medical or psychological professional; keep in mind that there are sleep specialists out there. It is only my opinion but we’re I dealing with this I’d be inclined to let things play out for several more days to see whether it is a transient issue or a potentially significant problem that needs to be addressed more urgently. Best wishes for the new year.

[celestw in reply to Catsamaze]

thank you so much! i usually have trouble getting to sleep anyways which is why i usually stay up very late nights but recently i’ve been suddenly waking up jolting up like i just had a nightmare, thankfully i’m seeing my doctor and a social worker in a week anyways so i’ll mention it to them! Thank you for the advice it makes me feel less alone, best wishes !

[Catsamaze ADAA Volunteer in reply to celestw]

and Happy New Year to you