Does lack of sleep make anxiety and depression worse.

[jonnylongton]

Since developing centralised Myasthenia gravis a muscle wasting illness where i am on steroids and other meds i have found even though i feel throughly fatigued all day ( one of the big side effects) that i cannot sleep at night and my depression and anxiety have become unbearable and no matter what i do i cannot shake the horrible impending doom and feeling of death all around me to go away. My body shakes all day and i can barely type because my hands are trembling. I have had some bad traumatic things happen over the past 6 months, a very near death experience with covid, then only a month ago i was given less than 2 hours to live and the drs and consultants got me to get my next of kin there as ive contracted sepsis, cellulitus and sceptic shock, it was stopping my heart, my bp was down to 50 over 30 and the consultant put a DNR on me as i would not pull through the anaestetic so i said my goodbye to my daughter and grandson and waited for my time to come. Also ive split from a 7yr relationship as she was narcissistic and went off with another man, and i had a codependency with her an attachment which is so hard to break. These are just a few bad trauma effects ive had to cope with but now my depression and anxiety are getting to the point of i dont want to live no more. Could any lovely kind person on here where i know all of you are suggest anything to help. I would love to go for walks etc but ive also a bad physical illness where all the discs in my spine have collasped and i find it so hard to even move from room to room. I feel im going mad stuck in four walls . Please help me !!!. I wish you all well and hope you all stay safe and have a good day where ever you may be or what you are doing. All my kindest regards .

[Lizzo30]

Very sorry to hear about your health issues Jonny have you considered a mobility vehicle ? It would get you out for a while and my answer is yes lack of sleep is never a good thing , I've heard that steroids can cause insomnia is there any chance you can reduce the dosage ?

[jonnylongton in reply to Lizzo30]

I cant really drop the dosage of the steroid as they are needed for my myasthenia gravis to keep that under control, it is a life threatening illness with so many issues, and if one goes into a crisis that is when your breathing stops and if you cant get to a hospital soon you will die , as the illness is called "gravis=grave=death" that is what the consultant explained. it also makes life so hard as the "fatigue" it causes is so intense some days even moving is enough to wear you out and you need to rest , it is a horrible thing to have. i am thinking of saving for a mobility scooter , but with the physical pain i also suffer i think i will be restricted to how far i can go. Lizzo i cant honestly describe how bad a state i am in with my physical and mental health i have so many underlying issues, and ive gone through so much trauma i try my best to find a way to beat this , but have no social circle, lost all my family apart from my daughter and she is poorly with her own conditions i just feel trapped in a bubble with my troubles all going round in a circle and no matter how many deep breaths or trying to keep calm nothing seems to help. Im so desperate, i know others are as well, but i feel that i dont know how much longer i can keep this battle up before the inevitable happens, sorry to say that but that is how i feel. Thank you so much for your kind reply it is very much appreciated. if you can think of anything please suggest it. regards jon

[Lizzo30 in reply to jonnylongton]

Are you in UK Jonny ?

[jonnylongton in reply to Lizzo30]

Yes i am Lizzo

[Lizzo30 in reply to jonnylongton]

Me too , why don't you ask your health care providers to help you get a mobility vehicle?

[Maximus01]

Jonnylongton--- I feel for you totally. Lack of sleep and anxiety go hand in hand for me. So does depression. I am speaking from my own experience and it is a daily challenge to just try and be positive and do the most necessary things around the house. I have to talk with my therapist every week for support, even though the story and concerns are always the same. Medications are helpful, but they do have side effects. I am taking something which does help me a little with sleep, but makes me feel very exhausted during the day. I am just not myself and I withdraw socially because I am just too tired and depressed. Even though your health issues are different from mine, I understand very well how you feel. I have many moments when I think about the "inevitable" or just checking out. But I don't and I have many tools that help me to make it through the day. It is important to talk to someone, even though they might not understand where you are but will just listen. I don't know whether you are in the US or the UK, but there are Help Lines available 24 hours a day which can always listen and give support. I also lie in front of my computer and just look at nature with rain sounds (and there are many) that are really calming. I also meditate, and do EFT (Emotional Freedom Therapy- Tapping). There are many practitioners who show how to do it, for many different situations and health problems. It is free. They are on youtube. It has really helped me to keep going and get some relaxation and hope. Wishing you well with all my heart.

[jonnylongton in reply to Maximus01]

Thank you so much Maximus. Yes im in the Uk. I go through what you go through, its more or less the same. Thank you for the advice what is on youtube, i will give it a try, anything must help me compared to how i feel now. I feel exhausted every day due to my meds and also my fatigue i get with having myasthenia gravis. I thank you with all my heart for giving me hope and things to look for. I miss talking and communicating with people, i have no one to hear me no one i can sit and have coffee with and a chat i just get so lonely specially with not long coming out of a 7yr relationship but she left to go with other men as she turned out to be a narcissist but i miss her so much and i cannot break the trauma bond and it is hurting more and more every day instead of getting easier. i have nightmares with her in it taunting me and i wake fretting and panicky and all iwant is to be able to hold her again i just miss having a love and hug, but i know i cannot ever get back with her because of her behaviour and never knowing who or what she is doing behind my back she fooled me into believeing she loved me, it was all a lie, yet i gave all my heart and now feel destroyed that i was used and betrayed but i still pine to hold her, if that makes sense . my head and life is so messed up and i have a feeling i know its not going to be a happy ending, as i cant cope no more with the mental and physical pain. i wish you well with your problems and hope you find the full relaxation to help you. sending you well wishes and hoping you stay safe

[Against_the_current]

Steroids really mess up mental health. I know when i was with a really bad allergy and i had to take them or be shot with them, i was really bad and sleepy all day. Even without Steroids is still hard. Probably tea and melatonin at night could help with good night sleep

[jonnylongton in reply to Against_the_current]

thank you Real_Me. The steroids im on are Prednislone as they are called in the Uk. 6x5 mg a day. Ever since ive been on them theyve helped with my illness but had other side effects ive not felt right. When i next see the neurologist i will mention it . Thank you for your informative reply . Stay safe

[JkBauer]

Good morning,I am sorry to hear about all of these awful health struggles that you are dealing with! I remember some awful near-death traumas that I had to deal with in my teenage years ( loooonnnggg time ago)! I remember the awful feeling of that fear of death knocking on my door. Fortunately, I had a good community bible church that my parents sent me to, and some people there really cared for me and loved me. They told me... Read 5 chapters of the book of Psalms to 1 chapter of Proverbs every day for one month and then repeat. So, I started reading Psalms and Proverbs. I struggled at first, but then I kept at it until it became a habit. I started noticing that my fear started going away and I started feeling a little stronger. I still had my health problems, but I felt like I could get up and go do things like going for a walk. Then as I went for walk I took that time to pray to Jesus and thank Him for the strength that he has given to me and the peace and comfort that I was feeling also. ------That is going to be my encouragement for you. Start reading 5 chapters of Psalms to 1 chapter of Proverbs every day until it becomes a habit. And see what becomes of you, and don't forget to pray and thank God for what He does in your life! God bless you!

[jonnylongton in reply to JkBauer]

Thank you so much JkBauer , i am going to copy and paste your very informative reply. I am going to get myself a bible so i can recite the proverbs that you have set me to be my encouragement. I will recite until it becomes a habit and i will have a hour or so every day to read the proverbs my friend. also i will pray and thank God for what he does. I do pray a little now as im a catholic and ask god for help and the power to get through this very rough time, if i had more time now but its 3.14 am now in the Uk and i shall need to go and get some kind of sleep . Once again thank you so much Jk and stay safe and God Bless you