anxiety before bed

[cherry_cola98]

hi all! hope you are doing well.

I’m writing to just ask for advice, i guess. any insight helps.

So every night, I face extreme anxiety when trying to fall asleep. I cant explain it. But when i start to fall asleep, I’ll occasionally just jolt awake and feel like i cant breathe.

I’ve struggled with nightmares and are scared of having them again, but I just want to get past this issue.

My therapist and I have been trying different methods of relaxation and staying relaxed up until i can get myself to fall asleep.

has anyone else with an anxiety disorder faced sleeping issues? Does anyone have any tips or ways to help?

Thanks so much ❤️

[RS1974]

I also do this too. I have PTSD . It only happens sometimes.

[cherry_cola98 in reply to RS1974]

happens to me occasionally, as well. But i guess my body just freaks out & i always *expect* it to happen so then i go into panic mode about sleeping 😆

Seems that it also happens during major events or when i’m extremely stressed. I just wish i knew how to beat the cycle.

[RS1974 in reply to cherry_cola98]

Yes that would be great if that cycle could be broken. Hope you are doing well. Have a great evening sweetie 🥰

[Rufus07]

I too have sleep anxiety. I worry every night that when sig others alarm goes off at 5am I won’t be able to get back to sleep. I’m a light sleeper. Once I’m up, my mind goes into overdrive…thinking and worrying about everything. I try to talk myself into resuming the dream I had before I woke. It usually doesn’t work. I lay there asking God to help me. Sometimes I fall back asleep, sometimes I don’t, which adds to the anxiety. If I don’t fall back asleep I’m stuck being up for way more hours than I want to be up. (More time to worry , like I do, during the day). I don’t work, and I do nothing during the day, so all my time is spent crying and worrying about everything. I know I should do something, but I just don’t have the energy or motivation. I wish I had some tips for you, but I don’t since I can’t even help myself. Sorry for kinda making this about me. I didn’t intend to do that. I hope you find relief soon 🙂

[-Charlie]

hi cherry_cola98,

I used to get this a lot too. It’s like having a partial panic attack while you’re falling asleep. Used to make me jump out of bed and panic. It can be very scary and makes it hard to fall back asleep.

Something that’s helped me is putting in my EarPods and falling asleep to bilateral sounds. It’s relaxing and helps clear the mind of anxious thoughts. YouTube has one I like called The Deepest Healing Sleep by SleepTube. I notice a difference in falling asleep faster and staying asleep longer when I listen to it.

Deep breathing exercises are also good before you fall asleep. The only other thing I recommend is making sure you eat at least 3 hours before bedtime and get at least 30 minutes a day of exercise if you’re able. And no caffeine at night is important.

Hope this helps and you can get some relief soon🙏

[Santinos]

I find it hard to get to sleep . I watch something that I've seen before that is gentle to watch. Also I don't have any caffeine after 2.00. Try searching for soundscapes on YouTube as well.