Insomnia

[toast122]

Hi everyone. Sorry for posting so often but I just wanted to know if insomnia is common for anxiety suffers. It's almost 4am and I am very awake and anxious. My anxiety gets alot worse at night and I have a really difficult time falling asleep. Every little noise bothers me and I can't stop worrying about every little thing. My panic attacks mostly happen at night too because I get nervous that it's so late and I can't sleep. Also, sleep deprivation makes my anxiety worse and it becomes a vicious cycle. The lack of sleep causes my derealization/depersonalization to get worse as well which causes more fear and more anxiety and more insomnia. My worst fear is "going crazy" so as you can imagine, not sleeping makes me think its "something more than anxiety" and then I panic. I hate this. All summer I have been going to bed at 4am and sleeping in until noon the next day, wasting away the day. I just get so scared at night and I don't know why. Something about the dark/quiet makes me nervous, I guess its because I'm alone with my thoughts. I don't know... does anyone else feel this way? Is there any way to fix the insomnia and not worry so much at night?

[Hidden]

Hello Discus this with your GP, He can most probably give you a relaxant or a medication to treat anxiety.

You need to get back to regular hours for your sleep pattern. The way I used to do it was go to bed at your normal time, try and sleep if you cannot get up and have a warm drink, no tea or coffee. I if required will have a hot milk and a tot of whiskey or rum. Sit for a time then go back to bed.

Every night go to bed at a regular time, do not drink tea or coffee after eight.

Another thing too try is change your slide you sleep on and the bedroom should be cool, not hot or cold.

Get into the habit of not churning things over in bed. Make a point of trying to block those thoughts out. Some people with a garden will walk around it before going to bed.

We have no street lighting here and when we walk outside our next doors and our floods come on and wakes everyone up. So I do not do that. Pax has a flashing light on His collar and for him we only let him out in the front garden were He cannot run into anything. He is out at nine for the last time.

Some people read or listen to the radio if they cannot sleep this works for some. put a radio next to your bed, keep the volume low.

Try anything that will distract you from your anxiety. One other thing is to turn your alarm clock on then if it is electric turn the clock face away so you can not see it, although you will hear the alarm in the morning. If you keep watching the clock face you will possibly not sleep as you become set at the time as the display will in its self keep you awake

Good Luck, see your GP

[leafy]

I do sympathise. I'm waking at 4 with anxiety in my belly and getting diarrhoea. Yesterday it was relieved by crying and a guided meditation. Today I got up and went for a walk in the dawn then did some painting at the kitchen table.

It's the thoughts and worries about future stuff that is worse on top of the physical symptoms.

For me it's important not to isolate myself which I do and that leads to depression.

Good luck with it all.