Unable to fall asleep last night, unable to sleep today because of anxiety related to sleep deprivation

[brendanr]

I have numerous sleep disorders that doctors have not been able to diagnose with the exception that I have "mild" sleep apnea. Usually my problem is sleeping too long, falling asleep during the day, and never feeling fully rested. I usually sleep anywhere from 11-16 hours a night and only end up waking up because of dehydration. I have slept for over 24 hours straight on multiple occasions, it is as if my body just never tells itself to wake up. I will usually fall asleep within 5 minutes.

I also suffer from pretty severe General Anxiety Disorder and Panic Disorder, and although I usually fall asleep right away, about once a month I just get too anxious and am unable to fall asleep. I tried going to bed last night and ended up reading Wikipedia for about 9 hours straight and so I never fell asleep. It is now a little past 7:00 PM the following day and I want to sleep, but I'm not tired and feel terrible.

I feel jittery and I am stuttering when I talk, almost as if I am hyped up on caffeine. I eliminated caffeine from my diet about 6 months ago as it aggravated my daily anxiety level. I do take Xanax for the anxiety disorders, but it's not helping for this. I also feel sick to my stomach as if my organs are rising up, my arms feel weak, and I feel a bit dizzy. It probably doesn't help that I likely have Irritable Bowel Syndrome that is caused by high levels of anxiety.

What do I do to feel better and to the point where I can fall asleep? The discomfort and anxiety are becoming almost unbearable at this point.

[Redhots7]

Maybe putting yourself on a schedule and structure your activities. No napping in daytime . Set a bedtime and stick to it. May take a few days but should help you get good sleep and more energy in daytime .

[lourocks]

You have sleep apnea I had the same exact thing. I got my sleep machine now I'm fine. Just got to try and relax. I know it's hard I had anxiety for 15 years u kind of learn to deal with it although still can't fly of go fishing terrified of things I did every day. Be blessed ur not alone