Big problem sleeping 😣

Hi everyone, I'm new to this community. I'm struggling bad with insomnia. It's anxiety and I'm laying here going out of my mind thinking about all kinds of things and it drives me insane. I've tried meds and melatonin. Am I going to live without sleeping the rest of my life. It's insanity!

[Hidden]

With anxiety the key is to find the root cause, otherwise you go to the Dr's and treat the symptoms leaving a life long problem!

First and fore most is a healthy life - good diet, mindfulness and meditation, exercise and purpose/work and loving.supportive relationships. If you have a deficit in one of these areas it could be offsetting the sleep and leaving you more prone to anxiety.

Next is your own symptomatic control - when you are anxious what do you do? If you lie in bed and run with your thoughts you are actively making things worse.

I developed anxiety when I developed ME. At the beginning it was crippling. I had a pain in my chest, palpitations and a light head with all that fear. I started to avoid places (not even realising I was).

I had been having a bad diet and with RLS had desperate insomnia which makes anxiety worse (there is a circular thing with anxiety and insomnia). I ended up developing a strategy whereby when I got a blast of anxiety I would sit down and ask it where it was coming from. It was uncomfortable but I faced the faceless fear and the only thing I could come up with was I was chronically ill.

I couldn't change that so I was left with symptomatic treatment. SO, when I got anxiety next I got one of my teenage lads to start teaching me a few beats on the drums. Trying to focus on moving multiple limbs moving independently but in in time with each other demanded ALL my focus.

Before I had to go anywhere I picked up the sticks and began playing. My mind was occupied fully so none of the anxious thoughts could really get in and when they did I couldn't keep feeding them as I was focused elsewhere. I was relaxed as the physical exertion was exercise to me also. My preemptive strikes ended up taking care of the anxiety allowing me to get out and about more. I now have made changes to my life, accepting my inability to work and have taken up several projects to stimulate and occupy myself.

If you can't manage it on your own then cognitive and cognitive-behavioural therapy can be very helpful (normally access via GP or can be got privately if you wish).

Please avoid the usual antidepressant/benzodiazepine approach (unless you start to become a danger to yourself or others) as they dull the symptoms by dulling the person. The underlying issue is NEVER treated this way and rarely goes away.

I hope this helps. Take care and good health.

[Hidden]

I’ve got chronic insomnia and it drives me insane too.

The short answer is NO, you won’t die from insomnia, but it most definelty can lead to health issues that might be detrimental to our health.

Eventually you will sleep, for me and it’s more likely I’ll sleep during the day some, during early evening some, if I’m lucky in the middle of night. I sleep in a series of naps.

What you need to do, is do all that you can to work on anxiety that is causing you to not sleep at night. If your sleep schedule is severely skewed get your doctor to help you rewire your schedule, and this may or may not be with meds, sleep restriction and sleep hygiene correcting.

CBT-I might prove useful to you as well. Look into breathing techniques, meditation, muscle relaxation techniques (all covered in CBT). Use of a light box might also be recommended by your doc.

[Sostakovic]

Come to terms with your anxiety, first. Start with accepting it ! Very important.Do not try to solve it with medication. It does not help in the long run. Try breathing techniques, but very regularly, and relaxation. When you bring down the cortisol levels, you will sleep a little better. And accept your insomnia as nothing too important. The body will sleep when it wants to physiologically, not when you think it should.

[XSitch38]

As someone who has had anxiety for a long time I would recommend cutting sugar from your diet, and products with MSG or sodium metabisulphite/sulphur dioxide. Sugar I'll increase the levels of cortisol. Keep alcohol to a minimum too as full of sugar and sulphites. Breathing good but I find the breathing in for the count of 4 and breathing out for 6-8 is best. Not easy but accepting yourself and issues helpful as running yourself down or feeling you are different to others doesn't help. I tell myself having anxiety makes me who I am, which is sympathetic/empathetic and conscientious. Creative hobbies may also redirect your thoughts. Good luck.