I am 20 years old and a sufferer of extreme ocd and intrusive thoughts the latest instrusive thought as taken me for one heck of a ride and i dont know if i can recover its been that bad. The thought randomly entered my mind what if i can never sleep again. Then went online read about visuale and auditory hallucanations even pyschosis from not sleeping it has driven me off the wagon im not going to lie. My mind keeps telling me that i wont sleep and will go crazy and have to be put in a pysch ward the thought is stressing me out to no end and i dont know what to do. I read a story of someone who died from being awake for 72 hours and that drove me to even more stress. Is it physically possive for a normal person to just stay awake until they die from anxiety cause thats my biggest fear at this point.
No. Not possible to die from not sleeping. You might just stay awake for 72 hours (though probably not, as you'd take catnaps without realising it) but it still wouldn't kill you. You'd probably hallucinate, but that's not serious. Now set this aside. You'll have a few sleepless nights as a result of this idea, then nature will take its course and you'll start sleeping again.
I have OCD too, and I have found that it is crucial for me to do something relaxing before I go to bed.
Find something non-stimulating (no TV or video games) to do in the last 30 - 60 minutes before bed. I personally like to read. Then when you get into bed, find something pleasant to think about, so you don't start stressing over if you will or will not sleep well.
Funny.......I haven't been on here in ages. I found this message in my junk box and decided to read it. I had this in 1997 and so did my girlfriends son. Do not go online and diagnose yourself. Paxil (Paroxetine), Prozac etc is an SSRI.......go on it.........see your doctor. Feel free to write back to me. Been there done that. Don't be alarmed, your not alone.
Getting into a bedtie routine (as much as I did not want to do it) helped me end 4 years of insomnia. I have some OCD habits, so tidying up my room and apartment when I got home from work helped me release some anxiety. At night I paid attention to the thoughts that I was worrying about. I was worried about getting up and ready in time for work when I knew that I wanted to sleep as long as possible. So I've started practicing preparing as much of my meal for the next on the night before. Procrastination is a big cause of much of my anxiety. I almost lost one of my jobs because I couldn't fall asleep until 6 am and would have to leavve for work in a few hours. I suggest trying a low dose of melatonin as you get into a bedtime routine. Also, no tv before bed. I sleep with less interruptions when I have music playing. Good luck!
It's probably too late to help this time, but if this ever happens again try ONE of the following:
-Take a single therapeutic dose of magnesium supplement(up to twice the regular dose listed on the package is more than enough).
-Eat a salad(Lettuce, Tomato, Cucumber, Asparagus, Spinach, Oregano, Cabbage, Yellow Beans, etc. all have plenty of anxiety blocking nutrients)
-If you really can't sleep try camomile tea, or melatonin; If that fails, as a last resort, try Diphenhydramine
Regardless of what you do in the immediacy, be sure to tell your doctor during your next visit. Ask about antidepressants, they combat OCD and Anxiety as well.
You can't die from sleeping.