insomnia due to anxiety

Going on 3 nights and days without sleep.waves of anxiety from stomach up to my chest .anyone else experience this along with not sleeping for days ?

Yeah anxiety can do that, I couldn't sleep for about 3 days the other week because of how much my anxiety was messing with me making me worry, I didn't eat or drink either.

Are you anxious about anything or just things in general?

Hi Ralph

This was me 4 weeks ago. I was a total mess. I ended up dreading going to bed as was scared of feeling anxious and not sleeping. It was a total cycle. I've been on citalopram since then and am feeling much better, but am also seeing a therapist on Thursday to discuss how I can prevent/cope in future. 

The first 2 weeks on citalopram were a nightmare, I found it even harder to sleep but my doc prescribed amitriptyline alongside to help me sleep. I am now feeling 90% better. I am not trying to be a pill pusher as each to their own, I just wanted to offer my advice to you.

Good luck. It really is horrible. If you want to try naturally, you can look into valerian capsules which are herbal, get calming tea infusions (valerian/lavendar/camomile), have a hot bath before bed, stick to the same bedtime routine every night for a while (which can be boring). If the last thing doesn't work, try staying up until you are physically exhausted. Try this for a few nights, and then gradually go to bed half an hour earlier each night until your routine returns.

Let us know how you get on x

When this disorder first hit me in June of 2012 , I finally went to doctor in Aug of 2012 after going 7 nights and days without sleeping.he also gave me celexa which made me feel more anxious and only took for 2 days.i had gotten better still felt a little anxious all the time and not having insomnia if I did it was maybe after 6 hours of sleep at least which I will take over 0.i have been doing herbs like 7 blossoms tea , chamomile , etc. And trying to avoid getting upset , worrying , etc. But it's hard .I really don't want to have to take pills that are for the mind cause I think in the long run it will be worst after building a tolerance and then have to up dosage and loose touch with reality and have no feelings .I was on prozac in my mid 20's and that's how that made me feel.thanx for your input I really appreciate the feed back.anxiety and insomnia is a nightmare especially when u can't sleep for more than a night .god bless.

Seems like anything will trigger me to anxious mode like if I get upset , stressed or even getting excited over something good which will kick me into insomnia.2 years ago I went 7 nights and days without sleeping which was my darkest times ever I thought I was gonna die.i couldn't eat .I slowly got better but have never felt the same.i always had that little anxious feeling up till today.i felt like these past 3 nights I was in relapse but thank god I slept last night . But this Anxiety thing came out of no where in 2012 .

I know Ralph it really is. I'm glad you got some sleep last night that's great. Don't let yourself suffer too long, though. You don't have to be on tablets forever. Alot of people have succesfully been on citalopram for 6 months/a year/2 years and combined with therapy this has worked. It helps you to rewire your thinking habits, which in turn, becomes habit. They aren't addictive, yes they can be tough to come off but that's only advisible when you're ready. Please don't just go from my experience but I just wanted to make you aware you do not have to suffer long term. I hope this is short term for you though! 

Thanx holly..god bless .prayer has helped me also.

i have been there, so many horror nights, that feeling like you are in nightmare, foggy head, nausea, chest pain etc...  its just a page of anxiety book !!!  dont worry u r not going to be crazy or die lol try to relax its gonna pass  wish u the best !

Thanx for the comment.ive been waiting 2 yrs.and 4 mos.for it to pass .i just went 3 nights and days the other day finally slept monday night and didnt sleep last night again.its frustrating .i used to go to sleep no problem and not wake up till 7am like a biological time clock .that all changed in june of 2012 .feel like im gonna die everytime i dont sleep especially if it goes over one night .

Hi Ralph hows your insomnia now. Haa it eased at all. Ive just started to get it after being quite ill. It's stress related im sure after what happened to mw in hospital. Im going several nights with no sleep and am exhausted. Constantly worried about not sleeping. Just wondering how you are doing now.

Are these symptoms of anxiety - At night I will get a warm feeling on the left of my chest sometimes where the heart is and sometimes below that. Also I get a strange sensation in my legs when lying down go go to sleep. I've had an ecg and they've I'm fine but they did say I had an irregular heartbeat which they called palitations so they have me some propranolol which is a beta blocker and they didn't seem at all concerned but I'm not convinced.

Sorry some of the spelling is messed up but my autocorrect sucks lol

Yes, I've been there. Full on insomnia is probably the worst thing I've ever experienced, I thought I would go completely mad! Lack of sleep makes the anxiety worse and it's just a downward spiral from there. I was trying to still go to work on no sleep and it just made it worse- I was a complete mess! After days without sleep I needed sleeping pills to regulate my sleep cycles back to something resembling normal, then started a real regimented pattern of good sleep hygiene stuff and an SSRI to help with the anxiety. Was a real journey but those nights I spent pacing around my flat feel like a distant nightmare now, I feel for you. It can get better and I hope you find the answer you need x

I have a serious sleep issue, I just cant drop off and I am using alcohol, the doctor knows, I know it makes axienty worse, but what else am I supposed to go, tried yoya, medatation, music, tens all sorts, I dont want zDrugs as I am on enough right now. I just want some sleep.

it's awful mark isn't it? And It's impossible to try to explain it to anyone who hasn't experienced it. I was wake all last night and came on here to see if anyone was up so I didn't feel alone but no one was on. It's just the loneliest thing to go through and you feel so crap the next day when you haven't slept. X

I get this odd tingly feeling in me head I feel spaced out, weak, numb and tired but I can never sleep or relax when I feel like this. It can start as early as lunch and not go away until I somehow fall asleep late at night. It is making me miserable. I feel like I'm shaking in my head but not physically. I also get chest pains and feelings like my heart is pounding but this does not bother me as much as my head does. Does anyone feel like this. It is starting to bother me almost every day

Someone please answer this and I've also had what feels like a slight tightness in my chest and more than slight tightness in my back

Someone please answer my questions, I'm scared as I don't know if I have anxiety or not

Aww Thomas yes it is anxiety,muscles tensing can be pretty weird all over your body x

I also had anxiety, depression, racing mind that lead to insomnia. 

Anxiety was healed by jack up Vitamin D level. Level was way off the min. Anxiety went away when D level backed to normal range.

Only thing left behind was insomnia, that I tried many things but no help until I tried 2 things : Taurne 500mg and plain gelatin (the ingrdient to make Jello)

It works for me and hope it also works for others.