Hi all, I got into a car accident 2 weeks ago and since then nothing has been the same. I was jolted awake from my anxiety for the first time that night. The next 5 days I got 11 hours of sleep. Then magically, the next night I was able to fall asleep for the next 5 nights. No sleep aids, 8 hours a night of just normal sleep. Last Monday, it came back with a vengeance. I got MAYBE 4 hours of sleep from Monday-Thursday. And I say maybe because my mom said I slept but I don’t feel I’ve slept. Thursday my doc put me on Xanax and it worked, but I tried falling asleep naturally two nights ago and I physically couldn’t do it. I have one more night worth of Xanax. Has anyone dealt with this before with an anxiety disorder? I me telling myself “I can’t sleep naturally anymore” just my health anxiety talking? Because it really feels like it.
I was in my first car accident back in May. I was hit from behind by 3 cars. It was pretty traumatizing to say the least and its was hard for me to sleep for the first month or so.
Its all anxiety and you mind isn't letting you sleep. If possible, try taking a hot bath before bed and drinking some tea. Try to relax! Dont think about not being able to sleep when you lay down. It's easier said that done trust me i know!
Good luck to you! 
Thanks for the info. It literally feels as if I try to fall asleep. I physically can’t. I laid in bed from 11pm to 12 in the afternoon and I never hit REM sleep. It’s the worst, they put me on Xanax and it obviously helps but it’s short term and the worst part of it all is I can’t even remember if I slept or not. Sucks so bad. My accident wasn’t even that bad at all
Hey Mike!
It’s definitely anxiety. I was in a horrific accident 12/21/15. I was hit by a tractor trailer on the driver side in the back. Everything was in slow motion. I walked away from it 🙏🏻🙏🏻😇😇. I’m having trouble sleeping. I prepare the bedroom so it’s dark. I put the tv on low a channel with just talking like hgtv. I also will meditate or read and it helps me relax and fall asleep. I do have Xanax low dose of .25 which I cut in half if I need it.
Acupuncture also helped me.
Will😎
Thanks for the info my friend
Xanax can help in the short term, but don't become dependent on it Mike. It is an addictive medicine.
Trying cooling off your room if you can, people sleep better in cool temperatures. Eating something with tryptophan in it (like Turkey) as a late night snack can make you drowsy-and you can always try Melatonin (you can buy it off the shelf at the pharmacy), I used to travel overseas a lot and I used it to get over jet lag insomnia. Worked great.
Deep breathing exercises help me a lot with my anxiety and make me feel drowsy.
Yeah I know the dangers of Xanax, thanks for looking out. My GP put me on them just to help regulate sleep again and she said 1-2 weeks max. After that if I’m still having trouble alternative methods will have to be taken.
Hi Mike
I find magnesium helps me sleep and if you don't like taking supp lements, try dark chocolate, the high cocoa type, it's full of magnesium.
I also listen to delta wave sounds on youtube, that helps too.....