I know the felling Stephen. I have been there (ok not to your extreme). I am visiting a psychologist for consultation ( helps a lot ) and a psychiatrist for pills. I was an insomniac for a year or so. With the help of the psychologist and the pills i had 8 months of not a problem with sleep. Until last night i slept for 4.30 hours and then woke up not able to sleep due to stress. Could not take the pill since i would not be able to wake up then.
i suggest you do the same. Visit psychologist to help you deal with this and psychiatrist to give you something to sleep. When you see that this help you the problem (i believe) should go away.It might take long but i believe you will heal. Also try to avoid coffee. Drink chamomile, use laventer oil on u pillow and some relaxation techniques
Hey Stephen, I know what your going through and because I found a magic bullet for anxiety and insomnia I'm sharing it with you and made this account to tell you about it. Look up the "Fisher Wallace Device" and also look up IMRS2000. Insomnia and anxiety are usually caused by chemical imbalances in the brain. By using the Fisher Wallace which uses CES (Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation) or the IMRS2000 which uses PEMF (Pulsed Electromagnetic Field) therapy, you can banish or greatly reduce your symptoms and get a good nights sleep again and again and have relief from anxiety you're experiencing. It's drug free, and it's what the military uses to help soldiers get over PTSD and Insomnia. The Fisher wallace device reduced symptoms of anxiety, depression, and insomnia by 80% for 75% of buyers. And IMRS in a double blind placebo controlled study demonstrated that all 101 sleep applicants with chronic insomnia were relieved using PEMF therapy. 70% experienced total banish of insomnia, 24% experienced significant relief of symptoms, and 6% experienced slight relief (likely because their insomnia was minor). Get well soon.
Hello Debbie i know this is a post from 3 years ago but i was wondering how were you doing? I developed a fear of not sleeping since 2014. Im just so scared of staying up days without no sleep. I can't help it but feel fear. When i go To sleep it's like I'm drifting off and suddenly my mind turns a light switch and says No no..How did things work out for you?
Hello I've been struggling with this too that is my exact answer .Is it possible to sleep again? I'm so scared of being awake for days. I'm scared WHAT will happen to me if i don't sleep? How have you managed your problem? Thank you
Hey. I was just browsing trying to get answers to my chronic insomnia for 10 years. I found there are so many things that hinder my sleep in the past: lack of hormones...have your Dr. Check your hormone levels. Men can have this problem too. Here is a list of other things that will hinder your sleep: alcohol, being on computer after 6:00 pm, watching tv late, caffeine after 2:00 pm, anxiety issues, pets sleeping in bedroom and on bed...this is a major distraction when a pet moves around a lot or gets up to go outside, some vitamins are too strong and will work like caffeine, being too hot or too cold at night, and if you have chronic aches and pains from arthritis or fibromyalgia.
It helps to write a journal of your day....and your symptoms at night when you can't sleep...and go see a Dr. And take your journal 28th you. Get your make hormones checked. I am headed to my Dr. today. I am praying and hoping for some testing to be done to find out why my brain won't let me fall asleep without medication. I have slept only 3 hrs. a night for 10 days. I will pray for you.
Hello, Stephen alot of the time with sleep, you just have to be yourself. Or at least try. I know things and many things, that is can take our eye right off the ball. Really what you should be doing is main line preserving, your energy. Try not, to think so much. I actually specialize in sleep, and I can guarantee you a night of sleep. This is for anyone one. 100% guaranteed. Are you ready?
How are you doing now? Have your sleep problems resolved. Your post mirrors exactly the way I am. I can't sleep ( not at all last night)!and so scared to go to bed tonight as I'm convinced I won't sleep again. Like you I feel I am going to drop off and suddenly it's as if I jolt awake again. So scared I won't sleep ever again and all my organs will fail. Just can't go on like this. I don't want to take sleeping tablets and my GP doesn't like giving them out. I have bought Nytol over the counter but even they don't work. I'm even tempted to double them up as I get so desperate but I haven't It's horrid feeling like this and my husband tries to be supportive but he's asleep as soon as his head touches the pillow. Have you resolved your sleep problem?
Hey Stephen. This is an old post and I'd be interested in how you're getting on now.
I'll add my own experience here if it's any comfort.
So I've been where you are. I had 90 hours with no sleep two weeks ago. I've read and read about anxiety- which is what is keeping you awake, and the important things to remember are this;
Anxiety is the product of a misfiring mind and body. It's excellent in protecting you when you need it- when there's danger such as a car about to hit you or when someone is voilent towards you. It's your friend because it increases your reaction speed and allows you to deal with the situation. For many of us our fight or flight system however misfires and our mind will tell our body we are in danger when we are not. Your first job is to tell yourself that right now in this moment, there is no immediate danger and that your mind and body are experiencing anxiety- which is uncomfortable but cannot actually harm you. This should go some way to releasing you from the fear of fear- which defines an entirety condition. Work with your anxiety- let it reside with you. It will pass by itself if you leave it alone.
The second thing is that anyone who suffers from this sort of thing has terrible thoughts. They are different for every person because they tend to pick up on what you personally dread the most. In your case right now it will be about not being able to sleep, however my experience is that thoughts tent to alternate between 2 or 3 really terrible fears. At this point it's useful to understand that an anxious mind with naturally produce terrible thoughts. They are distorted and don't reflect reality- but always present something terrible. You are not your thoughts. You are you, and your thoughts are separate. The most important thing to remember here is that because you now know your thoughts are also misfiring and not reliable, they are not important to think about. They are just anxious thoughts- nothing else. And when you start to feel better you will see how hideous they were and think "how did I ever take that thought seriously". They don't have any meaning, but are a symptom of anxiety- just like spots are a symptom of chicken pox. They are not important, you don't need to engage with them, just accept they are there but carry no meaning and are not important.
I expect you've found a way to deal with this. Truth is I'm part way though a bad episode of anxiety and insomnia. I've been here before but not this bad. I've committed to limiting susceptibility in the future so I'm doing lots of research which I hope will also be helpful for other people.
hi Angela how are you? have you got any sleep yet? I've been suffering from chronic insomnia now for nearly two and a half years from a old job no matter what i do I can't sleep go 4 nights without sleep or very light sleep I've tried CBT hypnosis mind fullness yoga classes 5 different tablets the linden method im stuck on what to do have ptsd
Sleep still as bad as ever despite trying everything under the sun! Like you I go for days with no sleep and feel so disorientated and awful the next day. Thank goodness I only work part time as I just can't cope with early mornings! Half my problem is I start worrying about not being able to sleep long before I go to bed. Fatal!!! Sometimes Nytol works (not the herbal type) and more often they don't. I mentioned to the Dr I was at the end of my tether and his response was that no one ever died from lack of sleep (he obviously doesn't have a problem so doesn't know what it feels like!) Other than give in and take prescribed sleeping tablets what else is there to do. I can only describe the feeling as having massive jet lag the whole time. I do hope you get some sleep soon Jason I can assure you that you are no alone.
I've tried hypnosis mind fullness yoga classes sleep tea getting up if I can't sleep sleep restriction relaxation hot baths exercise CBT sleep course phycopherapy tablets 5 diff ones relaxing music at night trying this linden method now but it's hard for me to do with lack of sleep my body feels really bad
im same with, now for 2weeks i cant sleep, my doctor prescribed me alprazolam, i try to take 1/4 i did sleep for 6hours, but i dont like the feeling in the next morning, now im so depressed and sad, i dont know what to do anymore
Hey I read your story here and I'm having some really bad sleep issues and I'm just curious if you ever got over it and doin alright? Or how long did it take for you to eventually start getting a full nights rest? Please let me know some info
Hey just curious if you ever gotten over your sleeping problem? Cause I'm goin insane here by not sleeping and racing thoughts and was wondering if anything helped you?
Hello. I'm contributing here to try to help. For 48 and a half years I never had a problem sleeping. Then a really stressful event happened and I couldn't sleep for 2 weeks. I saw gp's. Temazepam was only temporary help. I was then put on amytryptaline then sertraline for the anxiety and quietiapine for sleep. This was in mid 2015. This also only helped temporarily. My sleep was still a lottery every night and I felt I was stuck in a hole and I couldn't pull myself out. It was all I could think about. It consumed my life.
I then started daily meditation in mid 2016. It took time to start to work, but through a period of self realisations through meditation and the ensuing mindfulness I realised that the problem all along was my ego and need to control.
You can't control sleep. We don't have on/off switches. Once my sleep was threatened, I tried to control it. I couldn't control it. This freaked out my ego and resulted in a lot of anxiety. You can't sleep with anxiety no matter how tired you are. My ego was beaten, hence the anxiety.
Once I eventually realised this, I stopped all efforts to control sleep when I go to bed. Only go to bed when I'm tired, do a bit of meditation and then get comfy in bed and make no effort to control sleep.
I stopped taking anti-depressants or sleeping tablets in mid 2017 and life is great. The funny thing is I'm glad it all happened now because I'm a much happier, more balanced person because of all of this, I only wish I came to this realisation much quicker then I did.
I really hope this helps as I know how awful you all feel and how hard it makes your life. I cannot recommend daily meditation enough. It was the key for me. I've included an excellent starting place link here. I sincerely wish you all the best inthe knowledge that you can get past this and get your life back.
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Hi , first time I’ve ever wrote on a forum, getting completely desperate for sleep. Been prescribed sertraline to help with anxiety but only day 5 and anxiety is at it’s worse, have had diazepam and zoplecome which has worked 2 out of 5 nights . Getting so anxious about going to bed as dr won’t give me any more sleeping tablets. Did any one here manage to conqour sleep anxiety ? Any suggestions welcome
When starting to take sertraline for the first time your anxiety will get worse before it gets better. That happened to me and others I know. I know it's a very tough thing to go through. Your doctor is also doing the right thing by trying to restrict your sleeping tablet intake in the hope you don't end up depending on them because in the long term, they don't work. They are a slippery slope.
I wrote a post above yours regarding meditation being the key for me to get on top of it. Without it I'd still be on sertraline and occasionally quitiapine. Daily meditation takes time for the benefits to take effect. It's not an immediate silver bullet. The hard fact is, there isn't one for this.
I strongly suggest checking out Eckhart Tolle and Mooji on youtube. They have some great stuff on there that helped me immensely. Accepting you have anxiety and even welcoming it when it comes is a big step rather than living in fear of it and trying to run from it or fight it when it comes. I tried to run from it and fight it for almost 2 yrs. It doesn't work. Accepting it and welcoming it may sound nuts at the point you're at now but for me, it was the largest breakthrough moment.
I wish you and everybody else on here going through it all the best because I know how crap it is but I also know you can get on top of it and not require pills in the end to do it. It will take time though.
I can give you particular youtube links that I found pivotal for my recovery but I can't post them on here . It's against the rules. Send me a private message and I'd be happy to send them to you.
I am 47 and had exactly same experience as you. Slept well up to 40 odd years then bad experience and life has changed with my sleep. On same drugs as yourself but I do not think it's the solution. If I change my mind the worrying of getting to sleep will change. I have months that is ok than issue comes up the worrying sets in then I am struggling again. Doctors let's increase medication but need to change my mind. Any tips.
As I said above, daily meditation was the fix for me. It takes time, but it is what has worked for me. I've been off the pills now for about 5 months and all is well. I have no doubt you can get there to.
All the self help I needed was on youtube funnily enough. Check out the videos by Mooji and Eckhart Tolle. I found them the most helpful.