1. Community
  2. Symptoms
  3. Sleep Problems

Anxiety induced insomnia

Posted , 6 users are following.

mike81648
mike81648

Hello all. I’m new to sleep problems. I’ve been dealing with insomnia now for the last month, and have been dealing with health anxiety for the last 5 months. I had really tough time sleeping at all after I got into a minor car accident in late June. At first, I couldn’t sleep at all. No matter what I did. I was prescribed Xanax and that worked well but it’s run it’s course as it’s only a short term solution, but since it worked I’m guessing the root of the problem is anxiety. I had a huge breakthrough last week, when I fell asleep naturally for around 3 hours. Unfortunately it’s been like that since then, I sleep anywhere from 2-4 hours a night and it’s with very vivid dreams, and I don’t feel rested the next morning. I wouldn’t even know I’m sleeping if it wasn’t for the dreams.  Anyone else go through something like this? 

0 likes, 11 replies

11 Replies

  • avanti53545
    avanti53545 mike81648

    Posted

    Same happned with me ..my insomnia started with steroid treatment sinch sept 2016..After that it never went..as of now I can still mange good sleep of 8-9 hours only if I have simple non spicy food 2 hours before sleep time adopt sleep hygiene tips..but if I have some spicy or gas making food will be able to sleep only after 3 or 4 morning but still strangely i feel rested..
    • avanti53545
      avanti53545 mike81648

      Posted

      It still remains, only if I adopt sleep hygiene I get good sleep or less have to wait for 2-3 hours to get sleep..
  • atulit75078
    atulit75078 mike81648

    Posted

    Hi, I dont know but I was sleeping ok for few days but again I inflicted myself of the fear that I cant sleep. And again it insomnia has hit me. I dont even know how much I sleep. I do dream in some nights as I remember them next morning. Otherwise I feel I am always awake. I have got this bad habit of lying on bed for 10-11 hours (not sleeping). I go to bed at 12:30 AM, I keep tossing for an hour or two. Then I wake up 2-3 times at night (though when this happens I usually feel I was awake for the whole night). I get out of bed at 10:30 AM feeling I havent slept for a minute. I dont take any pills neither do I want to take. I know acceptance is the best way out. But somehow this anxiety has struck me again that I wont sleep again. My mind plays games with me. What to do? How to stop this inner chatter?
    • mike81648
      mike81648 atulit75078

      Posted

      Me personally I would meditate. Replace your inner thoughts with a more logical thought. Sit down. Stare at the wall, when you say “I can’t sleep” replace it with two positive thoughts such as “of course I can sleep, it’s a natural human reaction” and “this is only my brain playing tricks on me” 
    • avanti53545
      avanti53545 atulit75078

      Posted

      Do you feel rested even by lying for 10 hours..becz I feel rested even when some days I get 3-4hours of sleep. .
    • atulit75078
      atulit75078 avanti53545

      Posted

      Kind of yes. I feel quite better. I realise that I slept by remembering last nights dreams. Otherwise I feel I was just awake the whole time (though my family members who come in my bedroom in the morning, tell me I was sleeping very peacefully).
  • matthew60472
    matthew60472 mike81648

    Posted

    According to me you need to relax your mind. There are many alternatives available that can help you to calm down your mind. It really helps in sleeping. You can try meditation and self-hypnosis methods for it.      
  • ty73679
    ty73679 mike81648

    Posted

    i think listen to special music can calm down your mind, i just found out a website that can teach you how to calm down by listening to the music, this is the link https://sleepwell.health.blog . hope can help you
  • atulit75078
    atulit75078 mike81648

    Posted

    Anyone following this thread? Can someone reply to my last reply? How u doing mike?
  • NECKBONE
    NECKBONE mike81648

    Posted

    Hey, same experience here for the most part.  I took Xanax for a spell also for anxiety induced insomnia but it never really helped me sleep, though it did calm me down some.  You are right in stopping it because it can cause neurological problems if taken over a long period. 

    You can work through the anxiety.  I would suggest seeing a therapist that specializes in CBT and get some exercise every day.  Reams and reams of research exist that show these two things in combination are more effective than medication in the treatment of anxiety and depression. 

    Fix the anxiety, you will fix the sleep. 

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.