Posted , 3 users are following.
Very bad night of sleep. Basically none. How do you all survive the next day? I'm really stressed out. I won't be able to nap or rest at home. I started having better nights and then this one reared its ugly head before a very important day. Thanks
0 likes, 7 replies
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liz62218 carolyn32091
Posted
lily65668 carolyn32091
Posted
Carolyn, Many of us have coped with sleep anxiety all our lives. I know it's upsetting but try not to let it get to us. As Liz says, you obviously had a bad night because you knew you had a busy day ahead of you. That happens to a lot of us, and often becomes a pattern.
Lack of sleep makes us feel terrible but it's not actually dangerous. You can cope on much less than you think you can.
I coped with it during my working life (I'm long since retired from paid employment) by using over-the-counter antihistamines - but it needs to be the older type, that make you feel sleepy. On the night before a special day, or after a run of poor nights, I'd take a very small dose of an antihistamine an hour or so before going to bed. No use taking it immediately before bed as the effect is very mild and it takes a while to kick in.
But if you do want to try this, please don't take antihistamines every night, as you can develop tolerance to them, just like sleeping pills, and they'll quickly stop working. You shouldn't take them for more than maximum 3 nights in a row, then allow about a week before taking them again (if you need to). Also, if you wake up early, don't take another pill, as they can make you feel a bit groggy next morning if you take them too late in the night.
The main thing though is just to accept that this is going to happen from time to time and not get in a panic about it. Poor sleep before a big day is something very common that affects half of humanity!
carolyn32091 lily65668
Posted
Thanks. I've just dealt with insomnia and anxiety for a long time. I actually started feeling a bit better and had a few decent nights of sleep. I just don't get how my body can fight meds. I even took an Ativan and it still didn't help. Antihistamines make me hyper.
lily65668 carolyn32091
Posted
Hi Carolyn,
Are you sure it's antihistamines that make you hyper, not decongestants? I don't want to insult your intelligence, but some people do confuse them as they're often suggested for similar symptoms. Decongestants like pseudoephrine (Sudafed) make me hyper too, and give me nightmares.
Examples of the older antihistamines are promethazine (Phenergan), diphenhydramine (Benadryl in Europe, though Benadryl contains other meds in the US) and chlorphenamine (Piriton).
I'd steer clear of the benzos if I were you. You can get addicted to them in only a few weeks and withdrawal symptoms include severe, long-lasting insomnia.
I too had lifelong sleep anxiety, starting even when I was a child. It got worse when I spent a year or so working an impossible shift pattern as a nurse in my mid-20s and stayed that way the rest of my working life.
It's better if you can work on the anxiety rather than starting with the sleep. CBT wasn't around when I was young so I just had to work my own way through it, but I know it's very successful in some cases. However, you do have to find a good therapist - too many people jumping on the bandwagon these days. The main thing is just to try and take each day as it comes. It actually gets easier as you go through life, because you start to realise just how little sleep you need to stay functional, even if you do feel tired all the time.
carolyn32091 lily65668
Posted
It is Benadryl that makes me hyper. I didn't even try Sudafed. I do take sertraline for anxiety and the Ativan is only when it gets really bad. I'm still new with the meds (3 weeks) so maybe that's part of it, too.
lily65668 carolyn32091
Posted
carolyn32091 lily65668
Posted
He prescribed it for those reasons. It actually works opposite for me. It does relax me for sleep. I do feel anxious during the day. However, when I get worried, an elephant tranquilizer won't knock me out. He did add a little Ativan for bad times which I hardly use but like I said, if I worry too much, forget it. I used to work midnights for 5 years and have been on days for a few months so I'm sure that just adds to it.