Sleep anxiety ruining my life. convinced i'll never sleep again.

I have slept in the past 9 days but I can only sleep by taking sleeping tablets. I'm so scared I won't get over this. It's all I think about all day long. I have a total panic attack and breakdown when I try to close my eyes at night. I know I should think rationally and believe this is temporary and a product of my worry not an actual problem but the panic attacks and stress is taking over me. I have been referee for CBT but the waiting list is quite long. I don't want to rely on medication to sleep but there's no way I can sleep with a constant adrenaline rush going through me because of the panic.  It's a horrible catch 22 position I've found my self in wanting sleep so badly but the act of doing that prevents it. I'm a logical person and understand this but it keeps on happening even night and scares the he'll out of me. I just want it to stop and feel so alone even though I do have he support of my family.

Hi I'm suffering with anxiety after a lot of stress has accumulated and I had a night last night where I may have got an hours sleep if that and now I'm so

Anxious tonight at the thought of sleep again. I have walked the dog then chilled on sofa til kids came home, tried hot bath tonight good glass wine and hoping to sleep tonight but I'm so so worried I will be up all

Night again and go mad!! Is yours sorted now

hi, goign through the exact same thing! but for me its been nearly 2mos...please help! -anyone resolve their issue? i think i only function on some light sleep (always conscious though, it is agonizing). i know that I've convinced myself i xant sleep therefore all i do when i lay in bed is TRY to sleep bcs i know its all me, but i cant. feel so tired but NOT sleepy...i dont remember the feeling anymore

HOW YOU DOING? SEE MY POST BELOW

Hi, is this sorted now? I'm going through a similar thing at the moment and I don't know how to cope with it.

this is exactly how i feel. do u have any tips and what helped you

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?

Hi Yolanda

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? 

Best wishes.   Angie

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

Hi,

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.

Best wishes. Angie

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

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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Amanda,

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.

Hi Tim.,

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.

Dom, 

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.

All the best.

Hi, can you please send me the YouTube links. I can fall asleep, but for only about 4 or 5 hours, and then I wake up and can't go back.

Hi mrs envy I like others have found some peace in meditation. Look up anxiety sleep meditation. Also a app called head space. The thing about anxiety is you learn to cope with it. I honestly don't think there's a cure. I've spent a abundant amount of money on counseling, trials, hypnosis, homeopathic and self help. Sure it felt better but sometimes it just came back. I guess it depends on experience and how long you denied it. Mine was health related and formed into social etc. The best thing I've find so far is a trial increasing serotonin levels by using a drug called topimrimate or dopamax. Once again not a cure but i react faster and cognitive thinking seems clearer during episodes. I truly think Like i said for every train there is a passenger. But by far support groups and forums are very helpful.

hi tim...i know this thread is old but in case u read my reply can u kindly message me those links on youtube ? i am suffering a lot. thx.

Rintz,

They are in your message box. All the best my friend.

Tim

can you please send me those links

hi tim can you please send me the links too... this is agonizing 😦