Tiredness causing anxiety attacks HELP

[kerrielee]

Hi all,

I've been suffering from anxiety disorder about a year now and am on lexapro 10mg daily. Got particularly bad before the holidays so now use xanax especially when feel an attack coming on. A lot of my anxiety is due to work pressure.

I've had a couple of weeks out of work and came back feeling much stronger managing workload etc better and getting exercise rest etc so am generally doing a lot better. Started seeing therapist to help with negative thoughts. Then this morning bang out of nowhere I get an attack coming into work. I'm a little tired as was running around helping a friend out yesterday but got a good rest. That's the only reason can see for the attack.

It's just ridiculous that I can't just be tired like a normal person. I feel like I need to wrap myself in cotton wool to prevent attacks which I hate.

Has anyone had tiredness as a trigger for attacks and any suggestions of preventing it. I can't spend my whole life in bed!

Thanks a mill for listening to my rant.

[laurandisorder]

Abso-freaking-lutely!!!

Exhaustion is definitely one of my main triggers and is usually the only reason I will have an attack at work.

I really struggle going from holidays (sleep from 5am to noon) to work days (sleep from midnight to 6am), which I do 4 times a year. It is one of the biggest triggers for anxiety for me, no doubt about it. I can manage for 1-2 days on a small amount of sleep (I often lay awake excited on Sunday nights til 3-4am thinking about work) and then go in on a couple of hours sleep, but if I keep it up I am guaranteed an attack.

We need to listen to our bodies. I don't even acknowledge I'm tired. I'll just grab a large coffee (doesn't help) and push the exhaustion down until it volcanoes out to an attack!!

[FrankWolfe53]

Ya my anxiety is always worse in the evening and in the morning when I am feeling tired. Sometimes I don't know if I ever got any sleep or not.

[dazza]

Sleep deprevation was one of my triggers.

Having "heart attack" anxiety, my disordered brain would associate any shitty feelings with my heart... including the shitty feeling of a poor nights kip.

Compounded by the fact that anxiety often, badly affects sleep - it's a bit of a vicious circle.

During my worst period, I tried a sleeping pill (Nytol) once. It helped me get off but BY GOD did I feel shite the next day.
Most sleeping pills continue to make you drowsy the following day... Nytol being no exception.

This caused one of my worst panic attacks of all time.

[kerrielee]

Thanks for your feedback guys. Knowing that others are going through the same thing makes me feel better. I feel like a baby and my body needs so much care at the moment. It's just so frustrating. I try to take care of myself but my body keeps reminding me of its limitations.

I take a Xanax if I can't sleep but it rarely happens. The lexapro just knocks me out still.