Anxiety and sleep

[RichCM]

Hi All new here.

I have a problem that i am hoping I might get some answers too, here is brief history of my anxiety.

It all started around 8 years ago when i had my first panic attack. Like many I didn't know what the hell was happening until I ended up in A&E.

After a few months of struggling i realised that alcohol was the driving factor in my panic attacks. After a few years i had been managing the attacks quite well by recognising the symptoms and dealing with them before a full blown attack, for me the first one is shortness of breath followed by chest tightening and pins and needles in my arms.

I did notice that the days I had a panic attack i would struggle to sleep and would wake up gasping for air, once the symptom had gone I would sleep soundly like I always used to. But this leads me to the present day....

For the last 6 months or so I have not been able to get a good nights sleep, i usually sleep ok for the first few hours and then constantly waking up and lightly sleeping. My partner said when sleeping on my back i would gasp for air.

So i booked into a sleep clinic thinking i had sleep apnea. Whilst this maybe true to a certain degree the test was inconclusive mainly because i didn't sleep well with all the wires stuck to me!

The main problem i have now is because i don't sleep well and wake up feeling very tired and a headache and sometimes shortness of breath this then leads to anxiety issues through the day. Its like a vicious circle I think the anxiety caused my sleeping problems initially and now the sleeping problems is making my anxiety worse than it has been in years.

What i am doing to try to help,

- bought a new mattress that was more comfortable
- stopped drinking alcohol
- exercising more
- eating more healthly

However none of this seems to be helping. Does anyone have any recommendations or has anyone had something similar and overcome it?

Any help appreciated :)

[gypsylee]

Hi and welcome :)

Have you tried deep breathing exercises? I went through one of my nervous breakdowns a few years ago and of course my sleep went to hell. I started doing deep breathing and it didn't PUT me to sleep but I went from sleeping maybe 1-2 hours to 5-6 hours. I was quite amazed and researched why deep breathing works, and it's to do with the parasympathetic nervous system (the part that slows you down). It stimulates the Vagus nerve which tells the body it's allowed to rest (anxious people are on high alert - a bit like a car with the accelerator on and no brakes). So yeah I got this app which times your breathing and did that for about 20 minutes a day. It's a bit uncomfortable at first and 20 mins is quite a long time but I started with about 5 minutes. There are a heap of apps you can get for free but I think I paid a few dollars because I liked this one.. I will find the link and edit this.

http://www.saagara.com/apps/breathing/relax

All the best,
Gypsy x

[RichCM]

thank you i will tr it out

[BlessedBackyard]

I used to wake up with panic attacks, which made me afraid to go to sleep. On bad days, I still have some of that. It makes for a restless night.

I listened to a specialist give a talk about sleep recently. She recommends removing blue light at least an hour before bed. That includes TV, computer, phone, tablets, and standard light bulbs. The blue light is similar to the sun's wavelength, tricking our bodies into thinking it's still daytime. This screws with our cortisol/melatonin cycle, making for a poor night's sleep. Ideas for removing blue light:

1. Buy amber-colored glasses that were created specifically for this.
2. Buy amber-colored light bulbs to put in lamps. At sunset, turn off the overhead lights and turn on the amber lamps.
3. Turn on the blue shade or night shade on smart phones and tablets.
4. Turn off or cover up lights in the bedroom. If an electronic has to charge in your bedroom, put duct tape or something over the light.
5. If a streetlight is shining in your bedroom window, hang blackout curtains.
6. Get outside to see the sun shortly after waking up, preferably without prescription glasses (if you wear them).

The book Adrenal Reset Diet also recommends dinner be the carb-heavy meal of the day, and breakfast be heavier in protein. That's supposed to help with the cortisol/melatonin cycle as well.

Doing something to relax before bed helps me have a good night's sleep, too. My favorite is when my husband massages my shoulders.

I hope you get restful sleep soon!

[Lycaon55]

Hi,

Here's how I solved mine.

- Never take a nap during daytime. Go to bed in the evening when you really want to sleep.
- Go to mynoise.net and select Harmonic binaural sound generator (its free)
and select 2 Hz - Delta | Deep Sleep. Once inbed, wear headphones, put the sound generator on your smartphone and listen to it for 20-30 mins:

Then take off your headphones and go to sleep.

If this does not work try Melatonin spray. You can find some good Melatonin spray online. but remember use only 1mg per night. Don't use it every night
(every 3 days is fine). Normally you spray inside your mouth (cheek side).

[gypsylee]

I couldn't sleep at all last night and I wasn't even anxious. I finally fell asleep when it was getting light and then woke up two hours later!

Sometimes I think the brain just doesn't have the right chemicals to fall asleep and in my case I think it's related to female hormonal changes (I'm 43). I must admit I resort to pills when I can't stand it anymore or if I have to do something the next day.

But yeah, sometimes I just can't fall asleep for the life of me and other times I fall asleep really quickly and it's just a mystery!

[Teafrenzy]

I have the same problem. I fall asleep fine. But I wake up constantly throughout the night.

I started taking melatonin capsules. I tried 10mg first, the max. But I woke up groggy. So I went to 3 mg.

Here are my tips:

No caffeine all day. This goes without saying.
No violent movies within 2 hours of breadtime. Relax and watch comedies.
Drink some passionflower tea.
3mg of melatonin.
Keep the room cool.
Relieve yourself in the bathroom before sleep.

[fixmybrokenmind]

Do you drink a lot of coffee by any chance? Eliminating caffeine from my diet helped my sleeping pattern a lot.

Magensium, and melatonin before bed help me sleep soundly through the night as well. Without melatonin I will wake up multiple times throughout the night.

[lolfeg123]

RichCM

I have the same problem, but for me it takes a few hours to actually fall asleep daily, roughly around 3-5hours. The only thing that gets me to sleep within an hour is to not sleep until the next day (stay awake for 36hrs); however, my sleep cycle returns to shit a few days later. I think it has a lot to do with major stress levels, and if this is true, melatonin, magnesium and herbal tea won't really help much in regards to putting you into deep sleep, or at least it didn't for me. I, too, have tried many things - eliminating video games, minimising blue light, going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day, etc.
Last night I managed with 2hrs sleep, so I guess I could use some help too. Hah.

[gypsylee]

I had the same thing but worse last night. I'm going to the chemist to get some Phenergan because I'm meant to be up early tomorrow and I can't stand being awake all night. I only had a few hours of really light sleep in the end so hopefully I'll be tired tonight but I need back-up!

[lolfeg123]

I'm going to the chemist to get some Phenergan because I'm meant to be up early tomorrow and I can't stand being awake all night.

Did the Phenergan help you sleep? Does magnesium or counting sheep even work?

I'm curious and open to try many things because sleep is sooo important. I don't know how I'm going to get a job and work in the state I'm in now.

[MessyNatalie]

Lately I've been using xhalr which helps me relax before bed. It's simple and basic breathing exercises but they really do help! You may want to give it a try!

[gypsylee]

Did the Phenergan help you sleep? Does magnesium or counting sheep even work?

I'm curious and open to try many things because sleep is sooo important. I don't know how I'm going to get a job and work in the state I'm in now.

Phenergan is pretty much the one over-the-counter thing that helps knock me out (apart from alcohol but that's a big no no for me). 25mg x 2-3 but be careful with it because I have a huge tolerance for drugs and I know of people who only need like half of 25mg. They come in 10mg here as well.

I actually take Magnesium and no. Counting sheep no :)

One non-chemical thing that does seem to work is to lie in bed when I'm not actually supposed to be sleeping lol, like say in the afternoon or evening. I think "oh I'll just go lie down" and sure enough I often fall asleep. But then you have the problem of being awake at midnight. Sleep and I have a real love-hate relationship :cool:

[gypsylee]

Lately I've been using xhalr which helps me relax before bed. It's simple and basic breathing exercises but they really do help! You may want to give it a try!

Deep breathing actually can help me too!

[aml0017]

Not being able to sleep well is the WORST part of anxiety in my opinion. It just sets you up for one bad day after another. I'm usually fine when I'm going to bed as I am most relaxed at night, and can fall asleep easily. But I always end up waking around 3 am then falling back into a fitful sleep with vivid (and weird) dreams. I wake up more tired than I was the night before, with a sore jaw from clenching and grinding my teeth. I have some success taking Benadryl to help me sleep on bad nights, but some nights even 50 mgs of Benadryl doesn't help at all. It sucks, but it is not all the time. I do feel it is directly linked to anxiety (even when it is fairly low level) as I can go long periods of time without having any sleep issues at all. I am always a light sleeper, but I can at least get a good nights sleep most of the time. In fact, when I start having restless nights that is a clue to me that an anxiety attack is not too far behind.

I do try my best to stay away from coffee after 10 am and any other caffeine after 3 pm. Also, alcohol is a big no no for me too. Makes me sleep better at first then boom I am awake and panicky in the early morning hours. I do also try to have a light snack around 8:30 or 9 pm, nothing too heavy. Usually peanut butter and crackers, or some nilla wafers and a small glass of milk. I think it helps keep your blood sugar even throughout the night and helps keep that yucky morning feeling at bay, especially if you eat soon after waking.

[Juggar]

Reading some of these responses is really encouraging, last night I had to take 25mg benadryl at ~4:15 AM to even sleep. I might have got 4 hours worth of sleep total but it really doesnt feel like it.

My anxiety says "You'll die if you cant sleep" or "what if I cant sleep tonight?" and Lord.... it just keeps me awake from the fear. Then I get fearful thinking I have a whole life of sleep ahead of me (im 24) and if I cant sleep now what am I supposed to do? Die from exhaustion...

I never had any severe anxiety till I couldn't sleep the entire night at my parents house night before thanksgiving(different environment).... and now this? Its all consuming recently.... but I know I dont have a history with this so WTF.

Really sick of the snowball effect from anxiety.

[gypsylee]

You won't die from exhaustion (I've been awake for a full week coming off meds cold turkey) but it can wreak havoc with your anxiety. That whole "what if I can't sleep tonight?" is me all over. It was insomnia that triggered my alcoholism when I was about 17 - I was so scared of it I'd sneak my parents' wine from the fridge at night. I'd wake up early, feeling terrible, but I preferred that to lying there freaking out about not sleeping the whole night.

I wish I could be like my mother who has always had insomnia but it doesn't bother her! She says she doesn't understand why I get so worked up about it because it can't kill you. I know it can't kill me but it can definitely ruin my whole day :rolleyes:

[Juggar]

You won't die from exhaustion (I've been awake for a full week coming off meds cold turkey) but it can wreak havoc with your anxiety. That whole "what if I can't sleep tonight?" is me all over. It was insomnia that triggered my alcoholism when I was about 17 - I was so scared of it I'd sneak my parents' wine from the fridge at night. I'd wake up early, feeling terrible, but I preferred that to lying there freaking out about not sleeping the whole night.

I wish I could be like my mother who has always had insomnia but it doesn't bother her! She says she doesn't understand why I get so worked up about it because it can't kill you. I know it can't kill me but it can definitely ruin my whole day :rolleyes:

Thanks for the reassurance,

I took some melatonin last night and put up a box fan (because when I get anxious it gets me hot) and it honestly helped me a lot I believe. Also, no caffeine when I got home from work.

My pounding heart began to calm slowly, I ended up going to bed at 12:30 and waking up around 3 something, then 6 something and then 9 AM. I had been waking up only once a night before all the anxiety hit me, so I can see how it impacts my sleep.

But I feel so much more rested today, thank God. I also wish I could just ignore the nearly sleepless nights. Kinda wish there was a switch to throw in my brain that said "Anxiety ON/OFF"

[gypsylee]

Thanks for the reassurance,

I took some melatonin last night and put up a box fan (because when I get anxious it gets me hot) and it honestly helped me a lot I believe. Also, no caffeine when I got home from work.

My pounding heart began to calm slowly, I ended up going to bed at 12:30 and waking up around 3 something, then 6 something and then 9 AM. I had been waking up only once a night before all the anxiety hit me, so I can see how it impacts my sleep.

But I feel so much more rested today, thank God. I also wish I could just ignore the nearly sleepless nights. Kinda wish there was a switch to throw in my brain that said "Anxiety ON/OFF"

Actually, I find having the fan on calms me down as well.

You really know you have anxiety when you wake up during the night (and not because you need the bathroom or anything). In a way that reassures me that it's not just me "doing it to myself" and worrying.

[deltaFreq]

I second this motion; breathing exercises have been the biggest help for me. To take it further, I'd try heart rate variability training. I'm pretty skeptical when it comes things like meditation and breathing, and as a result they tend not to have any effect on me. The only thing that really works in a tight spot is getting actual biometrics to track my stress / anxiety in real time. You could try EEG as well but HRV is cheaper (free if you use an app) and easier to get started with. Let me know if you want any recommendations. Cheers.

[RichCM]

Thanks for all your replies.

So for the last few weeks I have cut out alcohol and caffeine completely and have been drinking chamomile tea before bed. I have had mixed results with a handful of nights getting ok sleep and feeling somewhat refreshed the next day but the majority of the nights I am still not sleeping well and feeling anxious and headaches in the morning. I still think this is mainly due to rolling onto my back when asleep which triggers sleep apnea.

Today i have just received my shipment from the US ( i live in Thailand ) of Magnesium Glycinate, Passion Flower Extract, GABA and rescue remedy. So will try these out and see if they help at all.

I used to be such a good deep sleeper....sigh....

[Anne1221]

Don't give up on the sleep studies. I have actually had four of them over the years. I have been diagnosed with sleep apnea and periodic limb movement disorder. They were able to see exactly why I was getting such poor sleep. Yes, I have to use a cpap machine at night to treat the sleep apnea. I have to take medication to treat the periodic limb movement disorder. During the sleep study I woke up once and the lady's voice said, "I really need for you to fall asleep on your back so I can adjust the machine to treat you when you sleep at home on your back." I tried my best to fall asleep on my back, but couldn't and finally gave up. But in the morning she said, "You did great. On your own, during your sleep, you rolled onto your back and slept a bit." Sleep studies give you exact date of exactly what is going on during the night.

[brandonly]

you should do some exercise to make your body more healthy. before going to sleep, you will take some massage for your head.