Relinquishing control to be able to sleep

[milo0071]

I have been told that my problems with being able to sleep or developing anxiety issues during the night are due to me wanting to keep control of my environment. It has gotten to the point that I am now suffering from insommnia and am finding minor issues during the night to focus on, e.g., my breathing, so that I have anxiety attacks instead of sleeping peacefully.

Has anyone got and methods I can use to relinquish control and stop focusing on trvial things and finally get a good nights sleep?

[xgemma06x]

I have the same sort of problem, i stay awake until all hours.

I find looking on here and reading other peoples stories helps, and i also have a routine before bed, it gets the mind set that its bedtime.

xx

[02Batmobile]

I found that people with anxiety divide into two categories: some of the people will feel better during the day, but worse during the night. Others will feel worse during the day and better at night. Those who are feeling anxiety at night time hours develop insomnia and it's logical. Insomnia is a common symptom of anxiety.

Think about what is causing you to stay awake. Is it a scary thought? Is it physical symptoms? If it is a scary thought like a fear of going crazy, talk to someone about it and open up completely to that person. Stay calm and practice breathing exercises. Pay attention to your breathing, breath in slowly for 4 counts ( Breathe in - 1, . . . .2, . . . . 3, . . . .4, . . . .) and think of the word "Peace". On the exhale, do the same thing. (Exhale out - 1, . . . . 2, . . . 3, . . . 4, . . . .) While you exhale slowly, think of the word, "Relax." It may be difficult at first but you will get better at it. If other thoughts pop into your head while you are doing the exercise, quickly dismiss them. Research it as there is more to it than just that or you can purchase a book called, "The Relaxation Response." Also research progressive-muscle relaxation. Also, practice good sleeping habits such as setting up your bedroom in a relaxing setting, removing clutter or bills as they will stay on your mind. Exercise, consume less sugar and avoid caffiene.

[milo0071]

Many thanks. Do you feel that I need to talk to a Psychologist or is this something I can work out by myself? Last night was particularly bad but this time I was able to fall asleep but kept waking up in a panic.

[02Batmobile]

Well that's great that your sleep is improving. Seeing a psychologist is totally your call. But don't feel ashamed to seek help.

I think what is happening to you now is that your body is unconsciously reacting to physical symptoms. When you are awake, you feel a physical symptom such as a racing heart, but your mind intervenes and rationalizes it. While you are sleeping though, your mind cannot. Your body is sensing physical symptoms and taking to to panic mode. I went searching for a few things in my workbooks to show you what I'm talking about. The next paragraphs are quoted from "Mastery of your Anxiety and Panic":

"Panic Attacks from Out of the Blue: After several occurrences of being afraid of physical sensations, the fear of physical sensations can occur without conscious thoughts of danger. That is, the fear of physical symptoms occurs automatically. The automatic quality is typical of much of what humans learn. For example, when a person learns to ride a bike or to drive, the new skill initially requires intense concetration and self-instruction about what to do for each step. Gradually, the steps become automatic so that the person can ride and drive without consciously thinking about what he or she is doing. Sometimes when a person panics, he or she may be aware of thoughts of danger; at other times, the person may not know what he or she is thinking. Instead the person just feels afraid."

"Making the Unexpected Expected: Two types of panic attacks always to occur from out of the blue: panicking from a relaxed state and panicking from a deep sleep. Both are, in fact, triggered by physical sensations. During relaxation, physical sensations often differ from normal sensations. A person might have feelings of floating or of being in a trance. If the person fears physical sensations that are different from normal ones, they can trigger a panic attack. Panicking out of deep sleep does not mean that the person wakes, dwells on worrisome issues, and then panics. Instead, the person awakes in the midst of panic, typically with sensations of a racing heart or of smothering. This type of panic attack is called a nocturnal panic attack. About half of the people who suffer from panic disorder have had at least one nocturnal panic attack. About 25% have repeated panic attacks out of sleep. Changes in physical rhythms during sleep are normal. For example, heart rates and breathing rates increase and decrease at different times throughout the night. Moreover, people have the capacity to respond to meaningful events during sleep. For example, the mother of a newborn child will wake in response to the slightest sound from her baby but sleep through other, louder sounds. Soldiers in combat have the capacity to sleep through the sound of allied planes but wake to the sound of enemy planes. Thus, if physical changes are meaningful (i.e., they are frightening), it is understandable that physical changes that normally happen throughout sleep cause a person to wake out of sleep in a panic attack, in the same way that panic attacks happen during the day. A nocturnal panic attack is especially likely to happen if the physical changes occur at a time during sleep when the person is more easily awakened. A person does not easily wake from deep sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep but wakes more easily from what are called Stages 2 and 3 sleep. Also, people who panic out of sleep frequently view sleep as a particularly dangerous time, in the same way that people who have agoraphobia may be particularly likely to panic when alone or away from home because they view those situations as dangerous. The reasons that a person would view sleep as dangerous are unclear but may have to do with stories about others dying during their sleep or with other traumatic events happening during sleep, such as being attacked or mugged. In summary, physical sensations, even if very slight, can trigger panic attacks in someone who is afraid of them. Sometimes, because the physical changes are not obvious to the person, the person mistakenly believes that the panic attack occurred form out of the blue."

What the workbook later goes on to talk about is bringing the symptoms of panic attacks in a controlled environment so that you become less afraid of them. Everyday practice these symptom-induction exercises:

Head shaking (Shake your head loosely from side to side for 30 seconds to produce dizziness or disorientation.

Head Lifting (Place your head between your legs for 30 seconds and then lift it quickly to produce lightheadedness or the sensation of blood rushing from your head.

Stepping Up/RUnning in Place (Self-explanatory - perform this exercise for 1 minute and at a fast enough rate to notice your heart pumping quickly, to produce racing heart and shortness of breath.

Breath Holding (Hold your breath for as long as you can or for about 30-45 secondss to produce chest tightness and smothering sensations.

Body Tensing (Spin around and around for 1 minute to produce dizziness. A chair that swivels is ideal for this exercise and is even better if someone can spin you around. Alternatively, stand up and turn around quickly several times, but have a soft chair or couch nearby to sit on afterward. Note that this exercise may cause nausea as well. Those who suffer from motion sickness may become very nauseated and even vomit after this exercise. Anyone who truly suffers motion sickness should either skip to the other exercises or spin slowly.

Hyperventilating (While standing or sitting, hyperventilate for 1 minutes by breathing deeply and quickly and with great force to produce a sense of unreality, shortness of breath, tingling, cold or hot feelings, dizziness or headache and so forth.

Straw Breathing ( Breath throught a thin straw for 1 minute without allowing any air through your nose (hold your nostrils together to produce sensations of restricted airflow or smothering. Alternatively, breathe as slowly as possible for 1 minute.

Staring (Stare as intensely as possible at a small spot on the wall or at your reflection in the mirror for 2 minutes to produce sensations of unreality.

[milo0071]

Thanks for replying. Very interesting reading. This describes exactly how I felt. I was actually scared to fall asleep again as I went through three simultaneous episodes before I got up and took a sleeping pill. Now I wonder if I need to self-medicate every night.