how can i sleep?!? help please

[nstama]

hi everyone
i haven't been on here in awhile because i have actually been doing quite well lately. but tonight i am back to my worst. i had a lovely day and night hanging out with some of my best friends that i havent seen in a long time and everything has been fine all day/night. i got home late, about 3 am and it is impossible to sleep. I dont understand, every time i lay down and close my eyes i lose my breath and my heart starts beating out of control and i feel like i am somewhere else and completely unreal. I sit up, and in a couple of minutes i am fine. so once that happens i feel like i can try to go to sleep again but right when i close my eyes the same thing happens. it feels like death and i don't know what to do. it is now 6 am and i have been trying to sleep but it happens every time my head hits the pillow and i am laying down. i stupidly drank some alcohol tonight which i believe has increased the anxiety level, but still i don't know what to do or how to get to sleep.

any help would be really greatly appreciated
thank you all

[DaMaul]

Funnily enough I'm in the same boat as you! Been totally free from panic and anxiety and I've recently suddenly started waking up in the night on the verge of a major attack every time I drink alcohol.

I find coming onto this site and reading a few posts and articles will help. Also, try having some sound in the background, either leave the TV on quietly, or listen to some soothing music (try anything by Ludovic Einaudi!). A glass of water by the bed also helps.

It's always important to remember that nothing is really wrong, you're not going mad, it's just that your body is having a perfectly normal and understandable reaction to drinking alcohol!

Hope that helps a bit!

[nstama]

thank you so much :hugs:

[virgo199060]

Drink lots of water to help dilute the alcohol in your blood stream, have something stodgy to eat and try lying on the sofa with the TV on to distract you, as soon as you're sleepy enough, you'll just naturally drift off!! :) xx

[Tommyyy]

I understand where you coming from. I had a sleepless night and 2 panic attacks the day after a drink with friends. It makes you feel awful when you were having a good time only a few hours before (and didn't drink much)!! I guess alcohol brings out the worst in people like us!

Are you on any medication nstama?

:)

[nstama]

thank you for all of the replies! no i am not on any medication, i was prescribed rantidine and xanax but i don't take them because i don't know if i could deal with side effects on top of anxiety, i just feel it would make my anxiety worse. but the thing is, this sleep thing happens to me often, not only when i drink alcohol. once i start to drift off my breathing changes and gets very shallow and my chest starts to hurt and then the anxiety kicks in. it is a horrible feeling and it's exhausting to deal with when all i want to do is sleep.
thanks again for the replies though, :)

[virgo199060]

Maybe you have sleep apnoea? I'd go to your doctor to get checked out! It's nothing to worry about! They'll just give you things to help open your airwaves :)