Disturbed sleep

[NotCool]

Hey.


I'm not sure if this subforum is the proper place to present my current situation in, considering the other aspects of my problems, not just sleep (or lack of thereof), but I figure i'll give it a shot nonetheless.


Ever since my anxiety flared up (mostly health anxiety, with certain elements of GAD, I guess) months ago, I've been having trouble sleeping in general, but it has been the worst in the last 2 months.



I generally don't have a problem falling asleep (I go to bed at around 3-4am), but I ALWAYS wake up 2-4 hours later, after which I frequently have trouble falling asleep again. I have nightmares very frequently, vivid dreams, loooong dreams (basically i feel like i dream way too much, so i figure i spend a lot of time in REM), and I don't even know if i'm getting any deep sleep at all. I don't feel refreshed when I decide to get up (usually around 12-1pm).



I don't exercise, I am not overweight, i'm in the worst physical shape of my life, and my health anxiety is still flared up.



Can anyone relate to this? Can anxiety really be the sole reason for this, or is there potential for development of some other neurological disturbance, like narcolepsy?


I would be grateful for any kind of response.

[LunaLiuna]

I dream vividly almost every night.

Here's a link for you that my explain things http://www.psychology-solution.com/sleep-insomnia/anxiety-depression

Try and get sleep earlier as well, our bodies are designed to sleep as soon as it gets dark :)

[LeFi_81]

Hey Notcool,

I completely relate. Are you trying something to help you? A medicine?

It seems as if you are by now programmed to wake up after a certain time. What do you do then? Stay in bed and roll around?

So here is what helps me get better sleep a Exercise (mostly a lot of walking) b Chamomile Tea c a hot shower before bed d I leave a night light on and e I try not to worry about it. ESPECIALLY not to contribute some symptoms to it. (thats the hard part!)

On a lighter note, I really laughed at your signature. :)

Good luck!

[Round in circles]

Urgh, I have spells of this where I wake up around 4 hours after I go to sleep. Drives me nuts sometimes. It always occurs when I've been going through periods of high stress so yes, anxiety definitely can cause it.

I second what Luna said. You should try going to bed earlier. Your body may be telling you it wants to be awake early morning so you may have to adjust when you go to bed accordingly.

[NotCool]

Thanks for replies! Luna, i'll be sure to read that! LeFi_81, no, i'm not doing anything right now to try to fix my situation - but as soon as i'll be able to start exercising again (got injured toe at the moment), i'll start running, I also plan to start meditating and it's about time I try out a online CBT therapy or something. I've got an appointment with a psychologist soon as well, so i'm really hoping this is temporary. As for what I do when i wake up, i didn't clarify that really well in my original post - when I wake up, i simply wait until I can fall asleep again, but my sleep after that is fragmented, with vivid dreams and such - not quality sleep.

[NotCool]

The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that I have some sort of narcolepsy. I fit basically most of the symptoms, minus the sleep spells during the day. I feel general fatigure, I have problems with memory and concentration, my sleep is disturbed and fragmented, with vivid dreams, occasional sleep paralysis and what I think are problems breathing. After I first fall asleep, I think I reach deep sleep for a short time, but when I wake up for the first time, and fall back asleep, my sleep is very light, and I fall into REM too fast. I also noticed frequent numb hands in bed lately (what it could be cataplexy).

So i guess it's not "just" anxiety. :( Next step is trying to get an appointment with sleep doctor/neurologist, i guess.

[mummyanxious]

My sleep has been bad also. I'm falling asleep about 8 as I can't keep awake and then its like a light switch at five and the adrenalin is then going. I realise that I've had enough sleep there but I need the timings to switch about a bit!

[HoneyLove]

A lot of what you describe fits stress/anxiety problems, which is far more likely than something rare like narcolepsy. Obviously if you're concerned about it then a chat with your doctor is wise, but it would be important for you to also research healthy sleep habits to see what else you can do about improving your situation.

Stress will have a big impact on your sleep, so working to reduce your daily stress levels would be a good idea. And the usual things like avoiding caffeine and stimulants like sugar, not eating just before going to bed, and sticking to a regular sleep routine are all important too.

[clarisse]

Have a relaxing bath and drink some Valerian or Camomile tea before bed.Both will relax you.Have you tried relaxation? A regular routine of this in the evening will help get back into a good sleep pattern.

[NotCool]

Thank you guys, i appreciate the reassuring thoughts. ..i. guess ill have to drastically change my sleep patten. the thing is, ive just been so used to going to bed so late (been doing it for years),and im still so amazed at the range of effect that anxiety can have once it really flares up. sorry for typos, writing from phone.

[RoseEve]

Your signature cracks me up it's great :)