bedtime adrenaline surges

[muttley]

i wonder if anyone has some experience of this, it's a big problem for me at the moment as it's preventing sleep whic ends up as a vicious circle. all advice appreciated.

new member: ian

[davidthegnome]

I used to have the same trouble. Have you spoken to your Doctor or psychiatrist about this? They may perscribe a low dose tranquilizer or a sleep aid which could help you calm down and sleep at night. There is also a product called rescuesleep from Bach's natural remedies. You can find out about that remedy (and others) on the home page or in the remedies section of the forum. People have generally reported positive results with using these products and there are no side effects.

As for me, it was really EFT that helped me to sleep again. If you haven't heard of it, it's a method similar to accupuncture that involves tapping on different energy meridians in your body. The good thing about it is that you can do it on your own. You may want to have another walk you through it to begin with though. If you'd like to learn more about this method, feel free to PM me or email me.

Also I would suggest breathing excercises before bed. This can be as simple as placing one hand on your stomach and one on your chest and breathing in deeply, feeling your stomach fill with air, then breathing out deeply and feeling it sink and repeating this until you feel a little calmer. You might also want to try listening to some music as you do this, I myself use Bethoven and Mozart. If you have anything relaxing and soothing to listen to, it may be a big help.

If you're really feeling panicky at bed time, I used another trick that I pretty much just thought of myself, though I'm sure others have tried this and similar things. Try adding 2 + 2, then 4 + 4, then 8 + 8 and so on, do this in your head and go as high as you can. It may help distract your mind and ground you a bit more. Be gentle with yourself, if you have a hard time doing all the adding or if it makes you more uncomfortable, just let it go and try something else.

I hope you feel better soon. I know how rough it is to go without sleep.

God bless you and good luck,

Dave

[clarissa]

Many the night I have had this surge just as I am getting ready for bed, or as I get into bed that for me I developed a routine that worked fantastically for me. Half way through the evening I would change for bed, then I would sit on my bed and maybe read for a while, then I would get up and have a drink of tea or water, go back to my room and sit on my bed and read again, tuck my legs into the duvet, turn on my radio and listen to music and remember what I had read, try to think about the way the story was going to go (especially if it was a crime) and just try to think how I would end it, then I would pack a suitcase in my mind and visit the area to finish the book my way, and as I got warmer and the music continued to play, snuggle down and I used to drift off to sleep.
I still use this if I can not sleep - i pack a suitcase and go off for a holiday.

there's a place that I dream of when I sleep, so peaceful, so quite, I call it mother earth.

[pamella]

i find night time scary as during the day there is always people about and u can distract yourself easier.i always get into a state come bedtime as i start to think that everyone else will be in bed and if i need reassurance i cant ring anyone or have someone come up to me.but i hav found that listening to chat show on radio really helps,it makes me feel that im not alone.i also use lavender oil on my pillow.some people find having a bath at bedtime helps,but for others it wakes them up so please be aware of that.another trick i used to do was try for example naming a animal for every letter of the alphbet,or it could be fruit,anything that distracts u.sorry i cant be of more help but i hope maybe some of this will be useful to u.ur not alone.x

pjrobb

[Insomniac]

Hi there. I'm having trouble sleeping at the moment and find some relaxation/breathing exercises useful when its really difficult. Also I have a relaxation CD which I downloaded to MP3 for when I find it hard to concentrate on breathing right and need some help. Otherwise I find I focus too much on the negative symptoms which only make me anxious and then makes symptoms worse. The breathing method I found on the NMP home page was breathing slowly with your out breath slightly longer than your in breath, this helps to balance the oxygen levels and also helps you feel more in control.

Sometimes I go through the alphabet thinking of a boys name for each letter, then start again with girls names, then a second list of different boys names, which usually works in the end for distraction.

Hope this helps.


Lisa.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

[Meg]

Hi

Firstly you need to see why you're having these surges at bedtime. It could be as easy as what you're eating and drinking.

Mostly, it's a result of whats on your mind and what you're thinking about.

If you're not home alone a lavender massage is great as well as kids story books. I used to re read all my childhood favourites like Paddington and Pooh and Mallory Towers where it all turned out well- it helped the night seem a better place .

[Piglet]

Meg,

That really made me smile - I used to do just the same and with the same books too, with the Famous Five thrown in for good measure! :)

Piglet :)

[Lomaine]

glad to find this site. I kept telling my friends that I felt like I was being pumped with adrenaline in the middle of the night - feels like you do when you almost have an accident with the car, tingling, chest pain, trouble breathing - very scary. I have gotten some help - maybe it will help someone else.

I take a beta blocker to protect my heart and stop the surging a bit. The only issue with beta blockers is sometimes they can cause nightmares - which they did for me, but seem to be going away. I also have available, a very low dose xanax - just to know it's there.

basically, I have come to believe that this stuff is unconscious material - I have repressed the feelings from some scary situations - that is now, having it's way with me. In a way it is a good thing - and probably unavoidable. I also think we are exposed to scary stuff all the time, and some of our nervous systems are not able to process it well.

I would suggest to anyone who has had some trauma in their past to consider EMDR or check it out on line. I also think having a good physical and trusting that your body will survive these surges, helps. Diagnosing yourself with a heart attack in the night does not help. I am trying to look at it like mental housecleaning. (although sometimes at 3:00 am that sounds a bit cavalier).

In closing, I look at this process as a good thing. I have had to dig deep, become a more compassionate person, let go of the control, read poetry, create - look for a spiritual, whatever that means to you, solution.

When I am scared at night I read The Prophet or Eckhardt Tolle.

Good luck. I am glad this site is here. It is a relief and amazing to me that so many people understand that surge feeling.

lindy

[noworriesnocries]

chamomille or tension tamer or sleepy time teas helped me. I drank 2 bags in one cup 1 hour before bedtime usually...
ps: not all herbal remedies are suitable for everybody due to interaction with medicines like MAO inhabitors... gotta check it at the health store, they have big books with herbs in them...

[p1nksh4rpiez]

I've had this problem for many, many years. It's a horrible feeling and it creates a horrible cycle. What helps for me is to try and be rational and not set bedtimes for myself. I'd rather go to bed too late and still be able to sleep for six or seven hours than lay awake for hours feeling anxious about not getting to bed exactly on time.
A great and inexpensive supplement that I take for this exact type of anxiety is GABA. It's very light and soothing and it doesn't make you tired at all the next day.