Unrefreshing sleep. Feel like crying :s

[Ssmith]

I'm fed up with battling this tiredness every single day. I seem to be getting the anxiety and depression under control but this unrelentless tiredness I've had for the last 2 years is really starting to take its toll on me. I've had a sleep apnea test which proved negative and waiting for the results of blood tests to come back. My eyes are stinging all day and it hurts to keep them open. I've got bags under my eyes and dark circles, headaches and it's fuelling my anxiety and depression.

I genuinely don't know what i can do to correct this. I've tried every single relaxation thing before bed, medications, everything. It's not even if I'm not sleeping, i can sleep a full night. But it's making me so miserable and irritable. I'd take anxiety and depression over this tiredness at the moment. Has anyone had any experience with this?

[pulisa]

Unless your blood tests prove otherwise, anxiety and depression is all tied up with this blanket exhaustion and yes, I've had this too. You have done the right thing by getting bloods done though.

[Ssmith]

It just doesn't improve though. At the moment, my depression and anxiety have improved a little, but my tiredness has got worse. It's debilitating. The rest of my body is fine but it's just my eyes. I've been to the optician as well as I've got loads of eye floaters that started appearing a few years back and she said everything looks okay.

I can't name the last time i had refreshing sleep and had a day where i didn't experience the tiredness in my eyes. I've looked at my diaries and this all started to come about roughly 2 years ago. I'm scared to drive because of how sore/burning my eyes feel

[debs71]

Oh yes. I could write a book on it.

I haven't slept through the night once in probably a decade, if not longer. I also have depression/GAD and I toss and turn all night, with the odd hour or so between waking. I am also awake until 3/4am and then up at 11'ish (I work from home,) but feel totally wiped out most days, working on autopilot and yawning my head off.

My problems stem from my mental health stuff but also doing only night shift work for 10 years. My body clock has never recovered from it, and it sucks. I haven't slept through the night, with a good 8 hour rest for God knows how long.

So you are not alone in this.

As far as you sore eyes go, do you spend much time on your PC/laptop/whatever? Tiredness will certainly be contributing to your eye issues, but dry eyes can also create them.

I also have this problem. It got so bad that I could hardly open my eyes at times due to soreness, stinging and being blinded by daylight. I tried out some Optrex intensive eye drops for dry eyes recently, and they have helped enormously with the dryness and tired feeling.

I'm not sure how to advise re. your exhaustion and lack of sleep, as like pulisa says, this is a classic and horrible symptom of depression/anxiety, and hard to overcome. There are things that do help, such as chamomile tea before bed, cutting down on caffeine, creating a relaxed atmosphere a while before you hit the pillow to induce sleep, but bottom line is that it is our active brains that are usually the culprit in this....I know it is tough, but hang in there. xx

[Ssmith]

Thank you for the reply :)

I'm constantly on my phone but i dont feel like that could have an effect on my eyes. Never on any other devices really.

Funny you should say about Optrex, i just bought some spray from them that you spray on your eyelids. It doesn't seem to work much and I've tried the eyedrops as well. It's s vicious cycle in that i can't work on the anxiety/depression thoroughly because of the tiredness, but then the tiredness is probably being fuelled by this. I look like I've gone weeks without sleep.

I was driving earlier on and actually got terrified that I could close my eyes and fall asleep. It's put me off driving and so i only ever go short distances now. I'm just so exhausted with the exhaustion! I would pay a very big amount of money just to experience a day of feeling wide awake right now. Will this eventually go or am i gonna have to settle with this?