Anxiety symptom? - Anyone else?

[Savvy_Darling]

Those of your that suffer from anxiety or especially health anxiety.. With all the worry and stress and panic it can cause -- does anyone else love sleeping ? Or sleep a lot?
I tried searching threads for too much sleeping but can only find people who struggle with not being able to sleep... That's not my problem -- I could sleep the day away if it was acceptable.
I notice it's worse when I've been really worked up about something, I find myself having less of a desire to do things like clean and do cat liter or anything to do with my appearance.
I'd rather stay under the warm covers and go back to dream land with my cats and forget my worries.

My boyfriend works and I use to but have been not working for a year now. Got hurt at my last job which started my depression which has made my anxiety worse.
Anyways, so I don't have a lot to do during the day.. I don't live in the best part of town so I don't feel comfortable going out for walks by myself.
So I spend a great deal of time inside and in my bedroom.

I was doing really good with my treadmill but last week my anxiety hit hard and is still here and high again with other worries so I don't feel like working out..

I find myself up most the night like going to bed at 6am and waking up around 5pm... Although this week it's been going to sleep at 5pm and waking up at 10 or 12pm and then up till 6am and going back to sleep and waking up at 9pm.. Repeat the falling asleep at 5pm again. Boyfriend works 6-10 or 6-12pm..

Anyways I love sleeping and I often worry if that it's fatigue which is a symptom of illnesses like cancer and since my health anxiety is about cancer and what I'm worrying about now with my lymph node the sleeping just makes me feel worse because I'm scared it's a symptom of illness and not stress and anxiety or even boredom and depression.

(Even though I've rationalized my lymph node worry--still got the what ifs and they cause me great emotional distress)

So I wanted to know if anyone else gets like this and wants to sleep more than be awake so they can worry.

Would feel great to know others experience this !
Posted this in other forum but might have better luck here.

[nirvanainchains]

Yeah, I would spend 70% of the day in my bed doing nothing but lie down and playing with mobile phone, not much sleeping, but rather just lying down on the bed, sometimes I’d take a nap. But one thing’s for sure, SLEEPING is my temporary remedy of all the aches and pain, so that’s why when INSOMNIA flares up I would be feeling totally upset throughout the night until the sun rises.

[Savvy_Darling]

Sounds like me...and yes I agree sleeping is awesome so maybe that's why I'm sleeping so much because it's the only time I'm not scared or worried.
I always seem to be up all night and sleep all day though.. Not sure if that's insomnia I just like the nighttime. I usually keep a clean room but when anxiety is bad I stop caring and it's lay in bed all day and nap like you said.

Just wondering if sleeping a lot is an anxiety symptom others experience .

[MyNameIsTerry]

Sleep is heavily affected by anxiety and depression. It's either insomnia or the opposite.

You have to remember that being anxious means being on alert more. This isn't just a mental thing, it's a physical thing too. Your body is working harder, more chemicals like neurotransmitters are being used up & created.

You will often hear how a period of panic or high anxiety is followed by a "washed out" period where you just want to sleep although it's more exhaustion than sleep.

Fatigue is just being very tired yet sleep doesn't seem to refresh you. It's very common in these disorders. I've been struggling with fatigue issues for over a year now. I suspect my sleep pattern has contributed to this because I can remember how this happened when my sleep pattern had slipped enough to mean winter was all darkness to me as I wouldn't be awake during daylight hours anymore.

It can help to get up and get on with things. Exercise can help to get your body moving out of tiredness but after a period of higher anxiety, this doesn't always work and the body is saying it wants to rest & recuperate. Part of this will be replenishing those neurotransmitters like Serotonin.

Don't make a link to cancer. There are so many possible anxiety & depression symptoms linked to cancer and often this is because cancer makes being anxious & depressed, not that they are red flags to a doctor to think of cancer. There are so many non cancer disorders that have fatigue as a symptom too. Fatigue overlaps into tons of things.

There are definitely plenty of threads on here about fatigue and other members who sleep a lot.

[Fishmanpa]

Sleeping excessive amounts is a sign of depression and anxiety. Lethargy, loss of interests in things you enjoy are as well. Sleeping can be an escape for some. Interrupted sleeping patterns are again signs of anxiety and depression. I went through this after my 1st heart attack and that's what prompted me to get help as I knew I was depressed. I believe... no, I know I had some anxiety as well as every little twinge in my chest got me upset and anxious. It's actually exhausting to constantly feel that way which adds to it all. I had to learn to deal with things differently. That's where therapy helped. I also took meds. They were the crutches I needed to start the walk to healing.

I think it's great you're able to write about your feelings, thoughts and fears. There is a cathartic benefit in doing so and knowing you're not alone is a comfort as well. However, the real life benefits are debatable. Hopefully, you'll find the inner strength to get help. Writing is one thing, doing is another. Hmmm... That could be a Positive Quote :)

Positive thoughts

[MyNameIsTerry]

The most basic things can become hard tasks with anxiety or depression. It's common to hear people not washing, brushing their teeth, showering, shaving, or just keeping normal daily routines going. It can be a real slog.

At my worst I didn't shave for about 3 weeks when I would normally shave daily. Brushing my teeth meant anxiety. I couldn't shower as it spiked me so would go a month and just sink wash what I could...which also meant anxiety. Everything was a problem, eating, moving around the house, etc.

Motivation really takes a hit too. With fatigue it can be hard to keep pushing through. The minute you stop, it's like it's time to sit down and sleep.

[Savvy_Darling]

Yes...that's how I have felt before.. My cats will hate it because I won't do the litter. I eventually do but it's after a few days and they like it daily /:

How bout feeling just random nervousness. Like I was sitting here watching a movie and all of a sudden I felt anxious and worried like an impending doom feeling. I wasn't thinking about anything - only watching the movie.
I mean I know that bump is a big trigger for me right now and everytime I touch and feel it's there I feel depressed and like why won't you go away.. And worrying about how I might die soon. It's a really horrible feeling but I wasn't even thinking about it at that moment but then when the random anxiety and panic feeling came on i thought about the lil bump.
All the worrying I can tell is taking its toll.. My left shoulder is so tense feeling and side of my neck where the bump happens to be. I just feel so blahh and it's almost like I can't enjoy anything fully with the bad thoughts in the back of my mind about the damn bump.
The random anxiety panic feeling just came outta nowhere and now I feel just all nervous feeling.

[shirlp]

I love my bed too. And could sleep all day, I'm trying to right my sleep pattern so I only allow myself a couple of hours.. I've not long woken up from my 2 hours and feel like I want more, but if I give in I know I'll not sleep tonight

[Savvy_Darling]

Same here shirlp, need to fix my sleeping schedule. Sleeping at night and up in the morning is where I'd like to be. I'm all over the place now /: and I wanna do nothing more than lay in bed under my blankets and watch tv or sleep. I also don't think it helps where I'm at in my cycle.. Seems like the week before my period my horomones are everywhere.
The amount of ongoing stress and worry since last Tuesday has definitely taken its toll. And I'm still worrying about a possible enlarged lymph node and what could cause it and it's really causing me a lot of grief. :(

[shirlp]

I'm gonna try really hard this week to stay awake in the day, trouble is if I'm really tired my anxiety gets to a point where I will go to sleep to escape it.. But anyway gotta be tough. Xx