Sleep !!!!!!

[TRISTAN]

Been suffering with anxiety for a few years now and sleep has always been a problem and wake most days at 3-4 in the morning and can't get back off as anxiety kicks in big time

Does anyone take anything for sleep or have you any ideas that might help as going to explode soon

Thanks

---------- Post added at 20:18 ---------- Previous post was at 19:29 ----------

Wake up with overwhelming adrenalin in hole body , get up and chain smoke till its time to leave for work and just can't seem to calm myself down

[Holds1325]

Something on your mind? I used to have this alot when I'd wake up and panic around that time.

Doing any exercising? Anyone tell you to kick the cigarettes yet or at least cut down? The adrenaline from the anxiety can mess up sleep patterns, not to mention, so can stims like nicotine.

Talked to a doctor perhaps? In any case its best to set aside a time for bed every night at the same time. If you wake up, just get up, move around, do something, read perhaps, then if you feel tired again, sleep. If not then perhaps stay awake and get things done. Your body will eventually sleep when it needs to, but it takes practice to keep the anxiety down.

[Shazamataz]

The smoking makes it worse! I speak from experience. I was getting up panicky the wee hours and smoking for lack of anything better to do and it just made things escalate. Powerful addiction though!

[ankietyjoe]

I get the adrenalin rushes usually at about 3-4 am as well.

It usually makes me feel like I have to stretch it out of my muscles, but as soon as I do my heart rate spikes. I invariably need to get up and go for a pee too, which also raises my heart rate! I usually have a heart rate of 120-150bpm for 5 minutes or so.

My go to way to combat this is to stay calm, turn the TV on, prop myself up on the pillows and just say 'this will pass' for several minutes until I can feel my body calming down. Most of the time it happens fairly quickly and I can get back to sleep after 10-15 minutes. It's very rare it keeps me up any more.

Not chain smoking would be very beneficial as well as Nicotine is a very powerful stimulant (even if you feel it's relaxing you).

It's the fear that keeps the cycle going, I found my night time anxiety was fed by that fear and the routine of it happening. Once I let that fear go (as much as is possible when it's actually happening) it made it much easier to deal with.

[Shazamataz]

That's good advice Joe,

I've had months of waking in the wee hours in a panic but unable to calm myself down and get back to sleep. I'm still not getting great sleep but have told myself it doesn't matter that much and that seems to have helped a bit.

[ankietyjoe]

It's the only way to deal with it that I've found.

Funnily enough I can deal with it ok at night, but today I had a similar attack just after dinner and I found it much harder to sort out because 'it was in the wrong part of the day' :yesyes: