I need sleep HELP!!

[Kez_miller]

Good evening my friends.

So the last couple of weeks my anxiety has been high. Very high in fact. Along with that came the inability to sleep. And I don't mean that I'm sleeping at 4/5am I mean I'm awake all night until about 10-11-12 in the morning. Last few days my anxiety has settled down but my sleep is still awful. Sleeping at like mid day but as I'm trying to get to sleep I'm becoming agitated and anxious again. Like as I'm falling asleep my body jumps. I realise that Is normal once or twice. But my body does it 20-30 times before I eventually sleep. Anyway I just wondered if anyone had any advice in order to be able to get to sleep at a reasonable hour. Any advice would help massively. :mad:

[littleme92]

Hi

My anxiety returned recently and I was advised to download this app on my phone called "calm" it is basically about mindfulness and meditation but there is this section on it that has sleep stories. The one called "The Waterfall" has helped me fall asleep the past two nights. The app is free to download, but it does require you to pay if you want more (which I haven't done).

Don't know if that is what you are looking for but it has helped me fall asleep.

[Juggar]

Sleep seems to be a fragile thing for people like us. Unfortunately it's not just a switch one can flip on and off at will. For some it may be that way but it's not for some of us.

What you are describing has happened to me, dont beat yourself up over it. You are just hyperaware to the process of falling asleep. Try to stop constantly monitoring yourself while you try to go to bed. I know that's easier said than done but try to think of something pleasant, get lost in that thought and the sleep will come. I promise.

I went through a really bad bout of insomnia and honestly, once I realized it wasn't hurting me I started sleeping better. I also utilize generic Benadryl as needed. Works the best out of all OTC things I have tried.

I also got a box fan to help with temperature and white noise. I would get flustered when I couldn't sleep and get hot plus the white noise helps. I don't really know how the white noise helps but it's kinda of distracting or is at least better than silence.

Some people listen to talk radio or leave the TV on at low volume but only something non interesting.

Anxiety can easily make you overthink and be hypersensitive to things that wer once trivial. Just like sleep. The less you stress over it, the less power this thing has over you. 100% true. I still have sleep issues but it's much better than it was since I stopped giving it power over me.