Scared I'm going to start hallucinating because Im not getting enough sleep.

[Jotia]

I haven't slept properly in almost a week now, at first I was only get 6 hours sleep but the last few nights Iv only had about 4. Im scared I will never sleep properly again, and feel like Iv forgotten how to sleep. I'm worried something bad will happen to my health if I don't sleep, and feeling tired scares me, I don't want to end up in hospital. I just lye there at night thinking "I'm not a sleep yet why isn't it happening" I end up worrying so much about not sleeping that I panic and can't stay still. I don't know how I fall asleep in the end but I just do. I just want to go back to being able to sleep easy again. I don't want to take sleeping tablets though because I hate the way they make me feel and it makes me panic. I have had a few sleepless nights in a row worrying about not sleeping before but nothing that lasts this long.

[NancyW]

We have something here in the US called zzquil, it's like Nyquil without the cold medicine. I believe it's also in Benedryl.

It's very mild, you can get it in a liquid, it's not habit forming. I have terrible hot flashes at night so I will occasionally take 1/2 a dose and it's just enough to help me fall asleep and if I wake, I can go back to sleep easily. No drowsiness in the morning

Just a thought for you to get a good night's sleep.

I also find that I sleep better just knowing that if I can't sleep I can take a little zzquil and I will sure sleep then. Kind of a security blanket lol.

[ScaredLizard]

Worrying about sleep and anxiety about sleep is the BEST way to never get any. I go through periods of horrible insomnia where I'll be up late like normal and think 'omg it's 3 am I'll NEVER SLEEP NOW' and then....I've cursed myself and fallen down the hole and it takes 3-4 days to get back to normal.

In other news? My husband lives on 4-6 hours of sleep. While you might feel sleepy it won't kill you.

Have you looked into insomnia meditations? There are thousands of guided meditations on youtube which can help

[saf138]

Agree with above poster scientific studies have shown that 4-6 hours is enough sleep for anybody I'm curious to know if you watch t.v or use a tablet or laptop late at night before nodding off because those things provide artificial lighting which tricks the mind into thinking its still daylight if so try swapping them for a book and get a soothing candle going.

[thestruggle]

I went through something like this recently! Fitbit only logs sleep once you've had at least an hour and there were nights where nothing was logged at all because I was lying awake all night.. I would sleep for maybe 10-30 mins and wake up through sheer exhaustion and over-tiredness and then maybe get the odd few hours here and there. Like you I worried about never sleeping again or what would happen to me for not sleeping but I'm ok!

What helped me was accepting I was gonna wake up or not sleep at all...that stopped it having power over me and making me worry. After a few days I found I was getting 4-5 hours a night, then 6...then 7...still broken but way better! I struggle now to sleep properly but I'm not so stressed about it about lol now :) if you're not hallucinating and feeling sick/cold you're probably getting just enough sleep to be alright..

[Jotia]

I havnt been able to sleep till like 3/4 the last 3 weeks and as a result I'm only getting 6 hours of sleep a night. Even when I'm tired I still can't sleep till 3/4, if anything being tired makes it harder to sleep...I dunno. I read that being sleep deprived can cause hullinations which is my worst fear, I'm so scared this is going to happen or my sleeping pattern will get worse till I can't sleep at all. Also I just generally feel weird like I guess it's derealization but it's freaking me out and I'm scared it's the beginning of having hullinations.

[J-UK]

I havnt been able to sleep till like 3/4 the last 3 weeks and as a result I'm only getting 6 hours of sleep a night. Even when I'm tired I still can't sleep till 3/4, if anything being tired makes it harder to sleep...I dunno. I read that being sleep deprived can cause hullinations which is my worst fear, I'm so scared this is going to happen or my sleeping pattern will get worse till I can't sleep at all. Also I just generally feel weird like I guess it's derealization but it's freaking me out and I'm scared it's the beginning of having hullinations.



Hi Jotia

Sorry you're going through a bad time right now. I don't know much about derealization etc but maybe it would help a little to know I normally get around 6 hours of sleep a night when I'm working because I get up at 4am and struggle to fall asleep most nights due to my over active mind.

Thus far I've never experienced hallucinations from having 6 hours sleep, so take some comfort in that maybe.

Do you go to bed at a reasonable time but find you lay awake over thinking things? If so I know how that feels. I find quiet music or putting a relaxing video on YouTube on my Bedside table helps me.

Jay


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[Elen]

Hi

This is just a courtesy reply to let you know that your thread was merged with another of your threads

It is nothing personal it is just to make it easier for people to follow your story and to give you advice as a whole.

Elen

[Midnight-mouse]

I havnt been able to sleep till like 3/4 the last 3 weeks and as a result I'm only getting 6 hours of sleep a night. Even when I'm tired I still can't sleep till 3/4, if anything being tired makes it harder to sleep...I dunno. I read that being sleep deprived can cause hullinations which is my worst fear, I'm so scared this is going to happen or my sleeping pattern will get worse till I can't sleep at all. Also I just generally feel weird like I guess it's derealization but it's freaking me out and I'm scared it's the beginning of having hullinations.



I don't have much advice to offer on this matter because I also struggle to sleep but I would like to reassure that I haven't had a solid night sleep where I slept more than 4 hours in a very long time (years) it's my normal to get roughly 4/5 hours broken sleep each night and I have never experienced hallucinations at all.


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[thestruggle]

I havnt been able to sleep till like 3/4 the last 3 weeks and as a result I'm only getting 6 hours of sleep a night. Even when I'm tired I still can't sleep till 3/4, if anything being tired makes it harder to sleep...I dunno. I read that being sleep deprived can cause hullinations which is my worst fear, I'm so scared this is going to happen or my sleeping pattern will get worse till I can't sleep at all. Also I just generally feel weird like I guess it's derealization but it's freaking me out and I'm scared it's the beginning of having hullinations.

If you were that sleep deprived you'd already be suffering because of it in the way you're worrying you will :) I went through a bad phase of not sleeping properly years back and the effect it had on me was within a matter of days.. I was cold, shaking, felt sick, was ridiculously pale and felt like my brain had turned to mush. I felt absolutely awful and had to go home from work because I just couldn't cope.. I have had a baby (7.5 years ago!) so got used to terrible sleep pretty quickly, which left me hallucinating and seriously worrying about my health..I was alright once my little man let me have longer periods of sleep before waking up and screaming for milk :)

6 hours a night is plenty for the majority of people. I know we're supposed to strive for this magical 8 hours, but it's not realistic for everyone! Even 4-5 can be enough.. If your body was struggling on the amount of sleep you're getting, TRUST ME you'd know already!

I wouldn't advise taking sleeping tablets or any of that rubbish in case you end up relying on them long-term or they trigger other problems for you.. You need to find a way of getting more sleep that works for you. Maybe look at your bedtime routine and see what you can change that helps you drift off sooner. Can you read in bed maybe? Listen to relaxing music for a bit when you first get into bed? I worried so much with my stomach problems a couple of months ago.. I was convinced I'd never sleep properly again, but you will :)

[MyNameIsTerry]

Sleep deprivation means much less sleep than that and prevention of reaching the deeper sleep stages to restore our various functions (one reason why it was originally used as a form of torture).

I used to live on 6 hours when working as do many people. I can live on a few hours I've found each night until it hits me and I have a big catch up. 2-3 hours a night for several nights doesn't do any more to me than make me feel rough but I can pull myself out of it. When I was worse and worrying more about sleep, getting less would immediately make me feel bad and I would worry about getting through the day.

Sleep deprivation is insomnia on steroids! Many of us on here have been through insomnia, it's one of the classics in anxiety problems, but I've yet to come across anyone with sleep deprivation.

[Annaboodle]

I often get only 2 or 3 hours a night and I bumble through (I'm moody, irritable sometimes and cry occasionally but that's about it). You won't hallucinate. To be honest if I was getting 4 or 6 hours I'd be pleased but I'm a chronic insomniac so my benchmark is v. low!