View Full Version : I’m worried I’ll never sleep again.
I’m 31m and two nights ago, I probably got 4 or so hours of sleep. I run a fan every night to help me sleep and my fan kept making a rattling sound, so I kept getting up to change the position of the fan to see if that made a difference, but it didn’t. I ended up turning off my fan and using a white noise machine on my phone, which wasn’t as good because I could hear noises from outside (mainly vehicles on the highway nearby). On top of that, I thought my roommate was making noise and being obnoxious for some reason, which got me annoyed, and I’m sure the clocks changing didn’t help. Last night, I had the same issue with my fan and I’m not even sure if I slept at all but it’s possible I fell asleep for a few minutes. I had two hypnic jerks, so I was at least close to falling asleep. I’m not looking forward to trying to sleep tonight and now I have this idea in my head that I have something physically wrong with me and that I’ll never be able to sleep again. I luckily had today off from work, but I’m worried about having to drive into work tomorrow.
nomorepanic
06-11-23, 22:53
I never sleep well but you will get over it I hope.
I just get used to it every night.
I never sleep well but you will get over it I hope.
I just get used to it every night.
I'm sorry to hear that. Do you happen to go days at a time without sleeping, or do you just consistently not sleep a lot? I've only gone a day or longer without sleeping at all 2 or 3 times before, and 2 of those times were because I was sick, so I'm not really used to this. When I was sick and there was a clear reason why I couldn't fall asleep (i.e., vomiting all night making it virtually physically impossible to sleep), at least I was 100% confident about the cause. I can assume my frustration with my fan and other noises is the reason why I'm not sleeping well, but I'm not sure.
nomorepanic
07-11-23, 18:33
I consistently don't sleep well - been like it for years now.
How has your sleep been recently?
There is nothing physically wrong with you. There is nothing that *can* be physically wrong with the brain that would prevent you from sleeping. It's simply not a thing that exists. You're not sleeping because your brain is convinced it's supposed to stay awake-- because of the fact that you're thinking about it and stressing about it.
I've been all around the block with sleep problems. It can be scary when you're not used to it. But soon you'll find that sleep, and anxiety, comes in waves. It may be bad for a while and then just get better. You will always sleep when you're tired enough. The best thing you can do to help yourself still is not lay in bed awake. Get up and do something- take a walk, read a book, do yoga, meditate.
Do not think thoughts like "there's something wrong with me", "I'll never sleep again." These thoughts are just ridiculous and completely untrue. You're creating a problem where there is none.
There is nothing physically wrong with you. There is nothing that *can* be physically wrong with the brain that would prevent you from sleeping. It's simply not a thing that exists. You're not sleeping because your brain is convinced it's supposed to stay awake-- because of the fact that you're thinking about it and stressing about it.
I've been all around the block with sleep problems. It can be scary when you're not used to it. But soon you'll find that sleep, and anxiety, comes in waves. It may be bad for a while and then just get better. You will always sleep when you're tired enough. The best thing you can do to help yourself still is not lay in bed awake. Get up and do something- take a walk, read a book, do yoga, meditate.
Do not think thoughts like "there's something wrong with me", "I'll never sleep again." These thoughts are just ridiculous and completely untrue. You're creating a problem where there is none.
You nailed that reply! :yesyes:
FMP
Well, unfortunately I’m back again...I had actually forgotten that I posted here because I had a good stretch where I slept well (7-8 hours every night for several weeks with pretty much no interruption). Last week I had 2 or 3 days of around 4 hours of sleep a night, followed by several days of good sleep, but I didn’t sleep well last night. It’s nice how I can fall asleep pretty much instantly some days, but I’m concerned that I can’t completely get rid of my sleep troubles.
I don’t understand why I can sleep so well some nights, but not on other nights. For example, last night I followed good sleep hygiene and didn’t have any anxious thoughts when I went to bed. This reinforces my belief that I have something physically wrong with me, maybe a neurological issue that makes it difficult to sleep.
I've struggled with sleep a lot of my life too, so has my dad. I don't know if it can be genetic or what. Sometimes I sleep well, others I don't. Sometimes I can have a good period where I get plenty of sleep night after night, then suddenly it'll flip and I'll struggle to sleep properly for a few days.
It's horrible, I haven't found a reliable method of improving my sleep yet. It's not just you. :)
Thank you all for responding. I’ve been getting around 5 hours a sleep the last few nights (I normally get 7), but it’s still been taking me around an hour or two to fall asleep, which is frustrating. What’s strange is I can fall back asleep almost instantly if I wake up to use the bathroom, so the issue is just originally falling asleep. It just bothers me that I thought my issue was resolved after having a few weeks of relatively good sleep. I can’t stop thinking that maybe there’s a health issue behind this change and that it’ll get worse over time, rather than a simple case of having a wacky sleep cycle for a week or so.
You know what I do? I put on a video about space and listen to it as I fall asleep. I like listen to documentaries about black holes, the start of the universe, the planets, things like that. It's very peaceful to me and usually the person doing the commentary has a great voice to fall asleep to.
Maybe you can listen to something similar and see if that helps you.
There are also POV videos of trains going through snowy terrain, so you can hear the hum of the engine and the peaceful noises of the wheels on the tracks. There are videos of ships traversing the oceans with similar soothing sounds. Videos of rainfall or fire crackling (or both).
I know you've tried white noise, why not try some other sounds or some documentaries to give you something to focus on and think about and eventually doze off to?
Hi everyone, I’m starting to get worried again. It took me a few hours to fall asleep the last few nights and I probably only got around 3-4 hours of sleep each night. I got maybe 4 hours of sleep last night, and I feel like I would’ve slept at least an hour or two more, but my alarm woke me up at 5:30 this morning in the middle of a dream. I had 2 different dreams last night, so I guess at least I got REM sleep. It may seem silly that I set my alarm for 5:30 considering I'm having issues sleeping and didn't have to set an alarm that early, but I wanted to stick to my regular schedule and go to the gym this morning before work because I thought it would be beneficial. In general, I'd say it's hard to tell for sure how much I’ve been sleeping because I try not to look at the time when I’m trying to fall asleep at night.
I thought 5 hours of sleep a night was bad after I went a few weeks without having any issues, but it seems like things are getting worse for me. I keep thinking that my issue will progressively get worse and I’ll have to depend on medication that I might eventually develop a tolerance to in order to sleep at all. Also, I keep thinking about how I might be forced to take time off from work and shouldn't drive my car if I go several days without sleeping, and may even have to get someone to drive me to the emergency room if things get bad enough, and thinking about these things really bothers me. I used to be get worried about fatal insomnia when I had trouble sleeping, and I still think about it from time to time when I have trouble sleeping, but I’m more concerned that I could be dealing with something more common that's more sinister than a simple case of insomnia.
Those scary thoughts you have whilst trying to sleep certainly aren’t going to help. An attitude of relaxation, unwinding, being kind to yourself and trying your best not to assume the worst is surely going to help.
If you can find a way to calm yourself down in the day and not let your sleep worries affect you at night then nature will take its course and you will sleep better naturally over time.
Those scary thoughts you have whilst trying to sleep certainly arenÂ’t going to help. An attitude of relaxation, unwinding, being kind to yourself and trying your best not to assume the worst is surely going to help.
If you can find a way to calm yourself down in the day and not let your sleep worries affect you at night then nature will take its course and you will sleep better naturally over time.
I have always tried to stop looking at any screens an hour before bed and spend that hour reading since I found out that blue light exposure before bed can cause sleep problems, but it doesn't always seem to make a difference. I slept 4-5 hours last night after once again tossing and turning for a few hours, but what's strange is even though I was very drowsy and almost fell asleep while I was on my computer in my living room, I didn't feel drowsy when I was lying in my bed in the dark. I started getting anxiety after around half an hour or so after not falling asleep and I tried to think about random things to distract myself, but it was difficult. I can live with 4-5 hours of sleep, but I've read horror stories about people who went multiple days without sleeping and had to be sedated in the hospital, and I don't want to end up like that. It seems like a random thing to be concerned about, but my birthday and Christmas are coming up and I don't want to be in the hospital on either day.
I’ve seen memes about being sleepy in the day then wide awake in bed. It’s something a lot of us get and it’s so frustrating. We spend all day being tired and maybe even doze off a bit in front of the telly or when we’re on the computer, yet we just can’t seem to switch off when it comes to bedtime. What’s up with that?!
It’s unlikely you’ll need to be sedated regarding this. You are still sleeping, so take that win. You’re going to have a nice Christmas and a great birthday. :)
It’s half 6 in the morning for me and I haven’t slept yet. I’ve been in bed for a couple of hours but here I am lying in bed sharing this fact with you. I only had 4.5 hours sleep last night so how can I struggle sleeping now? Because my mind is whirring and I’m both anxious and excited so I can’t settle.
I’m going to listen to Brian Cox talk about space on the Joe Rogan show and see if that helps me fall asleep. It helped me fall asleep last night so fingers crossed!
I’ve seen memes about being sleepy in the day then wide awake in bed. It’s something a lot of us get and it’s so frustrating. We spend all day being tired and maybe even doze off a bit in front of the telly or when we’re on the computer, yet we just can’t seem to switch off when it comes to bedtime. What’s up with that?!
It’s unlikely you’ll need to be sedated regarding this. You are still sleeping, so take that win. You’re going to have a nice Christmas and a great birthday. :)
It’s half 6 in the morning for me and I haven’t slept yet. I’ve been in bed for a couple of hours but here I am lying in bed sharing this fact with you. I only had 4.5 hours sleep last night so how can I struggle sleeping now? Because my mind is whirring and I’m both anxious and excited so I can’t settle.
I’m going to listen to Brian Cox talk about space on the Joe Rogan show and see if that helps me fall asleep. It helped me fall asleep last night so fingers crossed!
Just curious, how did you sleep?
Like shit! I woke up a lot, felt like I was dozing a lot instead of actually sleeping, took me ages to fall asleep. The app shows I slept for 6.5 hours, I’d slept for just over 4 hours the night before. Needless to say I’m feeling rotten today!
Putting in my wireless earphone, listening to a peaceful podcast and getting all snuggly definitely helped me drift off.
Like shit! I woke up a lot, felt like I was dozing a lot instead of actually sleeping, took me ages to fall asleep. The app shows I slept for 6.5 hours, I’d slept for just over 4 hours the night before. Needless to say I’m feeling rotten today!
Putting in my wireless earphone, listening to a peaceful podcast and getting all snuggly definitely helped me drift off.
I’m sorry to hear that. I think I got maybe 3.5-4 hours of sleep last night, myself. I try not to look at the time at night and don’t wear a sleep tracker, so it’s hard to get a pretty accurate idea of how much I’ve slept. Anyway, I hope we both go back sleeping normally again soon.
I hope so too. I have a busy week this week and then there’s Christmas, so it’s going to be a while before I can relax and settle a bit.
I wanted to be up earlier tomorrow but it’s 7 in the morning now and I still haven’t slept. My mind has been so busy working over some anxious thoughts and it’s whirring like a monkey on a typewriter. I’m scared about the lack of sleep and the detrimental effect it’s had on me recently, compounded by the fact I have a busy and intensive few days coming up. But I remember I’ve had similar things before and I got through it.
There are many out there who do a lot more than me on a lot less sleep and they’re surviving. That means I will too. Maybe you’ll find that thought comforting as well.
Time to try and sleep again. Good night.
Hi all, I'm starting to get really worried. I didn't sleep at all last night and now I'm assuming that I have a serious medical issue that is preventing me from sleeping. I was definitely sleepy when I went to bed last night at 10, but I kept experiencing hyping jerks every time I was about to fall asleep. I don't want to end up spending the holiday in the hospital because of this. Is anyone able to offer any reassurance/advice?
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions Inc. All rights reserved.