Fear of death in sleep?

[CarlUK]

Hi,

I've become very insomniac this lately. I just can't get this thought out of my head, sudden death in your sleep. I hate the way this one website said that a Sudden Cardiac Arrythmia Death can occur to the healthiest type of person, and may occur in athletes. I just feel as if when I close my eyes that I'll die in my sleep, and no one will be able to phone an ambulance or nothing because no one is here and i'll be dead within minutes. :unsure: How can I stop thinking this, I had an ECG a month a go, it came back normal. I am hypochondriac so I'm thinking what if the heart has changed within that month period.

My Syptoms from today:

Physical Symptoms:
Fatigue - Weakness, Shortness of Breath, Exhaustion
Minor Chest pain on right side of chest (not present at the moment)
Tiredness - Due to lack of sleep
Racing Heart (No palpitations), I checked my pulse
Light headed
Some sort of forced cough, which I can't help but do
Sometimes I may gasp for air

Mental Symptoms:
Feeling anxious
Feeling like i'm going to faint
thoughts of that I a going to die
Depressed - Unhappy, low confidence
Constantly checking pulse
feeling like i'm ill
feel a bit on edge

Help me, I know not sleeping will eventually cause things like heart disease and neurological diseases and disorders. I feel like i'm stuck in a dilemma, and just feel really frustrated with myself.

[kathee]

yes i suffer from this too :-( hate it !!! last night was so tired thought sod it i am going to sleep and i will wake up the same way that i have woken up every morning for the past 49 years.... i went to bed with a hot milky drink, put some soothing music on low and drank the milk in the darkness and lay listening to the pan pipe music really concentrating on it, as it has no words i was sort of singing the words in my head, next thing i knew it was 7am !!! am going to try same thing tonight... good luck x x x

[kathee]

p.s..... easier said than done but STOP surfing those websites .... x x x x x

[Bluebelle]

I know how you feel- my fear of dying in my sleep is largely due to the fact that I live alone, which means "someone" would find my body. I know it's irrational but I worry about my pjs being clean and not too racy beacuse I assume my family would be embarrassed if I was found dead in sexy lingerie !
Sometimes I can see the humor in my anxiety othertimes my anxiety strikes me as somewhat practical, albeit irrational. Who else would ever think about being found dead in neat and tidy pjs?

[skylace22]

I have the same anxiety so I can sympathize with you - when Im going through a really anxious phase I set my alarm clock to wake me every 2 hours which, realistically is pointless because *if* I died in my sleep, no alarm is going to wake me!! I think mine is mainly a sleep phobia but I do also worry about dying in my sleep and live alone which doesnt help matters.

Try to avoid looking up things on the internet which is only going to fuel your anxiety further - if an ECG came back normal then that is a great sign and I dont think you need to worry about it (although I know that is easier said than done!). Try listening to music before you sleep (something relaxing/soothing) which may help

x

[xleannexwrightx]

I fear the same thing hun, im a bad sleeper, have been since a child, but just as im drifting to sleep, (which takes a while) i suddenly bolt up gasping for air and it feels like my heart has stopped etc, then i cant help but notice my breathing and heart beats....which makes it ahrder to sleep. As im concentrating on my breathing i feel like i have to control it to stay alive otherwise if i sleep, my breathing will stop and i wont wake up the next day. It a horrible experience hun, just watchin a comedy film or something b4 u sleep to get your mind off it hun maybe. And i agree with kathee.....dont google your symptoms!!! honestly i think i have every illness there is to offer with my symptoms....dr google is not the way forward hun, Hope you get a good night sleep 2nite xxx