Why can't I sleep through the night..?

[OllieT]

Hello all. I'm new on this forum and I'm hoping you can help me. I've always suffered from some anxiety that I thought I could deal with, but what has brought me here is the fact that I'm so concerned about symptoms that I'm not sure whether they are because I am worrying, or some medical reason. I am hoping to talk to anyone who can help, whether they've suffered the same symptoms, or somethiogn similar. I'm hoping that someone can "talk me down". Basically I just can't seem to sleep through the night any more and I'm worrying myself into thinking it could be serious.
I had been suffering from a mild chest infection, which I went to the doctors for and got soem antibiotics. While this has improved I now cannot seem to sleep throught the night. I fall asleep on my back and then wake, two hours later, with pins and needles in my arms, a dizzy head and a need to inhale deeply. this produces a sensation as though I'm "opening up parts of my lung that have been deflated, or expanding a cotnricted passage. this is where my mind goes itn overdrive. I'm thinkign that in a layed back position my airways are meeting an obtruction, whcih I've now convinced myself is a tumour. I've been to the doctor twice about this (different doctors though), but its a difficult to describe or replicate for them, because it only appears when I lie back and relax in bed. They insist that my lungs are clear. I still have a little bit of a sore throat and a slightly hoarse voice, and this helps perpetuate these darker thoughts. I'm only 36. Compounding these feelings to levels where I feel like I want to cry (most recently when just waiting for a train to work) is when I consider my home situation of my two year old boy and heavily pregnant wife. I can't really expose her to too much of this, because it feels unfair. I can't believe It's got this bad. Doctor prescribed some Diazepam when I insisted I needed help to sleep, but this doesn't seem to have helped. Can someone help?

Thanks

Oliver

[tobyw]

Hi Ollie,

I have had similar symptoms in the past, broken sleep, tingling/numb arms and fingers, dizziness, for three days at one time and others it would come and go regardless of whether or not I was sleeping or up and about. All anxiety.
Breathing is very erratic for us, we think we breathe the same consistantly but we do not but are not concious of it as it is a subconcious action. Somtimes we hold out breathe without even realising, even when we sleep. The body has an amazing way or regulating its breathing. The sore throat and hoarse voice can also be anxiety believe it or not ! Had this too ! If you have had yourself looked at by the doctor then this is good to help put your mind at ease. The strange thing is how we find it difficult to explain certain feelings, symptoms we can get at time. I had one where I thought my heart dropped in pressure, it was like an internal thud and only happned when lying down on my back so I started to always sleep on my side. It it passed.

Good luck, I am sure you are ok and it will also pass...

[OllieT]

Many thanks for this tobyw. I am hanging in there to see the doctor this Friday afternoon. Luckily my sleep was slightly better last night, but I'm still getting this racing heartbeat. I was clearing my head to think rationally about this and I wondered whether it was my running. the weather has got a lot colder recently and it seems possible that this might aggravate an already inflamed chest. Thanks again and I'll keep you posted. Oliver