Do people who sleep well recover better than those who don't??

[pinkpiglet]

I'v never really been a fantastic sleeper but I find that If I get 'enough' (about 6.5 hours) then I am usually less anxious the following day. Because of this, as you can imagine, I strive to pull at least a 6 hour night out of the bag and I can be quite fanatical in achieving this.
I envy people who can just sleep, whenever and wherever. My partner can grab a power nap out of the air at any given chance and if he sets his heart on an early night, he usually achieves this.
Because I work evenings, its rarely possible for me to have an early night and after finishing work at 11pm, by the time i have driven home, locked up, had some supper, tidied round etc it can take me until the early hours to finally drop off (around 02.00). I am lucky to have a three year old who will sleep in til around 8am (unless he is disturbed) so on occassion I get sufficient sleep (for me). But obviously, he is three so he can also wake much earlier when disturbed by his dad or our neighbours gettin up for work.
If I wake after only 5.5 hours, i instantly feel anxious and tearful. I find it very difficult to function throughout the day and for some reason it triggers my social anxiety as I feel even more tired/anxious when I leave the house. On the other hand, too much sleep can make me sluggish and lethargic so anymore than 7.5 is too much.
I always claim that sleep is my preferred tool in the battle against anxiety,:yesyes: if I can balance my sleep then I can keep my anxiety at bay.:yesyes:

I have often wondered if other anxiety sufferers are affected by the amount of sllep they have!

My partner is also recovering from anxiety and he works very hard and holds down a demanding job. He is doing brilliant at work and also in his recovery. He could also sleep on a galloping hedgehog. He can put his head down and 'wham', he's gone! He does however find that he is anxious on the occassions that he does have less sleep and finds it harder function at work.

I am intrigued to hear how other NMP members manage their sleep and how it as an affect on their anxieties.

please post your replies xx

[Lauz]

I find with less sleep I become more emotinal which tends to trigger a lot of things off, so I can understand where you are coming from.

[smudger]

When I was at my worst with my depression I found I was going to bed later and later and getting less and less sleep. What I started to do was make myself go to bed at a reasonable time which made a difference. For me, it was a chicken n egg situation. I'm not sure which comes first sleeping problems or depression. I worked evenings a while back as a proof reader and finished at midnight. I didn't get to sleep til 1.30am because my mind was still active when I got home. I needed at least 1 hr to chill out b4 going to bed. Your situation is difficult isn't it? Unless you changed your job completely, maybe a few routine changes need to be made?? Could you eat supper at work? Do u really need supper?Is it really essential you tidy around b4 going to bed? Not really is it? My suggestion based on my experience is get home. Throw your bag in the cupboard and make a warm drink like horlicks (not caffeine), and relax! Do not do anything other than listen to some relaxing music! That is ESSENTIAL. Nothing at all!Do u drink much caffeine at work by the way coz that was another problem I had. I know what you mean by being a little obsessed about bedtimes because I have it in my mind that if I get to sleep b4 midnight I will feel gr8 the next day. If I don't, n I clock watch I don't sleep deeply...sorry to ramble on!

[pinkpiglet]

Thanks for your replies!

Smudger- i know you are right!! I need to forget the pots and leave them til morning and I need to switch my mind off competely (i usually come on here or check my facebook). I cant change my job as it fits in well around my partners shifts and solves our childcare problem. I need to force myself to wind down. I aslo do nights every other weekend which can knock my routine completely but I cannot ditch these shifts as the money is good and we need it. I will follow your advice for the rest of this week and see how I go, Thanks xx

[binashubby]

I don't really know, but I do know that when I get an attack, I quickly move to the comfort zone of my bed.

[PanicOver!!]

Hi What a great question

All i can tell you is that in my case the worse the sleep the worse my anxiety would be thet day.
it was identified as a trigger when i had CBT.
although now i have been almost anxiety free for months my sleeping patterns are not much better but i do definately feel more able to cope after a good nights sleep, i just wish i hade them more often.

Marc x

[annette1]

Ah, sleep. How we take it for granted!

I haven't had a restful night for 5yrs, I never sleep through the night. I go off to sleep fine then wake around 3hrs later. After that I'm lucky if I get another hour or two.
I have a fairly strict bedtime routine which includes 30mins in hot tub, 20mins meditation & relaxation. I also have therapy weekly & teach full time which is tiring in itself so I do need more sleep. Has anyone got any more suggestions please?

[ElizabethJane]

Hi I am one of ones who suffer from sleep problems. I have a lot of difficutly going off to sleep. Lately I have been trying to manage without sleeping tablets (3.75mg ) zopiclone. I use my ipod in bed but I'm worried that I will disturb my husband who has a demanding job and gets up at 5am. I am usually up by 6.45am. I am shortly to have some hypnosis and my sleep problem is something I will try to tackle. I often feel very sad and tearful at bedtime usually going over something painful in the past. I know it is linked to my depression which as my mood improves then hopefully the sleep will too. I take my meds in bed and then usually read the paper or a book then hopefully I will feel sleepy. Often I dont. I do a lot of singing and if I have been to a rehearsal and then driving back sleep is almost impossible. I think my sleep problems started after the birth of my son who I fed on demand. I was also depressed at the time and was always listening out for him. The disturbed nights ruined my sleep pattern forever.

[Henpen]

Hi Piglet,

My anxiety is definitely better on days when i have slept well, and much worse when I haven't. For me it's not just about how long I sleep for in hours, but whether it was restful sleep or not. If I go to bed worrying or upset then I wake up many times in the night. Even if I get over 7 hours when you add it all up, the quality of sleep seems to matter more than the total slept.

I am taking Zopliclone too, which knocks me out for about 3-4 hours, but then I wake up again and it's hit and miss from then on. ElizabethJane, do you find that not taking the Zopiclone makes it much harder to get off to sleep? As I am thinking of stopping as I don't think the sleep is very good when I take it.

Hope everyone sleeps better tonight :) HP xx

[smudger]

Good luck with the sleep. Imagine me when u walk in from your shift saying "put those bloody pots down, step away from the sink!"lol!

[Yogidude]

Sleeping bad doubles my anxiety big time. You also start confusing the side effects from lack of sleep with ur original anxiety > fear/worry > even more anxiety.

[Buj]

I was a teacher for 30 years - suffered from anxiety most of that time. Try calming down the last 3 lessons of the day and smile as the final bell come s along....Buj

[charlotte83]

I've been sleeping terribly for the last month and its definitely made my anxiety worse. I was feeling only about 20% anxiety most of the time and its shot up to about 60% anxiety now on average. Obviously it can go higher then that if im in a panic. I also find lack of sleep makes me more forgetful and very emotional, I feel as if I could cry for no reason at all but as soon as my sleep improves so does that feeling.