SLEEP

[MidnightCalm]

Along with my 1000 other bodily complaints there's something that's really draining me: Sleep (or lack of/inability to).
Some nights I'll be exhausted, can't wait to sleep, close my eyes around 11:30, asleep by sometimes 12, 12:30 and sometimes later.
I end up sleeping so lightly, waking up from planes passing, car doors shutting, peoples beds squeeking, when I do wake up it's like fully awake mind racing for about 20 mins or more. Happens around 2 - 5 times a night, I get one where I wake up and feel like I forgot to breathe and have to remind myself how until I fall asleep. Wake up at about 7am and from then until 9 - 10 can't stop thinking, do I fall back asleep? Can't tell, feel like I've been awake the whole time, maybe drifting in and out of light sleep, thoughts racing all the time.
Can anybody relate???:shrug:

[xfilme]

have you tried using a plug in lava lamp night light (they are filled with glitter stars etc). I used to have serious probs sleeping because i have severe health anxiety, weird symptoms and im a light sleeper. the night light is something i can look at which almost sends me into a trance and sends me off to sleep. the lighting is also reassuring as its almost pitch black but with enough light to see the room and feel safe. Just a suggestion. My brothers gf also had same prob and sleeping issues. I bought her one too and now she sleeps like a baby x

[Rob83]

Yeah a lava lamp or something similar that calls your attention away from outside distractions is a good idea, also pop down to your chemist and get yourself some ear plugs once they are in not even a bomb could wake you, dont see sleep as a chore, treat yourself to a decent pillow etc, create your own perfect little sleep bubble,who can resist nodding off when they are cosy and warm and comfortable.

(Probably wont be required but If you still have problems waking several times through the night then speak to your GP about seeing a sleep therapist)

[RLR]

There are several points to be made here. Firstly, you're suffering from a sleep complication known as terminal insomnia, simply meaning that within only several hours after sleep onset, the cycle is prematurely terminated and you suddenly awaken and feel vigilent or alert. This phenomenon is most often observed in persons suffering from anxiety and/or stress. Your "1000" other complaints would also suggest this to be the case as physical symptoms often arise in this context and incorrectly produce concern that something serious is wrong.

The sensation that you've "forgotten how to breathe" can actually be produced by either a hypnopompic response or sleep apnea, the former being the more common presentation. Hypnopompic responses occur because early awakening not long after sleep onset coincides with a cycle of sleep whereby the motor cortex responsible for movement is suppressed, thereby making a person momentarily feel as though they're unable to move and feel somewhat paralyzed. Once the area in the brain known as the reticular activating system quickly rises to produce the awakened state, the paralysis fades. Understand that the respiratory muscles are never actually affected because their function is controlled by a different area of the brain, but the general sensation of sleep paralysis can produce the sensation that breathing is uncoordinated or difficult.

Sleep apnea events can also produce the sensation that the patient is starving for air or is having difficulty swallowing and usually produced mild panic that results in promptly sitting up or getting out of bed to determine one's true status. The symptom typically fades quickly and the patient calms down.

Both apnea and hypnopompic/hypnogogic responses are common in persons with disturbed sleep patterns.

Always head off to bed at the same hour each night and absolutely do not eat or watch TV in bed, nor lie there ruminating. If you cannot sleep, get out of bed and occupy yourself by reading or some other activity until you feel tired again. Make the room as dark as possible, even if it means covering window openings. Realize that the brain's reticular activating system, responsible for producing sleep and awakened states, reacts to various levels of light. Always make certain the room temperature is comfortable. Extremes of both cold and heat disturb sleep patterns and even if the temperature produces only mild discomfort or restlessness, it can be enough to terminate sleep. Do not worry that you do not sleep sufficiently for the first few nights after making adjustments. There is absolutely no truth in the concept of catching up on your sleep. The body will only sleep for certain periods and cannot store sleep excess as a some kind of reserve. In fact, over-sleeping causes the body to produce hormones that attempt to perpetuate the sleep cycle beyond normal parameters. This is why people who over-sleep feel a strange sense of sluggishness and mental fog, accompanied by fatigue.

You'll be fine. If you make adjustments and still find that you cannot sleep, then you should speak to your primary care physician about a trial prescription of Ambien or similar sleep hypnotic to help initially produce the sleep you need to avoid risk to your safety, ie driving etc. These medications are strictly short-term, however, and are absolutely not designed for long-term use so you need to make environmental adjustments, as well as producing change in circumstances which are driving stress and anxiety to levels that impact sleep performance.

Best regards,

Rutheford Rane, MD (ret.)

[nomorepanic]

Have you read this as well...

http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=49569

[MidnightCalm]

Thank you for that in depth answer, I also get the being awake/asleep not being able to move thing.

I've read the sticky, really helpful.