Drink related..

[trev1234]

Ok hi all...has anyone ever had this or similar...right here we go i suffer with GAD..get very depressed sometimes..recently ive been drinking too much...The worrying bit is i fall asleep approx 11 oclock,no probs at all,then i wake up regulary at 4ish in the morning..Bam ! my head just thinks bout all the bad things and i go into a bit of a sweat...Now for the scarey bit .after that i try and fall back to sleep and i cant.it makes me have bad dreams that i swear make me feel like i stop breathing...this only happens after ive woke tho...its like my breathing goes to shallow.its not obstructive apnea..i know its the drinking doing this,and i am cuttin right back at moment...if anyone can relate to any part of this i would appreciate some comfort ...Many thanks..

[Anxious_gal]

If you drank a lot it can affect your breathing while Your alseep

[trev1234]

yeah igree,but its only after ive woke up at 4ish...cant sleep then because it feels like i stop breathing,or i have bad dreams that make me feel like im not breathing....

[Amethyst69]

I am no expert and i can only go on my experience and I get the same feelings sometimes when my anxiety levels are high and I dont touch alcohol at all. I do know that alcohol can raise anxiety levels which is why people can feel off it and generally anxious the day after a skin full. It could be then that its the anxiety thats causing these symptoms which in turn may be caused by the drinking (if wrong then feel free to correct me!) When I get up early with anxiety I feel like i have been tensing my arms and also can wake up with a sharp intake of breath as if I have not been breathing. then the same thing seems to happen when I am trying to drift back off so the pattern of in and out of sleep. I find it helps if I read a bit til I have calmed and then try sleep again. I think that I remember reading that cortisol levels are quite high at that time and if already high its easy to see why sleep is disturbed. I also think that alcohol leads to lighter sleeping so another reason for ease of being woken. Again please correct me if I am wrong on this anyone - its all a learning curve for me xx

[blueangel]

I've found that alcohol affects my anxiety, even when I don't have that much, so the most I have these days is 2-3 units at a time, and often less.

Waking early is a real classic symptom of anxiety though, and I get this a lot. I think amethyst's right in that is caused by high levels of cortisol, as this rises early in the morning and peaks just before we wake up. Stress makes us produce too much of it, so we wake when we shouldn't.

[gaaron]

Hi, alcohol can affect your nervous system very badly. We drink thinking we're reducing anxiety but as you know we're not. It's a depressive. All your symptoms sound like the affects of alcohol.
When I realised all this and I was definitely drinking too much, I began to substitute a 'glass' with a glass of water. I didn't think it would work but it did! So everytime I wanted a 'drink', I drank water. Good luck x

[trev1234]

ok thanks for that...will be defo havin some time off...thanks

[fishman65]

Hi Trev,I found out after too many years that alcohol made my anxiety worse,especially the sobering up part.I would effectively 'hide' inside booze but of course it wears off and we wake with whatever we were running away from still there.Try to cut down if you can and seek medical advice from your GP,he will probably prescribe you an anti depressant and possibly a temporary course of sedatives (a controversial option I know).But the one thing I do know is that booze will only ever hinder your attempts to address your problems.

Take care, Fishy

[Emz]

I've got quite a lot of experience with this. I was a heavy drinker until recently and I know how much alcohol effects anxiety.

I used to be fine with drinking, fine with the first part of the hangover and then BAM 12 hour panic attacks with nothing I could do to help myself. I tried all sorts of herbs and medication to try and counteract it so I could still drink but none of it worked. Now my anxiety even happens when I drink so I've had to give up.

The problem with alcohol is that it messes with your brain and dehydrates you. Both of which cause anxiety. I've found the only way to counter act it is to just not drink. Its crap, because I really like drinking but its just got to the point where alcohol isn't enjoyable anymore as I know the horror it brings.

[trev1234]

yes i totally agree...i had a small amount to drink last night and slept so much better...no brain zaps etc...feel a little better today,well for now anyway..lol...thanks

[gaaron]

Well done...keep it up...x