Night time/bed time

[sarah_85]

Hi everyone,
haven't been on here for a while, anxiety is still looming about tho :(
just wanted to ask, recently, when i go to bed my mind is so so busy and my anxiety just takes over. i've feel like i've tried everything to try and wind down before bed, i turn off phone, laptop, i dont eat to close to bedtime, i dont exercise before bed. i dunno what to do, it's making it so i dread bedtime and i really need my sleep cause i work shifts and my job is very tiring. it's just so annoying. does anyone else suffer like this? any hints or tips? love xxx

[heavenly]

Hi there, I do know what you are going through. When I first got anxiety really bad, it's been 7 months now since it all started, night time was the worse. Things have settled for me now, I am on Citalopram, have counselling and am working hard to get better, but my mind would get anxious at night-times. I have read tips on here that were very helpful. If you are lying in bed and you cannot sleep, get up for a while. It won't do you any good just lying there mulling things over. Make yourself a cup of tea or warm milk, watch a bit of tv, or listen to some relaxing music, then go back to bed after a while. I put the radio on (a talk station) when I go to bed, I have the lights off but I find the 'chatter' comforting, I usually drop off to that.

[*clare*]

Night time seems to be the worst time for me. I suffered a very bad panic attack during the night out of the blue, it scared me so much i went to hospital. Since then i am very anxious at night. I wake up several times in the night feeling like an attack is dooming. The worst thing is the thoughts!! I have to sleep with the tele on, as the silence and darkness makes me worse. I wish i could just relax and get a good night sleep.
Good luck and hope your feeling better and get some much needed sleep soon x

[Spongeballz]

It's perfectly logical you'd be most anxious before going to bed, as you have nothing else to think about and nothing to occupy you, so instead the bad thoughts creep in.

10 Tips to beat Sleep deprivation:
1. Keep regular hours, get yourself into a routine
2. Create a suitable sleeping environment - no noise, okay temperature, low light.
3. Make sure your bed is comfortable!
4. Exercise regularly (the old 'wear yourself out' theory)
5. Drink less caffeine, especially in the evening!
6. Don't overindulge - Too much food or alcohol can interrupt your pattern
7. Don't smoke - It's bad for sleep :/
8. Try to relax before going to bed - Light from a screen won't help this. Swap your television and computer for a book before bed, trust me, it'll help!
9. Write away your worries - Either in the form of lists of things that need to be done, or indeed by keeping a diary!
10. Don't worry in bed - If you can't sleep, don't lie there worrying about it. Get up and do something until you feel sleepy again, then return to bed.

Over-the-counter sleeping pills may also help just to give you a couple of good night's sleep, though they're far from a permanent fix.
Btw, just search for "Sleep Music" on Youtube, there are loads of great and helpful videos on there!

Hope this helps, good look getting some sleep soon :smile: