Sleep anxiety causing lump in throat/jerking awake

[cam94zee]

This happens to me from time to time, and ambien improves things usually. But it has been getting worse again lately. After watching all of the stuff on the news about mass animal deaths, possible pole shift from the "nonexistent" planet nearing earth, etc... My mind started spinning.

Last night I managed to sleep about 2 hours, woke up with my mind racing random incoherent thoughts. It felt like I was half asleep/half awake with very fast random thoughts racing through my head. This bothered me so I got up and didn't bother to try sleeping again. I worked 5 hours on less than 2 hours sleep. Came home, fell asleep about 4pm. I woke up at 7pm with the same thing.

It's 4am now. I have to work at 9am today. The previous thoughts coupled with anxiety over going through another miserable work day (yesterday was REALLY miserable), this time on no sleep, is actually keeping me from sleeping. Every time I lay down my legs want to keep moving, and I get a lump in the back of my throat that seems to get worse the longer I lay there and try to sleep. Occasionally I'll feel myself to start dozing off but I'm jerked immediately back into wakefulness. Getting up and trying again later results in the same thing.

I did take about half a pill of ambien both previous times I tried to sleep. I think I'm just too agitated to relax fully.

Any ideas on what I can do or take to calm myself down? I was never one for trying exercises, but if it makes the lump and anxiety go away I'm all for it.

[cwoz82]

The lump in your throat is most likely Globus hystericus, it's very common in anxiety sufferers, i often feel like i've indigestion and food just stuck in my throat when i'm anxious. I also get the restless feeling you speak, like i've too much energy and even at 11pm at night i feel like if i just went for a run and blasted all this excess energy away i'd be fine. The thoughts are difficult, i have had the same issues, particulary with science, our place in the world, religion etc but these are long gone now, i've somehow managed to tell myself when i start thinking these things to just stop it, stop alowing my mind to do this to me, get up and distract myself with something, even if just to turn around a kiss my husband (also waking him which he's often unimpressed with). These thoughts come to my mind, i suddenly feel swallowed up by the universe, a tiny little speck...and then my heart races and the panic kicks in.
I can only tell you what helped me, please don't think i'm preaching as i don't practice anything but I decided to comfort myself. I bought books, spiritual books. I've always believed there is something else out there, but not that which the bible preaches. I consider myself spiritualist, I found great comfort in just reading about other peoples views on what I sort of always thought - i'm not saying believe as that implies i follow some religious order which i don't - i simply formulated my own ideas, which happen to be that i believe in the spirit and it has been a massive comfort to me. I also started researching my family history, this gave me something to focus on and i turn to it when i find myself awake at night.

as i said i don;t want to sound preachy but can only pass on what helped for me

big hug
X