A pile of thingsat one time have caused.....

[Alen]

Hi
I will sum up

About 2 weeks ago I started suffering from insomnia.

I put this down as normal, I have had it before and it went away - I was in the Costa Rican rainforest!

Well, sometime later, maybe 2 days I started getting irrational fears and night sweats. I put this down to background worries about being 60, health worries etc. specifically re prostrate check.

Anyways went to the docs here, he was nice and spoke good English. So blood tests ordered - ALL totally fine, really happy, extensive tests all good.

In the last few days the attacks have got worse, especially in the evening Im sorry angry, my poor wife is feeling so fed up with me, pacing around, not watching TV - she says Ive changed into someone else. Last night she got very angry indeed. She says I should get a grip! - shes right of course.

Here's what I think triggered the attacks
1. Asked to leave our stable rental property - so I thought our whole project for 16 months was going to fail, dragging us all down

Had to move house which we are not keen on the new place.

Heavily invested in my son financially and things atm not going to well - so worried about our financial future as we have essentially no income, just savings.

Normally Im a very outgoing person, with good education and x top flight career, worked in many difficult places overseas notably Central Africa.

I need to beat this on my own, totally against meds

thanks for reading

Rich

[ghill901]

Feel your pain as I feel I have a similar background and centre of self worth. My therapist reckons that it could be the cumulative affects of absorbing all the pressures in your universe and trying to control them. In my case, dealing with work, family, rugby, warring parents, in-laws etc and not finding an outlet for all of the turmoil building up inside you. I've found, going into a room, and screaming and ranting to be effective. Also, exercise has truly saved me at times, hitting a pucnh bag, running, swimming, anything to exhaust myself really. That combined with boxing away problems and dealing with them one at a time.

[Cheesemonster13]

Hello Rich

Sorry to hear that you are experiencing sleepless nights, it's a pain, especially when you are not used to it. I never used to have any problems sleeping once, and then, like you, insomnia hit me out of the blue. I think, as you suggested, that it's probably a response to the extra stress in your life.

I have found that the best thing to do is NOT to try and fight it, but to accept that you will be awake for part of the night, and go with the flow. Now I put aside some work to get on with in the early hours, and catch up with my sleep whenever I can during the day - sometimes in the car at lunchtime, even!

You might also want to cut down on stimulants (coffee, alcohol, etc.), especially in the latter part of the day. Oh, and a warm bath before you go to bed might help to relax you too.

Hope this helps

[Tanner40]

Welcome to NMP, Alena. Insomnia is never any fun. I always find that getting up and writing all of my thoughts, fast and furiously, getting it all out of my head, often helps. I know that the more that I worry about not sleeping, the less likely that I am to sleep. Meditation and soothing music has also helped me immensely during those times. Hang in there. It will get better.

[Alen]

Hi

Thank you for your replies. Today so far has been rough with say 2 hours sleep last night and even that was broken. Anxiety comes and goes all the time atm, its so stupid because it doesnt exist. I am not ill medically. I have been telling myself to fight it , now I say OK I am having a PA but it cannot harm me - seems to help. Cant talk to the wife about it now, I have made her so worried and fed up, and thats a shame. She is right when she says I am the only one who can get back to normal.

Now do you think I should try to sleep in the day a bit too catch up, She says our evenings have been destroyed as I cant keep awake - whats the trick with that - some kind of pain barrier to break? I have avoided catch up - is that the wrong approach. Then I get anxious about going another night, its horrible.

I am beginning to think the tiredness is the ruling dog here, causing the and fueling the anxiety? What do you think?

Rich

[LeFi_81]

I do agree. Exhaustion definitely fuels anxiety. Alen, you need to do what suits YOU right now. If it feels like taking a nap in the day (as long as you do not switch night/day routines) then do it! Make sure you get some exercise during the day. Even if it is just a short walk.

You should also do something positive before going to bed. Take a hot shower. Sing a bit to yourself. Soothe those nerves. If Mr Insomnia knocks tonight. Then so be it. This is how you are at the moment. Do not make it worse than it is. Really try what some of the others tell you. Like write about it.

Oh and find someone you cán talk to about it. Also I do not speak about it to my husband. His advice is sometimes so great, but on other occasions not. So I try to make things as neutral as possible. Perhaps you can find some information about panic attacks and give it to your wife to read. Just to help her understanding.

[Alen]

Thanks Lefi

Actually had a relatively normal night , and off and on got 7 hours!! best since it started.
Today not so bad, tiredness is not there but mild anxiety. I am talking myself down on that, it will not get control anymore ;-)

[Alen]

Hi again

I really hope someone will read this and advise me further, here is my tale over the past 2 days.

at the onset of my problems the word "suicide" somehow got into this ridiculous issue,and keeps popping up, caused by what appears to be GAD.

Of course I know this is just a stupid "bad" word association but it is disconcerting? Might have been better if it had been Pork Cop for example.

Last night was very bad, as I type here I guess I have gotten 1 hour sleep and got up at 4 am, just could not relax, as I was so hyper when I went to bed - I guess this cant be helped. I have had a lot of problems with sleep since this crap started.

The day before was fine ALL DAY and I also slept for 6 1/2 hours. What gives?

btw I am currently living in Portugal, very rural, no support from medical services, doctors hard to get to see etc.

This means self help is my only option. My wife has become more supportive. She was very annoyed last night and continues to push for me to deal with it - err shes right of course.

So any helping hand here would be good.
I dont believe I have GAD, this has been on and off for no more than 3 weeks.
I strongly believe brought on by simply to much stress

---------- Post added at 07:29 ---------- Previous post was at 05:38 ----------

Anyone?

[HoneyLove]

Hi Alen, not sleeping well can make everything seem so much worse. It makes us feel wired and worried. When you're stressed sleep quality can be one of the first things to suffer.

If you're feeling hyper when going to bed you might look at what you can do to be in a calm state of mind. So avoiding caffeine would be a good start. And also avoid excess sugar, or any kind of stimulant, in the hours before bedtime. Eating a big meal before bed is not good for you either, or sometimes acid reflux can keep you awake with a burning anxious feeling in your stomach. Looking at things like phones, laptops and tablets too late in the evening can also affect sleep, the light from these devices will reduce your production on the chemicals that help you sleep.

Those are the most important things to look at, as well as making sure you're active enough during the day to make you sleepy at night. Extra exercise can help you sleep better.

Relaxing yourself before bedtime can help, a hot bath with a soothing essential oil like lavender can be extremely helpful. Or a guided meditation or progressive muscle relaxation (there are plenty for free on YouTube).

Learning to manage your stress levels is important in getting proper sleep, so learning some relaxation methods like meditation or mindfulness would be beneficial. You need to engage your parasympathetic nervous system and unwind how wired your body feels. It will help with both your panic and sleep difficulties.

[Alen]

Thanks Honeylove

Its going to be a long day but I will have to tough it out

Your kinds words certainly help

I completely realise that it s me fighting me, very weird
after a good read I have at least some powerful weapons to use.
Of course if I am working on my book or chatting/driving I completely recover, just underlines its all in my head