Can't sleep at all because my anxiety is taking over my life

[emmalg]

I need help. Serious help. I'm not sure if I can carry on anymore. I'm not sleeping at all and I'm unbelievably exhausted. I can barely function because I'm always tired. I'm not eating, loss of appetite and weight loss. My heart rate is so fast I can feel it constantly beating without touching my chest to check it. I'm short of breath and I just can't seem to breathe normally. All i want to do is sleep! But I can't! There is only so much I can take before I will just give up. I'm just not strong enough.

[wabbit1]

Hi, are you getting any help at all? I'm sure you're much stronger than you give yourself credit for. Make sure you go see your GP if you haven't already.

[emmalg]

@wabbit1 All day today I've tried to get some sleep. Even a couple of hours to give me some hope that it is possible to me to sleep. But nothing. Absolutely nothing. I tried listening to relaxing music and breathing in and out slowly. But I just couldn't drop off. You have no idea how hard it is to manage anything on no sleep. I've never gone without this much sleep before in my life. It's not right. It's probably mind over matter, but not sleeping is not a happy place to be. I am having such a hard time coping with this. Any suggestions? I can't bare it, I'm having such dark thoughts

[wabbit1]

Have you spoken to your GP?

It may sound strange but maybe stop trying. The more you try to sleep and can't the more you'll get wound up by it.

I'm not sleeping well at the moment either.

[Rockgirl]

Hi Emmalg
Sorry to hear this - anxiety has given me that problem too. I'm signed off work atm but was struggling in on less than an hour a night's sleep. It's awful - sleep deprivation is used as torture so... I downloaded a 'deep relaxation' app to my phone which sometimes helped...it at least got me to relax...other recommendations - reading, getting up and doing something if you really can't sleep, lavender bath/shower gel, relaxing massage maybe? My dr recommended a herbal sleep remedy which I would have tried but my meds started to kick in and I am able to sleep again now. Good luck, hope things improve

[courierdude]

hi emma, no point having dark thoughts during an already difficult period, no point contributing to things with more negativity.

youre not doing anything crazy like drinking 20 energy drinks a day are you?

i cant force myself to sleep on command but sometimes just laying in the dark in bed relaxing is enough to recoup yourself sometime.

you need to eat first-seriously basic necessity, not eating will raise your heart rate in the short term which could be the cause of your breathlessness..

you absolutely need to look after yourself, look after your body before trying to deal with whatever it is that your mind is doing.