My "What If I Cant Sleep"

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 8:34 am

Lack of sleep was one of my worst "what if's" and very often became a self fulfilling prophesy for me. I came across an article on getting better sleep written by a true insomniac like myself and she wrote something to the effects of "if you can't sleep one night just remind yourself that todays bad night is tomorrows good night". That helps me to not worry about it so much. Bad night last night? Great, I'll be so tired I'll have a good one tonight! Of course it doesn't always work out that way, but I don't let them get to me that much anymore.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 9:26 am

HI Everyone,
Yes thank you Nancy for bringing this topic up. It is nice to know that I am not the only one having trouble sleeping. It is also nice to know others advice!!
We should keep in touch about how everything is going!
Faith

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 9:31 am

farmboy - tweaky: thank you so much for responding. Your experiences are new to me so your insight is going to be very helpful to me. you are so right, farmboy, that when you can't sleep it's awful - tweaky: you are so right about being a fulfilling prophesy. the more i thought about 'what if i can't sleep, what happens if i can't work competently, etc., etc'. i've experienced one night of crummy night does make a difference the next night but not always like you say. i can go for months wherein i can get a good nights sleep and then the anxious moment shows up and craps up my whole week - and it take time to regain balance. That's the part that's the hardest for me. Thank you so much for writing. - Nancy

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 4:25 am

I've been on meds for sleep since about October. I'm able to fall asleep and feel relaxed when I do, but when I wake up - I notice all kinds of body symptoms and start having anxiety attacks that just won't stop. I usually take and antivan to calm down & have been told to get up and do something, but then I'm scared I'm going to get dizzy or start to feel sick.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 5:14 am

I understand completely what you are talking about and that is why i posted this topic. Sometimes i wake up; however, i have come to understand that the feelings i experience when i do wake up are just that - feelings. I use the relaxation tape. What i have learned from the other people who have posted on this topic is to stop all tv about an hour before i go to bed. Listen to relaxing music, take a nice bubble bath and pamper me - then when i do sleep, i sleep deeper because i'm not wound up as much. If i do wake up, its ok - no big deal. I will fall back to sleep. What i have learned is that my anxiety turns into fear once i think on it long enough and then i'm dealing with the fear - and no longer the anxiety. Take your time before sleep, pamper yourself...do whatever helps you and remember that when you wake up there is nothing to be afraid of - you are your safe place. - Nancy

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 6:36 am

Hi Nancy, thank you for the what if i cant sleep topic i thought I was the only one out there who thought they could die from not sleeping. I have kept myself up for 3 days from my anxiety not letting me sleep. It was the worst for me. I am still struggling with sleep though. I have totake a xanax to calm me down. I hate meds and want to sleep without taking something. I know it is all in my head. But I make myself beleive that I will cause myself to never ever go to sleep. Like i'm that small percentage that has some treminal illness to keep them from sleeping. then i think I must be going crazy but I know its all in my head I just have to do the self talk. I had the jolting awake symptoms of anxiety that really scared me so there went my anxiety level sky high. it is just nice to know that i am not alone in this thinking. Thank you Nancy, if you have any words of encouragement please send them my way!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 10:34 am

Thank you so much for posting this, I thought I must be going crazy. There are times when I can't sleep for days because I have the obsessive thought "what if I can't sleep", and of course I make myself so anxious I don't sleep. The worst thing about having anxiety for me is that I'll worry about going crazy for awhile, then I'll worry about my health, then I'll worry about going to an appointment weeks beforehand, then I'll worry about not sleeping, etc.... Just knowing that other people are out there with the same issues I'm facing is a real comfort, and guess what, none of us are crazy or on the verge of death. Reading your comments helped me to laugh at myself and not take myself so seriously. Thank you so much!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 6:27 am

i wake up 3-4 times a night I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO I HAVE THIS RINGING IN MY EARS I HAVE HAD THIS FOR ABOUT 4YEARS IT DONT GO AWAY WHEN I WAKE UP AT NIGHT THE FIRST THING I HEAR IS THE RINGING AND THEN I GET LIKE A NERVOUS STOMACH AND I TRY TO FALL BACK TO SLEEP WHEN ITS TIME TO GET UP TO GO TO WORK I DONT WANT TO GO TO WORK CAUSE IM SLEEPY IWHAT CAN I TAKE FOR THIS RINGING IN MY EARS OR TO FALL ASLEEP ANY ONE HAS SUGGESTIONS HELP