INSOMNIA

[Sydney21]

i JUST CANNOT GO TO SLEEP! Right now it is 3 in the morning where I am I have been up since 8am yesterday! I got up went to work got home and have not slept yet and I do not feel tired even though I know my body is. It seems that my anxiety hits me the worst at night. Maybe it is because I feel uncomfortable being alone. Even though I have a roommate she is always gone...and I really do not have any friends to be with. So every night I feel depressed, alone and panicky! I am afraid that some terrible medical problem is going to happen to me in the night and I won't be able to get help and I will die alone! It sounds ridiculous when I type it but sometimes the feeling of impending doom is so strong I end up running out of the house in the middle of the night and rushing to the hospital! Because it is my safe place by the time I get there I am completely calm and end up driving back home or trailing around the hospital because I know as soon as I get in my house the feelings will start all over again! Its like I know all my behavior is crazy but that switch in my brain just hasn't clicked on to realize that my thoughts are making me act and feel this way. Sometimes I feel frustrated because it's like do I have to do this all by myself I feel so alone with my disorder sometimes I wish there was someone I could confide in who really understood me and who could physically be there for me! I am really scared that I wont be able to overcome this!

[jdog499]

I use to hve bad insomnia years ago. Do you take anythng like tylenol pm ?

[humich]

I have the same problem. I am 28 years old and just found out I am pregnant. I have anxiety attacks about not being able to sleep at night. I used to pace around the house and worry that I am going crazy. Then things got better when I took trazodone and antidepressants. However, not I can't take any meds because of the baby which makes me anxious. I haven't found a way to deal with it yet, but keep telling myself that it is ok to be anxious. Sometimes I think if I am going to be up all night anyways then why bother being anxious about it I just won't sleep. Which helps. Other times I try the relaxation/ meditation on itunes which also help some. I have to keep reminding myself that no one ever died from insomnia. I am just so tired of going through it all the time. Does it ever stop?! I keep thinking I am going to have to do this for the rest of my life.

[Anxiety2]

I have had insomnia now for 4 years. It started when I became anxious and depressed due to too many major life events hitting me all at once. Before I was a great sleeper, never any problems getting to sleep and if I woke up to go to the rest room I was asleep again before my heade hit the pillow! But now is totally different. I can go to sleep but only for 3,4 or if I'm lucky 5 hours of sleep. This includes taking ambien AND Klonopin before going to bed. Without those the only thing that would let me sleep for a few hours was pot. I made me tired and also helped with the lack of appitite. I don't know how to solve this but I am hoping this program will offer some relief. I started it several months ago and got to lesson 8 and got very discouraged, things weren't working right and I was having a very hard time trying to "feel the fear ande do it anyway" (good book by the way) because of the body symptoms. I didn't want to go anywhere or interact with people because of fear and what would they think if....... So, I am starting over with renewed vigor in this new year. Part of the issue before was that I was not exercising much, just didn't have the energy because I wasn't sleeping. Well, I'm sleeoing a little better and have decided to start over with the program and if I do nothing else during the day I am going to exercise and maybe my body will over ride my anxiety and worry and let me get some sleep. Like they say in one of the lessons, your body will sleep when it really needs to. So I have been getting up at 3 or 4 instead of laying there awake and frustrated that I can't sleep. So I eat breakfast and listen to one of these cd's or read the workbook, journal and listen to the relaxation cd before I go to the gym at 5 ro 5:30. I really think the exercise is helping this time and I plan to stay with it.
I hope this helps anyone who might read it. It's what I'm trying anyway and I am hoping it will work. If you have any good ideas on this please post here or send to me directly at Anxiety2, or my email addres that is in my profile.
Thanks, Mark