Lately my anxiety is messing with my sleep.. i don't even know if its day or night or the date now days..
It started with going to bed around 10 or 11AM. Then waking up around 3pm or 5 or 6pm. Not getting enough sleep or getting too much.
Earlier i was so tired around noon i drifted off in sleep then woke up feeling anxious and wierd then drifted off then woke up. I was scared and my body ached alot and felt sick.
I don't know how to fix my sleepnig because i don't take ANY SLEEPING PILLS OR ANXIETY MEDS. nor do i want to. When i force myself to stay up i get tired and feel sick and can't walk or make it. I basically lay in bed all day long every single day. I'm so stressed out trying to get this fixed i hardly get to see the day or do anything at all im tired in the day and even when it comes night i am tired and stay up all night in bed awake doing nothing but computer...
Is there a possible way to fix this .. without meds or staying up?
Trying to Fix Sleep
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I can't afford it.. i just have 2 tapes and some stuff from the book a special friend sent me. I would love to do it but i wish i had the money too its hard to get stuff lately the way things are going. I'm 22 still living with father just us two, i haven't even started getting out on my own yet i feel really depressed because of that because i do want to be on my own but all this anxiety is making me go nowhere but in this room.. i feel extremely worthless I can't stand everything going fast.. I wish i felt like i did so i can function normal and go do stuff without feeling horrible.
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Lost Girl -
I understand that you can't afford to get the Program, but have you gotten a copy of Lucinda's book "From Panic to Power"? I'd highly recommend it in lieu of the Program. It's organized in a similar way and has much of the same information. In fact, much of what's in the book seems to be taken nearly verbatim from the Program, or vice-versa.
With the book, you could do one chapter per week just like we do one session per week. Study the material, read it and re-read it, and get as much information you can from each chapter. Then start putting the information into action. Use the skills you learn and practice often.
I can sympathize with your sleeping trouble as I have similar issues. For me there a several factors. One is my medication, which tends to make me tired most of the time. Another is depression, which also makes me both tired and unable to fall asleep or stay asleep. I also find that I tend to nap whenever I can, which disrupts my normal sleep schedule. I think that I have used sleep in the past as an escape since it often was the only time I felt good.
But the biggest issue with sleep is getting out of the house and doing normal activities, even if it's uncomfortable. First, it keeps you occupied, which reduces the boredom of being housebound. Second, repeated exposure, in small increments, to the things that cause you anxiety is one of the best ways to overcome your fears. Of course you'll want to use the coping skills you learn from the book to help you during these adventures. But, there's no better time to get out there than right now. There are always excuses not to, but in the long run, you have to start sometime and it might as well be now. Otherwise, you'll be stuck in the same place you are now for as long as you let yourself remain stagnant.
Believe me, I know how hard this is. Some days, I can barely leave the house. But I know that I have to if I ever want to lead a normal life. So I keep plugging away knowing that each step I take is a step towards reaching my full potential. Don't let your life go to waste. You have so much to offer the world and the world has so much to offer you.
I hope this advice helps some or at least gives you some ideas. You'll be okay and your already fully equipped to deal with your anxiety. You just need to learn how to access all the tools that you already have!
Take care,
Jamie
I understand that you can't afford to get the Program, but have you gotten a copy of Lucinda's book "From Panic to Power"? I'd highly recommend it in lieu of the Program. It's organized in a similar way and has much of the same information. In fact, much of what's in the book seems to be taken nearly verbatim from the Program, or vice-versa.
With the book, you could do one chapter per week just like we do one session per week. Study the material, read it and re-read it, and get as much information you can from each chapter. Then start putting the information into action. Use the skills you learn and practice often.
I can sympathize with your sleeping trouble as I have similar issues. For me there a several factors. One is my medication, which tends to make me tired most of the time. Another is depression, which also makes me both tired and unable to fall asleep or stay asleep. I also find that I tend to nap whenever I can, which disrupts my normal sleep schedule. I think that I have used sleep in the past as an escape since it often was the only time I felt good.
But the biggest issue with sleep is getting out of the house and doing normal activities, even if it's uncomfortable. First, it keeps you occupied, which reduces the boredom of being housebound. Second, repeated exposure, in small increments, to the things that cause you anxiety is one of the best ways to overcome your fears. Of course you'll want to use the coping skills you learn from the book to help you during these adventures. But, there's no better time to get out there than right now. There are always excuses not to, but in the long run, you have to start sometime and it might as well be now. Otherwise, you'll be stuck in the same place you are now for as long as you let yourself remain stagnant.
Believe me, I know how hard this is. Some days, I can barely leave the house. But I know that I have to if I ever want to lead a normal life. So I keep plugging away knowing that each step I take is a step towards reaching my full potential. Don't let your life go to waste. You have so much to offer the world and the world has so much to offer you.
I hope this advice helps some or at least gives you some ideas. You'll be okay and your already fully equipped to deal with your anxiety. You just need to learn how to access all the tools that you already have!
Take care,
Jamie
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Guest
xlostgirlx I would suggest not lying in bad all day, but doing some physical activity, any time of the day up to a few hours before you go to bed. Even if it is doing 50 jumping jacks, the point is to displace the nervous energy. By not moving your body or doing any kind of strenuous activity you are keeping all the energy in your body and it is inhibiting your body from getting true rest.
Also a daily bed-time routine and not going on the computer or watching television at least an hour before bed. Keep the lights low if possible in the last half-hour before bed-time.
I participated in a sleep study and one of the things we did was keep a sleep journal, it wasn't about sleep, but it was to write down a list of things or goals to accomplish for the next day. It helped to get what was in our minds on paper. I kept this bed-side and wrote in it right before I went to bed. I fell asleep as my head practically hit the pillow.
Another idea is to put a night-light in the bathroom or another room right outside the bedroom so that if you do get up in the middle of the night you don't need to turn on a bright light, which will mess around with your brain function and may keep you from getting back to sleep.
Also a daily bed-time routine and not going on the computer or watching television at least an hour before bed. Keep the lights low if possible in the last half-hour before bed-time.
I participated in a sleep study and one of the things we did was keep a sleep journal, it wasn't about sleep, but it was to write down a list of things or goals to accomplish for the next day. It helped to get what was in our minds on paper. I kept this bed-side and wrote in it right before I went to bed. I fell asleep as my head practically hit the pillow.
Another idea is to put a night-light in the bathroom or another room right outside the bedroom so that if you do get up in the middle of the night you don't need to turn on a bright light, which will mess around with your brain function and may keep you from getting back to sleep.
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Guest
xlostgirlx,
Both Searunner and Shifrah gave you good advice. Lots of people with anxiety have sleep problems, so you are in the same boat with the rest of us. The key to sleep recovery is keeping to a regular bedtime routine. I have had the problem and have read many sleep books. Shifrah is right about keeping the lights low, not being on your computer or watching TV for an hour before bed. Get into a routine--get in your nightclothes, brush your teeth, wind down, maybe take a hot bath. Even do some deep breathing. Signal to your body that it is time to sleep. If you don't sleep, don't freak out about it. Just get up at the normal time the next day. You may feel kind of draggy, but you will get through it. I have done it plenty of times and lived to tell the tale.
Also, get off all your caffeine and sugar. They hype people up, especially anxious ones.
Some people try melatonin, but it never seemed to work for me. Maybe I never got the dosage right. It is supposed to be pretty harmless and nonaddictive.
Both Searunner and Shifrah gave you good advice. Lots of people with anxiety have sleep problems, so you are in the same boat with the rest of us. The key to sleep recovery is keeping to a regular bedtime routine. I have had the problem and have read many sleep books. Shifrah is right about keeping the lights low, not being on your computer or watching TV for an hour before bed. Get into a routine--get in your nightclothes, brush your teeth, wind down, maybe take a hot bath. Even do some deep breathing. Signal to your body that it is time to sleep. If you don't sleep, don't freak out about it. Just get up at the normal time the next day. You may feel kind of draggy, but you will get through it. I have done it plenty of times and lived to tell the tale.
Also, get off all your caffeine and sugar. They hype people up, especially anxious ones.
Some people try melatonin, but it never seemed to work for me. Maybe I never got the dosage right. It is supposed to be pretty harmless and nonaddictive.