Stress Center Peer Support

Samcat, thanks for getting the things I missed!! You are so right about the stimulants and exercise!! I never knew that about the blue lights, what I read didn't give that just said no screens an hour before bed.

MJHend, Welcome yes it can feel a little weird "posting to space" But you will get more use to it the more you do it It can actually be VERY helpful!! Sorry to hear your anxiety is getting to you again, but as Samcat said, you did it before, you can do it again!!

Josh, hope things are going well, I know it's only been a couple days, but hope you have managed to get a good nights sleep!

Hi- I am new to this program too. Lately I have been waking up every night b/w 2 and 4 am with racing thoughts and can't get back to sleep. I am exhausted. I have been suffering from muscle twitching all over my body which I am sure is related to stress/ anxiety and or nutrient deficiency. I have recently had every test done including MRI/ MRA of the brain and everything was normal. Has anyone else ever experienced something like this??? And how do I make it stop??? It worries me and makes me more nervous. I started taking a lot of vitamins, and trying to drink more water but I'm still twitching and waking up in the middle of the night. Please, any advice would be greatly appreciated!! I feel like I am losing it!!!

wnttobefree, sleep can be such a hard thing, when our minds are wanting to work 24/7!! I would recommend exercise, this can do wonders for your mood also!! I would also suggest no "blue screens" about an hour before bed, this is anything from T.V. to computer, to a smartphone... Have you tried listening to the relaxation CD when you lay down? There is more that could help, but I am drawing a blank right now.... there is another post about it that Samcat and I had some great suggestions.... don't remember what or where it was though sorry
Anyway, I hope you are able to work it out. I struggled for this before, but it seems to have eased a bit just doing the program.

WntToBFree, the post iwillbe better is talking about is on page one of this post. I too had a terrible problem with insomnia and still have some bad nights if I get on the computer late at night, watch TV and hour before bed, or am worrying about something. However, the key thing is that I no longer worry about not sleeping too well one night--I know I will get back to better sleep if I watch and eliminate the causes. I realize I may be a little more anxious the next day, so I have accepted that. If you are sleepy the next day, NO NAPPING. Wait to sleep at night. It really helps not to fear not being able to sleep. Carolyn even has an article on that at the end of one of the sessions in the workbook, which was very helpful to me.

Another thing that helps me is wearing a sleep mask--that blocks out all the light. You can find them at Bed, Bath and Beyond or stores like that. You don't even notice you are wearing it.

Everything Iwill be better wrote is right on--you'll see what we recommended to Josh on page 1 of this same post.