HELP terrified to sleep!!!

[Jemz14]

I believe I may be the most anxious I have ever ever been and NOTHING is helping!!!

im a extreme hypochondriac last week was a irrational fear of anaphylaxis now I’m obsessively scared of dying in my sleep as I think I have sleep apnea!!!

I have had had heaps of reassurance from my doctor it’s not helping I’m forcing myself to stay awake and calling ppl terrified to be alone a night by myself this can’t go on what can I do???

[BballJ]

Hi Jemz14,

I am sorry about the rough spot you find yourself in, I have dealt with health anxiety for a lot of my adult life so I know the feeling and especially when I was young the dread of going to sleep worrying about dying in my sleep, it is such a hard position to be in because you are literally fighting your own mind every day. Have you spoken to your GP about how you are feeling? They may recommend you to speak to a psychologist which I cannot recommend enough as they did help my health anxiety overall when I started seeing one for my general anxiety.

You can get through this.

Please also remember you can call the Beyond Blue helpline on 1300 22 4636 24/7 to discuss anything you are going through.

My best for you,

Jay

[Jessicatherese94]

Hi Jemz, sorry to hear what you're going through. I'm with Jay on this one, have you spoken to a psychologist about how you're feeling? If you're feeling anxious in the middle of the night you can always ring Lifeline 131114 or here at Beyond Blue. The fact that you're aware that it's an irrational fear is a really good first step and it's also great you've talked to your doctor about this. You could try things like meditation on Youtube. Sometimes I listen to rain music before going to sleep. I hope you're okay. You'll get through this and you'll feel better about sleeping eventually.

[kanga_brumby]

Jemz hi welcome to beyond blue forum I have sleep apnea, There is no big deal about it. You go to your GP get a referral to hospital do a sleep study. where thy hook you up to some machines tell you after either you have it or not. You get a CPAP machine similar to what I use or have a surgery and get your self fixed. Sometimes you even get the CPAP machine for free.

Kanger

[Jemz14]

I have spoken with my GP abt this in length as well as a psychologist it seems nothing works in the long term maybe I’m doing something wrong with the strategies I think it comes on sooo soo fast I’m totally convinced is death I dnt think abt doing self talk and deep breathing and other strategies cause right at that second I desperately desperately believe I am dying and the only thing that will help is reassurance from a doctor 😞 the latest fear is sleep apnea and dying in my sleep last week it was anaphylaxis too new medication it’s always something with me. It’s exhausting and no matter how many ppl reaasure me I still am son convinced I definitely have this sleep apnea thing and it will kill me if I sleep 😞

[Jemz14]

Hi Kanga

Thanks so much for your reply so many people have told me I won’t die in my sleep from this but I can’t help but still fear it. It’s soo soo intense I literally wanna stay awake all night then sleep/nap in public so I’m “saved” if I stop breathing. That’s how intense this fear is. I think I am a high risk for having sleep apnea cause of my weight so now I haven’t eaten for days and lost 3 kilos the fastest ever!!! I need to get a handle on this ASAP 😞

[Wizzyg]

Hi jemz. I was also worried i had sleep apnea for weeks. I understand how scary it is but what really helped me was to lay down lights off and have a YouTube video playing through speakers loud enough to drown out thoughts. I would just search 'relaxing music' and find an 8 hour long one and lay and close my eyes and calm myself. I wasnt even trying to get to sleep but slowly youwill drift off with out even realizing! I know you dont want to sleeping because youre scared and unfortunately i dont know how to help you not be scared of dying in your sleep but the way i did it (which is a bit confronting) was accept the fact i had no control over if i were to live or die. But i think you should definitely keep seeing your doctors and maybe a therapist. Prayers are with you! I got through it so can you!

[depe54]

Hello and im sorry to hear about your issue. I personally recommend you talk to a psychologist because one would really understand your issue, and i feel itll make you feel a lot better. Otherwise what i would do is just lie down in bed maybe listening to something, anything really, without looking at the screen (assuming its a device) You think you are awake... but eventually you might nod off. I know this because ive even fallen asleep during a skype call!! Since the human body needs sleep you will eventually find yourself falling asleep without even realising because of exhaustion. But this isnt very good long term so again i recommend a visit to the psychologist

[BballJ]

Hi Jemz14,

I know how tough this is, I have been there, worried if something I feel in my body is something more and that what the doctor may have said is wrong. There is no real way to come down from these feelings but continually speaking with your GP and psychologist and working on the coping strategies they told you. I remember at the height of my anxiety, I was having a panic attack and I wrote on this forum how do I stop feeling this way right now, I don't recall an answer but after dealing with this for so long, it is putting those practises into play every single day. My psychologist said to me when I was having trouble sleeping and she gave me techniques to help, she said practise this every night even if you are tired, it isn't magic and doesn't just work when you want it too, it is almost teaching yourself to calm down when you start the exercise. Are your GP and psychologist trying to help with all of this? I can see how much it is alarming you.

My best,

Jay

[azarrah]

Hi there Jemz,

Sorry to hear about your struggles recently. I have also struggled with falling asleep. Other than talking to a psychologist, this is what I do:

If you can't get to sleep in a certain amount of time - say, 30 minutes - or you just feel panicked, get out of bed. Get out of the room, if you can. Grab a book or something relaxing, like knitting or stitching, find somewhere else comfortable (a bean bag, a couch, etc.) and do that for a little while. If your stomach feels unsettled because of the fear, drink some water from the tap or some milk, and eat a small snack of some kind, like a granola bar. Lying in bed waiting for it to pass probably won't work, so it's best to go somewhere else and occupy yourself. Take a moment to centre yourself, take a look at your surroundings, at your face in the mirror if that helps (for some reason it can help me?), take some deep breaths.

Once you're feeling a bit more relaxed, head back to bed. Don't panic; you will eventually fall asleep. Don't try to force it, though. If you feel the panic rising, again, don't focus on it. Do something else. If you're in that weird state between sleeping and awake, put on some peaceful music or some white noise, and really try to lose yourself and your breathing in it.

It'll really help you in the long run to set a routine, if you don't already. Have a few things you do before bed, in a particular order. It doesn't have to be that elaborate, even just "take a shower, brush my teeth, lie in bed reading (try not to use a screen before bed!), then lights out at 10:30pm".

I hope these suggestions help you.

azarrah