Somniphobia + insomnia

[SamHose]

I'm currently really struggling and am wondering else anyone else has hypno / clino / somniphobia and have any tips on how they deal with it because I've had about 3 break downs over the past 3 days because the unconsciousness + dreaming and the not knowing you're asleep kinda scares the sh*t outta me, its been on and off like there was a long period of like 4 months where I was fine and sometimes it comes back like this and I really struggle with it, its especially worse because I started a new Anti anxiety + depression medication and the side effects have been pretty bad so that is provoking me to be more on edge that usual as-well. sorry for the rant just wanted to know if anyone had any tips or advice on how to change the way I see or feel about sleep. It's all really bad and yeah it's making me lose sleep and also making me not be able to fall asleep unless I'm just completely exhausted that I just clock out unwillingly. I'm an 18 year old guy and at a pretty important stage of trying new medication and therapies and discovering what I want to do in life so all this is really knocking me back and making things worse considering I'm at one of the most important times of life. Thank you to anyone reading this or giving me advice I honestly appreciate it so much. Just hope it gets better. Love you all. 🙂

[therising]

Hi SamHose

I feel for you so much as you face not only such an intense fear but as you also face the brutal side effects of serious sleep deprivation. Unless a person's felt the impact of serious sleep deprivation, they really can't relate to how much it messes with a person. There's a reason why sleep deprivation's used as a form of torture in some parts of the world. I've felt its effects of intense sleep deprivation myself. They can become seriously depressing.

I'm mum to a 17yo guy who uses sleep as a unique kind of resource. With sleep technically being an altered state of consciousness, he uses it partly for lucid dreaming purposes. He falls asleep into this altered state and does whatever he wants, as opposed to being a fearful victim of his dreams or nightmares while he's in them. I know, sounds a bit out there but he really has a ball with it. He did quite a bit of research into it before beginning to experiment with it, including how to know you're dreaming while you're in a dream (the reality check). While drugs and/or alcohol are some 17 year olds 'go to' for altered states of consciousness, my son's more a natural when it comes to mind altering. Exploring what our brain is capable of doing can be pretty fascinating. Learning how to use it/direct it is part of self mastery.

I know this is an extremely different take on sleep and dreaming. Just thought I'd throw it out there to offer a different perspective that might help. Looking forward to dreaming as opposed to fearing it might be one way to go. Strange to think that with lucid dreaming a person can go looking for the person/sage who can tell them what they need to do in life and find that person of their dreams, before waking up with the answer❤️

[Sophie_M]

Dear SamHose,
 
Welcome and thank you for coming to the forums to seek support. Please feel free to continue to rant all you need on the forums and express yourself and your concerns openly and without fear of judgement, as this is a safe space.
 
We can hear that your ongoing symptoms and experiences are distressing, and we hope that you are able to focus on the fact that like stated this is hopefully a temporary relapse that will settle with time and patience, but please know you are not alone, and we are here to support you through the difficult moments.
 
Firstly, we would always encourage you to go back to your GP or Psychiatrist and inform them of the side effects you are currently experiencing. It is important to keep them in the loop as this information may assist them in a decision to maintain, alter the dose or change medication all together. As you have stated you have recently changed to new medication hopefully these side effects will minimize as you body adjust to the new medication.
 
We would also like to recommend Someone Health, it is a varied team of Bulk Billing Psychologists who are available for video and telephone Counselling 7 days a week. They may be able to offer and assist in developing coping strategies.
 
We understand the concern that you are at one of the most important moments of your life and we hope that you are not putting pressure on yourself for a rapid resolution. Please remember recover is a journey and this often entails periods of set back and stagnation, including break downs during periods of peak stress but it does not mean there is no hope.
 
Please remember we have a team of counsellors available 24/7 that would be happy to discuss your concerns and possible options. You can contact Beyond Blue either via phone 1300 224 636 or through Beyond Blue Online Chat. Even if it just to talk to us and receive some reassurance we are here for you.
 
Thank you for trusting our supportive community and sharing your experiences, we hope you find the shared insights and advice of our members helpful.
 
Warm regards,

Sophie M

[SamHose]

yeah I can see why lucid dreaming would be fun but dreams are weirdly like scary to me because they happen but at the same time there isn't a single time in your memory that says it did happen unless you dream like right before you wake up ( or lucid dreaming ). I guess dreaming isn't my main fear about sleep though so yeah, I appreciate the insight though.