Hey there

[Nightchaser]

I can't believe I'm posting this at 3am but I haven't been sleeping well for weeks now. I have GAD which has been relatively well managed over the last few years. I had a baby 7 weeks ago and since then both my insomnia and anxiety have been through the roof. I'm having panic attacks nightly.

My main trigger is anything to do with my throat and chest due to years of undiagnosed asthma. Over the past 2 weeks I've had a sore throat and my GP has put me on antibiotics and one got stuck in my throat tonight ... enter panic attack. I'm currently playing a computer game of my son's to try and distract myself.

Gosh I feel stupid but I think I need to talk to my doctor about this.

[Doolhof]

Hi Nightchaser,

Welcome to the community here at Beyond Blue. I am sure there are a lot of restless souls up at 3 a.m. not being able to sleep for one reason or another.

Speaking to your Dr would be very beneficial. If you are now concerned about taking tablets that may become lodged in your throat, could you take them with a teaspoon of yoghurt (for example) to help them go down easier.

Distracting yourself and getting your mind thinking of something different is a good strategy. There is a thread here about SLEEP. If you read some of that you may come up with some other ideas to help you sleep better.

As you have very recently had a baby, I think you are quite normal experiencing the concerns you have right now!

Do you have an opportunity in the day to have some time for yourself? May be a silly question as you have a baby and obviously at least one other child! Maybe even 5 minutes of sitting quietly breathing deeply might help.

There is no need to feel stupid about how you are feeling. It is only natural.

Hopefully you managed to have some sleep and you are able to see your Dr. soon.

All the best, cheerio for now from Mrs. Dools

[Guest_322]

Hi Nightchaser,

Welcome here!

Anxiety and sleep deprivation can be awful. I think they can send a person's head into a bit of a head spin. It's rough indeed.

As Mrs Dools. said, you're in good company here as many of us also struggle with sleep deprivation, and wake up at odd hours. So there's a lot of understanding here on that issue.

I have to admit that I don't have children so I'm not 100% sure what constitutes typical or not. Either way, I guess it comes down to how you're struggling immensely with anxiety and insomnia at the moment, and it's causing you distress.

You mentioned speaking to your doctor, and I think that's a great idea. Maybe s/he will have some strategies for better sleep and also be able to address the growing anxiety.

Take care and write again if you want to talk or need support.

Dottie x

[geoff]

hello Nightchaser, you're just had a baby and congratulations but it will change the hours you have a chance to sleep, it's not like before when you could sleep when you wanted to, now your life revolves around your baby.
As you are worried about your throat the first concern you will have is taking your pills and expecting that one will get caught in your throat, but mixing it with some yoghurt is a good way they will go down.
If you have your mum close by or someone else who you can trust, ask them to watch over your baby a few hours a day, then you maybe able to lie down and even relax, but hopefully catch up on some sleep, and perhaps you be worried about your baby getting a sore throat which is making you anxious.
You should try and keep in contact with your doctor they will know what a new mum has to go through after a baby is born. Geoff. x