Anxiety and Sleep

[Rayvan]

Hi there

Im currently struggling with insomnia for 8 days now with only achieving 2 hrs, if I’m lucky, each night.
My biggest issue is, I feel the sleep coming on but my anxiety kicks in and blocks that sleep from occurring.
I feel as though I’m in a battle every night to the point I’m not functioning at all.
I don’t like taking any medication because my anxiety goes into overdrive with any possible side effects.
I’ve been taking rescue remedy, putting some lavender oil on, valerian, doing meditation and exercising but I’m at the point of having a complete breakdown as I feel defeated in managing this.

[uncut_gems]

Hi Rayvan,

Welcome to the forums! I'm so glad you came here for help, and so sorry to hear that you're struggling with bad insomnia. All of the steps you say you've been taking sound very sensible and healthy, and it's completely understandable why you are reluctant to take medication.

There are a few other things I might recommend– reading until you fall asleep, listening to something engaging so you don't have to be alone with your anxious thoughts, making your room a bit cooler and your bed a bit warmer/more comfortable, avoiding screens and blue light. But 8 days is a long time to go with so little sleep, and as I'm sure you know it can quickly start to take its own toll on your physical and mental health.

I think given how diligent it sounds like you are being, and that you are at the end of your rope, it is perfectly justifiable to start looking at other options. As you say, you feel you are at the point of having a complete breakdown. Might it make sense to talk to your GP? There are likely a variety of things they can prescribe even for just a short while, to help you manage your anxiety or help you get better sleep. What do you think?

Warmly,

Gems

[Rayvan]

Hi Gems

I really appreciate your response. I actually never considered listening to engaging music. So thank you.
I have seen my GP twice and he’s has advised to take restavit.
I’m a anxious about taking this as I fear my anxiety will be stronger then the what the medication is intended to do. But I get extremely overwhelmed and cry when the sleep thing doesn’t happen so maybe it’s worth just giving that a go.

[Emmen]

Hi Rayvan,

Like you, I'm quite wary of medications. I've never taken prescribed anxiety meds because I was concerned about potential long-term dependence.

You've been without sleep for quite some time, so using the meds temporarily could help you safeguard your physical health. But I don't think that would be the long-term solution. Have you tried establishing a pre-sleep routine? You have mentioned doing yoga and exercising, using lavender etc. Perhaps incorporate some of this as part of a pre-sleep routine that will calm you right before you sleep (e.g. do 15 minutes of yoga, followed by maybe 5 minutes of quick meditation, then putting lavender oil on and finally sleeping)? The routine is up to you to establish, but the idea is for you to relax yourself enough to sleep.

Hope this helps.

Take care,
Emmen

[Rayvan]

Thank you Emmen

A pre-sleep routine is a great idea. I used to do yoga a few weeks before covid and found that I had very good sleeps.
During these times though, when not functioning very well, feeling unmotivated and upset, I forgot about those experiences.

Thanks for your suggestions that triggered those memories.

Ray

[uncut_gems]

Rayvan,

Listening to music (especially something soothing) at night is great. However, I sometimes find it's not quite stimulating enough to distract me, so over the past few years I've gotten really into podcasts and audiobooks. Most phones now have a sleep timer feature so you can set it to shut off after a while. I usually find that thinking about whatever the spoken word content is helps me make the transition from wakefulness to sleep without giving me time to let my mind wander.

If you're interested I have loads of recommendations. It's very silly and I've recommended it elsewhere, but when I really can't sleep my go-to podcast is one called Sleep With Me where a guy with a very boring voice reads a story that is just stimulating enough to listen to, but so boring that you will drift off to sleep. Could be worth a try!

Gems

[CalmCat]

Hi Guys,

I thought I'd try and get some traction on this forum, as what anxiety does to our sleep hygiene being a national issue.

I only recently mended my over 10 year sleep problem, that anxiety effected.

I improved my sleep with a medication review firstly (please consult your GP or health professional if you have any questions), secondly I bought a new mattress and thirdy I started watching slow TV on YouTube before I went to bed. All three new changes, helped me get a consistent nights sleep.

Please share what you've done to eradicate your anxiety to get consistent nights sleep.

Regards,

Doz

[uncut_gems]

Doz,

Thanks so much for bumping this thread. I love your suggestions (slow TV, so soothing!) and would enjoy hearing others' as well. Rayvan, I wonder if you've had any luck getting some sleep?

Gems

[Rockfire73]

Try Restavit. It's over the counter, works well against anxiety and insomnia.