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Insomnia is ruining my life

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  • #226369
    Clayton
    Participant

    Hello everyone,

    For the last 7 months, I have dealt with serious sleeping issues. It began with minor difficulties falling asleep, then progressed to minor difficulty both falling and staying asleep, and has now become a severe problem for me insofar as it takes me hours to fall asleep at night (~3-4) and I wake up nearly every hour and toss and turn before falling back asleep.

    I am an Honours student preparing to apply to graduate school, but my sleep problems are making it very difficult for me to complete schoolwork, attending classes and pay attention to lectures. I am getting very concerned, because I have a lot riding on graduate school and if these sleep problems continue I will be unable to complete my degree.

    I am a healthy person. I exercise daily, am now drug-free, drink lots of water and completely avoid junk foods. Yet, in spite of my healthy lifestyle, I cannot sleep worth a damn. Although I have minor anxiety issues, my anxiety has never been a serious factor in my life and has not contributed much to my sleeping problems. The real issue is that when I go to bed, my mind wanders and wanders and wanders and I am unable to control where my thoughts go and what I am thinking about. It is like no matter how tired I am physically, as soon as I go to bed my mind becomes extremely active.

    Has anyone ever had debilitating sleeping problems like this? I am in desperate need of help, I cannot go on like this. If you have overcome a similar problem, how did you do it? Any advice would be so greatly appreciated!

    Thanks everyone.

    #226447
    Cat
    Participant

    I have had intense sleep related issues through life, usually related to my current stress level but not completely debilitating. Its always the thoughts that won’t turn off, it seems the more pressure to get the rest when you need, the more the mind wonders and won’t shut down. I can tell you the few things that have worked at different times. No one particular thing had worked every time unfortunately. First, talk to a doctor. Yes, at times sleep aids and anti-anxiety medications were needed, just be careful. Sometimes reading for fun will work. I know if you’re in grad school addtl. reading doesn’t sound desirable BUT if you can remove the racing thoughts it occupies the mind enough to fall asleep. Sometimes it’ll make you feel so sleepy, it’s almost feels like a sleep-aid. Also, yoga daily can center and quiet the mind, or mindful meditation. You also might want to do a little self reflection. Ie: what’s causing the heightened anxiety? Maybe you’re worried about graduating, I was. Also, looking at what road to take after graduation can be overwhelming, journaling might give you clarity. And if you’re tossing and turning, get up, do something interesting to you( like paint?). At the very worst if you aren’t sleeping, you’re doing something cool. I really hope I’ve given you some ideas. Best of luck and congrats.

    #226507
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Dear Clayton:

    When your mind wanders and wanders at night, being extremely active: what is it that you think about, can you give examples of the thinking happening?

    I am familiar with this kind of problems that you described, overthinking when going to bed, calm when going to bed, then .. waking up, when in bed, thinking and overthinking. Then when finally asleep, waking up too soon and remaining awake.

    What I understand about it is that it is an issue of anxiety, can be minor anxiety that starts the insomnia, but what happens next is that the very experience of lying awake hour after hour and suffering the day after for it, brings about a new anxiety: it happening again.

    And so, going to bed becomes a scary experience. Oh no, not again kind-of-experience.

    I didn’t have as bad of a problem as what I witnessed in another. Of some success to me in some areas of anxiety is to no longer want so much to, let’s say, to sleep, to no longer care so much but instead, let it be, I will sleep if I will, I won’t if I don’t.

    anita

    #305775
    Emily
    Participant

    I feel anxious. Can’t sleep without the sleeping pills and xanax. And to make things worse I think I’m getting addicted to them. How can I make myself feel better and sleep better?

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