Insomnia

[CTBlue]

Besides medications, what have you found useful for treating anxiety related insomnia? I’ve only been able to sleep about two or three hours a night for the past week, combination of the heat wave (don’t have air-conditioning) and anxiety.

 

[bin_tenn]

I was on Buspirone for a very short time several years ago, and it didn't really help me get to sleep anyhow. What really worked for me was listening to guided sleep meditation videos on YouTube. I did that for a couple weeks or so and it helped me get back into a regular sleep schedule. Now, if I'm having trouble falling asleep, I just remember what those videos taught me.

 

[JLD]

Besides medications, what have you found useful for treating anxiety related insomnia? I’ve only been able to sleep about two or three hours a night for the past week, combination of the heat wave (don’t have air-conditioning) and anxiety.

I like the videos of rain on a roof (usually, some old barn or the like) on youtube to help me get to sleep. But honestly, when I am suffering from really bad anxiety, I have to be exhausted to fall asleep.

 

[Vincent]

A few months ago, I went through 2-3 weeks of insomnia. I tried a relaxation app and sleep music on YouTube. It helped me relax more, but not fall asleep. The day after I talked to my psychologist about it and got some stuff off my mind, I finally slept.

 

[MaryL]

Have you tried melatonin? Shut phone/tv off atleast an hour before bedtime . Relaxation tapes are a great idea.

 

[MainerMikeBrown]

When I had sleepless nights years ago, I found that if I was reading something that was very interesting to me just before bedtime, it sometimes would actually keep me awake, sometimes all night.

 

[Dboy95]

I tried melatonin before but if your sleep is anxiety related melatonin is not the right choice. Melatonin and anxiety mix really bad in my experience. I remember one night for instance i took some melatonin but my body wanted to stay awake therefore i went the whole night without sleeping but i had the most drowzy feeling ive ever felt. I felt so depressed. I would only recommend anxiety related medication to ease your mind when it comes to sleep. I do not recommend any sleeping pills because there is a high chance they wont work causing your anxiety to skyrocket

 

[MainerMikeBrown]

My sleep issues back in the day were more mania related, not so much anxiety related.

 

[jimsalos]

Turning off my phone at night


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[CTBlue]

Thank you for your replies/suggestions, I appreciate the feedback. I have been thinking of trying behavior therapy, see if it will help, but there’s a long wait list due to Covid.

 

[MainerMikeBrown]

Not having my radio on while I'm trying to fall asleep matters.

lol

 

[gadamsgrega2]

I have the perfect remedy for you to stop the insomnia madness... Food! Be done eating by 6:30-7pm at night... I listened to this Dr. talk about how you should have a food containing tryptophan (turkey,chicken,pork) and to have it with a starch (potato,sweet potato)

What he said was, the chicken you eat has all the amino acids in it besides just tryptophan so if you ate it by itself, it would give you energy and keep you up at night... What the complex carb does is it causes those other amino's to go rush to digest that starch you ate with it...

Point I'm trying to make.... eat chicken with potatoes for dinner tonight and notice how you sleep... post something on here so I can see where you're at...
My reasoning for not using melatonin is because it blocks certain receptors to the brain and "can" cause temporary depression....

 

[Siphonophorae]

Usually I have to be pretty tired when I sleep too. But being curled up helps though it may not be good for others depending on if you have back, shoulder, or stomach issues. The whirring noise of a small fan can also lull me into sleep because it’s low and monotonous.

 

[Joshua1]

Besides medications, what have you found useful for treating anxiety related insomnia? I’ve only been able to sleep about two or three hours a night for the past week, combination of the heat wave (don’t have air-conditioning) and anxiety.

You could use a cooling fan, but that uses a lot of electric energy in your house. You could open the windows in your room a few hours before going to sleep. You could use a cooling blanket. There are different options if you want cooling. As for anxiety you just need to relax your mind before sleeping. Unless you having anxiety because you are scared of not waking up in the morning. That is possible but highly unlikely.

 

[Pandanae]

Besides medications, what have you found useful for treating anxiety related insomnia? I’ve only been able to sleep about two or three hours a night for the past week, combination of the heat wave (don’t have air-conditioning) and anxiety.

If your feeling anxious about not sleeping and the thought of lack of sleep is causing you to be up most the night sometimes taking time out during the day to think positively about sleep helps. I can't say it's a perfect solution.. but what sometimes helps me is taking a walk, meditation, and relaxing thoughts towards sleep.

 

[suzzeeb]

This is the absolute worst thing about anxiety for me. When my anxiety is bad I don't sleep more than a few hours and then my anxiety is worse plus I'm exhausted. I have been dealing with this for years now, but particularly the last several months as my anxiety has gone into serious overdrive. I do use Klonopin as needed, which lately is about 1/2 a pill every other night just so I can relax enough to sleep. I just can't do it myself or talk myself down from my anxiety. I used a sleeping pill one time and I didn't sleep a wink and was so anxious the next day I was almost physically ill, so I don't mind using something to relax me so I can get rest. I really can't function in that exhausted anxious state. Not everyone is the same, though, so maybe you could try other ways that would work to help you relax enough to sleep. I hope you find something that works for you.