Insomnia; weird sensation preventing me from sleeping

[cbhaga01 29]

So my anxiety in general has been way worse than normal for the past several weeks.  I've had a few panic attacks, which used to happen maybe once or twice a year, tops.  It's been rough.

To put it in perspective: 98% of my anxiety is health-related.  Any weird pain or sensation can set me off.  And until Thursday night, I was kinda on the mend.

Until I decided to take some Advil PM for a sore neck.  I'd taken the stuff plenty of times in the past without issue, and this seemed to be no different.  But then I woke up 2 hours later thanks to my dog scratching in my sleep, and when I tried going back to sleep, I'd feel this miserable kinda tingling-electricity-smothering feeling all over my body, which jolted me right away into an attack.  It kept happening every time I'd almost doze off.

Eventually it dissipated after a few hours and I was able to get some really disjointed sleep.

Ever since then, it's been a game of:

-doze off

-sleep hard for 5-6 hours 

-kinda wake up

-float in this weird half-awake period where I'm aware of everything around me but also dreaming, and kinda snap awake when I finally do feel myself drifting off, with that weird buzzing feeling thrown in there occasionally for good measure

Does this sound familiar to anyone?  Should I be worried?  I'm not even that vexed by the lack of sleep itself.  It's that sensation I described at the end that's getting me.  It's like something in my brain is literally preventing me from shutting down.

[MsLLL 413]

Yes, very familiar. It's pretty common for us anxiety sufferers. Have you tried therapy? It's wonderful to learn about why we have developed anxiety in the first place and long-term to learn to live with it and to understand this disease and all it stands for. It also gives us a set of skills to differentiate what anxiety is and the many manifestations it has. 

 

[cbhaga01 29]

Hi MsLLL, thanks for the reply.  I was starting to think this board was a ghost town.

I'm currently in therapy.  In fact, I went to a session on Tuesday and ended up getting a decent night's sleep afterwards.  But last night the tingling feeling came back with a vengeance and I'm feeling like garbage again.  I also tried melatonin for the first time last night, which I will not be touching again (in case it made that sensation manifest itself again).

 

[MsLLL 413]

It's very tough to believe at first anxiety can do this to us but yes, it can. You probably will struggle for a bit to fully accept what's happening, we all do. I firmly believe the quicker we realize what anxiety is and accept it, the better off we are in the long run. I have struggled for a while to understand and accept, ever since I did -and with the help of professional's and this forum- I'm free of it. If it comes back I know what it is and how to be ok. 

Mark gave you great advice. It's important not to let our mind wander to the what if's and get caught up in that  but to learn what anxiety can do and the power it has over our minds and therefore daily life. If we get caught up in the what if's we are still in the middle of it and not grasping the chance to free ourselves. But it takes time. You will get there! 

[RainbowWolfBear 0]

I dont know if you would still even have this forum.. but I have this.. in the last few months has it gotten better for you? I get the electric sensation in my chest. And the buzzing when I fall asleep. And if I don't get up fully then try to fall asleep. I will have sleep paralysis and get stuck in a loop of that. 

[cbhaga01 29]

Hey Rainbow!  I hate to hear that you're dealing with that.  I never dealt with the paralysis, but the weird buzzing and whatnot were terrible.  Fortunately, though, it all went away as soon as I got my anxiety under control.  I started seeing my therapist again, got my sleep hygiene in check, and cut out anything that could interfere with sleeping (goodbye, venti iced coffee), and I was right as rain.  I still feel that stuff to some extent if I've had a particularly bad day, but as soon as it happens, I start reassuring myself that it's just  anxiety and it pretty much goes away.

One bit of advice: if you start feeling that crap, get a weighted blanket.  If you don't have one, get a bunch of heavy blankets and throw them on top of your normal bedding.  That extra weight will ground you, relieving some of that anxiety and help you get to sleep.

Don't worry.  You'll get past this.  

[RainbowWolfBear 0]

Me too the burning skin thing is new though right before bed itll feel like ice going through my chest. Then of course one of my friends was like you could have multiple sclerosis and my anxiety loved that idea.. lol 

[cbhaga01 29]

It's not MS.  The MS scare is a VERY real thing among anxiety sufferers (I had mine back in 2013; I was convinced), as their physical symptoms are incredibly similar.  You're gonna be fine, I promise.  

[RainbowWolfBear 0]

Yea as soo nasty I get things under control and go to therapy again I should be thithis really does help though. 

[cbhaga01 29]

Good!  Glad to hear it helps.  And yeah, therapy is the best.  

[gorge_carey 0]

I had the same problems, didn't slepted well, i tried bunch of techniques and solutions nothing helped me.
I solved my issues, with sleep cycle monitoring app, tha my friend told me about, their assessment and improvement program,makes me realized that i had sleep disorders, due to some bad daily habits that got to do with sugar and caffeine that was effected my sleep quality.
I really like sleeprate app, it analyzing and monitoring my sleep by heart rate and sound detection(recognize snoring and breath breaks)the app is integrated with my Polar and Garmin wearables.
The app showing full diagnosis reprorts of my sleep stages, heart rate, sound analysis, stress rate, snoring and breathing, plus they are giving me tasks like anchor wake up time, CBTi coaching and great features ,lots of video tips to improve my sleep.
 you can read more info about the app in their website.

i'm sure that will help you, to sleep better...good luck..

https://www.sleeprate.com/apps