Worry about sleep so much that it keeps you from sleeping?

[fortheo 15]

This happen to anyone else ?

All i do is lay there all night and worry about not getting sleep...how i will need to go to school, and work tomorrow with no sleep. Every thought i have is about sleep. I just get very mentally frustrated with it and lie in bed all night, it sounds ridiculous but yeah.....its pissing me off. I ride a motorcycle and lately i have been afraid to ride it cause i am so tired. I have missed work once already because of it, and i will probably cut out of class a bit early today just so i can try to get an hour of sleep before i have to go to work. Ugh, every thought is about sleep!!

[Gilly 1086]

I don't have any problems sleeping unless I have an important appointment to go to the next day. Then I do this scott. I don't lay there worrying about the appt but the anticipation keeps me awake then I lay there worrying I can't sleep. Tossing and turning for hours knowing I need sleep or I will feel crap. I think it defo is like a catch 22, you want to sleep but worrying you won't keeps you awake.

I know you have had issues with insomnia for a long time and you have tried everything so I am out of ideas on what could help. Just yeah, I know what you mean, it sucks major balls and I'm sorry you have to deal with it so much.

[tofu 20]

This has happened to me. I used to have really bad bouts of insomnia and when I was trying to sleep, i'd panic about not getting to sleep and it would just make it worse. I'd worry about not getting enough sleep for work and soon enough it'd be 3 or 4 am and I'd just been worrying about it all night. I used to get up in the middle of the night and chug beers to try to tire myself out. I don't recommend doing that at all lol

[JOYCICLE 654]

Forth ! Long time no see. I would suggest what I see working over and over with my teenagers. Just stay up all night on purpose. Then you for SURE will sleep. See? It's reverse psychology . Also you need to think about something else when you lay down. If i think about what needs doing I can play over every aspect of scenarios over and over and over and never sleep. So just find something that is mundane and pleasant and think about that. Maybe play your favorite movie in your head and try to remember each scene and waht they wear etc.

Here's my brain on 'pillow' ..................... So in the morning I should get up and go to mcdonalds on my way to work and get a coffee......... oh maybe i better get gas first........maybe i have enough gas to get to work , then get gas,,,,,,,,,,, if i stop for gas first, will the store still be real busy? i should go in and get cigs,,,,,,but if the store is full, i 'll want to wait.....so i'll get gas then........ shit, i better get some bread too...........should i go in a big store? the gas station has bread , i'll get it there........ if it's not too busy.....if i got up really early and left i could go in walmart for bread and get cat food too ! ......... yikes though if i don't get there before 9 am, it'll be full too and i'll have to text tofu for a happy song to get me through the check out,,,,,,so i better just get bread at the gas station and pay twice the price to not have to go into the store........... shit i need a stamp......... maybe i can get a stamp at work so i dont have to go into the post office for ONE stamp.......... but if i have to go into the post office for one stamp, i might as well get 3 or 4 extra so i dont have to worrya bout that,,,,,,,,,if i'm going to buy stamps, maybe i should just go on and pay the water bill.....what was that amount? shit, where's my check book anyway,,,,,,,,,,,, CRIKES i'm almost out of checks,, i should just buy a money order at the gas station and get gas and cigs there and bread too.............but wtf about the stamp ? water bill's not even due til next week, so maybe i'll jsut forget it because its' too much trouble to think about getting my hands on that motherfuckign STAMP.............. how does online bill pay work? lot of people use it,,,,,,they don't have to buy stamps............ hmmmmmmmm,,, but someone could hack mya ccount and then they'd know my water bill account number and we can't have that ............ now its 11:45 , why can't i fall asleep......... oh yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh,,, cuz we're out of butter too.......God only knows what mountain i'll have to climb to find butter ona thursday........ this life is impossible.

Sound familiar ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^? I mean I'm sure your details are different but it's this kind of thinking that goes around and around in a circle and keeps your brain fired up on all amps and NO SLEEP for you !

[fortheo 15]

This has happened to me. I used to have really bad bouts of insomnia and when I was trying to sleep, i'd panic about not getting to sleep and it would just make it worse. I'd worry about not getting enough sleep for work and soon enough it'd be 3 or 4 am and I'd just been worrying about it all night. I used to get up in the middle of the night and chug beers to try to tire myself out. I don't recommend doing that at all lol

This is exactly what its like for me...without the beer lol.

Glad to know I am not alone. I just left my class early, and i feel a bit bad about it ( hope it doesnt affect my grade much, theres only ten classes, so every bit counts ) but yea, now i am going to try and get at least two hours of sleep in before work.

Hi joy yeah, I do worry about the coming day, but it is just the catalyst that makes me think and stress about sleep all night. The majority of my thoughts are like this " i need to sleep, go to sleep, its 12:30am you can still get 6 hours of sleep , what if i dont fall asleep? how will i do all the things i need to get done? go to sleep, just go to sleep" i get so frustrated/anxious and worked up it just goes on and on all night.

I will try that reverse psychology idea!

but yea, i have three hours to spare now before work, wish me luck in my sleep endeavor.

[Gilly 1086]

Joy I'm exhausted from reading all that, funny thing is I can hear you saying it to yourself. Sorry but I cracked up laughing ... you need to have your own sitcom or something lol

Hope you slept Scott. Sending sleepy signals your way!

[shaun 6]

Yep, this self-perpetuating cycle is common among people with sleep problems. it's not ridiculous at all, you will naturally worry about sleep and the day ahead if you can't sleep.

You need to find a balance between prioritizing your sleep and not worrying about it, it's easier said than done.

[Mrs. Rogers 2]

The only time I had major problems with insomnia was when I was taking Prednisone. This is word for word how I would describe how I was feeling at that time. It's definitely beyone frustrating. I hope sleep desides to come to you soon.

[arctic 0]

I am past the oversleeping stage but yes there are times that I worry I might not be able to wake up for the scheduled tasks the following day. The more I think about sleeping, the more I experience difficulty going to sleep. But my body gets tired too. If I don't get enough sleep for two days, no matter how anxious I am for the morning to come, I would really get into a very deep and long sleep. As a consequence, getting up the next morning becomes too hard.

[JoJo 0]

I do this quite a lot when I have insomnia. I guess it is only natural to worry about coping with no sleep, but it doesn't help with trying to actually get to sleep! I try and do other things to stop thinking about it, but my brain never switches off (that seems to be why I can't sleep in the first place!). The worst was when I had a couple of nights not getting to sleep till 9am (luckly I was working freelance but still had to be up before lunch!) and totally broke down the second night at about 7am because I was so tired and couldn't cope, but it's like the more exhausted I am the more wired I feel.

[Esperahol 0]

I have to get up at a certain time so I need to go to sleep at a certain time. I go to bed, and I do not go to sleep. I daydream and plan and curse a bit and yawn. I am not going to get a full eight. I am not going to get a full six. I hope I get four. I only have a chance at two. I didn't get to go to sleep. I'm so tired. I don't- I don't- I.

Chronic insomnia sucks.

[anxiousartist 13]

I didn't sleep last night-sigh.

 

Anytime I have to get up in the morning for anything I don't sleep. If I can sleep in, I sleep great. It's so ironic. Finally I had to start working for myself were I can schedule any appointments I might have for late in the afternoon. If I know I can sleep in, in the morning, I usually sleep fine. 

 

When I was going to school, I would just study all night, take the test in the morning and then sleep all day. I did really well in school partly due to insomnia-lol

 

After trying several jobs, I came to the conclusion I had to create a job that's as much like school as possible. I'm not using my degree, but I've found something that works.

 

I make a lot less money, but that's ok.

[Steve4AM 14]

clever solution, anxious artist!  can you give us any hints as to what you do to make money?  i'm still looking for a real answer.

 

this happens to me often.  i wish i knew the solution.  it's definitely a self defeating situation because worry about anything, including sleep, makes it difficult to get sleep.

it makes sense to exercise or do other things to make yourself naturally tired, and then go with it!

[jk697 0]

i can relate to this problem big time, it's my biggest problem right now - I'm so worried about not getting sleep that I don't sleep. Even typing that makes it sound so ridiculous, but I know the first step is to stop fighting it, because that makes it worse. My best recommendation is to be sure to get as much rigorous exercise as you can, so you're physically exhausted, and your body releases natural hormones that can help you sleep too. I didn't do that yesterday so I didn't sleep well last night....so guess what I'm doing in the late afternoon today

 

Good luck Steve4AM, you're definitely not alone!

[Steve4AM 14]

   unfortunately the internet offers a million other alternatives to sleeping. i get worried about appointments where i have to log out and actually see people in person.  if i'm supposed to be a rockstar, ive gotta go do some shows, somehow that works, but i sometimes sleep late until hours before.  it's really bad.  there are a lot of famous people with OCD, somehow they managed to cope, but things would be so much easier if i could sleep when i wanted to

[sleepingpills21 0]

I share the same problem especially when i have something imp. to do tommorow such as a class test or project presentatoin . Worrying about sleep never lets me sleep.

[fortheo 15]

It's been just about three years since I started this topic. It's depressing to see how little I've changed. Damn.

[jonathan123 2367]

Hi fortheo. Now what have you been doing about it for three years? Are you in a setback; have you been feeling better but have gone back?

Talk some more if you wish and maybe we can help.    Jon. 

[fortheo 15]

Well, on the weekdays I sleep very odd hours. I'll nap a few hours here and there between my responsibilities. Then I will typical be up all night. It's come to the point where I don't even know If I want to change you know? like...I don't think there is anything wrong with me; I simply sleep better during the day than I do at night. There is just a lot of pressure for the majority of us to keep the same schedule as everyone else and I just suck at conforming I guess. I need to figure out how to work around my sleep schedule because I've tried my whole life to sleep better at night and it just doesn't sit well with me, both physically, and mentally. It also feels like I'd be sacrificing a part of myself if by some odd chance I ever fully acclimated to "normal sleep schedules". Maybe it's a control thing for me...I need this control over my life. I don't know really. It's not really hindering me at the moment though, it's just slightly annoying. I more so blame my exterior responsibilities placed on me by society than I blame my sleep schedule.

 

Random rant over.

[Grecial Ideal 0]

I've got the same problem. I think It all started when I noticed I looked very tired, you know barry eyes, and because I'm not a very confident person about my looks I told myself I HAD to sleep to get rid of the baggy eye stuff. I think that triggered what I now know / think is insomnia (?). I went to the general practitioner and he gave me 2 types of pills which worked maybe for 1 night but after that didn't work anymore. I could always get a little sleep on fridays and saturdays because I am usually knocked out drunk on those days, this made me think I needed a 'feeling' to get to sleep. Soooo I thought about smoking weed to get to sleep, I have been doing that for the past 4 months now and I sleep like 5 or 6 hours, but not very ehhmm relaxed, I still have baggy eyes.

So yeah right now I've said I would stop smoking weed because that ofcourse isn't a lifetime solution and it costs money and is bad for my health and stuff. I didn't smoke weed and didn't sleep at all last night, literally leighing there for a good 8 hours and just thinking about sleeping all the time ( I've had that all the time in this story ). Right now I'm in a position that I have to do something with my life and make quik dicision because I quit school and haven't found a job yet, I just cant seem to get myself to even fucking look for a job because I feel fuzzy/weird/shitty all day long. I'm thinking about just getting up every day at 5 AM and go walking, this should make me tired I hope, oh and meditation music whilst leighing in bed. For the rest I think I'm fucked for life because I'm an 'over thinker', even writing this will make me think about it even more and make it even harder, reading that after 3 years you still haven't gotten over your troubles makes me wish I didn't read that lol.....

Sorry for my grammar mistakes, English is not my native tongue.

[jonathan123 2367]

Hi fortheo. Sleep is a very individual thing. Some require a full 8 hours or even 10, others can get by on 6 or less. Does it matter when you sleep as long as you do? Why conform to what everyone else does? You are an individual who knows what is best for you, so don't be persuaded there is a 'norm' for anything. No such animal. During WW2 Winston Churchill used to drive everyone mad by not going to bed until 4 or 5 in the morning then sleeping round until 10 or 11 the next day. That was his pattern and it did him no harm. 'Responsibilities placed on you by society'. I know what you mean but it is how we carry out those responsibilities that make the difference.  It we worry about them, as we do in anxiety, they become a chore, but if we go about them willingly then they can become an interest. Any, rant whenever you want. A good rant often clears the  air.     Jon.

[jonathan123 2367]

Hi Grecial Ideal. Welcome to AC. Drink and weed are NOT relaxants and you delude yourself if you think they are. Alcohol is a depressant and weed is known to have long term effects of which insomnia is one. Both in anxiety are out, and if you can't do without them then you need some professional therapy that will help in that direction. All the time you indulge in these drugs, and yes alcohol is a drug as is nicotine, your recovery is going to be difficult. Sorry, but it is no good avoiding facts. Facing our problem is essential because only by recognising we have a problem can we do something about it. If your body has got used to drugs then it will take time to come off and a tapering programme would be necessary. Because someone says they have not recovered in 3 years it does not mean you won't. Anxiety takes everyone in different ways.

Taking medication with alcohol is dangerous and that is why the sleeping pills don't work. One combats the other. I hope you feel you can take some steps to remedy your situation.   By the way, your English is excellent and fully understood.   Jon.

[Grecial Ideal 0]

Thanks for your response Jonathan123. Just wanted to clarify that the weed use is a result of the 'I can't sleep because I think about sleeping too much' so I don't think I need professional therapy, but you are right about everything else yes. I've got a friend who smoked weed for a few years just to get to sleep aswell, and she told me that after quitting weed for 2 or 3 weeks she felt better and that she was able to sleep again, so that's what I'm going to try now. I don't think i need a tapering programme because I'm not the kind of person that gets addicted fast. In a few days I'll post my progress here about the few ideas that I have which might help me sleep better. Thanks for your quik respons and welcoming me.

[jonathan123 2367]

Hi GI. Thanks for coming back. I was a little afraid that I might have put you off.  .    The object of this site is to help others as well as ourselves, and I am sure you could come back with some really useful advice. There are many who have been on weed and have come off, but many find it difficult and contributions from someone such as yourself could help a lot. Given the will and determination you can succeed. 

Very best wishes.     Jon.

[Pistol Star 18]

On ‎21‎/‎07‎/‎2012 at 9:53 PM, JoJo said:

I do this quite a lot when I have insomnia. I guess it is only natural to worry about coping with no sleep, but it doesn't help with trying to actually get to sleep! I try and do other things to stop thinking about it, but my brain never switches off (that seems to be why I can't sleep in the first place!). The worst was when I had a couple of nights not getting to sleep till 9am (luckly I was working freelance but still had to be up before lunch!) and totally broke down the second night at about 7am because I was so tired and couldn't cope, but it's like the more exhausted I am the more wired I feel.

I feel the same, it doesnt make sense.