Scared to sleep

Why am I so scared to sleep? its like everytime i start to get tired I get scared to sleep...I think Im going to die in my sleep.  HELP.

[kimmi3333]

i am like that are you on any meds?i have to take mine that one of my anxietys and it sucks.what do u do to help you go to sleep?

[bonkers74]

I have the same fears!! I have to take xanax to make it go away. Do you have rapid heart beats or any other symptoms if so it could be panic attacks! Have you been under stress?
P.S you are not useless

[terip_]

i also used to have this but i just trie to do something real boring like reading the dictionary to make me super tired and then my body felt to weak to even freak out so i finally fell to sleep

[CharityP]

Oh yes, I have this too! Not all the time, but I know how scary it is.  What usually works for me is to think of something else....I will close my eyes and think of some project I need to do around the house.  Like I'll think about painting the living room and rearranging the furniture. It will keep my mind busy, trying to decide what color would look best on the walls, how the furniture should go, etc and usually I'll fall asleep while thinking about it. ;)

Charity

[GRAMPSSMILEY]

hello there,
is this sleeping problem your speaking of  LIKE WAKING UP UPON DOZING WITH YOUR HEART AS THOUGH IT STOPPED? i can talk on phoe read bible or? laying there but as soon as im dozing off i wake up like my heart stopped & re-started, i can feel it pumping, it goes really FAST then REALLY SLOW. all night i fight my sleep until like 6 am then i just fall asleep as normal. IT is SO SCARY. I am SO WORRIED.
i was in the er. with my mom one night & asked the Dr. she said its Anxiety.. Do you have anxiety? I am really worried....thanks & God Bless.

[sumihari]

Hi,

Try to think back when you first had the fear of sleeping. What happened, did you have palpitations before sleeping - this could mean you were anxious and haven't done your relaxation before going to sleep . Did you find yourself woken up by palpitations - this could be a panic attack during sleep - you may have had a nightmare.

Did you wake up because you couldn't breathe - this could mean sleep apnea or some side effects from any medication you may be taking which may be supressing your breathing . Some sleep aids can really cause breathing problems.

I suspect one of these above may have triggered a fear and now you are anxious falling asleep which is understandable. So see whether you can trace the origins , it may help overcome the problem you are facing. You may wish to consult a sleep specialist if you need extra help.

Hope this helps.

[lonewolf07]

There have been times when I feel myself falling asleep - and that's what it feels like FALLING asleep - when my rational mind says "everything is slowing down because that is what happens when you go to sleep" but my anxiety-filled self says "no, you're dying" which is how I interpret what you have said.  Sometimes the fear of sleeping lasts for a week or even longer.  My shrink won't give me sleeping pills and during these "episodes" I am too afraid to even take a minor tranquillizer or OTC headache meds.  It can be devestating.

I don't know of any way to alleviate this except for talking to my shrink or other people  about it.  Eventually the "rational" part will emerge and tell you that you are not going to die.  Don't know if it's any help or not but I watch TV a lot during these "episodes" and sleep if someone is around to keep an eye on me .... just in case.  It makes me feel somewhat safer.

Sleeping can be scary for anxious folks because we are giving up what little control we have and the analogy of sleep to death doesn't help any.  If you are really concerned that it might be physical, you can go to your dr and see what he/she says.

lonewolf

[peaches1982]

Most of the time when I lay down and try to go to sleep, I will feel like I cant swollow or breath and then I start to really panic.  I take remeron 60mg and klonopin 2mg at night to help me sleep, but that takes a while to work.  Does anyone else have this problem?

[shantheman85]

the past 3 or 4 days all hours i wake up cuz i cant keep my self asleep cuz i freak out like if i stay asleep i wont wake so i get up at like 8 every mornin with my body feeling like i havent been to sleep and i start all over again panicing my muscles are heavy and i just get nervous to sleep does anyone know what that could be

[Madcow_57]

Seems like I am not alone here. I go to bed with the fear I am going to die in my sleep. My heart is racing. I wake up suddenly thinking I have died. I have even sat up and looked back at wear I am laying, thinking I am looking back at my body. I feel I should go to the doctors but feel daft!

[astridtetsche]

I have the same kind of troubles too, thought slightly different since I'm terrified about not sleeping. My heart starts racing and I go into a kind of panic. I've had this for years and I don't know how to calm myself down.

[medic0084]

Before jumping into the pharmocology pool.  Go have a sleep study done, its very easy and non invasive.  Many sleep disorders manifest themselves in different ways.  Sleep Apnea for instance, or RLS (aka jumpy leg disease).  You get to a point where your body doent want to sleep because it has to deal with these issues

[mom2makinlee]

This happened to me when I was 18...it was my first dose of anxiety/panic.  I was so scared to go to sleep that I started sleeping with my mom because I was scared to sleep in my own bed alone.  She was really worried about me but in the end all turned out to me anxiety.  I have been on meds ever since then...I am 27 now.  I still do this every now and then but I have xanax now so I just take some and it makes me pass out.  I do tend to have anxiety attacks right before bed which I thought was interesting.  I wonder if that is because my meds are starting to wear off for the day.

Anyways...I say a prayer every night before I go to sleep and it actually calms me down...you know "Now I lay me down to sleep I pray the lord my soul to keep.  If I die before I wake I pray the lord my soul to take.  God bless (whomever you want to bless)."  I am really not a religious person so no clue why this helps me but it does.

Learned this when I was a kid (as I am sure others did as well) and if my fiance knew I did this every night he would probably laugh his butt off.  On my way to work every morning I also thank god for giving me the day to enjoy and live (even with this horrible anxiety).    

Sometimes if I am having really bad anxiety I will wish on a star...stupid I know but when I was a kid my parents told me that when you die you become a star.  I always find my grandmother and make a wish.  (When she passed all my anxiety started so I always ask her for help to get me through)  

Ok now that I have embarrassed myself telling you all these childish things I do and I am 27 and have a 4 year old daughter of my own...I am gonna go...LOL

Bye everyone and hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!!!!

[sleepless5013]

wow, Im so glad I typed in scared to go to sleep in google. I thought I was alone. Im 24 years old and still have people watch me sleep sometimes. It is so sad lol. Sometimes I think my heart will stop but most of the time I think Im going to stop breathing. I have pills to take, but i have anxiety about taking pills. lol. so i stay up but then i have anxiety about not getting enough sleep. my mind just wont give me a break.  I work in a hospital and see doctors and nurses making fun of people with panic attacks all the time. Some people just dont understand. anxiety is so terrible. I can handle some of the scariest  things in life but I cant handle my own mind. the only thing I find that helps is falling asleep to something you are comfortable with. I watch the simpsons lol. I guess its because I watched them when I was a kid. I hope to find  a wife someday that has the same problem. That way we could just lay in bed and panic together.lol  I know that sounds dumb, but just talking to somebody that has the problem would be so great.

[h20guy]

has anyone lost a loved one any time soon?.all these things has happened to me since my father passed away and i somehow feel this is connected.i used to make my wife stay awake until i fell asleep because i thought i was going to die. i know certain foods contribute somehow. i have the rapid heart beat,i heat up and sweat,get gassy,jittery feeling.sometimes in the day now i get this rapid ,pounding heart beat this is the worst of it lately.

[Taybey]

i take two 1mg of ativan plus 20 mg of paxil and on my own I take 2 tylenol pms.  i then can fall asleep.  I just have always had a hard time sleeping i use to drink but I can no longer do that im an acholohlic.  I will die if I drink again.  So tylenol pm it is for me, anyone else use this?

[jqu3ma]

Wow I thank all you guys. you guys have helped me so much. I can honestly say I pointed out about 4 or 5 similar symptoms that I suffer from. I wish I knew what all this is called maybe then ill have a better way of explaining to people what im suffering from. its litereally about to be 4 am in nyc lol.

I don't know if im the only one suffering from this, but along with this disorder that we're all suffering from, everytime I wake up certain little things happen and it makes you feel like its your last day.. and you feel as tho when u go to sleep "This is it" is it just me?

I really want to go to a doctor for this but until my insurance clears up im litereally stuck been dealing with this for months now nd I HATE it.

[LisBee83]

I am 26 years old and the mother of an 8 year old daughter! About 4 years ago I experienced my first panic attack at work! It was my first bartending job and as soon as the bar got packed I started to feel like my throat was closing up and I couldn't breathe! For a while after that they stopped and recently they have started back! 10 TIMES WORSE THAN BEFORE!! I have been on Ativan and have found that to work really well! However now I have just started to experience waking up every 20 minutes or so in my sleep with the fear of dying and not being able to wake back up! Ughhhh it is driving me insane! Any ideas on what to do other than taking meds? Tylenol PMS do not work either! I just do not want to have to take another pill! Thank you and GOD BLESS!!

[erasmus2002]

You may have a slight degree of Mitral Valve Prolapse. This is where the mitral valve in your heart does not close fully and a tiny bit of blood squirts back into the left atrium. Maybe as much as one in five people have this, most being unaware. A good GP can diagnose this with a stethoscope and a Cardiologist will see it on an ECG.

Most often it is not life-threatening, not even life changing. There is a causal link (not understood) to anxiety of the type you describe. Occasionally it might cause the feeling of ectopic (skipped) heart beats, etc. etc. The temptation to resort to medication should in general be resisted, as they will do little but put you on a pharmacological roller-coaster.

A balanced diet, a sensible exercise regime and an engaged (busy & fulfilling) lifestyle should help you to cope with this problem. It will take time, and might seem worse at the beginning, but could constitute a long-term solution.

NOTE: This is a personal opinion of your condition and does not consist of or should be construed as medical advice. You should consult your personal physician before commencing or ceasing any course of treatment.

[SmokinDuby]

I.get.like.that.EVERY.NIGHT!
its.really.hard.to.deal.with.
I.always.think.I.wont.wake.up.in.the.morning..
It.*****.
Couldn't.tell.ya.how.to.deal.with.it.
I'm.in.the.same.boat

[abcdefg1]

I have this too - it's like just as I get that feeling that I am about to drop off, I wake myself up feeling like I'm panicing a little. I have to try to think about other things or read a book untill I can't keep my eyes open. Basically I fall asleep "by mistake" every night - when I've stopped noticing. Having said that, I sleep pretty well but I do get afraid of bedtime every night.
Really strange though - if I have a doze in the day I have no problem at all.

[Paigemcbreezy]

I had a dream I was back in 5th grade and it felt so real that in my dream the kid version of me had a panic attack because I thought I was really in the past and stuck there forever and then I woke up having a panic attack. I had to get up and look around and check the date before I calm down. Now I'm scared to go to sleep because I'm afraid I'll have that dream and not wake up ever! :(

[PharmGirl75]

I'm not usually one to comment, but if it makes anyone feel better- I will tell you that you are not alone, and can overcome this! When I had emergency surgery at 18, for a ruptured ovarian cyst, all of my problems with anxiety started. I assume it's because for the first time in my life, I learned I was NOT invincible, my body could betry me without warning. Then, a year later I was diagnosed with Mitral Valvue Prolapse. Needless to say, I had to move back home with my parents (I was married!) and made my dad sit up with me almost every night. I was so afraid to sleep, because I was certain that I would die- since if anything went wrong I wouldn't be awake to notice. This feeling resulted in my heart racing, skipping beats, sweating, chest pain- and then, I was certain I WAS dying. My dad would drive me to the ER at least 3-4 times per week- nearly as soon as I got in the car, I would settle down. By the time I'd get an EKG, I was totally over the attack. Just knowning I was "safe" at the hospital was good enough. Luckily I was military, lived less than a mile from the base, and had free medical care. If not, I'd be bankrupt.
I had every heart test known to the medical community done. I have also had MRI's, CT scans, etc-- because I've been certain that I had a brain tumor due to headaches, that my ovary was going to rupture at every cramp, or that any "foggy" feeling meant I was dying.
I'm nearly 34 now, and always blessed with free/cheap medical care to alleviate any phobia that may come along.
The bottom line? Remind yourself that if you were having a heart attack, you would already be dead- and that there is no such thing as a "transient heart attack" that comes and goes as it pleases. Let yourself enjoy the advice my old family practice doctor gave to me- which is "The vast majority of brain tumors are painless- as the brain has no nerves within it" Additionally, a brain anyeurism (sp?) will kill you rather quickly- so those sharp "icepick" pains in your head that come and go from time to time? Yeah- not a blood vessel bursting... or you'd be dead!

I understand that telling yourself how silly you are is not much help when you are having anxiety- I've battled it for nearly 15 years- and when it started for me, the doctors didn't even consider anxiety or panic- so they would give me a diagnosis that just gave me more to worry about.

I guess I just find it helpful to rationalize. I used to find it helpful to medicate with xanax at bedtime (.25 to go to sleep) I thought it was the best medication on earth, and couldn't understand why everyone wasn't taking it- literally, my favorite phrase was "dude, you need a xanax!"
That worked well for the past two years- until the last 6 months when I started to "panick" that I was losing my mental faculties- short term memory loss, lack of coordination, difficulty find "words" to describe something, and having to resort to "simple" or uneducated terms. I lost my 6 figure job as a result of not being able to contribute with strategic thinking anymore- I couldn't focus, concentrate or stay on track.
That lead me to termporarily thinking xanax during the day was a good idea as well, until I friend shared with me the side effects of xanax that I was NOT aware of- especially the memory loss, agitation, irritability (when it wore off).
I quit taking the xanax, and yes- it's VERY hard to go to sleep now- but I just keep persisting with Melatonin, and reminding myself that my last heart ultrasound showed no change from the one 4 years ago, and that I'm less likey to die in my sleep than my husband laying next to me snoring, who seems to "choke" and stop breathing every now and then. ;-)
Best to you all! Since most anxiety sufferers also tend to be chronic "control freaks'-- try doing what I do- reminding myself that my panic attack is "mind over matter", and that I can control it if I want. I don't know if it will work for you, but the control freak in me really likes that!

[apnea]

It's good to not be alone on this but I wouldn't wish it on anyone. It's 1 am and I can't even lay down in my bed without getting very anxious. It is horrible.

On 9/8/09 I quit smoking ...cold turkey. In less than 2 months I gained 15 lbs. Evidently, that extra body weight was enough to make me have sleep apnea. At least, that's what much googling has lead me to believe. Thank gawd for the internet!

When sleeping, my airway will sometimes close up and I'll stop breathing. I am jolted awake with severe panic... probably from the adrenaline my brain has just shot into my body to make me wake up and BREATHE!

Over the past 5-7 days my bedtime anxiety is getting r-e-a-l-l-y bad. Now, I'm at the point that I can't even lay down without freaking out. I'm very tired but I'm wide awake because of the anxiety.

I'll have to lose these 15-20 lbs and hopefully, will be able to sleep again.

I have had situational anxiety much of my life but never about sleeping.

Ok back to googling "scred to sleep"

[beth659]

I know I have to go to bed, but the fear for not waking up the next day has always scared me. How I usually feel when that happens..My head is going to explode, is it what we call "Head rush"? maybe. So many thing going on inside of my head that I can't describe ,like fighting for my life, having  nightmares. I often fight to wake up and run to a place where there are people that I can explain the feeling. Of course my husband specially thinks that I am losing it. Although I feel the same way, but I occasionally distract myself by drinking some cold water and pray, just to reassure myself it is not  a brain tumor or diabetes, for  I had that bad habit of eating too late. I stopped eating after 7 P.M unless if it is some tea with some crackers . Because I used to find myself eating after coming from work at 10.00 P.M and let me tell you, the pain that I experience while trying to sleep, it's like having a stroke. Those informations retrieved from you all have helped me realize that other people share the same pain and together we can fight this by getting informations and sharing them among us .And I also experience that more often, when I am really tired and have a busy schedule next day, anxiety, stress related, and the week before having my menstrual period.

[curiouslook]

Not sure if I would call my situation exactly the same. I do not feel scared before getting in the bed but once I am in it and trying to sleep. After some time I start noticing smallest of smallest sounds around me, anything at all. Fabric moving on my skin makes me feel that something might be crawling. And in no time my heart starts racing, I start getting confused that what is happening with a feeling of suffocation. What solves the problem immediately for me is getting out of the bed and sitting in front of my computer and watch just about anything (preferably comedy). This does takes my mind off but this situation really bothers me.

Sometime back I when I was ignoring all my problems I would sleep for several hours a day without any problem and now when I have started dealing with them and working on solutions it is giving me this problem.

While I was ignoring these problems I was smoking lot of marijuana and found out on internet that anxiety is one of the side effects. I am not sure if it was using it that is making me panic like this or leaving it as it is also a withdrawal symptom.

I just trying to build up some patience for this and give it some time to subside by itself.

One thing that I tried yesterday was to play music while sleeping. I decided to keep playing instrumental music in the background. The same feeling did start coming back but as I knew that I had played the music on purpose I was still in touch with the reality, I thought of it as a reality check.

I guess I have always had some or the other kind of sleep disorder, either sleeping too much or sleeping too less and I guess I never slept on time. Plus my interest in psychology I looked up for options and found that there are better options for diagnosing sleep disorders.

--------------------------------------------------
It is called Polysomnography or Sleep Study, in this the patient is monitored through out the night or even day if required and all the brain, heart, body etc. activities are recorded.

You can read more about it at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_study
--------------------------------------------------

The reason why I am suggesting it is that many of the previously posted comments mentioned about their inability to even get their problem diagnosed.

With all my heart truly hope that things would soon get better for you and for me as well.

[kazza367]

ive had anxiety for 19 years, im anxious about almost everything possible, my nerves are in shatters. When i go to bed im fine i take the laptop with me or a book and i find that having the tv on with no sound when u lie down is most comforting. I sometimes fall off to sleep and wake up with a jolt and dont know where i am and i have to shake my body to wake my self up properly. Some advice i give is : dont drink any coffee, tea or coke eat chocolate about 2 or  3 hours before you go to bed, leave tv on with no sound or read a book before you sleep. This has worked for me and another this is to have your mobile by the side of your bed, this is just knowing you have someone to talk to on the other end. This is all is our MINDS when we are anxious our blood pressure rises which makes our mucles flare up and our hearts start racing and we hyperventerlate, sorry bout spelling!!! imagine blowing an air bed up you keep blowing into the bed and most of the time you feel lightheaded and out of breath, so when u keep breathing fast when u are anxious this will make you feel the same way. Im in the middle of theapy for anxiety, and am goin through cognative theapy over the phone, you will all get over this because i did but its come back again because of christmas worries and being ill with the flu. good luck to all of you

[MartineMoreau]

You should all look into the One Move technique from Joe Barry. It has helped me immensily in coping with the anxiety and reduce it's effects. I signed up for the news letter on his website that are free and they have helped me over hurdles.

When my anxiety started it was at night and I was scared to go to sleep. I'd fall asleep from exhaustion and get the full body spasm that would wake me up and scare me. What has helped me the most for this was to do something relaxing before bedtime, Either take a bath, listen to something relaxing (music not tv too stumulating), do some relaxing exercise, or yoga.

Best of luck you can deal with this without medication using the One move technique but if you need help over the hurdle meds can help.

[jimgreg]

that was a long thread..yes i also have this..im on bi pap therpy for sevre sleep apnea.i wont go to sleep till i know once i get the gear on i will go out..i know what you go threw  ..its a anxiety..

[supervioletrain]

Someone talked about the analogy of sleep to death. If that is making you scared in any way, and your fear is psychological: this analogy is just literary. It's similar in symbolic terms. But in no way is it similar to reality. When you sleep, you even have certain senses active - keeping you from rolling off the bed, waking up if someone says your name or there is light or sounds that are louder. I think it might help you to research what happens in your brain when you sleep, like sleep/REM cycles. Because that will make sleeping more real to you. Your brain is working very well when you sleep, even your heart rate increases at certain points in your sleep and your eyes move (your digestive system works). The only thing that's making you seem like you're "lifeless" (which is VERY much NOT true!! when you're asleep) is that your brain shuts off movement so that in your dreams when you think of doing something, you don't actually do it in real life hahah. But that can easily be corrected when you wake up or something forces you to wake up. Dying in your sleep for seemingly no reason, it seems, often only happens to people who die of old age, or in babies if the sudden death thing sadly happens =\. Not to people in between. However, if you have something like sleep apnea, where you wake up and you're not breathing, or maybe you've done it and didn't remember it but someone noticed that you wake up during sleep, then definitely go to a doctor and ask them if you have sleep apnea. That can be a serious problem. Otherwise, especially if it's just psychological, don't worry about THAT please - falling asleep doesn't mean your body shuts off - it is working just as well as it is when you're awake. I'm not trying to force anyone to think any way, but I hope it helps. I have an axiety a little about falling alseep - but I never have fears about dying in my sleep. More like waking up hahah.

You posted this in 2007 it appears. I hope your anxiety situation has gotten better since then!

[nowachi]

I am afraid to sleep simply because of its nothing, like dieing, you don't feel or hear anything. its just utter silence. and it terrorfies me thinking of it...

[nowachi]

I am afraid to sleep simply because of its nothing, like dieing, you don't feel or hear anything. its just utter silence. and it terrorfies me thinking of it...

[MayMayMeemers]

>>>your brain shuts off movement so that in your dreams when you think of doing something, you don't actually do it in real life hahah<<<

This is not true one bit. There are many people who sleep walk and talk in their sleep.
this is a function everyone does wheather it be when you are shifting in bed or sleep walking. My sisters man had a habit of sleep acting which he would eat food (none  existant foods) in bed or talk like he was awake.


Some people have this issue and don't even know it. everyone has a form of sleep acting.
your brain doesnt really shut down it just sends signals to the body that it is time to rest. if your brain shut down movement there'd be no eye movements when one dreams, there'd be no smacking of lips or rolling over.


_____________________________________________________________


Well, if you are young and healthy don't worry about it. just ignore the feelings, take a hot shower drink warm milk, read a book or watch a calming show you enjoy.
I have a fear of the dark STILL and I need the tv on to sleep and calm me down otherwise I get paniced. it is called,"THE VICIOUS CYCLE" once you realize it is anxiety you will either get well on your own or need to get meds and theropy.
I have meds but it seems my attacks need to be addressed with a theropist aswell.

[SWEETPEA05]

HI+I+READ+UR+COMMENT+AND+WAS+HAPPY+TO+HEAR+IM+NOT+THE+ONLY+ONNE+GOING+THRU+THIS.+EVERYTHING+U+EXPLAINED+HOW+U+FEEL.+IM+THE+EXACT+SAME+WAY..+I+WAS+WONDERING+HOW+DO+U+DEAL+WITH+ANXIETY%3F%3F

[supervioletrain]

Nonono, okay I agree with you that people can move around in their sleep. I know you've had experiences with people who move in their sleep. But, the thing is, that is the brain's FUNCTION - it tries to shut off motor things so that your desire to move and otherwise your command to do so won't actually happen. When you sleepwalk, it's like that system not working properly (well you can't really say "properly" because a lot of people sleepwalk and most get by with sleepwalking.) but that's the reason people "as a rule" don't move - because your brain does that. Idk about your eyes moving, but I think that's involuntary when you sleep. A person's system, as far as I know breaks off into voluntary and kinda not voluntary movement (like heartbeats, digestive system, etc.) and the latter stays when you sleep. I mean the idea I wrote before was almost said word-for-word in a psychology book so it probs can't be that wrong. It's like, there's one thing it shuts down (for the most part yeah - it keeps some things and even senses! so that you don't like fall out of bed or probably get neck cramps - the brain is a VERY complex thing but it's cool), idk how to explain it, but basically motor things.

And so as not to get off-topic in this cool thread, I was led again to this by mistake - I typed in a long set of words on google search intended to try to find something completely different and this was the only search result. It's like fate. In any case, it's reminding me to sleep. I think I'm having less fears now. (My friend told me one thing when I said I was afraid burglars were gonna come to my room. "In [insert name of my town]? I don't think that would happen in [my town]." And I thought... it hasn't been on the news ever as far as I know, and if something like that happenned it would have made headlines, and it never did. And if it were to happen for some reason, I wouldn't be "lucky" enough for those events to pass in my house - if you threw a dart into this city or even if you considered what would be easiest for a burglar/murderers - considering allll those buildings, yeah probably would be some building on the corner - and that would make bizzare healines. So far nothing like that has happenned on the news that I remember at ALL in my town and hopefully that will continue.) Good night. (Happy new years)

[Jen8773]

I had this fear a few years ago when my doc told me i was suffering from Panic attacks, I was prescribed 50mg of Zoloft for the panic attacks. There is a reason why you are feeling this way could it be panic attacks? i cant say i am not a doctor but it wouldnt hurt to see one. Try to take deep breathes and tell yourself there is nothing to be afraid of, say a silent prayer, count back from 100 and just try to relax. Yes i realize this is easier said than done, believe me i no. But you will be okay. See that doctor! Thats why they are there. Good luck to you and please let me know how you are doing and make out. I will be saying a prayer for you tonight. P.s you are not useless..if anything having these problems just makes us stronger.

[broken_12]

i have this friend who can't sleeo personally ivenever had the propblem but its kinda getting to me alot and i duun o im worried about her and i really want her to get so sleep and is there anything i can do to help her its just she a major part of my life and i don't want her to turn into some nut job or anything from this i dunno if that even possible but yeah if anyone can help send me an email @ brokeb_heart_bullets***@**** yeah its an old email never really changed it yet

[blonkerz]

for those who have tried everything in the book:


listen to a podcast!  look up a podcast about your favorite thing (twilight,  anime, computers, music), make it something quirky that will distract you, even make you laugh, to distract you from falling asleep.

I have a terrible diet, haven't exercised in a while, am super stressed out, but podcasts at night completely distract me from everything include the horror of "going under". Hope this helps.

[blonkerz]

^ To be clear, listen to podcasts -while- you are trying to fall asleep, either on your comp or your iPod or whatever.

[thefinestwhoever]

I'm so glad to know I'm not alone
I'm scared to sleep. I've been for the past week. Not to long ago, a neighbor of mine passed away unexpectedly and although he was not extremely close to me, I have a tendency to get anxious and ever since then, I've become extremely anxious. I've had this same thing happend to me when my grandmother passed away: I was just too scared to sleep. So I started to sleep with my other grandparents. Now, I can't sleep in their room b/c there's no extra bed so I'm just freaked out and school stress is really stressing me out. Idk. It was getting to the point where I typed it in and found this. I'm so glad to know, once again, that I'm not alone. Take care, guys.

[thefinestwhoever]

I'm so glad to know I'm not alone
I'm scared to sleep. I've been for the past week. Not to long ago, a neighbor of mine passed away unexpectedly and although he was not extremely close to me, I have a tendency to get anxious and ever since then, I've become extremely anxious. I've had this same thing happend to me when my grandmother passed away: I was just too scared to sleep. So I started to sleep with my other grandparents. Now, I can't sleep in their room b/c there's no extra bed so I'm just freaked out and school stress is really stressing me out. Idk. It was getting to the point where I typed it in and found this. I'm so glad to know, once again, that I'm not alone. Take care, guys.

[Mikey162]

I am only 12 and I can't fall asleep I end up looking at my door to see if anyone is coming in and I turn on the desk light on my night table and looking at the seeling till morning comes somone plz help?

[Wozzor]

Hey all, this is the first time ive read up on a forum about axiety and its really good to know that iam not going MAD. I also get (heart pains/Chest pains/ Sleep problems/ Nighttime attacks when sleeping/ numness/ VISIONS of people that ive never seen before and more) Normally or lately my problem is with the sleeping. i get woken up by my son asking me to make him milkshake at about 1:00am every morning. this accurs the panac attack which then starts the mind thinking !!!
Ive had little symtoms (symptoms) of axiety from the age of 15. Now iam 27 and finding as life goes on the attacks are getting worst and longer.
Some tips i find help:
THINKING POSITIVE
Starting each day by washing and waking my self up compleatly
DONT miss breakfast !
NOT smoking. Gave up about 4 weeks ago. So if you do smoke i would say try to give up via nicorette gum. This relates to thinking positive also. It will also slow your heart rate down within a week or two which you can check with your GP heart rate before and rate after. You can then use this as a trick to tell the brain that your heart rate is normal because we all should know that smoking speeds it up.
GETTING OUT MORE
I find myself nackered bringing up 3 kids while my partner works. But taking them out in the day time to places like kids kingdom or the park helps me take my mind of the attacks "Chest pains" it also makes them sleep longer LOL.
The other think ive noticed that the tablets from the doctor started with 10mg then 20 then 30 then 75mg each day. But i was still getting pains and relying on these day to day. Ive now stopped this tablets and using the more of the positive way to deal with these attacks. I find it helps !!!
Also please note that if you are a big time online game player that the attacks might be started because of the lights and sounds within the game. You might find yourself laying in bed thinking about the items and leveling up your character Ect... This will NOT relax you. If you relate to this section. try cutting the game play down.
CUT THE TEA AND COFEA DOWN BIG TIME !!!
Drink more water or juice to help your thirst.

Sometimes i think to my self that these problems will never go away because over the years they have gotten worst. But i also relise that tablets take time to get OFF and only help in short term. Ah and stay away from the RED BULL its sends people with axiety crazy !

I thank you all again or your tips and tricks, Please keep me posted as i would like to know more.

Kind regards
Warren

[hiding_shadow]

i read differernt forms all the time and never commemt on them. its 2 am and just i googled "scarded of sleep". i hve had all the same stories as you all for the past three to four years now. now im afraid that this problem will never go away. at night time when the rest of the house is asleep i freak out and panic. im scared im going to die. i have had countless trips to the er and because of it, now i am in so mch debt from medical bills, which just makes my anxiety worse (financial problems). it makes me feel a lot better knowing that other people feel the same as me, though i would never wish this upon anyone and hope we all can overcome anxiety problems. my mind just opens up at night time and thinks of everything i dont want it to think of. it does seems like this only happens at night time, in the day i almost never have a problem. because of this i am on google looking up every medical topic i can think of all night. i swear i can be a doctor now because of all the time i have spent googling diff medical problems. anyways it just feels good to type this out and share. i think i can get through one more tough night now. thanks and be strong everyone.

[ZG100]

Thank goodness I found this forum.

I have been having this problem for about a week.

Just when I fall asleep, I wake up with a start, heart racing, nausea.
I think I'm going to die in my sleep.

So tired during the day I can usually get in a 30-60 minute nap before waking again- but at night it's no go.

This just seemed to appear out of the blue.
So glad to know I'm not alone in this.

[somewhereinsc]

I know now I am not crazy and that I am no longer alone in this. Bless all of you, I hope you find relief for your suffering.

[29sillygirl]

This is a great topic.  It might be nice to restart a thread.  Lots of great advice in this older one, but it is getting a mite long to wade through.

Be good to draw a few  veterans of the anxiety wars into this interesting topic.

One of you current posters..........how about starting a new thread?

[Spooky1031]

i am having problems sleeping,always have,but having a fear of sleeping just recently started(about a week ago) i get tired,really tired,but am somehow scared to sleep,now,it aint that i am afraid of death/dying in my sleep,i don't have heart palps or anything,just a really nervous,scared feeling,it's just something i feel,i worry it's something in my subconsous,maybe dreams(though i barely ever remember my dreams,i feel as though i didn't dream) but i've also been waking up feeling odd.like something bad has just happened,my eyes are usually watery like i just cried,i'm 30 years old,i have had an idea that i might sometimes have seizures in my sleep,cause my arms and legs will be sore,sometimes it feels like i've bit my tongue,i don't know what's happening,why this just started,i had lead poisoning when i was 5,and i aften have migraines/wake up with migraines, i am thinking i need to see a psychiatrist about it,or should i see about a sleep clinic,or just see a regular dr. i don't know,any help would be greatly appreciated.thanks

[BeHAPPY94]

hey im 16. i too am afraid to fall asleep. Im scared of the gunshots. I have heard many gunshots at night which make me scared to fall asleep. I stay up as late as possible on weekends and days off from school till the sun rises at about 5 or 6am. Its so hard because even though i feel sleepy i can't let my self fall i feel like i will never wakeup again if i do. But then when the suns up i feel a little safer. Its even harder that i have no one to talk to about this not even my parents because they'll think im crazy and won't take me seriously.. :( i need help and i know it.

I also have mild OCD in which i feel the need to check constantly that doors and windows are locked it takes me like 10 minutes every night because i know its unreasonable so i just let the obession fades which it does sometimes..

[Nickyxox]

I'm 18 years old and have done and still suffer from anxiety.
I only started having problems around a year ago, around the time I started university.
I had headaches in the evenings along with feeling lightheaded and like I couldn't breathe. This made me scared to sleep.
My doctor ran blood tests and confirmed that I probably had anxiety and tension headaches, all brought about by stress. You see when you are stressed you strain the muscles in the back of your head which results in headaches.
You wouldn't believe how common it is to be scared to sleep, when describing how I felt to my doctor he was almost able to finish my sentances he'd heard it so often! Yet he was very sympathetic.

My advice, see your doctor, it will give you peace of mind. Mine has reccommended cogntive behavioural therapy which aims to change faulty ways of thinking, I'm looking forward to starting it as a close friend told me it works wonders!
I would really advice against medication unless you really think it's necessary as it's only ever going to treat the symptoms not the cause and I think it's better to have some sort of therapy that will give you a way to deal with your fears,

For immediate relief, concentrate on your breathing, take deep breathes and if you have a panic attack use a paper bag to breathe in and out of. However do go to a doctor because they will be able to help.
Really really hope this helps, remember you are not alone!

[jonners]

its 4am and i cant get to sleep because i am just scared that i wont wake up! i get the feeling that when i close my eyes i am sliding towards death and last week i woke up bolt upright feeling like my heart had stopped and then been shocked back into beating again - it was terrifying and that just made me even more weary of going to sleep incase it happens again!!
am so glad i logged on here cos i felt as tho i should go to the dr but am a 28yr old male and thought i would sound like a complete weirdo.
i feel a lot more comfortable about going now knowing that EXACTLY the same feelings are happening to other ppl.
great to read some of the advice too.
thanks for help putting my mind at some sort of rest and hope it gets better for all of you too.

[apples4ever]

i always feel like i'm being watched when i try to go to sleep i can be anywhere and i still feel watch i acctually passed out one day at GS camp cause i couldn't sleep for 3 days idk what to do

[globalcitizen05]

Thank you all for being so open and honest about being afraid to sleep. I definitely have my moments where I'm afraid to sleep because I'm "certain" I won't wake up the next morning. It's good to know I am not alone. We are all in this together!!

One thing that helps me A LOT is chanting the words NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO, which is a Buddhist chant that activates the inner happiness inside of you. All I do is repeat the words over and over, until eventually I find myself waking up the next morning laughing at myself for thinking I was going to die.

This chant, which is based on the law of cause and effect, is teaching me that anxiety has it's roots, and it's definitely coming from some place in my life that I'm too afraid to look at.  In other words, the effects of anxiety are coming from some kind of causes I made in the past. For me, it was during my childhood, I started to develop this belief that I was a bad person. Those beliefs heightened, as I got involved with drugs and started to devalue my life. Because of all these bad causes I made, I started to believe my life was doomed for tragedy. I thought I would die in a plane crash, or have a heart attack or die in my sleep.   Eventually this disbelief in myself  manifested into major panic attacks and constant anxiety. When I began vigorously chanting these words, I started to see a huge shift in my way of thinking. I became more confident, and less scared to go to sleep.  But more than that, I was able to identify where the anxiety was coming from. I think for many of us not knowing WHY the anxiety is happening drives us even crazier. So now I understand that anxiety is only a symptom of what's going on inside of my heart. This chant has taught me that as long as I can transform what is in my heart, then no doubt I will manifest different symptoms; confidence, courage, happiness. Cause and effect right?

For those of you who have tried every type of strategy to overcome anxiety and have found no solution, try chanting NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO and I seriously guarantee results!!!

If you want more info check out www.*******.org

Thanks for reading!
-Michael

[globalcitizen05]

So I guess, this site does not allow me to post links to other websites.

The site I was mentioning above is:  www(dot)sgi-usa(dot)org, replace the (dot) with a period.

Thanks!

[coltSmith]

Hello everyone, I'm Colton. I wanted to comment because i'm assuming it will make me feel better (not working). I was fired from my bartending job at P.F. Changs a few months back and decided to get my EMT certification done so I could save lives instead of getting people buzzed. With that said, one has to pass the national registry exam in order to become a certified EMT. ...I failed my first time. :( ...the following day I had a really gnarley panic attack. It was the first day of the Fall semester where I was on board to take 18 units, I didn't have a job, my sister was in rehab for alcoholism and I failed my first test attempt. It all just hit me when I arrived back home from school that day. I went pale, i started shaking, my throught felt like it was closing up...I'm 23, I had to call my Mom at ten at night and explain to her what was happening. And after realizing I was having a panic attack I started to feel better (which Im feeling now). ....haha, long story short...It's all in our head. We have to think positive. And after drinking copious amounts of alcohol the night before...ya, that doesn't make it better at all. So here I am...4 in the morning..can't fall alseep because I think I'm not going to wake up...my muscels are twitching, I barely ate any food today...ughhh! I hate feeling like this! Its a feeling of impending doom that doesn't get better in tell you talk yourself down from the ledge (figuratively speaking). After reading all these comments...I think the people that hit it right on the head were the people that said good exercise, well balanced meals, positive thinking, and prayer was key. It makes me feel better too to just smile...for no reason...just a big smile that you don't let go of till you feel secure. Try it. It works. Don't let it go, smile big!

[samesun]

It is 5:00 am now, and i still did not go to bed because i know i am going to die if i do. but i have this every night and still wake up the next morning. been trying to explain to people that dozing off feels like i am dying, and it maked me jump all of a sudden with my heart racing. scariest feeling i have ever had. i am so glad i found this thread, as i can see now that other people are going through the same thing.
have not slept in weeks, and my work is suffering from it.
i have finally taken an appointment at a sleep clinic on sunday, and they will monitor me while i sleep to figure out what is wrong and if i have sleep apnea.

hope this nightmare ends soon. i want my life back

[reed1978]

i have many things going on. but as far as the sleep problem. mine is like this. i lie down my heart is racing. as it does during the day,  and this is crazy but,. this problem with me thinking my heart is gonna stop when i go 2 sleep started when i was in the kindergarten. we went on a field trip to the fire station. as we went through the station we came apon a fire truck. the fire man showed us around he pulled out the machine that monitors your heart rate. and bam my first intrusive thought. i actually thought i had no heart at all! i prayed quietly that he wouldnt pick me. i starting freaking out. ever since then i often feel my heart beat, and think its all messed up. and for a long time thought i wasnt even alive haha, now every time i go 2 bed i feel it, and when i do nod off many times im awaken to me actually going through the motions of dieing, i stay awake untill someone in my house is awake and then go sleep on my couch so they can watch me. i honestly thought untill i was 22 that i was the only one like this. what it came down to is i have ocd. and many thoughts like this pop in my head. i cant focus on anything very long because of these thoughts. never have had insurance since i was diagnosed. i lost my job because i couldnt sleep and my phycoligist couldnt see me anymore caz i have no money, anyway, my point is its all in your head. if you have insurance or can work long enough to get it,. then plz do. dont live with this your whole life w/o help caz it sux. it can get better though. i use aroma therapy. herbal tea aroma of different verieties can reduce anxiety in an amazing way. although it doesnt keep thoughts out it does help me stay calm.

[reed1978]

i have many things going on. but as far as the sleep problem. mine is like this. i lie down my heart is racing. as it does during the day,  and this is crazy but,. this problem with me thinking my heart is gonna stop when i go 2 sleep started when i was in the kindergarten. we went on a field trip to the fire station. as we went through the station we came apon a fire truck. the fire man showed us around he pulled out the machine that monitors your heart rate. and bam my first intrusive thought. i actually thought i had no heart at all! i prayed quietly that he wouldnt pick me. i starting freaking out. ever since then i often feel my heart beat, and think its all messed up. and for a long time thought i wasnt even alive haha, now every time i go 2 bed i feel it, and when i do nod off many times im awaken to me actually going through the motions of dieing, i stay awake untill someone in my house is awake and then go sleep on my couch so they can watch me. i honestly thought untill i was 22 that i was the only one like this. what it came down to is i have ocd. and many thoughts like this pop in my head. i cant focus on anything very long because of these thoughts. never have had insurance since i was diagnosed. i lost my job because i couldnt sleep and my phycoligist couldnt see me anymore caz i have no money, anyway, my point is its all in your head. if you have insurance or can work long enough to get it,. then plz do. dont live with this your whole life w/o help caz it sux. it can get better though. i use aroma therapy. herbal tea aroma of different verieties can reduce anxiety in an amazing way. although it doesnt keep thoughts out it does help me stay calm.

[HawaiianBoi15]

Ill tell you that i am going on my 3rd week straight of this messed up sleeping schedule.  Last night i got only an hour of sleep before having to wake up and go to work...  

my stories go like this... i am fine during the day esp when i am around people.. as soon as dusk comes around and i realize that it is getting dark is when i start to get nervous.  I can get past this part... so now it is time to go to bed.  Dark outside, everyone else at home is sleeping and i am in my room.  My mind starts going...  Heart starts to beat fast, i start to sweat and get cold shivers, every little creek or sound makes my heart beat faster and gets me more nervous,  I start to believe that i am seeing things in the corners of my eyes, and just lay there in bed feeling helpless.

I can put the tv on, or put some music on but it doesnt help.  I will just lay there feeling like someone or something is out to get me. The whole night will pass until its time for me to wake up and it just repeats itself all over again.

Work is slipping, i get more headaches, tired ALL THE TIME.  I feel as if i cant do anything about it.

I am glad i am not alone though, reading some of you're comments really help me out and i tell myself that there are other people feeling the same way.

[Crowned_Juan]

Think positive no negative, think to your self of a good nights sleep. Before you have a panic attack or anything related to that before you go to sleep, drink some hot tea and don't smoke and no coffee, and also stop the waves of you over reacting by telling yourself "STOP" over and over again, and also pray a lot. I just got out of jail and this helps me(: God bless.

[QUANNA_BEAR]

Hello .. I am 17 years old & I have an 2 year old daughter , & I too have trouble sleeping , I have to force myself to go to sleep EVERY NIGHT & I am truly fed up , I have so much stress n my life , especially tryna provide for my daughter at such a young age.  Her dad got killed a year & 3months ago , so that I didn't take very well..I am sick don't eat . Heart race ...nightmares cold sweats , feel as if I am going to die n my sleep., & my biggest fear is leaving my daughter behind., cus she will have no mom or dad. I am scared i haven't enjoyed myself n a long time , like I shut the world out as if , I. Can't live anymore. I'm a healthy kid , so that makes me happy but I am depressed & stress & that's not healthy . I am too young for this . Tell yourself (your name) I am in control , I can do this . I won't let the DEVIL win not this time around. Yess I do believe its n our minds , . Seem like I haven't sleept n weeks , I've been to the doctor ,  gave me meds , but I am too scared to take them , that my meds could make it worse ? What should I do ? #thank-you all GOD BLESS., YES WE CAN GET THREW THIS :)

[lavender4ever]

I have been going through the same things, I feel like I might not wake up in the morning. Its weird though because I am a christian and I know where I am going in the event of my death. I walk a fine line between "normal" and anxiety riden every day. Even the good days I have thoughts throughout the day that keep the anxiety in the back of my mind.
On bad days I have anxiety all day and night and panic attacks to go with.
I have a lot of issues that I need to work out with some counceling.
I have been to the ER and the doctors have checked me out and I am healthy, I know it is in my head and it is empowering to know that.
The doctor said it was some kind of anxiety and gave me xanax, I was scared to take it because I did not know what it would do, I took a quarter of a .25 pill to see how I would react to it on a good day and that was the last of it that I have had to take, I think just knowing it is there and it will help if I need it is anough to help me gain some control with my breathing and thought control.
I find that controled breathing helps and walking the dog helps a lot.
At night I find myself watching movies untill I can not stay awake anymore and I pass out on the couch.
One last thing, I find that reading on here and posting everything that is happening with my troubles makes me feel better, I think it may be because I might be helping someone else to realize it is in their mind and maybe they will have some peace too.

[Jabberym]

When I was 9 my mom died and two years after that I begin thinking that every single night I was going to do die literally the worst anxiety. It finally went away but now I'm 17 and I began having anxiety again except it feels different like I'm scared that I'm like that way I was when I was 11. That it's back and I terrified thinking back on those nights when my dad had to sleep with his door open. Because I truly know I'm not going to die. But in my head I feel like it is the like it was when I'm 11 so I'm beginning to think it is all coming back. And questioning when I go to sleep I'm a Christian and know where I'm going so I truly don't understand why I'm scared!!

[marie72965]

There are all kind of ways to look at it.Have you ever thought of EMF,electromagnetic fields? If a new tower gets built around your house that was not there before that could be the problem too.I am going to try to start with that first an then eliminate things one by one.I have never felt like this before and can't figure it out. I also think some of it may happen when i watch to much tv that day,but i am so tired trying to get asleep from the night before its hard not to. I do make sure to run on the tread mill and run a bit...
This is a weird feeling i do not like at all:(

[50girl818]

this may or may not sond stuped to you....

one night i had a really scary dream involving aliean's and ever since i had this dream i have been horribal fear of falling asleep as i am a hevy sleeper and dont hear eney thing  when im asleep.....

WHAT AM I SUPOSED TO DO I DONT LIKE THIS AND IM VERRY SLEEPY CONSTANTLY PLEASE IF U HAVE ANY SUDESTIONS PLZ LET ME NO

[Avrohom]

Since  May 18, 2011, I have had unpleasant fears about sleeping, losing connection with the world and other unpleasantries. I have sought the Medical  and Mental fields help with this situation and am surprise how one medical center treated me. "We only treat people with physical disease , not mental ones. Go to a Psychiatrist. That will be $160.00 please" One walk-in clinic tolded me.
And then, a few days in August of 2011, I went back to my normal self only to regress or get worse.
I have been in a hospital ER three times, seen both Pyschiatrist and Psychologist and had a sleep study done. All to little avail.
I am afraid to sleep hope someone can help me get this fear out. I am afraid that this will affect my job, friends and other factors.
Please help me.
Worrior  

[Caylon93]

Xanax usually helps me, but sometimes it doesn't and I lay awake for hours checking my pulse because I feel like my heart will stop. I'm only 17 and ive been having panic attacks for about a year. My medicine really does help. But it's not a permanent solution.

[Monstrar]

I am currently going through this right now. I'm a 20 year old college student who has basically been taunted by the idea of death from the moment I was 13. It started with a really close friend of the family's in 2004, and then a lady from church died the same year. My grandmother passed away the following April in 2005, 6 months later my aunt killed herself. In December of that same year another dear friend lost her battle with cancer. Every single year since then, with the exception of 2007, I have lost someone near and dear to me. In February of this year it was the worst. My pastor, who had been like a father figure for me, killed himself. I had just gone to two funerals in January and December of 2010. No one was expecting what happened...since his death 5 more people have died, the most recent just a few days ago. My anxiety is through the roof right now. I was diagnosed with severe depression at the age of 16, however I really recently come off of my meds because I don't want to be dependent on them forever. I haven't been able to sleep in 2 days, like many others, every time I fall asleep Iw wake up a few moments later with my heart racing. I feel as if my heart is going to stop in my sleep. I also have an eating disorder, and sometimes I think that I'm going to die in my sleep from not eating...I'm really exhausted mentally and physically,

[Monstrar]

(pressed enter too soon), but it feels nice to know that I'm not alone. I'm currently listening to music, which is helping somewhat.  It's almost 5 am here, and I am probably going to stay up for the rest of the night like before. I wish I could say that I have God's comfort, but I don't feel connected to Him anymore :(

Also, does anyone else have other symptoms like when you watch a horror movie and you're afraid to go to sleep afterwards? I keep imagining bad things are here trying to get me, and I'm literally hiding underneath the hot covers like a child.

[Coco35]

omg, you guys have helped me. I thought I was having a huge mental break.i suffer with the same symptoms. I can't sleep because I'm so afraid like...impending doom. I was too ashamed to say anything until I read these posts. Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart.

[jamienowell]

i am 22 and i have always been afraid to sleep or even be in a house on my own. when i am on my own i have heart palps and breath very fast.  i can see people in my minds eye like when i close my eyes i can see people in my room/house but obiously when i open them there is nothing there. a feel like i will always be afraid no matter what.

[qtpie1135]

Hello, Anxiety and panic can cause all kinds of symptoms and sensations! You are not alone! But it is always best to rule out anything else so seeing your doctor should be the first thing!

I get chest pains and all kinds of symptoms and sensations all the time with anxiety and panic attacks and have been to the ER many times over the years. And I have had many test done, but even after all that I still feel like there is something wrong with my heart even though all the test show otherwise! This anxiety and panic is awful, it plays all kinds of tricks on our minds! Night time and in the early hours of the morning are worse for me! I will start to fall asleep and then jolt awake with my heart pounding feeling like I am dying!


I use relaxation CDs, breathing exercises, sipping on ice cold water, reminding myself that it is only anxiety and that it will pass and that it has never harmed me and will not harm me now! I will take Klonopin which really helps, and Toprol which is a beta-blocker to keep my pulse and blood pressure under control. I also take Reglan for my heartburn problems which has been then only thing that has ever really helped that.  I also just started using the iPhone apps: Anxiety Connect, Depression Connect, Panic Talk Down, Panic Attack Aid., Panic Control and Panic Eliminator, Making and listening to my own panic attack talk down recordings on my Iphone and listening to them when I am having a panic attack. I also find that listening to music, playing games, or listening to a guided relaxation on my Iphone or Ipod a helpful distraction.


Getting up and moving around also helps, sometimes just calling someone and hearing another person's voice, if you have no one to call try calling a prayer line or help line (You can program these numbers into your cell phone),


It also helps to get on this support board and talk to others who understand what you are going through! I think it helps to read positive uplifting books, and to listen to music. Prayer is something else that can be helpful!  I also take a multi-vitamin along with extra vitamin B, fish oil, vitamin D, Magnesium, calcium, C, and E.  Exercise always makes me feel better!  Watching something funny on TV or a DVD, or watching a funny Youtube video is also helpful!

I have also read that Chamomile tea and bananas were helpful for anxiety and panic. I also try to stay away from triggers like stress, certain foods, drinks, coffee, chemicals, and smoke that I am sensitive to. I keep a journal of when I am stressed and what I eat and drink, so I can look back later for any connection with my panic attacks and anxiety, because I sometimes have a delayed reaction. Eating healthy and getting enough sleep also helps!


I noticed that when I am not taking vitamins I have a lot more anxiety, my guess is that I am low on some vitamins and minerals and this set off anxiety symptoms.


I am sensitive to orange juice, cranberry juice, certain berries, coffee, pizza, and others that I can't think of right now. These will set off symptoms in me sometimes right away, and sometimes hours later (delayed reaction). I also cannot take any cold medicines as they cause me to have anxiety and panic attacks. A lot of cleaning products like bleach and Lysol spray will cause me to have anxiety. Stress is another big factor in my panic attacks and anxiety.


I suggest keeping a journal of everything from, foods, drinks, chemical exposure, medicines, stressful situations, and even the weather, as any of these could be triggers. I use a large 3 ring binder filled with paper as a journal.



Belly Breathing Exercise
1. Place one hand just above your belt line, and the other on your chest, right over the breastbone. You can use your hands as a simple biofeedback device. Your hands will tell you what part of your body, and what muscles, you are using to breathe.

2. Open your mouth and gently sigh, as if someone had just told you something really annoying. As you do, let your shoulders and the muscles of your upper body relax, down, with the exhale. The point of the sigh is not to completely empty your lungs. It's just to relax the muscles of your upper body.

3. Close your mouth and pause for a few seconds.

4. Keep your mouth closed and inhale slowly through your nose by pushing your stomach out. The movement of your stomach precedes the inhalation by just the tiniest fraction of a second, because it's this motion which is pulling the air in. When you've inhaled as much air as you can comfortably (without throwing your upper body into it), just stop. You're finished with that inhale.

5. Pause. How long? You decide. I'm not going to give you a specific count, because everybody counts at a different rate, and everybody has different size lungs. Pause briefly for whatever time feels comfortable. However, be aware that when you breathe this way, you are taking larger breaths than you're used to. For this reason, it's necessary to breathe more slowly than you're used to. If you breathe at the same rate you use with your small, shallow breaths, you will probably feel a little lightheaded from over breathing, and it might make you yawn. Neither is harmful. They're just signals to slow down. Follow them!

6. Open your mouth. Exhale through your mouth by pulling your belly in.

7. Pause.

8. Continue with Steps 4-7

I been reading the original version of "The Feeling Good Handbook" by David Burns, it is the 1989/1990 version, and I am finding the advice in this book helpful! I heard that the newer version it not the same. Other books I find helpful are "The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook: A Step-by-Step Program for Curing Yourself of Extreme Anxiety, Panic Attacks, and Phobias", "Panic Attacks Workbook: A Guided Program for Beating the Panic Trick",  "Health Journeys Guided Meditations For Help With Panic Attacks", and
"Managing Stress: Principles and Strategies for Health and Well-Being (Web Enhanced with CD-ROM)" I also just recently got “The Linden Method” I have already found some helpful advice in the manual that goes with the program, and the “Panic Attack Eliminator CD” that comes with the program seems helpful. And I just ordered a used copy of the “Attacking Anxiety Program” from Ebay. I figure if I get any help or relief from any of these it will be worth it! Another small program I found helpful is “Stop Anxiety Now” by Eve A. Wood, M.D.

I hope that you feel better soon! Please keep us posted!

[Babie305]

I have the same problems they said I suffer from panic attacks and depression but I have 98.% of my attacks within the first two hours of my sleep and since the first one I haven't felt normal I feel like I'm in a daze all day everyday I'm on Lexapro and Xanax and the Xanax helps me sleep but only for a few hours..... I'm just so confused feel like I'm losing my mind.... Help????

[kelly61167]

i frequently wake up out of a dead sleep with anxiety attacks it scares me to death,hi my name is kelly and i suffer from chronic anxiety attacks,sometimes i wake up out of a deep sleep with it,feeling like a rush from my head to my toes.my  heart starts palpitating,thats the part i cant deal with,i cant sit still, relax etc,the fear is beyond my control,it make me feel like im not human and it takes over my life,i do take meds for it klonopin2x a day and adivan only for when i have an attack plus i take vistril and and anti depressant and methadon for i am in recovery and been sober for 9 months now,every day i cry all i want to do is feel normal again,i am petrified of going to sleep in fear of course waking up with them,i feel like ive exhausted my resources ive reached out for help gone to hospitals,disccuss the issue with health professionals.etcetc, for i have no health insurance .i am so afraid that i will never recover from this i cannot live like this for the rest of my life i will go crazy,i have lots of people that say call them in the middle of the night when i have them. but they dont answer then i have noone to talk to,and i dont like waking up mu b/f cause he has to work and he worries toim at the end of my rope i would stand on my head if it would work,please id greatly appreciate some feedback thank you kindly kelly

[kikecindy]

I get scared of sleepin n am overtaken wif d thots of fear of dyin,at times imagine my hear is no longer brearhin n ma body is leavin ma body,pls wat can I doimagine my  Imagine maim

[Ms_C]

I know exactly how you feel, my anxiety started a year on New Years this year. I've been miserable ever since. I started seeing a Life and Body Coach about 2 months ago she has been a great help. I still get anxiety but not nearly as bad. As soon as I would lay down my heart would start pounding, I too am afraid of dying in my sleep. I have two daughters and I am terrified to leave them with out a mother at a young age. I've been to the dr. several times, I've been on halter monitors, a monitor for my oxygen and my heart at night, I've had several tests done. I get palpitations and I have experienced the feeling of my heart stopping and skipping beats. (very scary). I am not able to take naps, because I have weird dreams and I get crazy feelings and my heart beats fast. I refuse to take my medications for the fear of getting addicted, I do take a half of a 1mg ativan only if I really need it. I am scared because the New Year is almost here and I don't want this to happen to me again!!

[john821]

i had the exact same problem as all of you and even worse, get panic away and all of you will be cured i go to bed everynight with a smile on my face

panicaway.com

[john821]

go to panicaway.com and do the mini  its free and if you like it get the ebook its about $60 with other great material it seems alot but its the best investment you will ever make its not just coping with your anxiety and panic but feeling confident and takes the fear of having a panic attack away trust me

[nightfever18]

iv had so many different experiences and iv only just turned 18! only a few times have i hillucinated (seeing something as though its forceing me to sleep). also sometimes as im falling asleep it feels like something/someone is crushing me!  other times as though my breath is being taken away from me constantly until i wake up and fall asleep again. Its like i have to wake myself up every time this happens but it works (waking myself up that is..) i mean its just happend now! i was asleep for about an hour and a half max.. and i could feel my heart beat going to fast and felt like someone was tossing and turning me in my bed like i had been drugged and unable to move this experience is so creepy. i havent been doctors but i will go soon before it gets worse but this has been happening for the past year and a half, i dont know if anyone has shared the same experience (i hope not) because it is the most horrible thing and i wouldnt even wish it upon my enemy! as im not not going to be able to sleep for 3/4 hours until it gets to 6/7 am x

[p0pulaR]

Peaches I have the same problem I was doing the remron for a while but it didn't really work for me.....my episodes usualli last about a week or two! It is very embaressing. I feel like I'm dying I want to rip my skin out. I open the window fo freshair I go back and forth out side 2 get fresh air......I cry because I'm so sleepy...I thougt I was going crazy no I feel better knowng I'm not alone

[wwe12]

please every night i cry help im only 10

[Rony322]

I gues its just a fear.I have anxiaty I been sleeping ok but any little fear can trigger an anxiaty attack I been thinking a lot n I feel that I have mental issues idk maybe I do maybe I don't but wat I do to help me sleep is think of a project that u wana do or a goal u wana accomplish like any possitive thing I still think I have mental issues but don't let it get to u just live life we will all b okay :D we might have good days n bad days just stay possitive control ur anxiaty n u brain ull b fine

[louuLaBelll]

Hi I'm not sure what's the matter with me. day in, day out I'm shatterd from not sleeping in the night. I get really tired but everytime I nod off I shoot up in a panic I'm terrified I'm going to die in my sleep :/ I'm only 18 and I'm only getting 2 hours sleep a night at the most. I have tried everything! Reading, listening to music, a shot of alchol, a hot bath and hot drink but nothing at all is working for me and I'm so restless:(  what can I do to stop this? Thanks
Laura
X

[applezion]

Am afraid evryday like am gonna die,evri movt in ma body makes me weak,tired,worthless,sumtimes I feel my body is leavin ma body,I av headches,pains all over ma body,twitches,lighthead,sumtimes,I feel am not in control of ma body,even wen I converse very well,am lost in thots,I dnt wanna be like ds forever,pls I nid help

[applezion]

Wat does d adrenaline rush feels like,anybody info on dat pls

[jojo604308]

I feel like a baby, im afraid to close my eyes and when i do i get i fit of shakes and a rapid heart beat- i think im going to drive my pareents over the age and Im not allowed to take sleeping pills because im depressed and my parents are afraid of me going suicidal; help!
Ps: you have completely described me!

[nugent]

The other nite i was out with some friends and has a few drinks. When i went to bed i slept for about 1hrs and then woke up really suddenly not being able to breath and i thought my heart had stopped. I get this pretty regularly and its frightening me as i think that if i try to go back to sleep that i won't wake up the next morning. I get the odd pain in my chest, sweat alot and feel like i cannot breath - can anyone offer me any suggestions as to what is causing this.

Stressful

[Lou7937]

I am an alcoholic as well. Makes me wonder if that is the problem. I used to drink to fall asleep as well. I did not like the person it was turning into...more importantly I was hurting the ones I love. I almost lost my husband. I don't always have these troubles sleeping. I don't handle stress well. I take ativan as well. I can't take the p.m. medicines, my body reacts completely opposite.

[boo190]

im under stresss and ihave anxiety too it sux idont know how too relax ... js seems like im scared too go to sleep too

[marie72965]

Ok be sure to have Aspirin,fish oil pills and Apple cider vinegar liquid or pills on hand.When you start feeling like this take the pills or vitamins.The aspirin will thin your blood(which makes it easier for your heart to pump the blood),the apple cider vinegar will give your heart potassium and the fish oil is good for the lining of your heart.
When you go through out your day do not eat any fried or oily foods...I have turned so many friends on to these remedies...they do work...good luck.

[marie72965]

You will never die when you think you are going to die,now that is the truth.

[mya193]

Omg that's whats exactly happening to me rite now I would fight my sleep till 6 or 5 n the morning then go to sleep normal my mom told me it was axiety and I was having maniac attacks...

[SilverDust08]

Well, I had this About getting scared of dying When falling asleep, My way to get rid of it was to Watch Videos about Heaven And Learn about How it is, It will kind of actually make you want to die, And You will get over the fact and go to bed ;) God bless you all!

[swift818]

I have a drinking problem so it's hard for me to fall asleep unless I have a lot to drink and don't remember falling asleep. I know this all contributes to my anxiety, but I can't stop cause it makes me feel normal when I drink.  I feel better after reading this, but it could have also been the throwing up I just did because of my anxiety.  I sleep on my side because I don't want to throw up while I sleep.  My suggestion is to not use alcohol, and to get some exercise to wear ya out a little bit so you want to go to bed.

[dsme9]

I have chronic insomnia due to childhood issues of not feeling safe. Also as an adult more often than not neighbors are usually very obnoxious and noisy these days in the United States. It seems that everyone hates to sleep and are wound up on energy drinks, coffee, or snorting their friends prescriptions such as Adderall (adderrall) or Ritalin. Not to mention crazy new drugs such as 'Bath Salts' (not to be mistaken for the stuff you actually put in your tube). Drugs like Bath Salts can keep people up for days with no sleep and act crazy. The sad truth is more Americans statistically suffer from Insomnia or even more frequent restless nights than 30 years ago. Trust has a lot to do with it. Crime rates have skyrocketed over the last 10 years where before it was actually dropping. People simply do not feel safe to sleep. We are in a constant state of Fright & Flight... but where do we go when we are economically trapped? Also work and school seems to be more stressful than ever. I'm not saying we are totally screwed. There are things you can do. For example instead of seeing your garden variety Social Worker or Counselor that is only going to throw pop psychology and self help books at you, try this instead: Find a well trained Psychologist with a background and training in CBT Cognitive Behavior Therapies as well as DBT. Also a Hypnotherapist, not just a regular hypnotist but a trained Hypnotherapist... its all about re-learning how to relax and sleep. You'd think your body knows biologically how to sleep but there is both Nature and Nurture when it comes to sleep. Better still find an actual Psychotherapist they are even more trained and have extensive backgrounds in such matters. No offense to your 3 year degree Social Worker types but they are usually trained to seek simple patters that often times aren't really there in real life (sort of a quick fix approach). They also have far less if any real training in CBT, DBT, and other important psychological treatments. It takes more than a printed off sheet of paper with instructions to do these therapies properly. Sadly in 2012 a lot of clinics and hospitals don't want to pay the high salaries of real trained professionals and hire a ton of social workers and poorly trained counselors (who by the way don't actually counsel you most the time due to threats of being sued for bad advice). These people often only offer a shoulder to cry on but nothing more. Also in counseling this a social worker you open up old sores that bleed with you even after you leave their office but aren't really addressing of fixing your issues. Only a real trained professional Psychotherapist, Psychologist, Hypnotherapist can do that.  Also you will also need to see an actual MD that can prescribe medications to help you sleep. Possibly even Anti-Psychotics. Now don't get me wrong hearing the word psychotic can be scary because there is such a taboo about it. But most insomniacs have psychosis at night when trying to sleep. The anxiety and fear keeps them from sleeping. In our every day lives at work, school, or social lives there are millions of Americans on and off such anti psychotics to help them sleep and they seem like perfectly normal people. That's because they are. It's just that trust issues, depression, anxiety, etc can seriously affect sleep. Also there are some people at work that never complain at work, they seem to be someone who lets stuff bounce off him or her, however instead of it bouncing off what they are really doing is letting it absorb into them. Then at night they toss and turn over daily turmoil. The same for students as well. Eventually people can break down and start nagging at work, or complaining inappropriately, or falling for baiting comments from people looking for a fight. My point is: That real therapy and training can not only help you sleep better but it can help you cope with the key issues of your sleeplessness. Such as dealing with people at work or school. Also lets not forget there are people that have no problems with emotional problems due to a bad childhood or abusive coworkers or neighbors. There are some people that have chemical imbalances such as ADHD, which often leads to the person having a hard time falling asleep, a hard time staying a sleep, and often wakes up too early. ADHD can be easily treated with medications (so long as you don't sell your meds as speed to other people). You see people with ADHD need that extra stimulation in the mornings from meds such as Adderall (adderrall). It increases energy and focus, by the time evening rolls around this med is wearing off and they (for some reason) are able to sleep better at night. Sadly though too many people without ADHD are snorting adderall (adderrall) at night as a party pill. Bottom line for my long winded post is seek professional help with a trained Psychotherapist or at least a well trained Psychologist.

[Lindsayannnnne]

I have this problem.. Every single night I try so hard to go to sleep and my mom will offer me sleeping medicine like melatonin or NyQuil or Zzzquil to help cuz I get mad I just want to go to sleep so I can wake up on time and get through the next day but as soon as I begin dozing off I either have a nightmare or one of those things where I startle myself awake thinking I wasn't breathing but my mom tells me I was the whole time, so I'll take medicine but I start panicking thinking I overdosed and that my hearts beatin too fast and that I can't breathe so then I fight the medicine an it's just horrible I get mad and depressed and cOnvince myself im psychotic it's HORRIBLE.. Why am I like this?? I'm sixteen and it's like I am terrified of sleeping and everything I think that EVERYTHING is going to cause my death but I know these are simply irrational fears..

[gersbabe]

Hi I suffer form that to am scared every day and mins that iam going to die am just so affred about iy been like this for 4years now but the last week has been scary as I have a relly sore head as if some one it pushing it douwn and pain behind my eye and am walking about tired and weak fell as if that's it am just going to die right now so scary and am like watt if there's something roung in my head like a brain tumour n other stuff relly scared don't like going to docs beacuse a fell as if thay don't help thay always say its your enxity but thay don't no that if evny one has this our exps the same can u plz help me out thanks as I am a mum 2 a we girl age 4

[jocyandrea24]

i been having anxiety for the pass yr and im getting so tired of it,its one of my biggest issues in life,i hardly get some sleep,my heart beats very fast and loud and it gets me scared thinking that my heart will just stop or i will go crazy,and what's even worst is hard for me to excersise,take simple pills or have a drink once in a while :(i can't stand living like this,like im going to die any time soon please give me advice, thanks

[alirmanck]

I was lucky enough to only suffer from panic attacks for a short period of time before God led me to a site called PanicAway! This is a legit sight that got rid of my anxiety and fear WITHOUT MEDICATION OR MONEY SPENT! All I had to do was subscribe to the email newsletters and I got a new email everyday that wored miracles! I recommend it to anyone and everyone who suffers from general anxiety, panic attacks, phobias, etc. Barry McDonaugh (last name might be spelled incorrectly) is the name of the guy who runs this workshop and I guarantee the emails will make you feel TONS better!!!
Good luck and God bless!

[01002]

hie......my friend i understand what you goin thru and iam goin thru that also,but guess im beginning to that this i occuring more frequent than ever and the reason is jus that our still hold the fear....And when our mind is in fear it keeps us very alert that you feel not normal or everything is going against you.You need to relax and find ways to deal with your worries.They will stop,you should have died along bak so just like me when it happens relax..................and deal witheveryday problems

[Bossman786]

Hi All. I was surprised to see so many people suffered this problem, & wanted to tell you all that you can cure it, & without medication. Please read carefully below, act on each point, & I promise you you'll get a good night sleep & get rid of these irrational fears once & for all:

Facts:

Fear of Sleeping/Dying/Panic all are to do with Anxiety, Irrational Thoughts in the Mind & Lifestyle.

Causes & How to Cure them:

1) Irrational Thoughts: Train your mind, do not let it control you, you control it, you control your body. Remember that. The problem is as soon as you start to "think" as your about to go to sleep, or when you wake up suddenly in the middle of the night, that is when it goes downhill. Stop yourself straight away from "over imagination & thinking silly thoughts". When you feel like your going through that dreaded trend of fear building up in you, quickly take control! Occupy your mind for not more than a few minutes & you'll find the irrational thoughts & anxiety/panic feeling will disappear 100%. You can use a variety of techniques to help give yourself control over your body & mind within minutes. Get up, go take a few minutes walk, think about the next day & what things you might get up to. Go brush your teeth, have a wash, perhaps a shower. Go have a conversation with a loved one for a few minutes about any other topic you wish. Any few minute distraction is all you need to take control & stop any anxiety or build up of fear or irrational feelings. Repeat a religious prayer in your head 100 times, or perhaps sing your favourite song in your mind a few times. Talk to yourself, ask yourself how your feeling? Everything okay? Whichever way you approach it you'll feel amazing literally after 1 or 2 minutes, & will be in total control of your mind, breathing, body, & sleep. You will be in a happy & controlled state. & at that moment feel free to continue your "wind down routine" for the evening/night & get some well deserved sleep/rest, without any disruption. Smile knowing your in charge.

2) No Control or Routine in your life. You must ensure your day is a well structured fruitful day. Try to wake up at the same time, & go to sleep at the same time. Do not disturb your daily pattern, allow your body to get into a comfortable routine in "life". Ensure you have a fulfilling day, set some simple targets, make sure you achieve them or at least attempt to. Have no regrets for each day, feel positive.

3) Unhealthy Diet: It is very important that you have a healthy diet on a daily basis. Eat your 3 square meals a day, plenty of fruit & vegetables, plenty of water. Cut out the fast foods & unhealthy snacks. Losing control over your body, your weight, being overweight are key factors in why you "start" on that road to Anxiety/Panic/Sleep Fear. Control your diet.

4) Overweight/Lack of Fitness: If your lazy / overweight, this will also affect your sleep. It is part of losing control over your mind & body. To stay in control you must ensure you stay fit, healthy, & lead an active lifestyle. Exercise, join the gym. Take up a sport as a hobby with friends. Join a new activity club. Take up dance lessons. The more active you are, the more you'll control your fears & anxieties. The more empowered you become.

5) Loneliness: Make new friends, start dating, build a relationship with a girlfriend/boyfriend/husb&/wife. This will help a lot with those who wake up & feel panic/fear of dying, or short of breathe. It is directly related to loneliness & the thought that no one is near you, the atmosphere is silent, there is no life around you, & therefore it manifests irrationally into your mind.

6) Bedroom Ambience: Keep your bedroom uncluttered. This is your place to relax/sleep. It should feel spacious. Ensure there is a small amount of light perhaps at the corner of the room, or perhaps leave your door open just a crack. Let yourself relax knowing their is an option to get up & walk out & get some fresh air & light, to know your not stuck. Ensure your bed isn't directly near a radiator, nothing more irritating or frustrating than waking up to extreme heat/sweatyness. Room temperature needs to be at a level that helps you relax, so ensure your not over cooking yourself.  Ensure your window is near your bed, or at least in your eye view, so you feel open & spacious, refreshed, knowing the big wide world is out there & life is going on while you sleep, & it will be there again when you wake up in the morning. Everything will be fine. Remember that.

7) Dinner/Last meal of the Day: Have a cut off time. Don't eat late. This makes you feel full/bloated/short of breathe, not to mention your stomach & internal organs are busy breaking this food down that you just ate. So why would you put your body through that when it wants to sleep & relax? Be fair on your body. Your last meal of the day should be around 2/3 hours prior to when you want to sleep.

8) Dozing Off/Bad Sleeping Habits: If you follow all the rules above, you won't feel the need to read a book or watch television or listen to music to help you sleep, because your day will be fulfilled & satisfying, everything in your life is in order & you'll automatically get a great nights sleep & looking forward to closing your eyes & enjoying dreaml& with fresh fun filled relaxing dreams. Don't watch television or play games or snack whilst trying to sleep, have a clear cut off point & go to bed with the intention to sleep. The problem with watching television or other past times whilst trying to sleep is at some point inevitably you'll doze off.. & the problem is you never gave your body a fair chance/warning to indicate that you are going to sleep, so shut down & relax. Therefore when you wake up, the Television is still on, your confused & thinking what happened!? Where am I? What was I doing? & that's when silly irrational thoughts start entering your mind to ruin your sleep & build up anxiety & panic. That then leads on to thoughts of breathing - did I stop breathing? is my breathing slow? Am I going to die? It is a vicious cycle, & the funny thing is.. its all in your head. So don't punish yourself like that, have a positive great day, do all of the above, & when its time to sleep, stick to your "wind down go to sleep" mode routine, no distractions, & you'll find you'll go to sleep & have a great restful night. So always follow your "go to sleep" routine the same way every day, so you give your body & mind a fair chance to underst& that you intend to sleep so don't be "surprised" if you wake up in the middle of the night, because you've already programmed your brain to be ready for it. Whereas if you dozed off, you'll always wake up confused & start off the irrational trend of thought again.

9) Religion/Morals: This does help. If your a good person, & do good things in a day, & have good morals, then remember God is on your side. He will always be with you, & regardless of the crazy things that go on in this world & bad things that happen, one thing is for sure God will protect you while you sleep especially if you've got a good soul, a good heart, & morally on point every day. So leave yourself in his capable h&s & go to sleep smiling every night knowing nothing is more powerful than what created everything in the first place. Your in safe h&s.

If you follow the above steps, & act on all of them I promise you that your fears, anxiety, irrational thoughts, breathing, sleep issues will all be resolved. You will become the master of your own body, you will look forward to sleeping & looking forward to the next day, your life with have a positive edge to it & you'll be a more happier person for it.

I hope this has helped you all, & hope it helps change your life for the better. It makes me happy knowing I could share my findings & help people to overcome this pesky problem once & for all. :)

K Ahmed
Written on 24/01/2013
***@****

[Gman89]

I've been dealing with this since i got a form of staph infection that was resistant to antibiotics. They prescribed me an antibiotic that has some nasty side effects, such as heart palpitations, weakening of tendons/ligaments and extreme paranoia. I'd been taking it for several days and i started to doze off and go to sleep. I woke up suddenly and i felt my heart twisting in my rib cage and my body went limp. i tried to lift my arm and beat on the wall and call for my mom in the next room. i couldn't speak and i couldn't move. my vision went black and i saw a red light  and i started panicking. within a split second i felt a ticklish feeling in my brain followed by this sequence of events:
i prayed to God not to take me and i felt the hand of God reach down into my chest and squeeeze my heart and jolt me back to life. The scariest 30 seconds of my life. that was about 6 months ago. Ain't slept much since.

[katz98]

Your advise is spot on, but my brain will only flutter in and out now. I drink too much as i self medicate, I miss myself.... It has gotten worse over the last month I wish for another baby (i have been trying for 3 years) and because i have had a bad reaction to drugs, I am trying hypnosis in four days time. I would not wish panic or anxiety on anyone and wish people understood what it feels like......I'm from New Zealand and am open to chatting, it's hard to be alone..Suffering for nine years but can no longer visit my Mum 10 kms away (sorry I have no idea how many miles that is) :)

[katz98]

Your advise is spot on, but my brain will only flutter in and out now. I drink too much as i self medicate, I miss myself.... It has gotten worse over the last month I wish for another baby (i have been trying for 3 years) and because i have had a bad reaction to drugs, I am trying hypnosis in four days time. I would not wish panic or anxiety on anyone and wish people understood what it feels like......I'm from New Zealand and am open to chatting, it's hard to be alone..Suffering for nine years but can no longer visit my Mum 10 kms away (sorry I have no idea how many miles that is) :)

[chefmomster2]

I have been fighting this fear (hypnophobia or somniphobia) for 10 years. It is an awful condition!

Unlike many of you, I know why I am afraid. I was sexually abused for many years as a child. Then, many years later my son became violent. I had to live in fear for my life every night for 3-4 years before intensive therapy for my son finally helped. I slept with a cell phone, a wired phone and a weapon. I did not sleep during times when he was home.

Recently my husband and I moved several states away from our old town and our son because of a job transfer. I hoped this would help me with my sleep issues. It hasn't.

I am not just afraid to sleep, I am afraid to do anything that would put me to sleep. I have been in couseling and I have meds for my PTSD which also make me fall asleep. I am finding it early impossible to take them. I am so afraid of sleep that I am afraid to do anything tht could make me sleep! I never "try" to go to sleep.

I'm miserable...

[Melly27]

Wow ! I get the same ! Your post was old (2008) but I had to try and reply. I'm 37 and at the end of my rope with this. Just as I drift off to sleep I wake up just on time not to go unconscious  like total heart slow down and I'm being defibrillated to come back to life. Jumps me out of my skin. Happens lots for past year, sometimes up to 5 or 6 times a night or nap or when I try falling back asleep in morning. I had 5 ECG a stress test and 2 24hr monitors. ????? I guess it's anxiety ? Write me anyone who knows more please please

[Ric00]

Thank God! Sorry you are having problems sleeping but I just had my 2nd HA and it ***** that I can't go to sleep without worring about it! The only reason I knen I was haivng a Heart Attack is that i fel tsick to my stomach and my arms hurt from the elbows down. Will I feel this if I am aleeping?

[Ric00]

Thank God! Sorry you are having problems sleeping but I just had my 2nd HA and it ***** that I can't go to sleep without worrying about it! The only reason I knew I was having a Heart Attack is that i felt sick to my stomach and my arms hurt from the elbows down. Will I feel this if I am sleeping?