anyone else ever been awake feeling just intense fear and odd??

[PatienceFlame]

for the passed few nights I have been having a hard time sleeping and eventually when I fall asleep I can never stay asleep. tonight much like the last 2 nights I have fallen asleep around 12 to 1am (most nights.) well when I wake up I feel odd. I had ONE night of solid sleep where I went to bed and had no issues..that was friday night. saturday and sunday are the same with waking up feeling tense, dizzy and odd..I have intense fear when it happens and after it is very hard to go to sleep after because I am afraid it is going to happen again. I have had these in the past but they went away. My panic attacks have started a few months ago and I am fed up..worried there could be something wrong with me. I just want sleep

[SassyLassie]

I have certainly had those problems too. The more stressful I am the worse they become, unfortunately for me, no drug helps it just has the opposite reaction.

Not being able to sleep due to fear is awful, it leads to more fear, etc. When our bodies are tired, we tend to react more to anxiety anyway, so, it is a vicious circle.

There are two great books out by Dr. Claire Weekes. One is called, "hope and help for your nerves" and the other is "Peace from nervous suffering" I would not be without either one, they are written, in clear, everyday language and so helpful.

Good luck to you.

[DJ873]

try a mindfulness cd, i have no problems sleeping anymore don't take any sleeping meds. love the time i can lie awake for awhile in the night to do what i have learned but always fall asleep too fast :) and a calm restful sleep. basically just totally focus on the breath that goes thru you and gives you life. with one hand on my abdomen to make sure i am breathing deep full breaths and feeling it course down thru my legs feet etc. It is sooo relaxing but really needs to be learned from a cd. Jon Kabatt-Zinn (sp?) is outstanding. It does take a few times or at least it did me, to keep my awareness where he directs but i am getting better at not getting to lost in thought and just appreciate each breath as it comes. Anyway, hopefully its worth a try for you and does for you what it has for me

[cj29]

Have you been under a lot of stress lately?  Did your panic attacks start because of something that happened in your life?  Anxiety can definitely hinder your sleep patterns in my opinion.  Anxiety can be a tough nut to crack sometimes but there are ways to confront and deal with it in my opinion.  Why not go get checked out by your doctor and maybe get referred to a therapist?  For me, just talking through it shed some light on a very confusing and scary subject with great results...keep us posted!

[gofio]

Sounds like it's time to talk to a medical professional. Sleep's the first problem that can lead to a breakdown. If you possibly can, try to just ignore insomnia, not easy or possible sometimes. Having had this problem life-long, I'm still here & have accepted it. I take a nightly sleeping tablet, but it probably has no effects. Agreed to stay on meds for life, the alternative was unacceptable. ie Psych. Hospital stays, relapses & constant fear. Non of which can be tracked to a cause. After 21+ yrs of meds on & off I'm doing as well as I can expect ~ which is better than feeling 'freaked out' . Never be afraid to ask for help, better to do it in the early stage of illness. Good Luck