# Night Time Anxiety



## 14780 (Jul 19, 2005)

After another restless night, I feel like I'm driving myself crazy. I live alone with my dog and sometimes I just can't sleep because I can't get my brain to shut off. I worry about seemingly everything, from work to class to not waking up ever again. I work myself into a panic attack basically. I end up getting up and doing something, because if I stay in bed I start wigging out. Does anyone else have this problem sometimes or have I just led myself 'round to the looney bin?


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## Wmtand (Jan 29, 2003)

I can relate to you. I had those problems a few years ago and occasionally still do, but what you need to do is force your mind to be still. I do this through concentration on my breathing, in and out, in and out and as thoughts come into my head, i just redirect my concentration on to my breathing, In and out. Sometimes it helps to repeat a phrase on every exhale, example: On each exhale, say " Life is good" This blocks out all other thoughts. If you can do this for 10 - 20 minutes, you will likely find yourself drifting off to sleep or at least relaxing. Its a form of meditation and / or relaxation response. I'm by no means an expert in this but have read various books and articles on this and it works for me. Another tip "old wives tale" that works sometimes is: Before you go to bed or when you get up because you can't sleep. Have a glass of warm milk. The calcium has a sedative effect and the warmth just feels good and makes it easier to digest. Good Luck, becasue Sleep is very important.


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## 19282 (Jul 19, 2005)

Yes, that has become a recurring problem for me over the last four or five months. It doesn't seem to matter how physically or mentally exhausted I am. The second my head hits that pillow - BAM! I am awake and my brain starts racing. My doctor gave me a prescription for Ambien, and it has really helped me to turn my thoughts off. Unfortunately, I was so tired last night that I decided not to take it. BIG MISTAKE. It was one of the worst nights of my life. I finally got out of my bedroom at 2:00 A.M. and just started writing about what was on my mind until 7:15 this morning. When I saw the sun come up, that's when I felt like I had really gone insane. All I want is to get a good night's sleep. I am a total zombie today. So, I guess what I'm saying is that yeah, I can relate - and it sucks.


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## 21918 (May 16, 2005)

I'm doing the IBS hypnosis CDs. I have a small, personal CD player with earphones. I play the CDs when I go to bed and usually fall asleep before they end. Once they end, I wake up, take the earphones off, and roll over and sleep.


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## 19282 (Jul 19, 2005)

Hey Slm, that's a good idea. I bought the hypnosis CDs a few years ago and still listen to them on occasion. I think they're great for making you sleepy. As soon as I hear "Hello, my name is Michael Mahoney..." I'm well on my way to la-la land (I swear there's something magical about that guy's voice). But my problem is that I just can't seem to fall back asleep after taking out the earphones. Since my girlfriend (who does not have IBS) and I live together, I'll have to ask her how she feels about the idea of playing the CDs out loud in our bedroom each night. She's usually a pretty good sport - maybe she'll go for it. If not, there's always the couch.


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## 18739 (Jul 22, 2005)

Taking a nice warm bath is also good for anxiety it calms your nerves.


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## 21918 (May 16, 2005)

Good luck TP. I am a night owl so I usually don't go to sleep before midnight. Now that my husband's out of town, I tend to stay up until around 1:30 AM. About 6-7 years after we were married, I went through a bout of insomnia. My husband was a real good sport and let me have the light on while he slept (I swear he could sleep through anything.) I would sit up in bed and read a boring book until I couldn't keep my eyes open, then I would turn off the light and go to sleep.Now days if I find I can't sleep, I either pop a benedryl, move to the recliner, or both. There is something about recliners that really puts me to sleep.







My daughter swears by chamomile tea.Hope this helps!


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## Sherlock (May 14, 1999)

Check out the Natural Sleep Enhancement CD in the Solitudes line. T.P., your girlfriend might prefer it to the hypno CDs. It's ocean waves with a gradually slowing inaudible beat that helps slow your breathing and relaxes you. There are four tracks on the CD, but I've never made it past the first one...I sleep like the dead for hours!


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## 14780 (Jul 19, 2005)

Thanks for the responses guys. I used to do breathing exercises for my Tai Chi. I'll try that tonight to see if it helps me any.I've wondered about taking ambien, but I always worry about relying on medications. It used to not be this bad, it just seems that lately it's been worse. TP, I can so relate to seeing the sun come up. I've seen enough sunrises to last me a lifetime.I don't drink milk, but the tea could be a possibility. I'm assuming it doesn't have caffeine. Wanna see a blonde on crack? Just give me a little caffeine.







I'll have to try the CDs. I've always thought about, never really knew if it would work.







I take my Zoloft before bed for depression, because this helped me sleep last year when I was on it for a while. Could that be making me any more wound up?


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