- Date posted
- 6y
- Date posted
- 6y
Yes, there was a period of about 3 months where I got 0-5 hrs sleep on weekdays and then would completely crash on weekends bc I was up doing compulsions. It was terrible ? I wonder if I’m bipolar bc of that, too. But then again, think of the name - compulsions. We’re compelled to do them - not suggested to do them, not encouraged to do them - but compulsively driven. Rain or shine, sleep or no, we OCDers HAVE to do them OR ELSE we’re going to harm ourselves or others, going to have our sexual identity taken out from under us, going to become gravely ill or contaminate everyone we come in contact with, going to have panic attack after panic attack, etc. etc. It’s really only the nights where I can’t sleep (and don’t know why) which make me fear that maybe I’m bipolar.
- Date posted
- 6y
As someone with bipolar disorder, it confuses me, too, which is great for the OCD, because damn will that shit latch onto whether or not I /really/ have bipolar disorder. It doesn't help that I also have ADHD, and GAD, as well as some hormone balance issues. It's a veritable feast for the OCD to dig into, but I have been working on gunning that down, granted it has been taking some time. I guess what I am saying is that I know EXACTLY what you mean, and it confuses me, as well. The stress that OCD can conjure up is probably enough to tip the scales, given a rather stressful spot in one's life outside of the OCD, to put one at the edge of an episode. That is my theory, though.
- Date posted
- 6y
Yup
- Date posted
- 6y
Bless you all, thanks for all the replies, love you guys, we aren't alone! Xx
Related posts
- Date posted
- 24w
It started when I became an adult, and started receiving my mental health diagnosis. I hyper fixated on each and every action I did and how it could be related to my diagnosis’s. It then lead to fixation to my physical health — making appointments and seeing every specialist I can to rule out every possibility. I currently have been suffering with obstructive sleep. I woke up the past few days with severe pain from the lack of sleep whilst believing I was oversleeping. Luckily my fit watch tracks my sleep cycle and it turns out I am not receiving any sleep. I had an extreme panic attack — bursting into tears on the phone with my mom wondering what this case might be. She told me it could be sleep apnea and that a simple sleep study could figure this out. However, knowing my family history I made appointments to every specialist I can to make sure it is nothing serious. The unknown of health can be scary to me. Watching my mother suffer with her physical health chronically since I was a child lead me to be very conscious and aware of how my body is functioning. This morning was one of the worst moments of physical pain. I should just take one step at a time with the sleep doctor instead of taking measures to see every specialist that could pertain with this issue. However, that is very hard to me. I don’t want to ever wake up in the pain I was this morning. Does anyone else suffer with health-related OCD? And if so, how do you find a sense of ease during moments like I expressed?
- Date posted
- 22w
I started dealing with OCD when I became fixated on health issues, particularly the fear of contracting a life-threatening disease. If I experienced any kind of medical symptom, no matter how small, that even remotely hinted at something potentially fatal, it would drive me crazy, and I couldn’t stop obsessing over it. Then one day, I started having intrusive thoughts about accidentally hitting someone with my car, and I would end up driving in circles to check if I had. Eventually, I found myself overwhelmed by a flood of new obsessive thoughts and compulsions. One day, while I was at the park, a squirrel came near me, and for some reason, I felt like it attacked me. I Googled it and learned that squirrels could carry rabies, which spiraled me into a deep fear of rabies. I became consumed with the thought I received a bite from a squirrel, raccoon, or bat any time I’m in areas that trigger me. It started off only being inside then transferred to even being in my own home. This made me obsess over every physical sensation in my body, compulsively checking to make sure nothing was wrong. One compulsion that I hated the most would to be putting rubbing alcohol on me to make sure that I had no open wounds. Every day feels like I’m walking around in a fog of anxiety, constantly worrying that I won’t even make it to old age. Sometimes, it gets so overwhelming that I just want it all to end. It stresses me so bad at times to where my brain feels like I’ve been studying all day.
- Date posted
- 17w
Does anyone else's OCD get worse when you haven't slept well? I haven't been sleeping well since this weekend and my OCD and anxiety is just making me feel super down. Does anyone else have this problem?
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