Does anyone else have fears and intrusive thoughts of not being able to fall asleep which keeps you up at night? I got some restless nights due to being sick and now I can’t get back on a normal sleep schedule. It’s making my anxiety worse. Any advice or suggestions for those who deal with sleep issues and fears?
I can definitely relate to this
I wish i had advice but it’s a struggle for me so idk how to answer:(
@natalie m I’ve always struggled somewhat with sleep but it got better now it’s gone again
@Kyla H Do you watch tv or listen to music before you go to bed?
@natalie m I usually turn on a podcast to help me sleep but I try not to watch tv. Hbu?
@Kyla H I listen to white noise
@natalie m Does it help?
@Kyla H It does sometimes !
I can relate to this so much!
@Iloverowdy12 What do you do to help?
@Kyla H Well when I was in I would go weeks with little to no sleep so I know how it feels :( but now I take medication I take trazadone for sleep you should try some over the counter stuff
@Iloverowdy12 I’ve def tried over the counter stuff too but it’s not working too well at the moment because I’m getting over bronchitis , that’s what has been really feeding my anxiety
Something that helps me a lot with insomnia is 20mg of Melatonin. I’ve found that Melatonin gummies work faster for me personally. It may also help to ask for some sort of prescription to help you sleep. For a lot of people, Hydroxyzine helps them calm down & fall asleep/stay asleep, for others it might be Trazadone, etc. it’s entirely up to you and your doctor. I hope this is helpful!
@JesusSaves424 For some reason melatonin doesn’t always work. Idk if the dose is too low but, does it help with night time anxiety?
@Kyla H I think it helps me! I take 10-20mg before bed depending on how anxious/stressed I am feeling. This is an AI summary of what the internet says; “Melatonin is primarily known for its role in regulating sleep-wake cycles, but research suggests it may have some effects on anxiety and cortisol levels as well. Anxiety: Some studies indicate that melatonin may help reduce symptoms of anxiety, particularly in individuals with sleep disturbances. However, the evidence is not conclusive, and it may not work for everyone. OCD: There is limited research on melatonin's effectiveness specifically for OCD. Some anecdotal evidence suggests it may help improve sleep quality in people with OCD, which can indirectly alleviate anxiety. Cortisol Levels: Melatonin has been shown to have a regulatory effect on cortisol secretion. It may help lower cortisol levels, especially in stressful situations or when sleep is disrupted. However, more research is needed to fully understand this relationship”. Also, if melatonin doesn’t work well for you, there are other OTC supplements to try! Something that helped me a lot before I had access to antidepressants was 5-HTP. Magnesium can also help in lowering cortisol levels (which tend to be very high in those of us with OCD. Mine gets so high I have grey hair from it.. and I’m 20 🤣) as well as Ashwagandha. I hope that this is helpful. (:
I can relate to this when my ocd was really bad first starting out I would stress all day if I was going to sleep it became a obsession I’m so sorry you are going through this you are not alone
@Iloverowdy12 How’d you break out of your loop? 😭
My ocd gets so loud in the silence and right before bed when there’s no distractions. I always struggled with anxiety since my teens and guided meditation used to help… until OCD. First time trying guided meditation with OCD I had an intrusive thought of “what if you actually lose control and can’t follow these instructions?” And got even more anxious 🫠🫠🫠 had to stop, and haven’t tried to meditate ever since. Just curious to know. Sometimes I feel like I have the worst type of OCD. It will latch onto anything to make me anxious!
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?
I have, alongside my other OCD themes, an intense fear of insomnia. Although this has been improving somewhat — partly thanks to medication and The sleep school on YouTube — I still find myself ruminating about it throughout the day when I have something important the next day, I get stuck in the fear that everything will be ruined — for both myself and others — because my mind is so preoccupied with sleep. + a fear of depression coming back. It honestly feels like a form of sleep OCD. I'm not sure if that’s an official thing, but that’s how it feels to me. A form of erp is the idea of befriending wakefulness. That works great tbh. Things like sleep hygiene, meditation, etc. — tend to backfire because my OCD latches onto them and becomes too obsessive about “doing them right.” I’m genuinely wondering whether ERP — for example in the form of a worst-case-scenario audio loop (imaginal exposure) — could be helpful in this case. I’m hesitant to start unless I know it can actually help. Is there anyone who has experience with this or thoughts about it? I’m not looking for reassurance or tips to fall asleep — only for ideas on how ERP might be applied in this situation.
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