- Date posted
- 5y
- Date posted
- 5y
I feel the exact same way. For me, what really helps is turning on a TV show that I’ve seen before and find really comforting, something that will keep my attention just enough that I don’t think of anything else but not so much that I’m unable to fall asleep. Also, there’s a meditation technique called noting that’s really helpful if you want to look into that! I hope that helps.
- Date posted
- 5y
I browse Reddit until my phone drops out of my hands. Not healthy, and I don’t recommend, but I wanted you to know you’re not alone
- Date posted
- 5y
Some people struggle with mornings more, some with nights, but yes totally! Sleep can be a surprisingly stressful time for anxiety. I find that my most anxious time is first thing in the morning, and what I’ve found that helps is to simply accept and expect it! Having realistic expectations can make all the difference. When I wake up, I go “oh look my morning anxiety is here, right on time. Let’s breath deeply and then get up in a few minutes.” By making this my “normal”, I don’t actually dread it. Other tips might be to make a really calming sleep routine. Have some non caffeinated tea, read a book, stay away from screens (tv, phone, computer), light a scented candle, keep the lighting dim and pleasant, do a guided meditation specifically for sleep, etc. You can use these to change your associations with sleep over time. Whatever method you choose: stop procrastinating or avoiding going to bed. Each time you do that, you’re reinforcing for your brain that this is an unpleasant experience you must avoid because you can’t handle it. It will only increase your sense of dread and distress when it comes time to finally go to bed. Avoidance here not be a full blown compulsion, but it has the same effect.
- Date posted
- 5y
I associate sleep with being lazy because as a teenager I was a night owl who would stay up and message my friends and then my mother would scream at me and physically drag me out of bed in the morning. As an adult it took me a long time to let myself sleep in on the weekends. I really just repeat the phrase to myself "just luxuriate in this time of rest". For some reason that really helps. The idea of luxuriating and treating it as a soap or self care
- Date posted
- 5y
I struggle with this too! My bedtime routine is really stressful for me because I tend to do a lot of compulsions during that which is really stressful - not to mention being tired makes it even worse ?
Related posts
- Date posted
- 22w
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?
- Date posted
- 11w
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.
- Date posted
- 11w
I feel like it’s just me. But at night when I start to fall asleep, play on my phone, or watch TV; I’ll get major intrusive thoughts and a butt load of anxiety. Has anyone felt the same about this? How have you managed it? It’s getting exhausting and even causes me to sleep-less.
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