Question:
: : Anyone out there had any fear of sleeping?
i for one do. my fear of sleeping or the thought of sleeping somehow comes from the associated loss of consciousness and therefore control. then again, the fear of losing control of my body or my mind is what mainly causes my anxiety and why the PA’s are so horrifying. i’m going to the hospital to have an operation next week and what scares me the most is the thought of being put under anesthesia, that means whether i want it or not i will go unconscious as soon as they inject me with the anesthetic. brrr!! (shivering) i know this might make absolutely no sense to some of you, but if someone else feels this way the’ll know what i’m talking about! love and light, hannele.
Response:
: : 1) Some of us get hit by what are called Nocturnal : Panic Attacks (NPAs). Such attacks typically occur : before we reach dream state, so they’re not related : to nightmares. NPAs seem to be caused by release of : the hormone cholecystokinin (CCK) which is known to : cause panic. When we try to sleep, our stomachs go : into a digestive cycle that involves CCK, and those : of us with panic disorder seem to produce too much : CCK that sometimes results in NPAs. : : Does this include settling in to go to sleep but getting anxiety BEFORE we : actually go to sleep? I get this…..then when I actually dose off…I wake : up with a jolt and start trembling and shivering with fear and nausea. I do : this in 15 minute intervals for most of the night. I’ve been this way for : years…….on and off. This could very well be a CCK problem and sounds like an NPA. Have you tried any benzodiazepine medications (such as Xanax, Klonopin, Valium, etc.)? If so, at what dosage and were they helpful? Either way, it’s something to discuss with your doctor. Basically, benzodiazepines are the most direct and effective means of blocking CCK surges. Other types of medications can block CCK to some degree too, but less directly and often less effectively. Best Wishes, Arthur
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – : : Anyone out there had any fear of sleeping? Hi Jeanne, I sure have had fear of sleeping. There are a variety of reasons why we sometimes feel this way. 1) Some of us get hit by what are called Nocturnal Panic Attacks (NPAs). Such attacks typically occur before we reach dream state, so they’re not related to nightmares. NPAs seem to be caused by release of the hormone cholecystokinin (CCK) which is known to cause panic. When we try to sleep, our stomachs go into a digestive cycle that involves CCK, and those of us with panic disorder seem to produce too much CCK that sometimes results in NPAs.
Does this include settling in to go to sleep but getting anxiety BEFORE we actually go to sleep? I get this…..then when I actually dose off…I wake up with a jolt and start trembling and shivering with fear and nausea. I do this in 15 minute intervals for most of the night. I’ve been this way for years…….on and off. ANDI Andrea’s Pop and Contemporary Art Extravaganza http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/6104/PopArt.html Andrea’s Lawrence Brothers Website http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/6104/joeylawrence.html Andrea’s Monkee Website http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/6104/index.html
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Anyone out there had any fear of sleeping? I’ve been having a terrible time lately. I have fibromyalgia which makes sleeping difficult to begin with. My dr. had me on Trazadone for sleep and Effexor for depression. I take the Effexor at bedtime because it seemed to make me sleepy during the day. The trazadone doesn’t seem to help anymore, so I stopped taking it and went back to some Ambien that I had on hand. after 4 nights of hell, tons of anxiety, sweats, chills, etc., I decide maybe the Ambien and Effexor weren’t agood mix. Tonight, I took my Effexor and some Klonopin that I had on hand. I slept for a couple of hours and then woke up feeling nauseous and scared to death. I’ve calmed down now but that was 3 1/2 hours ago and I still haven’t gone back to sleep. Tomorrow I see a shrink that I saw a year ago to get his input on these meds that I’m on. I hope the worst of this hell will be over after tomorrow. Thanks for listening. Jeanne
HI there Jeanne. I can relate to the fear of sleeping. I used to look at my bed in the daytime, and think, OH I KNOW I’M GONNA HAVE TROUBLE TONIGHT! I went threw 2 months last summer with 1 to 1 1/2 hours of sleep each night. It was tough. I was on Lorazepam to help me get to sleep. My problem was ( and still is ) jumpy muscles. Twitches. I jolt as I doze off. It’s something I have learned to go past as I drift off to sleep. I hope you are better soon. Please keep us posted on how you’re doing. Lack of sleep is a hell that no one who hasn’t been there will ever know. Take care! – Vivian.
Response:
: : Anyone out there had any fear of sleeping? Hi Jeanne, I sure have had fear of sleeping. There are a variety of reasons why we sometimes feel this way. 1) Some of us get hit by what are called Nocturnal Panic Attacks (NPAs). Such attacks typically occur before we reach dream state, so they’re not related to nightmares. NPAs seem to be caused by release of the hormone cholecystokinin (CCK) which is known to cause panic. When we try to sleep, our stomachs go into a digestive cycle that involves CCK, and those of us with panic disorder seem to produce too much CCK that sometimes results in NPAs. 2) People with anxiety disorders can sometimes have terribly vivid and horrific nightmares. For a time, I would frequently die in my dreams, often in rather nasty ways. 3) People with anxiety disorders often find distractions (such as TV, etc.) helpful. However, when we go to bed, the distractions often get turned off; and in the silence we find ourselves alone with our fears. The lack of distractions also makes us more aware of our physical symptoms; such as muscle ticks, heart rate, breathing, nervous habits, etc. 4) People with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) may have trouble sleeping for fear that some appliance was left on, or that the door was left unlocked, etc. Typically, when I’m afraid to sleep, or just cant sleep at all, I just get up and do something until I’m too damn tired to stay awake any longer. In my case, a little Xanax sometimes helps too. Often, it’s harmless to fall asleep with the TV on, but that may not help if OCD is involved. Some of us may actually sleep easier in the day rather than the night. Obviously, some of this recks havoc with our schedules, but there are a lot of options to try. Best Wishes, Arthur
Response:
Anyone out there had any fear of sleeping? I’ve been having a terrible time lately.
I have fibromyalgia which makes sleeping difficult to begin with. My dr. had me on
Trazadone for sleep and Effexor for depression. I take the Effexor at bedtime because
it seemed to make me sleepy during the day. The trazadone doesn’t seem to help
anymore, so I stopped taking it and went back to some Ambien that I had on hand.
after 4 nights of hell, tons of anxiety, sweats, chills, etc., I decide maybe the Ambien and Effexor weren’t agood mix.
Tonight, I took my Effexor and some Klonopin that I had on hand. I slept for a couple of hours and then woke up
feeling nauseous and scared to death. I’ve calmed down now but that was 3 1/2 hours
ago and I still haven’t gone back to sleep. Tomorrow I see a shrink that I saw a year ago to
get his input on these meds that I’m on. I hope the worst of this hell will be over after
tomorrow. Thanks for listening.
Jeanne -**** Posted from RemarQ, http://www.remarq.com/?a ****- Search and Read Usenet Discussions in your Browser – FREE –
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