[Okaph]

Hey folks,

So i’ve been using CBT restriction therapy for a week now and i’m starting to observe minor improvements. Mainly that i’m getting ridicolously tired before bed now. Yesterday though, I had my first anxiety/panic attack in two years. Thoughts occupied my mind and frightened me. I feared I would not sleep, so I had to take ambien just to get into sleep.

Now I wonder what i’m supposed to do, i’ve been trying to accept this, yet it’s very hard due intensity of my thoughts.

[Martin Reed]

How are you getting on since you posted, Okaph? I’m glad to hear that you were noticing improvements after just one week of sleep restriction! That is very impressive and encouraging!

Usually, the best thing to do when you feel anxious is to try to uncover and evaluate the thought that created the anxiety. In your example, it seems that you had the thought that you would not sleep. How accurate do you think such a thought is? I am sure there have been nights when you didn’t sleep, but have there been nights when you did sleep? How many nights are there when you do sleep compared to when you don’t sleep?

The fact that you reached for the Ambien and then slept actually proves the inaccuracy of the thought you had that triggered so much anxiety — you did sleep. Sleeping pills cannot generate sleep. The only thing that can generate sleep is your own biological sleep drive.

When you are able to identify and evaluate the thought that is creating anxiety, you will often see that the thought that is causing so much worry isn’t very accurate — and this can make the thought less worrying.

You might want to watch this video, “What to do when anxious thoughts are making sleep difficult and leading to insomnia.”

I hope this helps!

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