[Kvidder]

Hello everyone on ImsoniaCoach

So i have a struggle i really would like to share with you and any help is really appreciated.

So i had a panic attack during my holiday last summer. Since then i have really struggled to be able to fall asleep. In that regard i have worked hard to overcome the anxiety in my daily life, which i proudly can say has improved alot. However the sleep issues remains.

Alot of the time i dont sleep at all, and everytime i try to sleep it feels like my body ejects cortisol and adrenaline, which makes my heart beating harder to keep me awake. Furthermore when im just about to fall asleep it feels like my mind notices and then wakes me up. This has been a struggle for the last year, and really affecting my daily life as i feel too tired to do anything, and as it has been going on for so long, i”ve started to connect my bed with “i cant sleep”, which makes me dread about going to bed.

Really hope anyone have felt similar experiences or have any advice about what i should do, as a long-term solution.

Thanks in advance:-)

[Lisa33]

I am going through the same exact thing. This is probably my third bout of this terrible insomnia. It always starts with a couple of consecutive nights of poor sleep and then bam, I cannot fall asleep anymore. Exactly what you describe is what happens to me. I feel like I’m manic, my whole body is racing…and if I do start to fall asleep, my brain wakes me right up. It sometimes feels like a jolt and sends me into a panic feeling. It’s so awful. I feel like I am never going to sleep again. I’m completely exhausted. The last two times this happened to me, I kicked it after about two weeks. Sometimes I take Xanax to just try to get a few hours sleep and remind me how to sleep. I hate taking meds though. I am a 51 yr old woman and wonder if it’s a hormone imbalance that brings it on as I’m going through perimenopause. It is just horrible to not be able to fall asleep. I just wanted you to know that I gave exactly the same thing going on!

[Denim]

Same here. I still can’t make the connection between bed and sleep. I look at my bed and get anxious. I might try CBD gummies, nothing else is working.

[Cerridwen]

I have had a similar problem. I’m just dropping off to sleep and I get a fluttering in my chest and I wake up gasping. It was a panic attack in my case and it started when my mum died in 2014. It’s almost stopped now (but I still have an anxiety related sleep problem that means I can’t fall asleep most nights:-(). So how did I get rid of the panic? I first became very afraid to go to sleep, then I tried some relaxation breathing before bed and in time it went away. To be honest, it went away when I stopped being afraid of the sensations. Sorry I can’t be more helpful.

[Martin Reed]

Hello @Kvidder and welcome to the forum. As you have seen from the replies to your post, what you are going through is not unique or unusual — it’s all part of the struggle associated with insomnia.

Many people find that the more they try to fight or avoid wakefulness and the difficult thoughts and feelings that come with it, the more powerful, influential, and difficult nighttime wakefulness and all those thoughts and feelings become — and the more likely they are to get pulled away from doing things that matter, being the person they want to be, and living the kind of life they want to live.

The more willing we can be (which is a skill that requires a lot of practice!) to experience wakefulness and all those difficult thoughts and feelings, the less powerful and influential they might become. This, in turn, can allow us to refocus our attention and our energy to do things that matter, be the person we want to be, and live the kind of life we want to live.

You might find my podcast episode with Maria helpful: How Maria faced the fear of insomnia by allowing it to exist and discovered that all its power came from how she responded to it (#49).

I hope there’s something helpful here.

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If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.

The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.

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