[Tatyana]

I had an episode of insomnia last week due to anxiety. I have work once a week at 5:30 am and would always try to go to sleep early because I would have to get up early. However this time I couldn’t fall asleep and so my brain got scared and I started having heart palpitations and experienced anxiety the entire night. Sadly I called into work because I was terrified to go to work on zero hours of sleep. Ever since that day last week I would be super tired but every time I would close my eyes to go to sleep, I would get anxiety again and have heart palpitations where I could hear them in my ears. I also started taking a sleeping pill but I would rather go to sleep on my own. I used to be a great sleeper but now every time I think about sleep or it starts getting dark out I get anxiety. It’s like I’m having ptsd towards sleeping, my brain can’t remember that my bed is for sleep. My body is super sleepy but my brain is awake

[Chee2308]

Hello Tatyana
First time I wanna say is There is absolutely nothing wrong with you! It is just your thoughts about sleep that is causing and perpetuating your sleep disruption. Nobody sleeps fine one night and then “lose it forever” afterwards. It just doesn’t happen that way. Most likely it is your fear and anxiety that is causing continual insomnia because everyone can sleep! Absolutely no doubt about that. When you went to bed early before all this started, how long have you spent awake? If it’s less than 17-18 hours then of course you found it hard to sleep. Sleep drive is a lot like hunger, it builds from not sleeping (or eating) long enough. Let’s say your regular bedtime is midnight, and your regular wake time is 7 or 8 am. That’s 16-17 hours of wakefulness that generates 7-8 hours of sleep. If suddenly, you then go to bed early at 9 or 10pm due to an early morning engagement the next morning, and you’ve woken up at 8am that morning, you’ve only spent 13-14 hours awake and that amount of waketime is simply not sufficient to build the sleep drive you need to fall asleep and stay asleep. I find the amount of time spent continuously awake is the single key determinant of the quality of sleep we then get. Nothing can generate sleepiness, no medicines, no sleepy teas, no supplements EXCEPT being awake SUFFICIENTLY.

[Martin Reed]

Welcome to the forum, Tatyana! It might be helpful to explore the thoughts that seem to be generating that anxiety — what do you think would have happened if you had gone into work after zero hours of sleep?

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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 Clarity 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.

[Tatyana]

Hi Martin, if I went to work on zero hours of sleep, I was scared that something would happen. I was thinking there is no way I’m going to work on zero hours, I’m going to pass out or faint. It just seemed wrong to have been up all night. Pretty traumatic for me. So now every time I think about sleep I get anxiety. However a few nights ago I do think I slept. But recently I’ve just been half asleep and half not. I don’t know if I’m asleep or not. I’m definitely tired but it takes a lot for my anxiety to go away. I guess my mind is still traumatized by the sleepless night and is scared it’s going to happen again

[Martin Reed]

Hello again Tatyana! If you are keen to explore this further, you might want to consider these questions:

If you had gone in to work after zero hours of sleep, how likely do you think it would have been that you would have passed out or fainted? Would that have been 100% certain? 50% certain? 10% certain? What likelihood would you give it, as a percentage?

When you stayed at home instead of going to work, did you pass out or faint at home? What happened during the day you spent at home after zero hours of sleep that has you so worried about it happening again?

—

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 Clarity 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.

[Tatyana]

I think 50%. I just felt like my body did something wrong when I didn’t go to sleep. Like I committed a crime against my body cause I used to treasure sleep so much. When I stayed home I was constantly thinking of what happened so I couldn’t pass out because I was scared I wasn’t going to sleep. I kept thinking about the next night and would have anxiety. I was so scared that I took sleeping pills so I could just get a “normal” sleep. However I’m not taking them anymore.

[Martin Reed]

It’s interesting that you didn’t go to work because you felt there was a 50% chance of you passing out or fainting (even though it doesn’t sound as though that has ever happened before — and it didn’t happen when you stayed at home) and that staying at home seemed to lead to a day filled with unpleasant sleep-related thinking that might not have occurred had you gone to work and been focussed on something other than sleep.

I wonder if this experience might prove to be useful next time you worry about sleep or think about staying home from work after a difficult night?

—

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 Clarity 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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