[Connold]

Hi guys,

I am having intense feelings of anxiety just at the moment of falling asleep. It comes out of nowhere and bubbles up. It either causes Hypnic jerks and/or intense feelings on anxiety. I can’t identify a thought that is triggering it.
Although I’m going through a really emotional divorce which has been the only thing that has caused me anxiety and stress.
Anyone else experiencing this…. just when sleep is to kick in a wave of intense anxiety springs up or a Hypnic jerk jolts me from sleep.
I feel like crying my eyes out in frustration and worry I’m going insane.

[Chee2308]

Hello Connold!
Your story is so very normal and you are not going crazy. You are just overreacting to a natural phenomenon. Nobody knows why hypnic jerks happen, but they frequently occur during times of intense fatigue or heightened arousal, as in your case. Normal sleep happens like this: slowly, slowly then all at once, before you even know it. It’s kinda like being in an airplane during landing, very rough when it first hits the ground, bounces off then hits the ground less roughly again then everything just smooths out after that. Go to youtube and research hypnic jerks, there’s plenty out there including one by Martin Reed. Good luck. Once you start not reacting so strongly to them, your sleep will get back on track. Good luck!

[Connold]

Thank you so much for your kind words and listening to me. I am trying to carry on as normal and not let the bad nights effect me too much (accept and meditate).

Is there a reason why when falling asleep I lose control of anxiety emotions. I have started to worry about not falling asleep because I very much dislike the anxiety I feel when falling asleep. Any advice ?

Thanks again

[Chee2308]

Hello Connold!
The thing about anxiety is the more you try to escape it, the more hold it has over you. The whole thing then spirals out of control and you get caught up in the vicious cycle. Look up Dr Claire Weekes and her method for treating anxiety disorders. Basically stop escaping your fears and confront them head on. Sometime even challenge them by saying “Is that all you got??” Over time, you get accustomed to them and are not afraid anymore.

Are you sleeping at regular times? Getting into and out of bed at regular times are crucial for sleeping well, especially the getting out of bed! Normal human beings need 16-18 hours of wakefulness in order to generate 6-8 hours of sleep. So if you have had a disrupted night and you then compensate for it by sleeping in and/or going to bed earlier the following night, you run into problems of not sleeping or having fragmented sleep. From now on, just get up of bed at the same time every day regardless of how you slept. No sleeping in, naps or going to bed earlier. But you can go to bed later just not earlier, whatever the time you went to bed, always get up at the same time because that’s how you get the 16-18 hours of wakefulness to generate sufficient sleep drive to fall asleep and stay asleep. Just do this for at least several weeks and your sleep will improve. Stop any clock watching and go completely timeless. Resist the urge to track or monitor your sleep.

You will find after sleeping well, you find it taking longer to fall asleep or you may wake up earlier than you want. This is normal and to be expected. Ignoring them the best you can will help your sleep improve further with time. Utimately you reach a stage where you have absolute confidence in your ability to sleep and sleep great, like all normal sleepers! Be patient, persevere and try to be non judgmental about how you slept for a particular night. Good luck!

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