Sleeping

WinstonSmith · 24-12-2009 3:25am #1

Is there anyone here with sleeping problems? I havent been able to sleep at all these last number of weeks mostly out of a fear of dying-Im only 22. I'd consider myself fairly fit, exercise several times a week (weights and cardio), but still as the day progresses towards night, my fear of dying increases until I'm lying in bed awake and petrified. This last while I seem to have been getting light-headed a lot more, not just when standing up during the day, but also sitting at my desk doing work and lying in bed, even trying to go to sleep i will feel light headed. I also get slight shortness of breath from time to time. I often feel that there is something wrong with my heart. I dont know why I think this since I have no history of heart problems (although there is a history in the family). I don't smoke but all my best friends do, though I wouldnt follow them to the smoking area. I have tried taking herbal sleeping tablets but they didnt work and I would prefer if there were an alternative to tablets. Has anyone got any similar experience to this or have heard of it before? I wonder is this a medical condition?
Thanks.

Senna · 24-12-2009 3:35am

No harm in going to the doctors and getting a check-up. If that puts your mind to rest it might solve all your problems. The more you lament on something the more those "symptoms" seem worse.

L31mr0d · 24-12-2009 3:40am

I think about death a lot. I actually watch people with curiousity knowing that they will go about the majority of their lives trying not to think about it. Threads like this usually receive little in the way of responses because people don't want to accept their own mortality, or they've placated themselves with a belief in an afterlife (it's usually just a mental distraction, the dread of death will never go away)

The problem I think you are having, and I've experienced it to some degree, is that in the quiet of night, you can hear your heart beating and you know that this one organ creating this noise in your chest is keeping you alive. I mean I sometimes put my hand over it and am amazed that everything I am hinges on this peace of meat beating that could fit in the palm of my hand.

I got over it though. I'm fully comfortable in my own mortality now. The better I understand death the more I appreciate the brilliance of life.

But, in saying that, I don't know you from Adam so I can't really comment. I'd recommend going to see a Doctor, he should be able to help you with your anxiety.

CDfm · 24-12-2009 5:23am

OP you are a bit phobic and should probably talk to you GP. Rationally what you are thinking about makes sense because you are as healthy as your friends.

Anyway fear of death at 22 - not that abnormal.

Dragan · 24-12-2009 12:02pm

WinstonSmith wrote: »

Is there anyone here with sleeping problems? I havent been able to sleep at all these last number of weeks mostly out of a fear of dying-Im only 22. I'd consider myself fairly fit, exercise several times a week (weights and cardio), but still as the day progresses towards night, my fear of dying increases until I'm lying in bed awake and petrified. This last while I seem to have been getting light-headed a lot more, not just when standing up during the day, but also sitting at my desk doing work and lying in bed, even trying to go to sleep i will feel light headed. I also get slight shortness of breath from time to time. I often feel that there is something wrong with my heart. I dont know why I think this since I have no history of heart problems (although there is a history in the family). I don't smoke but all my best friends do, though I wouldnt follow them to the smoking area. I have tried taking herbal sleeping tablets but they didnt work and I would prefer if there were an alternative to tablets. Has anyone got any similar experience to this or have heard of it before? I wonder is this a medical condition?
Thanks.

Fears are normally illogical, it's the funny thing about them. Sure, many of us have fears of this and that, but largely the root of them is in something tangible, out interpretation of them makes them illogical.

As an example, you can't sleep at night due to a fear of dying. How do you feel during the day? Statistically, you are far more likely to die during the day that you are in your bed at night time. It's just one of those things. Effectively for most people, their bed is their castle, they feel safe and secure and warm, when it gets flipped around like that it's normally from something else leaching in, a stress or a worry that we misinterpret.

As such, do you have anything else going on? Any fears? Any doubts? Any history of this type of issue?

I would second the "go to a doctor" advice. If you are worried about something, get it checked out....it either puts the mind at rest of gives you a course of action to take.

Finally, if you are worried about you heart, definitely stay away from any sleeping tablets, especially Tryptophan based ones....but thankfully you should only be able to get them on prescription anyway.

Hit up the doc, put him through his paces, go from there.

helimachoptor · 24-12-2009 12:04pm

I get the odd bout of insomnia, generally though it gets to the stage of i'm so tired I have no option but to sleep! your case sounds a.bit serious, off to the doctor with ya!

CDfm · 24-12-2009 12:14pm

+1 on everything Dragan said. Lots of factualand sensible no nonsense info.

Alkers · 24-12-2009 6:23pm

I have a very similar problem. I'm 22 and I only get it when I'm alone e.g. when trying to sleep. What happens in my case is I get fixated on just that last few seconds before dying and an almost panic sets in to me, sitting bolt upright from being in bed or having to stand up while watching tv. Sometimes this just happens me once and I shrug it off, other times I'll repeat the process all night. I don't think being an atheist helps either!

CDfm · 24-12-2009 6:43pm

Simona1986 wrote: »

I have a very similar problem. I'm 22 and I only get it when I'm alone e.g. when trying to sleep. What happens in my case is I get fixated on just that last few seconds before dying and an almost panic sets in to me, sitting bolt upright from being in bed or having to stand up while watching tv. Sometimes this just happens me once and I shrug it off, other times I'll repeat the process all night. I don't think being an atheist helps either!

Being an atheist probably wont help. Drinking or taking anything mood altering would also be a tad hazardous.

At 22 you shouldnt be focused on death or even thinking about it -it sounds like a nighttime terror thing.

As I said before if its affecting the quality of your life you need to do something about it. You should do something about it like talk to your GP cos it does sound like a weird obsession.

L31mr0d · 24-12-2009 7:49pm

CDfm wrote: »

Being an atheist probably wont help.

Well... you would say that, wouldn't you

:pac:

I personally think it's due to living in a society which doesn't prepare children for death. All of our children are going to experience it and have to think about it. In fact, for the majority, the children will usually have to bury their parents at some point in their lives. It's a reality that we prefer to live in ignorance of, in the hope that we are protecting our children from it. How can you protect a person from an inevitability?

I think we don't discuss death in any rational way with our children that isn't wrapped in a euphemism because it was never done with us. If an individual is made fully aware of the limits of mortality the finite amount of time we have to live becomes exponentially more important.

CDfm · 24-12-2009 8:45pm

L31mr0d wrote: »

Well... you would say that, wouldn't you :pac:

Yup - I would

.

Concentrating on some stuff will drive you dolally no matter what you believe in.

What lots of people do is get up and do something like ironing (blah) to tire them out. An old book you like or boring book by the bed or a netbook and watch the football.

Its like getting your mind to think of nice things

dlvrit · 27-03-2021 8:07am

Yes I have gone through sleeping trouble fro many years but duva sleep help a lot.

Esel · 27-03-2021 8:27am

Sleeping Beauty!

1o059k7ewrqj3n · 27-03-2021 8:28am

Would recommend you talk to a doctor, sounds like very bad anxiety. There’s nothing wrong with visiting the doctor either, I’ve done it myself since the pandemic began. With radio, tv and print media constantly discussing the pandemic and everyone wearing masks and washing hands, worry starts to creep in. This really isn’t a normal time.

Sarn · 27-03-2021 8:39am

I hope the OP has managed to find a solution after 11 years!

Sleeping

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