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Rider52
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Default Jun 22, 2020 at 03:46 AM
  #1
I've been dealing with anxiety for a while. I have medication for anxiety attacks. Some days are better than others. Lately I've been having trouble sleeping. Usually I get 6 or 7 hours and last couple days has been 4 hours. I'm having hypnagogic hallucinations that are waking me up and causing anxiety. I've been told they are normal, but I'm worried since they are bothersome.
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Default Jun 22, 2020 at 05:40 AM
  #2
Have you ever had a sleep study done? Maybe you are a naturally segmented sleeper who is prone to sleep in segments rather than straight through. I am a segmented sleeper. All three of my sleep studies showed that, and that i have mild sleep apnea. But I won't wear a CPAP machine b/c those things can give people pneumonia and COPD and other lung inflammation problems. Yuck.

Maybe your insomnia is natural. Or, it could be due the dosage of your combined anxiety medications? I know that when a psych dr Px me a benzo for sleep (he lost his board license for prescribing his patients the wrong meds b/c he got paid by the drug manufacturer under the table).I have that in-between sleep and awake dreamstate like hallucinations sometimes too; where I'm in the middle of a dream but am waking up and think I'm asleep or vice versa.

Do you have a routine you follow to get to bed at night? Routines can be very helpful. The hallucinations between the deep stage of sleep and being awake is completely normal. Nothing abnormal about it. It's how I remember my dreams actually. Sometimes, I"ll wake up in the middle of a conversation I'm having in a dream and make myself laugh after I wake up.

I have anxiety too but don't take any meds (any longer) for it. I found out my panic attacks were due to low iron, low vitamin D and Bs and low magnesium. When I get those low levels to normal my panic attacks stop. Have you had your iron level checks?
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Default Jun 22, 2020 at 06:27 AM
  #3
Hi. I wasn't tested for any sleep disorders yet. I did have blood work and some other tests done. Everything came back normal. I had a mental health assessment too. I've been stuck feeling anxious at times after a stressful situation. I just can't seem to get rid of it. The sleep issues started with the anxiety. I've been told it's normal, but it disrupts my sleep. I get worried thinking it's something serious. I wish I could not worry as much and see if things improve.
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Default Jun 22, 2020 at 06:40 AM
  #4
Anxiety-induced insomnia is not normal. It means your anxiety is being caused by something that is keeping you awake and unable to sleep. It could be a health problem mimicking anxiety. Ask your general practitioner for a referral to see a cognitive sleep specialist. Or, if you have to pay out of pocket do it. A sleep doctor knows more about this than any psychiatrist or general practitioner.

Try keeping an anxiety journal to write down everything you are worried about as part of your bed time routine. If that doesn't work, then schedule your worry. Sounds silly. But I do it and it works for me. I schedule 15-20 minutes a day where I allow myself to get really worked up and overreact about my problems. Then, I force myself to stop worrying after that allotted time is up and I reframe my worry after that as problem solving. It's all about reframing.

I have 4 months of savings to find a job. I could keep myself awake every night in a tizzy worrying about finding a job right now with COVID. But I refuse to let it control me. So, I set aside time every day now, to worry about finding a job and let myself get really upset about it. Then afterward, I go into problem-solver mode. I attend online job fairs, get online help with my resume, and continue to apply for jobs.

I had 3 sleep studies done because I had anxiety keeping me up at night. Turns out, it was a combination of factors; mild sleep apnea can mimc anxiety, segmented sleep pattern (I've been this way my whole life), and low in iron, B, and D and magnesium. Also, my sleeping environments at those times were uncomfortable; dry, too stuffy/humid, too noisy. All of that can effect sleep.
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Thunder Bow
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Default Jun 27, 2020 at 12:01 PM
  #5
Anxiety affects how well we sleep. Medications also affect our sleep.

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