myhollowhell

Anyone else become so anxious during the day about falling asleep that night that they stay up until 6am and when it becomes light outside...it's awful. I have really bad night terrors and sometimes I wake up screaming.

I know a lot of what I dream about I put myself through. I placed myself in the position to be hurt. I know I can't play victim anymore. I am aware. I just need someway to cope to sleep. My sleeping schedule is very messed up, and I am very tired. Exhausted.

Does anyone else have these problems? Any tips?

Tonymblue

During my withdrawals i would have horrible nightmares. Insomnia for me lasted until day 20 of my sobriety. Melatonin, chamomile, valerian root may help with insomnia.

myhollowhell

How did you deal with the nightmares though?

I wake up with my adrenaline pumping and me sitting straight up. I go into panic mode. When I realize I'm not there I am still in panic mode and I can't figure out a way to calm down.

SnoozyQ

Hi there , I had insomnia for at least the first 6 months the first month was horrendous .
I found sleeping with the light on when I woke up from a nightmare helped me clam down quicker
Then I would immediately get up , make a hot drink take 10 deep breaths then force myself back to bed .

Eventually it eases up , the fear lessens until it is gone .

It will happen for you . Just remember , it won last long .
Being sober is worth going through these discomforts , I promise you xxx

myhollowhell

SnoozyQ thank you. So much.

SnoozyQ

I hope it helps you Hollow . I really feel for you xxx

holly11

I too have insomnia, but I have not had a dream or nightmare in many years. I thought my no dreams were from the drug abuse, but maybe not. Melatonin or hot tea kinda help my insomnia. I try to garden or do yard work during the day so I am exhausted at night, and can maybe sleep a little. I tried that zzz quill the other day, big mistake. I felt groggy and extra lazy all day. Praying for u.

Riverbird

You just described me exactly. It is a horrible cycle for me. I have nightmares regularly, and then I become afraid to go to sleep because I'm afraid of having nightmares. It continues on like that and gets progressively worse. The good news is that there's good cycles too. When I get into a good routine I manage to have multiple nights in a row (and sometimes multiple weeks) of sleeping full nights without nightmares. For me it's all about routine. If I manage to fall asleep at the same time every night it becomes a part of my daily structure/routine and there's less time for the anxiety to build. It's hard to get there though, because usually the anxiety sneaks in and gets me distracted doing something else to avoid the sleep I so desperately want.

I wish I had a better answer, but it's something I've been battling for a long time. At least now I tend to average 5-6 hours/night, rather than 5 hours bein the max I ever got. Also, I wake up out of breath but I don't generally wake up screaming anymore. Progress.

One last thing...I know melatonin works great for some people but be careful with it. I had a HORRIBLE reaction to it and know others with nighttime anxiety who have as well. It makes you sleepy, but doesn't do anything to help with the anxiety. So for me it just left me feeling like I'd been drugged because I was terrified but too tired to move. If you decide to try it, start with a very small dose and just be cautious.

Nocturnal

I feel comfortable sleeping only when the sun comes up because I have ADHD and most formal occupations I've had were night time type positions but what I do is lots of excercise, also lots of reading because I have a hyper active mind I have to wear myself out physically AND mentally just to sleep 4 hrs try the combo it really works wonders ill be praying for you God Bless.

Pouncer

I know this an old thread, but since I am detoxing now, I have had the worst nightmares and insomnia. I am afraid to sleep. I have detoxed before, had nightmares, but tis is really hard. No hallucinations, just really, really bad dreams that prevent me from getting REM sleep. Benadryl doesn't help either :/

Any advice?

Soberwolf

Have you spoke with a Dr i used to suffer nearly every sleep problem going but it keeps getting better the longer i stay sober pouncer

Meditation and good sleep hygeine help

SaveFerris127

You sound a lot like me when I first got sober. I would stay up till 6 or 7 in the morning and then use the excuse that it was too late to sleep, and just carry on with my day. Eventually i would fall asleep on accident and wake up soaked in sweat and freaking out.

I don't really know what to tell you, but last night I had the worst nightmare/night terror that I can remember. I woke up before I could even realize it was over, I said, "I can't do this anymore". Those were literally the first words out of my mouth.

So I did some digging all day today and discovered that there are therapists and psychologists who work specifically to help people with night terrors. I found a decent therapist near me and am scheduling an appointment in the morning. I'm not sure if a therapist would help me, but I have a restored sense of hope knowing that there are people professionally trained to help people like us. Good luck.

NightRunner

Even when I start to get tired I have a hard time going to the bedroom. I think mainly I'm feeling lonely when I come home at night and I haven't gone to sleep without pills and alcohol in almost 7 years. I feel like a child refusing bedtime. I do get some bad dreams but I put on NPR podcasts once I finally make it to the bed and this helps as the tone is soothing. I also have a dog... but right now this is the hardest part for me. I'm good during the days but going to sleep and waking up are a killer.