Mind is racing: Can't sleep/Going Crazy
 

I've been trying to get to sleep forever now.
I made myself turn the TV off and go read, even though I wasn't tired.
I read for an hour. Turned some soothing music on and all I can do is think.
Racing thoughts ...... then tell myself to shut up. I tried a meditation thing but can't concentrate long enough. I put lavender oil on to relax me.
Now I'm drinking hot tea.

I cannot be late to work tomorrow (today). I'm going to get fired. How the hell am I going to drag my butt out of bed in the morning!?

I'm lying there thinking about ........ everything. I've got to get to sleep so I don't get fired. Then, remember my favorite book as a kid, then think about my meeting tomorrow, then it's something else.

I'm feeling like I can't get everything or anything done. I can't do anything right. I need to start seeing my therapist again. I can't stand how I look. I need to stop eating like a cow. I need to workout. I need to eat right. I need to help out more around the house. I need to make a budget. I need to ........ freaking sleep.

I don't know what to do and I don't know if I'm going crazy or what. Why the hell is my mind racing like this?! :wtf2

Gosh PD....:hug:

I just don't know what to say. The Serenity Prayer?
A bubble bath with soothing music?
Make a list...out of your head ...onto paper?
I hear our BB often induces sleep...:)

Here is a link that might be useful...

Insomnia? 42 Simple Tips to Help You Get to Sleep - Insomnia treatment, cures

I'm sorry to see you are having difficulties.

I am aorry, I hope you are asleep by now!

my sponsor tells me to lie there and count my blessings.I`ll eventually go to sleep.I have tried this and it worked for me.A racing mind is common at first in most cases.The only thing I have found to slow it down is the 12 steps.

I finally got to sleep around 2am I think.
I got to work with time to spare, thank goodness.

I guess the hot tea helped?
I did some praying too. That coulda been it too, huh?

I was plagued with that at early sobriety. I was remembering conversations I had with friends when I was in elementary school! Stuff I've kind of forgotten that happened 10+ years ago was all coming back to me all at once like it only happen yesterday. It was definitely overwhelming but that part has seem to calm down now. I guess that's what happens when we give up the drinking. All that stuff that we forgotten from our past comes rushing back in like a two hundred foot tidal wave!

Hi PaperDolls
Glad you fell asleep. I am still plagued by sleepless nights or waking every 2 hrs. Last night no exception so I started to pray, I had forgotten to before falling asleep and I guess I must have fallen asleep after praying cause next time I looked at clock it was morning. Have a great day
:Val004:

Im pressuming your newly sober/clean...

Early stages are tough...

Once i stopped fretting about not sleeping...guess what..i fell asleep.

The more i tried the worst it got..

Bottom line in my drinking was i slept for england anyway so it wasnt like i was lacking..lol

Now im always asleep..lol

Go for a long walk....bike ride...hot bath...or dig a hole as my sponsor once said..lol

Try to relax rather than try to sleep...then it will come.

god be with you....trucker

In the early days, I would be up for a week straight. Then I would start hallucinating and my body would just shut down and I'd be asleep for 3 days.

It was a horrible cycle, but it got better. Melatonin worked well for me. So did working on lowering my blood pressure. I also found a quick 20 minute walk around 6pm would help.

I also have a really cool "rain" cd I got at Target. I like the sound of rain, and that helped too.

Thanks everyone! It's nice to know I may not be going crazy ..... I mean for good anyway. Temporary insanity.

I have no advice PD. I do sympathize with you though. I still suffer from insomnia myself... I haven't found anything that works for me. I try not to obsess on it when I can't sleep. I know that's easier said than done but beating yourself up and going through the list won't help. I guess I sort of made peace with knowing I probably won't sleep if that makes sense?

Anyway... big hugs. I hope you do get some sleep and I hope you don't get fired! Maybe a night job might be worth thinking about :)?

Oh man, I've had exactly this problem since I was a little kid. I had to go on atypical antipsychotics (I'm OCD, that's what really caused it for me) to shut my brain up. It's a really horrible cycle, thinking "I need to fall asleep now", which in turn makes you think "Why am I not asleep?", which then makes you go into panic mode.... I am very familiar with this. For me, it's important to write every night before I go to bed, and to just spew my guts out on paper-- that way I can start to process what's going on and practice "giving away" the things that I can't control. Trying to control your mind and body by simply willing yourself to sleep almost always doesn't work, as you probably know-- you end up fighting yourself, which is definitely NOT productive for bedtime. What helps me is to stop the cycle and physically get out of bed, eat a small snack, maybe smoke a cigarette, and write until I get to what's really bugging me. If that doesn't work, and I'm simply not tired, I watch TV or read (NOT in my bed) or take a walk until I absolutely cannot stay awake. It's important for me to remind myself that it's not that big of a deal if I don't get as much sleep as I'd like-- that's what coffee is for, and I can always go to bed earlier the next night and make up for it. I had to face that feeling of panic-- that "it's the end of the world!" cycle-- in order to get over it. And if bedtime continues to be a huge ordeal, and it's affecting your life a lot, I would suggest seeing a psychiatrist. But if you do, be sure to be honest with them that you are a recovering alcoholic so that they don't prescribe you anything that's going to harm your recovery.:praying

Hey PD,
I have the same problem with sleeping pretty frequently. Sometimes I also wake up really early and can't go back to sleep due to a cluttered mind. One thing that has really helped me is to put the earbuds in and listen to a really boring talk radio show. TV seems to keep me awake, but the talk radio usually puts me out in a half hour or so. Good luck! :)