Hi

I have generalized anxiety. I am having problems sleeping at night. I have been taking sleeping pills since July. Has anyone ever taken sleeping pills? Any thoughts?

I have a horrible time sleeping when I'm having anxiety but I only take pills as a last last last resort because I don't like feeling tired the next day.

Are your pills not working for you anymore?

Hi Hope:
I am so sorry you have trouble sleeping. I have been there so many times. I found out the hard way that insomnia is my first and most debilitating symptom of anxiety. I also found out the hard way that sleeping pills can cause rebound anxiety, and thus make the problem worse. I took Ambien and Sonata. It is a tough situation to be in. For me, I had to use a low dose valium at bedtime to get myself straight when I first found the program in 2006. (I was in bad shape...some nights I would only sleep an hour or two. I could fall asleep just fine but would wake in the middle of a panic and never go back to sleep). The valium helped, and I started Paxil at the same time. I took valium in decreasing doses for one month (I was VERY scared to take benzos and didn't want to become addicted and hated how out of it I felt), and now after 2 years I am slowly decreasing my Paxil dose.

Are you working the program?

Sleep hygiene (you may know much of this but I just emailed a relative of mine about this) so I have pasted it below:

Go to bed at the same time and get up at the same time, even if you didn't sleep well.
Try to avoid napping unless you really need it...and then keep it short (<30 minutes).

Exercise every day...even if it is just taking a leisurely walk, with your doctor's
approval. It is best to do it in the morning or afternoon...not too close to bedtime.

During the evening, try to wind down about 2 hours before bedtime. No heavy eating, turn
off the TV, and read or do an activity that relaxes you. Don't pay the bills or worry!

Instead of counting sheep, replay your day backwards. I like to name flowers
alphabetically, as many as I can:
amyrillis, azaela, ajuga, astilbe...
begonia, baby's breath...

I frequently do this if I wake up in the middle of the night. I say to myself: "Oh well,
here I go with the flowers...." and can fall back asleep this way. Much better than
saying "Oh no, not again! I hate this! This is awful! My life sucks."

No caffeine after noon...I would cut it out completely, even in the morning. No alcohol.

The bed should only be for sleeping...do not watch TV or read in bed or talk on the phone.

If you are not asleep after 20-30 minutes of lying in bed, get up and go to another room.
They say to read, and then go back to bed when you feel sleepy, but this only wakes me up
more. I will read, and then fall asleep on the couch. Or sometimes, just moving to the
couch and counting my flowers out there I will fall asleep. I also have a guided meditation tape that I will do, or the relaxation tape. I have used the relaxation tape every night before bed for two years.

It can take a while (weeks) to get your sleep back on track, because your body kind of
adjusts to insomnia and it becomes a habit. I think it is important to convince your
brain that it is no big deal, even if you are so tired you can't think. The more you make
of insomnia, the worse it gets.

Tammy Bartlekamp (she is affiliated with MWC) wrote a book called "A Time to Sleep" about adjusting your sleep attitude. I have found it helpful in under-reacting to sleepless nights as they crop up here and there, without having it snowball into an ongoing thing. So far it has worked.

I can vouch for the book "A Time To Sleep", wonderful! Very good advice, and I agree especially with the exercise and caffeine. I had to cut caffeine COMPLETELY out. It was a headache (literally) for about a week or so, but it has changed my life. I also don't do artificial sweeteners, I do think they are the devil in disguise I wish you a restfull night tonight, and be praying that it comes!

I haven't slept really good in years, and I can tell you it adds to your anxiety. I take one Zanax to help me fall asleep. It keeps me pretty comfortable for about 6 hours, then I start getting restless. Like most prople with anxiety I'm very nervous about taking drugs. I look forward to being drug free and sleeping all night long, but for now I need a little help. For me, Zanax is like putting on a warm sweater after I have been uncomfortably chilled to the bone with anxiety. Anxiety makes my body so uncomfortable. I look forward to learning how to handle my stress more effectively with the CD's.
Worrygirl

It probly sound weird but a times a bowl of cereal helps me to sleep when I am having trouble. No other foods though! Just a small bowl of cereal.