This has been happening for the past 2 weeks. It is getting so bad that I pray not to wake up ever. Is there anyway to stop this
I have been waking up with extreme anxiety everyday at around 4am, I has been absolutely brutal. What can I do to stop this?
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Do you do any kind of journaling? There might be something about life that’s keeping you on edge, and working it out through a daily dump of all emotions, thoughts and curses might make for better sleep. We need to process what’s going on, not just keep head-on facing all the things that being us trouble.
Is there something happening during your day (work, school, relationships) that is bothering you?
When you wake up what are you thinking about that’s making you feel so anxious? Like what pops into your head as your eyes open?
I dont suppose youre female and in your 40s?
Know this sounds silly, but I first say to myself, “Well, you’re awake because you,re anxious. You’ll be tired tomorrow. That’s nothing to worry about because being tired won’t kill you, so you don’t have to be concerned about that. Go ahead and be tired, it’s okay.” That stops me from obsessing over being awake which always made my anxiety 10 times worse.
I then go over whatever crazy shit my anxiety is throwing at me, one item at a time. I name it “I think my boss is disappointed with me and may fire me.” I then ask myself, “Is there anything I can do about this right now?” If not, I say, well, I don’t need to worry about this right now. I will think about in the morning when I can figure out how to solve it. “I spent too much on those shoes. I’m not going to be able to pay my full credit card bill,” followed by. ”I will end up going bankrupt and have to live on the street and will die.” I ask again “Is there anything I can do about this now?” if not, I don’t need to worry about this now, I’ll look at this tomorrow during the day.” If my anxiety causes me to spiral back around to the same worries, I once again tell myself I will not think about it right now, as that won’t help.
The last thing I do is try to find a new path for my thoughts. I sometimes try to pick a place (my childhood bedroom or a store I go to a lot, etc.) and I try to picture every little detail of it. I take my time and do real walk through of the place. My therapist told me using the nonverbal, visual part of my brain helps lower the volume of those evil anxiety voices.
Cortisol is the body’s stress hormone. It also plays a pivotal role in managing our sleep. Studies of circadian rhythm show that cortisol levels naturally begin to increase between 2 and 3 a.m. If you’re already stressed or anxious, and your cortisol levels are naturally rising, it’s not surprising that you’d wake up at that hour.
You need to tackle the underlying stress. If you are able to try yoga, meditation, exercise, etc. I also found that magnesium glycinate before bed helped me with extreme anxiety and panic attacks.
New medication? Metoprolol for BP did that for me. Switched and was back to normal on one night. Check with you doc.
Wake up during the quiet stillness…no wonder peri-menopause drives women insane! That’s the quietest hours…and when everything is calm—the thoughts…my god the thoughts…
See a provider: APRN, PA, Dr. There are a ton of meds that have been around a long time that can help
Heavy exercise. Get at least 21 minutes at 80% of your max hr and it’ll crush your anxiety
Any problems with snoring? I have lung issues and O2 drops, heart rate increases and I jolt awake and it takes awhile to get things calmed down.
Set your alarm for 3am. That’ll show it!
In all seriousness, sorry, I’m right there with you, only I get 1am now. Used to be 4.
I am part of the 2 am wake up gang…..so sooooo tired
Exercise after dinner and write your worries in a journal, ending with a list of things you’re thankful for.
Anytime you have anxiety, End the thought with a Solution. Never leave it open-ended.
“If that happened, I’d get a loan and solve it and pay the debt or claim bankruptcy.”
“If that happened, I would grieve and lean on my family and friends for support, create a meaningful way to honor them, and heal in time.”
Ask your Dr. to check your cortisol levels.
Apart from age-related hormone stuff:
It can be a dip in blood sugar, I had a family member who would keep water down juice next to their bed and just have a few sips it helped a lot and they were able to go back to sleep.
Something must be stressing you out.
Woman In her 40s here and it kills me. When it happens I always get up and pee, because that’s one thing crossed off the list. And then when I get back on bed I start counting from 1-100 and backwards from 100-1. That’s the only thing that stops my anxiety brain from taking over my sleep. After so many countdowns, my mind falls back asleep.