can't sleep

[bmgc]

I just can't sleep!! When the night comes I start feeling extremely anxious, I don't really know why.. I start thinking about getting sick and V* and my heart beats soooooo fast I don't even breathe right and it's just killing me.. I sleep about 3h and sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night REALLY anxious. I'm 16 years old and I don't want to spend the rest of my life like this. I can't even go to a therapeut because my family don't have money..

What should I do? I'm just tired, I can't live like this...

(I'm from Portugal, I'm sorry about my writing lol)

[Cartunegirl56]

Hello, it's wonderful to meet another 16 year old here!!!!
This happens to me a lot. Something about night time just has a way of increasing scary thoughts. I can't give you much advice here, just know that your not the only 16 year old emetaphobe dreading the night time, I'll be doing it with you!
And remember, you will have good times and bad times. I'm thinking you're in a bit of a slump right now. I am too. But it never lasts forever, you will have good nights. It will happen, hang in there and wait it out!
There's also plenty you can do at night if you can't sleep. I love to draw, and I find I get amazing ideas for new art at night time! It's also a good time to read a good book with a hot cup of tea and no disturbances! And late night TV is always fun!! Try giving yourself something fun to do, maybe you'll succeed in making it a little less torture-some!!

[TheSweetThinker]

I wonder if it's in our subconscious to associate our deepest fears with the onset of nightfall...hmm

Anyway, I myself just overcame the same night-trouble you're going through, and I agree that it was all a living hell...but like I said, it's possible to overcome it! =)

Here's what I did to get my sleeping pattern back on track and relax at night:

1. Take a sleeping pill, at least for the first night.
2. Lie down and get comfortable, and trust that the sleeping pill will do its job.
3. Turn off all brain-stimulating distractions around you (i.e., television, music, computer, etc.).
4. Try reading a book while you relax in bed; let yourself become absorbed into the story so you'll forget your worries.
5. When you start to feel the drowsiness kick in, switch off the lights, lie down and close your eyes.
6. While your eyes are closed, picture yourself in a very calming and peaceful scene: you could be lying on your back in a sunny meadow, or resting beside a tree in a dim forest, anywhere you feel most comfortable and calm.
7. As you imagine yourself in this serene setting, relax your mind further by thinking about the details of your surroundings: what scents do you smell in your imagined place? What soft sounds do you hear there? How's the soothing weather outside? The more you immerse yourself into your imagined setting, the more relaxed you'll feel, and then you're sure to fall asleep soundly!

You can repeat this routine night after night until your sleeping pattern gets back to normal. Just remember that the nighttime isn't meant to be frightening, but rather a time for rejuvenation and an escape from the anxieties of the day. Hope you sleep well again soon!

[kristylee86]

Bom dia Menina!
-My dad was born in Portugal, that's cool that there's someone from there on here! You live in a beautiful country!

Onto the subject, I can understand the association with the insomnia - as it's heard and known that most people get struck by sv* and bugs all the time during the night..

In regards to how to help this TheSweetThinker gave a whole heap of fantastic suggestions which you should try out.. with number 6 & 7 have you tried meditation before? I've never been interested in it before but my mother in law (who is also from madeira hehe) intoduced me to meditation. You can google some free samples of a meditation cd online and it's really finding one that works for you... You can do them when you wake up in the morning to relax yourself of you can do one when you go to bed and you may just fall asleep without even realising and wake up in the morning thinking what the??

Also I usually find when i get into a patern of bad sleeping if i have a cup of hot green tea about an hour or two before bedtime i will usually get a uninterupted nights sleep.

The main problem here seems to be that your brain isn't switching off when it comes to bedtime and the fear is interrupting your sleeping so you need to find ways in which will calm your fear and relax you... If there are things you do in everyday life that relax you maybe you can try to do some of those a little before bedtime just to wind down your brain and let it know that relaxing time is coming. It's really all in the art of training your brain to know that there is a time where it has to shutdown also and catch up with your body.

Good Luck!