Last Updated on February 19, 2014 by HodgePodgeDays
At some time in our lives most of us have a patch of sleepless nights. I’ve been struggling to sleep for a few years now. Medication and mental health (anxiety and depression) have a lot to do with it. It’s got better lately since I came off the antidepressants and reduced my pain meds but last night, last night agh!
It doesn’t take much at the moment to make my anxiety spring into action. I had a niggly “he said – she said” conversation with a friend just before bed. It unsettled me. I don’t like being gossiped about, I don’t like my words and actions being twisted and used against me. I caper about life wide-eyed and innocent, trying to do right by everyone. Someone misconstrued something and got upset. Which got me upset, which kicked my anxiety off.
I lay awake for a few hours, tossing and turning. I gave up and went downstairs, thought about stuff, tried to make sense of things but no sense could be made. I just started thinking about the failures in my life, the dark times and it just got worse, I was slipping into panic attack territory. It was now 4am and I was cold and miserable so I went back to bed. I tossed and turned some more until my husband could stand no more and got up. I promptly fell asleep.
I slept fitfully for 90 minutes or so, I knew I’d been flailing because the sheets were twisted all around me. I woke up with a start and looked at my hands, expecting to see them covered in blood. I’d had another of my nightmares. They terrify me because they’re so vivid. I rarely get them and when I do I know things are in a bad way.
In my nightmare I was wildly slashing at someone with a knife, stabbing and stabbing until there was nothing but blood. I looked at the face of the body in front of me, the body I’d attacked so ferociously. It was me.
Hey Hun I love your blogs. Xxx
Thanks chicken, I’m pleased you like them x
So sorry to hear you’re suffering so… Hopoe you’ve managed to rest today
Thank you, when my anxiety is up then the nightmares begin. Must try and calm down 🙂
Bloody hell that last sentence gave me a lil chill. Awful ‘recovering’ from a bad vivid dream…ive had some really unsettling ones. its horrible when stuff plays on your mind especially when u you r trying to sleep. You r a lovely person and anyone who wants to talk bad about you should take a long hard look at themselves. poweful post dude x
Thanks chicken. They’ve completely cut me out of their life now, reckon it’s their loss not mine. I’m too old for playground stuff anyway x
Hope it’s all sorted with your friend. Sorry you were made to feel so anxious after the conversation, hate those conversations x #binkylinky
Thank you, me too x
Hope you manage to sleep well and dream free tonight.xx #BinkyLinky
Thanks, I’ve had a couple since, last night was a bad one. I need to stop being so anxious x
After our twins were born I struggled to sleep. I bought sleeping pills which helped for a while, but made me feel worse in the long wrong. Thanks for sharing. Thanks for linking up #binkylinky
Oh I can’t really take sleeping pills on top of the rest of my medication, I don’t like them anyway, I’d rather not sleep x
Medicaiton for anxiety and depression can cause awful vivid dreams like you describe here 🙁 I suffer insomnia frequently, absolutely no sleep for several nights in a row until you feel like you are sliding in and out of reality. Awful. Years of sleep deprivation with small babies, reflux and autism to blame – I’ve forgotten how to sleep 🙁
I took myself off my antidepressants as I didn’t like what they were doing to me. Being unable to sleep is awful, a real form of torture. Hope you find your sleepy place soon x
Bless you dear, anxiety is awful, I still suffer with it now and PTSD, I to had a sleepless night last night although when I nodded off this morning I dreamt about cloth nappies! Hope you get a better night sleep tonight, thanks for linking up #BinkyLinky
Yes, I think mine is anxiety and PTSD based too, I need to go back for more therapy but can’t afford it. Thank you x