How do you pass the night when sleep won't come?

Do you just lay in bed and try to rest, or do you get up and do something?  Does anyone else have such bad anxiety at night that you can't stay in bed?  Tonight has been so bad, just almost pure anxiety to the point where I'm shaking.  Things just keep getting worse for me.  Before, I was able to at least rest in bed even if I wasn't sleeping.  Now I'm just up and anxious all night.  I hate this so much, and I'm so, so exhausted and scared and depressed.

Hey Sage.  I am in the same situation.  Went to bed last night at 9pm and by midnight my usual 4am morning surge already started.  When my body does this there is no hope for sleep. If I try to sleep I get these weird anxiety breathing problems almost like sleep apena which I’ve never had before withdrawal.  So I just get up and get moving feeling like a complete zombie.  When the surge dies down in the afternoon I can sometimes take a nap. 

sage, your story scares me so much, to have to relive benzo withdrawal symptoms through long haul Covid is a nightmare.  You're back here suffering without ever taking another benzo, it's so terribly unfair, I'm sorry.

 

Years ago when I went through this the only thing I'd do was go from my bed to the sofa, sometimes over and over again in one night, sometimes I'd get lucky on the sofa and get some sleep but mostly it was just to give me an activity that helped break up the night.  Of course the trouble with this activity was that my dogs would follow me and want to cuddle with me on the sofa, so here I am going back and forth in one night leading a train of critters each time, what a mess! 

Aww Pamster.  I can picture your dogs following you around wanting to cuddle.  Just love that.  They have no idea the pain we suffer.  They just want to share love and companionship.

 

 

Hey Sage.  I am in the same situation.  Went to bed last night at 9pm and by midnight my usual 4am morning surge already started.  When my body does this there is no hope for sleep. If I try to sleep I get these weird anxiety breathing problems almost like sleep apena which I’ve never had before withdrawal.  So I just get up and get moving feeling like a complete zombie.  When the surge dies down in the afternoon I can sometimes take a nap.

 

Yeah, me too.  If I try too hard to sleep I just start twitching and crying.  Fun times 

sage, your story scares me so much, to have to relive benzo withdrawal symptoms through long haul Covid is a nightmare.  You're back here suffering without ever taking another benzo, it's so terribly unfair, I'm sorry.

 

Years ago when I went through this the only thing I'd do was go from my bed to the sofa, sometimes over and over again in one night, sometimes I'd get lucky on the sofa and get some sleep but mostly it was just to give me an activity that helped break up the night.  Of course the trouble with this activity was that my dogs would follow me and want to cuddle with me on the sofa, so here I am going back and forth in one night leading a train of critters each time, what a mess! 

 

Yeah, I've been worried that I was scaring people.  Well, hopefully if you're vaccinated you won't get it or it won't be this bad.  And you're right, it is so unfair. 

 

My dog follows me to the couch too, but I was glad to have her.  She is comfort to me when I feel horrid.

Do you just lay in bed and try to rest, or do you get up and do something?  Does anyone else have such bad anxiety at night that you can't stay in bed?  Tonight has been so bad, just almost pure anxiety to the point where I'm shaking.  Things just keep getting worse for me.  Before, I was able to at least rest in bed even if I wasn't sleeping.  Now I'm just up and anxious all night.  I hate this so much, and I'm so, so exhausted and scared and depressed.

 

When I first started tapering, I had those symptoms. I had air hunger, restless leg syndrome and severe insomnia. I would pace the room anxious, restless and scared. If I was lucky, I would get 2 hours of sleep. Things have gotten better since then, thank God, but I know the anguish. I never know what I am going to get when I go to bed. And to answer your question: I use to pace the room but now I just 'rest' in bed when I am not sleeping. This morning, I was awake by 7am but I laid in bed until 9:30am anyway. A few times, I have gotten lucky and fallen back to sleep after I wake up at 6:30 or 7am but not this morning.

 

Hang in there. We're on your team!

 

HM

Do you just lay in bed and try to rest, or do you get up and do something?  Does anyone else have such bad anxiety at night that you can't stay in bed?  Tonight has been so bad, just almost pure anxiety to the point where I'm shaking.  Things just keep getting worse for me.  Before, I was able to at least rest in bed even if I wasn't sleeping.  Now I'm just up and anxious all night.  I hate this so much, and I'm so, so exhausted and scared and depressed.

 

When I first started tapering, I had those symptoms. I had air hunger, restless leg syndrome and severe insomnia. I would pace the room anxious, restless and scared. If I was lucky, I would get 2 hours of sleep. Things have gotten better since then, thank God, but I know the anguish. I never know what I am going to get when I go to bed. And to answer your question: I use to pace the room but now I just 'rest' in bed when I am not sleeping. This morning, I was awake by 7am but I laid in bed until 9:30am anyway. A few times, I have gotten lucky and fallen back to sleep after I wake up at 6:30 or 7am but not this morning.

 

Hang in there. We're on your team!

 

HM

 

HM, it's really encouraging that you're feeling more relaxed in your bed.  I would have loved to have been able to do that this morning!

I hear you, Sage. It feels better to be able to just relax (naked!) in bed than it feels to pace the room completely restless.