Can someone please help me?

Question

Every night for the past month or so I can not fall asleep....I think it's because I have so many problems in my life right now and when I lay down they just all come into my mind, my heart ends up beating hard, chest feels tight, etc. I feel scared for my health because every night I feel like I will need to go to the hospital. I know I should just "brush it off" or "deal with it" but those things are hard for me to do. I am fairly young and don't want to have health problems because of my lack of sleep and stressed out heart.

Answer 1

Try writing down what you are thinking about every night before you go to bed. This way you can get some sleep and not think about it while your trying to sleep. Part of the reason you are thinking about it before you go to bed is because you don't want to forget important details. If you write everything down you can "get it off your chest" for a while and when you wake up it will be there in writing. WRITE DOWN EVERYTHING even if your just thinking i really should do some laundry. This way your not contemplating it all night. IF this doesn't help, i would see your DR about anxiety! BUT first I would try writing things down. Start like a journal, write your thoughts and feelings and then you can "reflect" on them in the morning after you've slept.

Answer 2

First of all, make sure you are not taking too much caffeine, nicotine, etc. all of which are stimulants.
Drink enough water---sometimes slight dehydration causes those same symptoms.
No, you should not "brush it off,"; your body is smart and it's not allowing you to do that.

If you must sleep and cannot, there are many remedies. The easiest (without side effects) OTC drug is Benadryl, also called "diphenhydramine". It's an allergy preparation, but works very well to help sleep, and has been around forever=very safe.

My #1 recommendation, however, is prayer. I, of course, don't know your relligious leanings, but the Bible teaches us that "[God] neither slumbers nor sleeps" which is so comforting to me in helping me know I can leave everything to Him. It also helps, from a psychological standpoint, to unburden myself to the Creator of all, knowing all of my "stuff" is in good hands.

Answer 3

Pls talk to your primary care physician about this. He may suggest counseling but if he does so it's not b/c you are crazy but to try and help you sort out these problems. Counseling can be a wonderful experience. I've done it myself for the past 6 and half years to help with stress management in general. It's also helped me out at times with dealing with the chronic illnesses I have so that I can deal with them without a lot of stress.

Answer 4

Hey, thats a shame

i know how you feel its hard to block out prblems when they want 2 invade.

I find writing them down on a sheet of paper -all of my emotions, fears etc helps and when i've done that it helps me to relax because they are not all swimming around in my brain. :)

after that to help you sleep i suggest read a book/magazine to relax and then when your in bed pretend like you are in a movie and make up a scenario ad just keep working at it. i know it sounds lame but trust me this all helps me

hope it does for you

Answer 5

Aw! Well, your not alone, quite alot of people (maybe even everyone!) have all there worries and anxieties at night, when they're in bed, because they have nothing else to think about. Whereas in the daytime, you are distracted by people, and happenings around you. Maybe, you would benefit from counseling, but trust me please, alot of people do go to councilling, its just a load of your mind. You are completely normal, so give it a shot. Good luck! :D

Answer 6

I know it's hard, but you really do need to "deal with it". You answered your own question there. The first ideas you had when you thought of how to "deal with it" are probly right. You just have to do it. Whatever happened a month ago is probly what needs dealing with.

Answer 7

anxitey is ur problam maybe or just to many things are on ur mind. think do you suffor from the things arond you, like news of wars, things about terroists, did you break up with someone, did someone you care about pass away? try useing insence watching the candle burn out that makes me fall asleep. think of the good things in the world.

Answer 8

go see a physician to deal with ur problems and a doctor to deal with your health &try no to push too hard coz the consequences will be regretable

Answer 9

You are suffering from anxiety. Go see a doctor.

Answer 10

The Roots of Panic

Panic attacks usually begin in young adulthood and affect more women than men. What causes them? There is no clear answer. Some say that sufferers are biologically predisposed because of an abnormality in the brain’s limbic system. Many feel that this condition can be inherited, while others claim that the brain’s chemistry is altered by stress-inducing factors.

In some cases the attacks are induced by memories of traumatic experiences, such as war, rape, or child abuse. One survey revealed the percentage of incest survivors with panic disorder to be 13 times higher than that of the general population. Indeed, while panic attacks and other syndromes are full-fledged problems in themselves, they can also be what writer E. Sue Blume calls “spokes with incest at the hub.”

Of course, not all panic attacks are induced by trauma. But Dr. Wayne Kritsberg cautions that when such is the case, “treating the secondary consequences of the abuse—rather than healing the original trauma—will not solve the problem permanently. It would be like taking cough syrup to cure a case of pneumonia.”

Can It Be Cured?

Panic attacks can be brought under control. Many whose fear of panic keeps them housebound have been helped by exposure therapy. In this treatment a patient is exposed to the situation he fears and is helped to stay there until panic diminishes. Those with heart trouble, asthma, peptic ulcer, colitis, or similar illnesses should consult a doctor before attempting this treatment.

Relaxation techniques can be employed to alleviate the buildup of anxiety. Some of these are discussed in the accompanying box “Calming Skills.” But do not wait for the onset of panic. These skills are best practiced during low-anxiety periods. When mastered, they can diminish or even prevent future attacks.

Panic thrives on perfectionism and low self-esteem. “While I was having anxiety attacks, Mr. Negative ruled my life,” says one sufferer. “I told myself that because I had anxiety, I was inferior to others and therefore unlovable.” Reversing such attitudes can reduce anxieties that lead to panic.

There is great value in confiding anxieties to a trusted friend. Talking them out can help the sufferer to distinguish problems that must be endured from problems that can be solved. Not to be overlooked is prayer. Psalm 55:22 says: “Throw your burden upon Jehovah himself, and he himself will sustain you. Never will he allow the righteous one to totter.”

Rather than a single, mountainous problem, it is often the accumulation of small, seemingly insignificant distresses that induces panic—much like the way running too many individual electrical appliances on the same circuit can blow a fuse. One solution is to write down each problem on an index card and arrange them from the simplest problem to the most difficult. Tackle them one at a time. Writing out your distresses changes their makeup from what you fear and avoid to what you can see and resolve.

Some are aided by taking prescribed tranquilizers or antidepressants. However, a caution is in order. “I do not feel that medication alone is the answer,” says counselor Melvin Green. “It should be used as an adjunct while seeking the answer. . . . Drugs may allow you to be more functional, and that can give you the opportunity to seek other help to deal with the causes of agoraphobia and work toward your recovery.”

A Spiritual Problem?

“I thought Christians weren’t supposed to experience anxiety attacks,” says Brenda, “because Jesus said ‘never be anxious.’ I concluded that I must not be relying on God enough.” Yet, the context of Jesus’ words at Matthew 6:34 shows that he was not discussing panic disorders. Rather, he was emphasizing the danger of being more concerned with material needs than spiritual ones.

Indeed, even those who put spiritual interests first may be afflicted with this disorder, as the following experience of a woman from Finland shows.

“My partner and I, both Jehovah’s Witnesses, were engaged in door-to-door preaching. Suddenly, I felt dizzy. My thoughts were blocked. Nothing seemed real, and I feared I would lose my balance. At the next door, I completely lost my grip on the conversation.

“This terrifying experience took place in 1970. It was the first in a series of strange spells that would plague me over the next two decades. Repeatedly, I would find myself in a misty world, unable to think clearly. I would feel dizzy, and my heart would pound. I would stumble over my words or lose them altogether.

“I was a young, energetic, and happy full-time minister of Jehovah’s Witnesses. How I loved helping others to understand the Bible! But these attacks were a constant torment to me. I wondered, ‘What is wrong with me?’ A neurologist diagnosed my condition as temporal epilepsy. For the next ten years, I took the medication he prescribed. Still, I wondered why it had such little effect. I came to accept my condition as something I would simply have to endure.

“After some time I came to realize that my illness wasn’t epilepsy, and my prescription wasn’t working. Even routine walks were an insurmountable task. I dreaded encountering anyone along my route. It took all my strength to attend Christian meetings. I often sat sweating and dizzy with my hand on my temples, my heart pounding, and my mind blank. Sometimes my whole body felt tense and cramped. At one point I was sure that I would die.

“My ministry helped to sustain me, although it was no small miracle that I could continue it at all. Conducting a Bible study was at times so overwhelming that my companion had to take over. Truly, our preaching is a team effort, and in the end it is God who keeps making it grow. (1 Corinthians 3:6, 7) Sheeplike ones hear and respond despite the limitations of the teacher.

“One day in March 1991, my husband showed me a booklet about panic disorder. The symptoms described were just like mine! I read more on the subject, attended lectures, and made an appointment to see a specialist. After two decades, my problem was finally identified. I was on the road to recovery!

“The majority of those with panic disorder can be helped with the right treatment. Friends can be a great support when they are sympathetic. Rather than heap guilt on an already troubled soul, a discerning companion will realize that the person with panic disorder is not purposely antisocial.—Compare 1 Thessalonians 5:14.

“As I review the past 20 years, I am grateful that through it all I have been able to remain in the full-time ministry. It has been a blessing well worth the struggle. At the same time, I realize that, like Epaphroditus, some must relinquish privileges of service because of poor health. Jehovah is not disappointed with such ones. He does not expect more than a person can reasonably give.

“Living with this disorder has taught me not to take myself too seriously. It has enabled me to sympathize with others who have limitations. But above all, it has helped me to get close to Jehovah. Throughout my ordeal I have repeatedly seen him to be a genuine source of strength and comfort.”

[Footnotes]

Christians avoid techniques that involve hypnosis or self-hypnosis. However, there are some visual and meditative exercises that clearly do not involve emptying the mind or surrendering it to the control of another person. Whether to accept these treatments is a matter of personal decision.—Galatians 6:5.

For information on reversing negative thoughts, see Awake!, October 8, 1992, pages 3-9, and October 22, 1987, pages 7-16.