Posted by mattdds on March 6, 2003, at 23:59:20
In reply to Re: Scary Sleep............. » daizy, posted by Mikey_C on March 6, 2003, at 22:03:09
Wow, I had this exact same sleep disturbance last year around this time. I thought it would never go away, and it did outlast my daytime anxiety, before I started feeling better. It doesn't happen any more now that I am feeling much better.
Linkadge decribed it quite well. I will be trying to solve some nonsensical problem as if it were the most important thing on earth! Then I wake up and realize I was just wigging out. The only time I get this now is when I am studying for a big test!
I think it's just another symptom of anxiety and hypervigilance. Think about it from a biological standpoint. If an animal has been in an extremely stressful situation (let's say, trying to escape a predator), sleep would not be a desirable thing, so your brain wants to do everything possible to prevent that from happening. So basically, our brains are convinced we are about to get munched by a predator! If only we could get our uncooperative brains to realize there is NO DANGER!
I sympathize with you, that is a troubling and strange phenomenon. The good news is tt does tend to go away with good treatment for anxiety.
Good luck,
Matt
poster:mattdds
thread:206488
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030306/msgs/206701.html