Having A Rough Patch With Getting To Sleep - Need Support

JCWarrior wrote:

knothead wrote:JCWARRIOR,

I have had many panic attacks the past 24 years, I know how to deal with them now but when I started CPAP(4 years ago), man it hit me right between the eyes with a BIG one. Went to my doc to get some medicine to help with panic. A couple of nights with the med and I was sleeping like a baby. I don't have to take the stuff but maybe 1-2 times a year but I have it on hand just in case, wish u the best in overcoming, this is the best sleep a person could ever get once getting used to it. Been there done that...

Thanks for sharing your experience. Was it an anxiety med or sleep med?[/quote

It is anxiety med. generic Xanax. Works like a charm.

knothead wrote:

JCWarrior wrote:

knothead wrote:JCWARRIOR,

I have had many panic attacks the past 24 years, I know how to deal with them now but when I started CPAP(4 years ago), man it hit me right between the eyes with a BIG one. Went to my doc to get some medicine to help with panic. A couple of nights with the med and I was sleeping like a baby. I don't have to take the stuff but maybe 1-2 times a year but I have it on hand just in case, wish u the best in overcoming, this is the best sleep a person could ever get once getting used to it. Been there done that...

Thanks for sharing your experience. Was it an anxiety med or sleep med?[/quote

It is anxiety med. generic Xanax. Works like a charm.

I've used Klonapin in the past. My sleep doc said it's not good to use when you have OSA because it relaxes the thought muscles and can make OSA worse.

Well, last night I took a low dose of Klonopin (.25 mg), watched TV for about half an hour so it could kick in, laid down to go to sleep and everything felt "normal". No anxiety, no tension in my body, no fighting with myself over every little sigh, throat clear, etc..... just normal. Drifted off into a nice sleep.

This is how I'm hoping it wil eventualyl be with no meds.

CPAP itself is not bad; it's my anxiety about it and now bedtime in general that is the only challenge.

I notice that when I experience sleep anxiety, it carries over into the next day in the form of dwelling on it. Worrying about happening again, thinking about how this can spoil a vacation getaway, etc. In otherwords, it becomes a disorder.

Damn you anxiety! Damn you to hell! (Said in my best Charleton Heston voice)

That's great news, JCwarrior!

JC,

Sounds like you are well underway to getting the problem under control. If you are interested in other herbals other than Melatonin, my hubby is experimenting with a few. He is currently doing well with 5-HTP, GABA & Valerian Root. His problem is both falling asleep AND staying asleep. He suffers from an awful case of insomnia, like his mother does. He is a driver at a job that requires a CDL (commercial drivers license) and can no longer take prescribed sleep meds. OTC sleep meds are out too, but his Dr. after much research said herbals like this are OK & he is currently working on the mix & dosage. Timing is an issue, but he is taking them about 1 1/2 hour before bedtime & that seems to be the best time frame so far. He is not using Melatonin, it seemed to make him tense, even after lowering the dose to a more appropriate 0.3mg (hard to find this dose-had to go to Rainbow Blossom). The Valerian Root in particular might help, it seems to give him the mellow feeling the other 2 do not.

I'm sharing this with you because Klonopin is a benzo & as such can quickly become addicting. I take it, have for years as a part of my seizure cocktail, but if I could choose I would do without it. I've read here a lot about this drug & benzos in general and they just don't do well with apnea. My explanation won't be the most technical, but in general the benzo is going to relax the muscles, which can then create more apneas. Kinda like chasing your own tail. Do a search for 'benzo' and you will find loads of info, along with pros & cons.

I know the tenseness involved in anxiety, I suffered from anxiety during a 9 year period of my life I call my 'seizure hell'. If I experienced a seizure, first I was real sleepy, that lasted a few hours, followed by intense anxiety. I usually just got out of bed at this point (if it occurred at night) and paced until I found a calm from the pacing with some meditation thrown in. Meditation before bed can help with anxiety, but mine hit in a way that it took pacing to a certain point to allow me to find that calm to meditate, which then put me to sleep. I'm only sharing this just in case it might help, I know by now I sound like a real nut case, but thought I'd share anyway.

Hope you might find some of this helpful.
Jen

Jen,
Thank you for sharing this and for taking the time to write a detailed response. I sincerely appreciate it.

You don't sound like a nut. Anyone experienced with anxiety, especially when it's associated with sleep, understands that it is not something you can turn off. The smallest hint of it can disturb your ability to sleep. When I get that way, it feels like torture trying to stay in bed let alone sleep. I feel claustrophobic and have to get up. Having a hose strapped to my nose sure doesn't help that feeling.

It's an odd feeling that I wouldn't wish upon anyone. You just can't truly understand it unless you've experienced it.

Does the herbal remedy seem to help your husband with anxiety?

I will not take the benzo for long. I used it for a short time in the past for anxiety at bedtime. I think that actually might have been triggered by undiagnosed sleep appnea. CBT helps and I understand it but when you're sleep deprived and anxious, the night feels like it will never end and the next day your mind is stuck in worry mode hoping it won't happen again the next night.

I'm working on it though.

Some of the newer herbal sleep supplements and relaxation products include California Poppy Seed oil in their formulations. Deep Sleep by the company Herbal Medicine, the number one sleep supplement in the US, has it in their formulation. If somebody is getting substance tested I would inspect the labels super critically... they do not want to get tagged for that I'm not sure if poppy seeds on bread and in pastry are still verboten, however that should be easy to check out on the internet. Anyway, why take a chance? SNO