Sorry. I meant to say that I have anxiety if I am out of bed before 10am.

This sounds mostly like OCD because you obsess over it and have anxiety about it. But you could have a mix of depression as well due to the fact that you say " I feel like if I am asleep, I can not have anxiety attacks." I don't have this sympton of wanting to sleep personally. I have fatigue and feel tired all the time which is something I am trying desperately to fix. But I do not try to sleep over 6-8 hours because too much sleep can make you feel exhausted (I read that this morning). let me send you a link of a good article: I hope this helps, stay strong! you aren't alone!

http://women.webmd.com/features/why-so-tired-7-causes-fatigue

Kuno,

My "journey" thru OCD has been so long that it depends on what time period in my life I am referring to. I used to have so much anxiety, that no matter how tired I was, when i woke up that was it. Could not go back to sleep. Had other periods where I would go to bed late and sleep until late morning or early afternoon (obvioulsy this was after I stopped working. I have been taking naps for years now and find them very helpful and refreshing.

I agree with krystle that when i am sleeping I am at peace. I am not dealing with tormenting thoughts and their compulsions.

But, it is very common for people with depression to want to sleep and sleep. If you read on a depression site, I bet you would see this (those who sleep too much and others who cannot sleep very much) from some posters. I know of people who have suffered with clinical depression and claim they will not get out of bed for days.

I do not anyhthing about the time obsession. Never heard of that one before. Maybe that is just a fear of yours that if you do not get nap, you will be so tired.

When I was in my 20's, I would sleep a solid 8 hours but feel exhausted some days when I awoke. It would take so much energy for me to get thru a day in college or working years that 8 hours was not enought to deal with that kind of mental fatigue. I think anyone with OCD and depression will tell others about the physical pain that goes along with it. I would tell people later in life that i felt like i was using up a years worth of energy for each day. Absolutely exhausting. I also felt many days, that I was aging 10 years for every day I lived. The mental strain, pain and stress just seemd unbearable most of the time.

So, I think your desire to sleep or feel tired with an OCD/depression mix is quite normal. The time obsession is probably just another fear/obsession you have picked up and means nothing in reality. A healthy person sleeps when they can or when they want. No absolute times to nap. Might have a bed time to stick to because of work or have kids to get up with, but that is normal and healthy.

Good luck with feeling calmer and more peaceful.

Tom

PS Forgot to add I take naps all the time and have for years. Even by age 34 when I had stopped working and I slept about 9 hoiurs a night, I found myself wanting to doze off in the afternoon for a nap. Could not understand it but just went with it. I think makes us question so much instead of just doing.

I used to tell myself I wanted to live life on "automatic pilot" instead of the "manual" and rigid way I was living. Almost got there.

Thanks for your help everyone. It seems like my depression and OCD are getting intertwined. I still wonder if there are others out there with this same obsession.

i fixate on times as well....
i usually set my alarm for 10, whether i work or not, and that is my ideal time to wake. anytime earlier and i get a little frantic, panicky.
if i get up later, i feel so rushed and i just run around like a chicken with its head cut off.
i always clean the livingroom, bathroom, our bedroom, and kitchen before work to ease my head. so waking up after 10 gets me nervous that ill miss my bus, not get to clean something, etc.

i dont like to take naps, but i also have adhd and too much energy for that desire perhaps. i find it impossible though to sleep before 12am. if i fall asleep earlier (although that hasnt happened in a LONG time) i wake up startled and frantic.

i had never really thought about anyone else fixating on times...
odd! glad i know you exist out there!

I guess I have something similar where I feel unproductive and that time is moving too quickly. Even when I've done a great deal, it doesn't feel significant and I want to do more. Feels like I waste a lot of time.

I think your problem sounds like a combination of depression and OCD. Certainly, these things do get intertwined.

Oh, and by the way, I understand that the best thing to do for your body is to get up the same time every morning and go to bed the same time every night. That regulation and routine might come to be just as important to you as how long you sleep!