Do you have a doctor you see? Mine gives me meds that help with nightmares. Without his sleep meds I would be an insomniac. I would just keep going. I started being that way when I was growing up I would always have terrible nightmares so Id stay up to avoid them whether I actually wanted to or not

A dream journal helped me through this. I still go through phases and still fall back on journaling the worst of them, but the worst of my current night terrors are Disney cartoons compared to what I endured before I started journaling. Writing them out calms my terrors without minimizing their significance.

hugs

Wishing you a calm night of sweet dreams.

Thank you!
I actually fell asleep and had no panic attacks except for those before I fell asleep. A sleep journal is a great idea. I will also talk with my Dr about adjusting my meds if the sleep panics continue.

Thanks for mentioning the panic attacks before falling asleep. I think that window of time is my weakest point in my recovery right now. I'm off my sleep meds to treat my kidney failure. It's working. My kidneys are improving. Yay! But those vulnerable moments meds prevented me from experience just before sleep are back, too. Thanks again for helping me feel I'm not the only one coping with those moments before sleep.

I hope this has not been going on for long. The longer you let the terrors go on, the harder it gets for you to sleep through the night once the meds get rid of the terrors. I had them for 15 years (undiagnosed) and after the prazosin got rid of the terrible dreams, I still woke at night. I had to take trazodone for a while to retrain my body to sleep through the night. Trazodone also helps with insomnia from sleep anxiety. Good luck with getting the terrors under control.

Reading this thread with interest.

Sometimes I wake up because my heart is racing and have a feeling of dread for no obvious reason. Can't remember a dream or anything that could have set me off. But then I can't sleep. I just lay there feeling the pressure in my chest and heart pounding.

I experience the same, McMercy - unless I take xanax. WIthout fail, if I can get to sleep without the xanax, I am awake within two hours, waking with a jolt, heart pounding, awake with anxiety, but no recollection of a dream.

I so very much relate to your posting about waking in a panick in the midst of sleep. That has happened to me before as well.
The one feeling I have when I go through that, waking so suddenly is that my heart is racing with a feeling of being TOTALLY alone! It is so scary when it happens.. It's that inner child, inner comfort that is in need of soothing. I hope I can learn to do this for myself. I'm hoping to find a good, supportive church some time soon. I think feeling that comfort (I'm not sure what your beliefs are and hope this does not offend) will be a big help to me. I hope so anyway. At the end of the day, truth be told, we're all in the same boat. Wishing you finding help, an outlet to help you sleep better. Talking about it is a great step. It's like a sist that needs opening up.
Take care,
CP