Has anyone ever experienced anxiety-induced insomnia / hyperarousal? How did you manage or overcome it? During the work week, no matter when I go to sleep (typically late because of work), I find myself wide awake between 3-5am and never manage to fall back asleep. This works out to 4-5 hours of sleep per night during the work week, and sometimes it even carries into weekend. I recently moved to a new project (more stressful) but still experiencing the same symptoms. Thanks very much

Yeah probably had this for the majority of my adult life, surviving on 0-5h of sleep.
I completely cut out any caffeine as this was making my insomnia worse.

But the only thing that’ll help will be addressing your anxiety and getting rid of that, I’m afraid. I tried everything else under the sun..

Yes, I even thought I was going into perimenopause. My GP said if I sleep better on holidays, it’s the work stress. Magnesium and Kalms Night before bedtime help as does fresh air and exercise. Hope you sleep better soon!

Had this problem. The only solution was to let go. I know making a decision to care less about work seems out of your control, but it's the only thing that worked for me. I tried less and accepted failure more. Nothing else would work.

It’s likely a lack in a vitamin. Progesterone helps you fall asleep early and longer.
Vitamin B and D help with more than you think. (Not the Amazon junk. Go with a top brand that’s mostly natural)

I' ve cut out caffeine and chocolate, I exercise around 4-5 pm.
I walk my dog for an hour.
I also decided all the things I was stressing about were just not that important.
If that doesn't work then reevaluate your job. Is it worth it.
Mine wasn't..

You may need a CPAP. See a sleep specialist.

Yes! Keep a notepad and pen (no phone light). Write down thoughts, to dos, anything that comes to mind that u want to remember. It helps. That and a hot shower.

Diphenhydramine - children’s allergy tablets

Insomnia is only the least of my anxiety problems. I take SNRIs to manage my anxiety, but my biggest issues are appetite loss (anorexia) and IBS-C, which the medication actually makes worse. Your mental health is intimately connected to your GI health, as well as many other systems. Try to treat all those problems together and not in isolation.

Breathing exercises, Calm’s sleep stories (I found the train journey’s especially effective), and when all else fails, drugs - propanalol sometimes does the trick, on a really bad night, half a benzo (e.g. Klonopin). Getting benzo prescriptions is a real challenge though.

I went through this for months before I decided to give in and try a bunch of otc pills. After a month I was fine? I took passionflower extract 200mg to get sleepy, l-theanine to calm and remove anxiety, magnesium glycinate which seemed to help with sleep quality and melatonin extended release 5mg. Sounds like a lot but honestly after like two weeks I didn’t have to do this combo every day and then a month later I was much better. Lack of sleep can cause a spiral effect. Oh, even after being rested I would still have anxiety so I did a lot of uphill treadmill walking at 3.5 mph to get rid of the stress. Good luck, I know how it can be !!

Sauna cold plunge works wonders

i used to get horrible stomach pains every day for a year. then one day my boss quit and i suddenly had no more stomach pains. years later, i started getting migraines with aura that became daily and awful. i left my spouse and moved abroad and didn't realize for half a year that the migraines had gone away and hadn't returned. you need a life change, stat. listen to your body.

When I don't know what's bothering me, I stop everything I'm doing, get quiet and then direct the question to myself - "why am I upset, or what is causing this anxiety"? For me, even though I really didn't know, I usually answer myself and when I do, there's no doubt.

I lived this insomnia that turned to whole Nervous system overload for my final 25 years of my working years. My wholes system is so out of whack that it’s now operating at as strong PTSTD symptoms. I can’t even have an operation performed on me for fear of the nerve pain That they cause me. The high BP is the icing on the cake. Medical leave and retirement are now my only choices. So do what ever you have to do to correct the issue or your body will stop you from working in ways that will shock you. That was my experience.

True change is an "inside job." While looking for others who have experienced this is understandable, simply talking about it here can often reinforce the stress cycle in your brain. To see a different result, you have to be the one to initiate the change. Educate yourself on the subconscious drivers behind these symptoms and take ownership of your recovery; there is no shame in the process, but the shift must come from within.

Working out helps, no screens about 30 mins before getting sleep, citrate magnesium as a supplement to allow muscles to relax, and box breathing

I had a similar experience, which caused me to have a full blackout in public and later awoke in an ambulance. I would recommend exercise to de-stress, leave work earlier as health is priceless and ensure a good diet plus vitamin B supplements as stress seems to deplete vitamin B. Find the work balance or a role where you are not driven to the limits on the daily.

1. Weights/getting really tired. That helps a lot.

2. Pzizz app. I experimented with a ton of apps to see what works best for me at 3 AM due to work stress, jet leg, being on an airplane when I needed sleep (worked in Asia for 10+ years and would be panicking about not being at the top of my game due to lack of sleep the next morning), etc. Not only have I found one that works, but am now habituated to it. And have trained myself to sleep when I hear it -- short nap or full night's sleep.

3. Eliminate the root cause. Easier said than done in this market, but my sleep got way better once I left consulting, toxic environments, and the other things that made my work life miserable.

I struggled with this for many years trying many different things with varying degrees of success. I was amazed by the impact of Xitox deep cleansing pads. Spendy but so worth it.

Try being unemployed and you won't sleep at all.