Fear of Trying to Fall Asleep Posted: 06-25-06 01:23am
Dear doctor,
i have posted this question on the forum
but then I realized that you do take
questions. Could you possibly read mine
and give me your advice.
Thank you,
marionalma
maybe it is more that I fear going into
bed at night because I won't fall asleep.
My mind whirls and then I get frightened
that I am not going to sleep - so then the
worrying of falling asleep begins. ..
This all began 40 years ago, when I was
young. I was sleeping and my phone in the
bedroom rang and startled me; the next
night the blind fell and woke me and
startled me; the following night, the
phone rang again and awokened me, and that
began my mind worrying about what is going
to happen tonight - will I fall asleep and
if I don't, I need to get up for work at 7
am. This went on nite after nite and I
became really nervous and sick over it. I
finally went to a doctor. He had said if
I had gone to him when those worrisome
thoughts it first began, he would have
given me sleeping pills just to put me to
sleep so I would not have had to worry
about the not falling asleep. Those
thoughts were ingrained in my mind and
needless to say, they are still there - 40
years later. .. Well, that is what
started my long bout with insomnia which
never got any better with the years; I
am still frightened to go into bed b/c I
know I will not fall asleep. Sounds crazy
but that is what happened. I wonder what
disorder this would be called? No doctor
could help me or tell me how to get the
thoughts out of my mind. I take
kolonopin and ambim when necessary to
sleep but that does not help relax me to
fall asleep. .. Would a sleep doctor
help?
Thanks for listening,
marionalma
