# are these all just symtoms of anxiety?



## easyreader (Jan 25, 2010)

For as long as I've felt this DP ( a little over a month) I've also had this heavy head feeling and a hard time sleeping at night. Every night for over a month I wake up several times during the night, sometimes getting terrible nightmares, and eventually I just roll out of bed early in the morning because I can't fall back asleep.

I've been coping with this all a lot better over the past few days. I know that my DP was induced by anxiety, so I think that if I just continue on with my life and distract myself from thinking about it too much that eventually I will snap out of it. But, last night I was feeling really good, not "myself", but not anxious at all and looking forward to a good night's rest. But wow, I awoke in the middle of the night after the most disturbing dream I have ever experienced. It was emotionally devastating. I don't even want to get into it, but I'm 21 years old and I felt like crying to mommy (lol). It just seems like even when I'm not anxious I get a jarring reminder of all this crap.

Is this stuff associated with DP? The heavy head/extreme insomnia? I know its associated with anxiety, but this thing last night just came out of nowhere, I woke up thinking "man, I might have officially lost it".

I know the best thing is just to stay the hell off this site and quit thinking about it, I just wanted to ask this and get it out of my system.


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## Katezorz (Jan 10, 2010)

Yes! Anxiety can cause these symptoms, and anxiety can happen while you're asleep. I got this way for a while, where I'd wake up in a panic thinking I couldn't breathe and that I was losing it. This would happen about five times a night. I started to set a time where I had to go to bed every night and wake up in the morning, which helped somehwat. Then I started to take warm bathes with epsom salt before bed, then reading for an hour to make me really tired. Now I sleep completely through the night.

Lack of sleep can also cause depersonalization. If you try this and nothing helps, talk to a doctor about taking melatonin supplements. They're essentially vitamins that help you sleep. Then if those don't work, your doctor could perscribe you xanax to help you sleep calmly throughout the night until your anxiety is gone.

There are many things that can help, you'll find something that works for you.


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## easyreader (Jan 25, 2010)

Katezorz said:


> Yes! Anxiety can cause these symptoms, and anxiety can happen while you're asleep. I got this way for a while, where I'd wake up in a panic thinking I couldn't breathe and that I was losing it. This would happen about five times a night. I started to set a time where I had to go to bed every night and wake up in the morning, which helped somehwat. Then I started to take warm bathes with epsom salt before bed, then reading for an hour to make me really tired. Now I sleep completely through the night.
> 
> Lack of sleep can also cause depersonalization. If you try this and nothing helps, talk to a doctor about taking melatonin supplements. They're essentially vitamins that help you sleep. Then if those don't work, your doctor could perscribe you xanax to help you sleep calmly throughout the night until your anxiety is gone.
> 
> There are many things that can help, you'll find something that works for you.


Thanks. I was actually on Ativan for 3 weeks, another benzo similar to xanax. It gave me a very nice calm, relaxed feeling before bedtime, but it had essentially no effect on my sleep pattern. I'd still wake up several times throughout the night, sometimes within an hour of falling asleep. I'm pretty against benzos now, after reading how quickly you become dependent on them and the withdrawal process.

DP sucks but it would be a whole lot easier to deal with if I could just sleep like a normal person.


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## Katezorz (Jan 10, 2010)

easyreader said:


> Thanks. I was actually on Ativan for 3 weeks, another benzo similar to xanax. It gave me a very nice calm, relaxed feeling before bedtime, but it had essentially no effect on my sleep pattern. I'd still wake up several times throughout the night, sometimes within an hour of falling asleep. I'm pretty against benzos now, after reading how quickly you become dependent on them and the withdrawal process.
> 
> DP sucks but it would be a whole lot easier to deal with if I could just sleep like a normal person.


I'm actually wondering if most of your depersonalization symptoms are caused by lack of sleep. I know that my depersonalization is especially worse on days where I get too much sleep or too little sleep. Maybe you would benefit from light yoga or meditation before sleep? Have you ever thought to try it?


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## easyreader (Jan 25, 2010)

Katezorz said:


> I'm actually wondering if most of your depersonalization symptoms are caused by lack of sleep. I know that my depersonalization is especially worse on days where I get too much sleep or too little sleep. Maybe you would benefit from light yoga or meditation before sleep? Have you ever thought to try it?


It's entirely possible that lack of sleep has played a part in this, but I think it's mostly a result of anxiety. I put a TON of unnecessary stress on myself for a couple weeks, freaking out about my health because of something that happened to me. After multiple emergency room visits, a CTscan, bloodwork, and being examined by my primary doctor, I realized that I was physically fine. But something still wasn't right. One day I just typed in "not myself" into google and read about depersonalization, and everything just clicked. I knew this was a direct result of the enormous amount of anxiety and stress I put myself through.

The lack of sleep has been constant throughout the whole experience, which I assume is also related to anxiety.

About meditation, yeah, last year I started to practice meditation daily. It improved my life significantly. Ever since my freakout and subsequent DP, I've tried to meditate, but it almost reinforces the DP I'm feeling. As a meditator, under normal circumstances you're going to tap into a deep tranquility within yourself. Now, I just feel so abnormal that there's nothing to tap into. But I'm going to keep trying. I know it will help with the anxiety.

Anyway, I need to get off this site and occupy my mind with something else. Just wanted to see if lack of sleep was a common thing with DP or not.


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## Mario (Oct 26, 2009)

easyreader said:


> Thanks. I was actually on Ativan for 3 weeks, another benzo similar to xanax. It gave me a very nice calm, relaxed feeling before bedtime, but it had essentially no effect on my sleep pattern. I'd still wake up several times throughout the night, sometimes within an hour of falling asleep. I'm pretty against benzos now, after reading how quickly you become dependent on them and the withdrawal process.
> 
> DP sucks but it would be a whole lot easier to deal with if I could just sleep like a normal person.


Just be careful by adding another benzo to the Ativan.I know some few people here who are taking two kinds of different benzos at the same time,but for others,like myself,adding a second benzo,only made things worse.Anyway,you can always give it a try as we react all differently,and if you start feeling worse,you just have to stop taking the second benzo.
If i may,before you decide to add a second benzo,i would suggest you to drink a cup of "valerian root tea" before bed time.I think you can buy "Valerian root tea" in any pharmacy or in any dietetic store.
And you can also try, a hot milk cup.

Good Luck

P.S.- My idea is that is preferable to be addicted to benzos than to live this crap without them.I can asure you that without the benzo,my life would be a complete mess


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## easyreader (Jan 25, 2010)

Mario said:


> Just be careful by adding another benzo to the Ativan.I know some few people here who are taking two kinds of different benzos at the same time,but for others,like myself,adding a second benzo,only made things worse.Anyway,you can always give it a try as we react all differently,and if you start feeling worse,you just have to stop taking the second benzo.
> If i may,before you decide to add a second benzo,i would suggest you to drink a cup of "valerian root tea" before bed time.I think you can buy "Valerian root tea" in any pharmacy or in any dietetic store.
> And you can else try, a hot milk cup.
> 
> ...


Thank you for your suggestions. Regarding benzos, I have been off ativan for a week. I am not looking to treat this with medication, unless I get really, really desperate.


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## Mario (Oct 26, 2009)

easyreader said:


> Thank you for your suggestions. Regarding benzos, I haven been off ativan for a week. I am not looking to treat this with medication, unless I get really, really desperate.


In that case,below i'll put a link to a post by a member who has recovered

http://www.dpselfhel..._1&#entry173540
by tommygunz - 1st post of the topic. it's about a supplement regimen that has helped tommy himself and others to recover

Hope this can be of help to you

All the best


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## pancake (Nov 26, 2009)

easyreader said:


> DP sucks but it would be a whole lot easier to deal with if I could just sleep like a normal person.


If you can get your sleep pattern fixed you'll probably find the DP/DR a lot milder. Sleep deprivation/lack of quality sleep was what used to make it hell for me.

Here some bits that had a positive effect on my sleep:

If you fall asleep with music or the tv on make sure you at least have a sleep timer set. If you can, fall asleep in a quiet room. It took a lot of getting used to but made my sleep a lot deeper. Make sure there isn't a phone charging in the room you sleep in as the electrical hum might get through to you in your sleep. I know it sounds a bit O.T.T. but it helped me a little.

As for dreams the only way I know how to affect them (other than lucid dreaming, which involves reality testing and I am therefor not so sure it is that positive a skill to learn if you have DR although it could help control nightmares) is to make sure you have a bit of a wind-down period before bed. For me that meant not sitting at a computer screen, otherwise I'd be typing throughout the night in my dreams. Nothing I had to concentrate on too hard, nothing repetetive. Ideally relaxing with some other people rather than being alone.


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