How Does Stress Affect Insomnia?

In recent days, I have spent a great deal of time worried about so many things. No matter how I have tried to reduce my stress, I have failed in doing so. The result has been far too many sleepless nights with constant stress affecting my insomnia.

How does constant stress affect my insomnia:

Unable to wind down

The biggest problem is that try as I might, I absolutely cannot shut my brain off and wind down to sleep. My mind tries its best to find solutions to problems or figure out how to cope with a change. All of this keeps me wide awake throughout much of the night.

Meditation doesn't help

People have suggested a number of ways to try to calm my mind, and none of those things have helped. Meditation is impossible because I cannot clear my mind even for a brief moment. There is simply too much going on in there.

Medications and panic attacks

Medication is not something I will consider. At times it is overwhelming, and I recently had to ask my doctor for medication for panic attacks. I have not had a panic attack bad enough to require medication in several years, and the return of these more severe panic attacks is disturbing and certainly does not allow me to sleep well.

Processing my emotions is ineffective

I have tried to vent and process my emotions during the day in an attempt to rid myself of excess emotion and stress before bedtime. This has not been effective for me because it always returns to my mind as soon as I lie down and turn off the lights.

Health concerns

As I am getting older, I have more concerns about my health. I do have a number of health issues, so the concern is warranted. Knowing I have good reasons for concern makes it impossible to stop myself from worrying. These fears cause a great deal of stress, and that stress seeps into my mind when I try to close my eyes.

Racing thoughts trigger panic

The reason stress keeps me awake is that it does not allow my mind to slow down and relax to fall asleep. Racing thoughts keep me alert, and an alert mind cannot sleep. Sometimes those racing thoughts trigger panic attacks, and if that happens I know I will be awake for several more hours, at the very least.

My doctor has given me medication to treat panic attacks and that medication, if I take it, does make me sleepy. Sometimes I will fall asleep, but I will not stay asleep. The medication only makes me drowsy. It does not help me sleep. It does help slow down the racing thoughts, and that helps me get a little rest.

How do you reduce or eliminate stress?

Stress is a constant for me and many others. I chuckle when I hear doctors say we need to reduce or eliminate stress. It is impossible to eliminate stress and difficult to reduce it. For me, it has been impossible to reduce. In fact, thinking about how I am unable to reduce stress only causes more stress. I feel like this is a no-win situation.

Does stress keep you up at night? How do you deal with stress and insomnia? I would love to hear about your experience.