Acute anxiety and insomnia

Hello Nettywill, 

oh dear, I am so sorry to hear that you are feeling anxious and especially that it’s causing you such debilitating symptoms. It’s good to know that you have been to see your doctor but should you not feel any better then please do go back to see him/her.

 I will send you some stuff……as a starter for ten here is a leaflet about anxiety. do go back to your GP if you are feeling this unwell

https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mental-health/problems-disorders/anxiety-panic-and-phobias

 Sending you encouragement and a big hug 

Jules xx

Hello, it’s me again!
Here is some more information for you 

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/anxiety-and-panic-attacks/about-anxiety/

Hang on in there…it can be scary time but with the knowledge and treatment from the medical and nursing profession and support from your family and friends, you will come through this 

Jules xx

Hello Nettywill,

The trauma of a cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment can indeed be very scary and cause anxiety.  I am a true insomniac anyway so I am used to not sleeping, maybe 3 or 4 hours a night at best but I also found anxiety a problem.  Sleeping tablets are not the answer and trust me I have tried everything over the years.  Not sleeping can be extremely debilitating and can become a vicious circle because then you start to worry about not sleeping and lie awake clock watching.  If I can't sleep I get up and make a cup of tea and maybe read a chapter of a book to take my mind away from worrying for a while then, when I start to feel sleepy I go back to bed.  I see that Jules has put up some excellent links about mental health issues and they are definitely worth a read but don't be put off by the mental health aspect because you're not going mad, your mind is in a whorl following your treatment and that's not allowing you to relax into a sleep pattern.  One of the things I found useful was mindfulness and the Mustard Tree offer that and other relaxation therapies to cancer patients, some of which can be done online.  Lastly, don't be afraid to take a nap during the day or whenever you feel the need, especially if you have become very sleep deprived, even an hour during the day can be very refreshing and help re-balance the mind.

I sincerely hope this helps, all the best,

Mike

Hi there. I am so sorry you are not sleeping well. I am like this at the best of times but having just had surgery to remove most of a huge tumour and awaiting radiotherapy soon am even more anxious and sleep deprived. I was supposed to be in hospital for 10 days and ended up in there 24 days. You can’t get any sleep in hospital so it’s a vicious circle.

Unfortunately I wish I knew the answer to you getting a good nights sleep. The other people on here have very useful ideas. I get up and make a cuppa and read my book. Sometimes it works but not always. A few of my friends and my brother have this problem although luckily none of them have cancer. I just think of them lying awake reading or like me doing a load of online shopping. Spending far too much money but  it does make me happy so what’s the harm. Please know that you are not alone and I hope you have a supportive family and friends and know this. I had my kidney cancer 17 years ago and it has only just come back because of the horrific trauma last March of my daughter passing away aged 39 suddenly with no underlying health conditions. Wishing you a speedy recovery and praying for you, me and all the other sleep deprived people a nice sleep very soon.

Take care my friend and you will get through this. Regards Gooner  

Hi there, Nettywill. I went through a phase of having terrible sleep but seem to have come through it a bit now. I found a free sleep app that I liked; it plays repeated musical chords plus natural sound effects and I find it soothing. I stuck with it and now associate it with sleeping, so that if I struggle to sleep it really helps me to drop off. If I play it when taking my blood pressure, the blood pressure goes down noticeably! I think the more you worry about sleeping the worse it gets but there is lots of good advice here so I hope you find something that works for you. Best wishes for a good night’s sleep.