| I have suffered from Generalized Anxiety Disorder | | | | long list and to exacerbate my General Anxiety |
| and Panic Attacks for a number of years. All of the | | | | Disorder. |
| symptoms from palpitations to shaking are distressing; | | | | I tried everything, I had a specific night time routine to |
| however, for me the most difficult problem to deal with | | | | help me relax, I uses a relaxation CD, I tried natural |
| has been sleeplessness or insomnia. | | | | sleep remedies and prescription sleeping tablets. I have |
| I am married with two children, when I first began to | | | | run for miles and miles to exhaust myself. I have |
| have problems with sleeping my son was one and my | | | | stayed in bed and used breathing techniques, got up |
| daughter three. I worked three days a week at the | | | | again and ironed, I have watched TV and I have read. |
| time. My son had slept through the night from when he | | | | At some point the body has to give in, but my body will |
| was a small baby however, he has always been a | | | | give in for only a few hours, not enough sleep and |
| noisy sleeper, shouting out, crying and talking in his | | | | often disturbed by my son. My husband offers to be |
| sleep. | | | | on night duty but I still wake up. I begin to feel that I am |
| So here I am, anxious with work problems and any | | | | going mad, sleep deprivation is a form of torture but |
| other problem my addled brain could think of, I manage | | | | not as tortuous as looking in the mirror and seeing the |
| to get to sleep but at 1.00 a.m. I hear a cry from my | | | | state I am getting into. My youthful looks all but gone |
| son, I go in and he is fast asleep but clearly dreaming. I | | | | and bags under the eyes that no amount of make up |
| settle him down and go back to bed. As I get back into | | | | will hide. |
| bed an anxious thought enters my head, I lie down and | | | | As time has passed I began to accept that I didn't |
| suddenly an avalanche of thoughts crowd in, all | | | | sleep well, I could get up in the morning after a bad |
| shouting to be heard. My heart starts pounding, I feel | | | | night and say to myself "perhaps tonight will be better". |
| sick, I lie there for a while becoming more and more | | | | I began to have better nights and as my son has got |
| agitated; my husband is beginning to stir so I get out of | | | | older his sleep has become less disturbed and in turn I |
| bed and go downstairs. By this time it is 2.00a.m. I have | | | | am less disturbed. The tiredness was still a huge part |
| had 2 hours sleep and the children will be awake in 4 | | | | of my life but I was more able to deal with it. |
| hours or so. I start to think of the day ahead and | | | | These days I have more good nights than bad, I look in |
| wondering how I will cope having had so little sleep. My | | | | the mirror and see the old, more youthful Aimee |
| heart starts pounding again. | | | | returning. I am certainly more relaxed and less snappy |
| The next night as I hear a cry from my son and wake, | | | | in the mornings. I no longer feel as if I am going mad. I |
| my heart is pounding before I even reach him, imagining | | | | still get tired, after all I have young children, I work, I run |
| another sleepless night. Welcome to the vicious cycle | | | | a house and I am training for a half marathon. But now |
| of sleeplessness and another anxiety to add to the | | | | I go to bed without even thinking that I may not sleep. |