I don't know how to explain what happens and I see alot of people on here kind of have the same thing going on, but for me it is usually the first two hours of the night. I will doze off and within the first 20 to 30 minutes I wake up with this hard to describe feeling. It is almost like the feeling you get when you go down a big hill minus the stomach feeling. My whole body feels like that and my heart rate will go up. I will doze back off and 10-20 minutes I will get that feeling again. I am not sure if my body is trying to relax and it is doing this or because I play games on my laptop before I fall asleep and my mind is not ready to sleep because of the laptop but I can't handle it. Today I am so tired and from not sleeping my heart is beating faster then normal and I feel yucky. Does anyone else feel this way. It will go on for about 3-5 times then I will fall asleep.

Are you currently on any anxiety meds or sleep aids? Might be something to consider.

NO I hate taking pills. The doctor prescribed me zoloft for panic disorder and OCD but I am scared to take pills because of the side effects. I don't drink, don't smoke, haven't had caffeine in over 10 years, no chocolate and no soda. You know you try to do what is best for yourself and it's not helping. Last night in the middle of the night when I couldn't sleep I just sat there asking god why. I am to the point where I am ready to take the zoloft hoping it may help with everything.

Yeah, at some point you do have to weigh what would be worse... continuing as you are now, suffering from the panic, etc, and not sleeping, or trying the medication knowing there's a risk of some unpleasant side effects. But really, there's no guarantee that you WILL have bad side effects from the Zoloft. And it just might help too. That would be great, right? Give it a try... you don't want to risk running yourself down further by allowing the the sleep disruptions to continue. If the Zoloft itself doesn't relieve the sleep disruptions, talk to your doc again. If you're open to a sleep med, there's some good ones out there. I've had success w/ Ambien CR. Best of luck to you!!

Did the ambien CR have any side effects? I am going to drink some warm milk tonight and see if that helps me at all. I need sleep. Thank you for your replys.

I haven't had ANY side effects from the Ambien CR. I take 6.25mg when I'm ready for bed, and I'm asleep about 15 minutes later. The CR formula helps me stay asleep all night long. It's a nice feeling... I wake up 8 hours later feeling rested and not like I've been medicated.

Before trying the Ambien CR, my doc had me try regular Ambien (generic--zolpidem). I tried one pill (5mg) and could fall asleep, but would wake many times through the night still. If I tried 2 pills (10mg), I could still fall asleep, and wake up less through the night (but still occasionally). However, when I took the 10mg dose, I felt really slow and groggy for a couple hours when I woke up. It was the same groggy feeling I would get when I tried Tylenol PM. I've found the Ambien CR far superior to either the regular formula or any OTC sleep meds.

You don't have to answer this question but was your not sleeping due to Anxiety? Mine I know is due to anxiety and I am thinking about asking for the stuff you are on.

Hi,
No, I don't mind answering at all. I've been battling a bout of depression w/ extreme anxiety. And I believe the not being able to fall asleep and/or stay asleep was indeed b/c of the anxiety... I would just lay there with tons of thoughts and worries--some rational, lots irrational--just RACING through my head. It would feel like the thoughts were triggering adrenaline in my body, making it impossible to fall asleep for hours. And always, at some point I'd become acutely aware of the time, and couldn't stop watching the clock, which only increased my anxiety.

It's a viscious cycle, not being able to sleep and it only seems to make already-present anxieties even worse. I know you said you don't like taking pills... but it may be worth a try. Good luck getting some zzzz's!