tms and sleep issues

so currently im trying wayyy too hard to get 7-8 hours of sleep. missing parties, missing activities and doing things fast so i can atleast get 7 hours of sleep. i sometimes even get anxiety because of this. how do you guys treat this? is this some form of ocd/tms?

 

I think anxiety about sleep is part of general anxiety, at least it has been for me. When i'm having trouble sleeping, the best thing for me to do is do something else/distraction in order to relax, meditation can also be helpful to calm myself down. Obsessing over getting enough sleep is probably worse than sleeping a little less than is "ideal." Know that it's going to be ok either way...if you're tired enough your body will sleep. Restructuring your daily activities to allow for more sleep can be tough, it might be a good goal but isn't always possible at all times in your life. Go easy on yourself in the meantime.

 

thanks a lot like always!

 

After the birth of my second child, I had postpartum depression and one of the biggest struggles was insomnia. For the first three months of his life, he slept like an angel while I obsessed, paced, and cried about not being able to sleep. I would start worrying about if I was going to be able to sleep at dinnertime, which kept the cycle going. My therapist gave me a few wonderful strategies to work through it. She suggested that on the nights that I was lying there wide awake, freaking out about not sleeping, I should accept that sleep might not come that night and replace it with a good book or a mindless tv show. Tell myself that the worst thing I would be in the morning was tired, that I wasn't going to die from missing some hours of sleep here and there. She also recommended meditation to get my body into a relaxed state, so that even if my mind wasn't resting, my body was. It took a few weeks, but it slowly started to help, and I found myself falling asleep for a few hours while reading or watching tv. I hope you find something that works for you!

 

@Rachel72, that is wonderful advice! @stevow7 , do you have a hobby or interest that you can do when you are awake in the middle of the night? Or as @Rachel72 said, lie there and let your body rest, try to relax your mind as much as you can and not worry about not sleeping.

There was a point when I was so anxious I couldn't even listen to my go to (Tara Brach) meditations, so I turned on my favorite music playlist and found I could get in some sleep.

Best wishes and hoping you find some rest soon!