Not slept a wink and have to go into the office

[Letmeinletmein]

I was recently off work for 2 weeks on annual leave and got back last Wednesday. I have been back in work since Friday so I’ve done two days back in but unfortunately, since being home I haven’t been sleeping. I’ve had about 2-3 hours from Wednesday onwards and last night has been the worst. I took a n antihistamine in hopes it would work as a sleeping tablet and still no luck, in fact I haven’t slept AT ALL. I feel very stressed and panicked and mentally don’t feel capable of working but I feel like that’s really bad after I’ve just been off for 2 weeks.

We are a small team of 4 people and one of them is already off on long term sick so there’s only 3 of us in. Today is supposed to be my first day back in the office (yesterday and Friday were WFH days) but I am really really dreading this. I don’t feel fit to drive, especially coming home from work after I will no doubt feel so much worse at the end of the day. I have physical symptoms of lack of sleep now like a raging headache and dizziness, and I mentally feel like I won’t be able to concentrate and I feel a lot of stress and anxiety.

I don’t feel like there’s anything I can do though due to me already being off for 2 weeks plus the other team member being off. Is that bad on the team? If you were me would you call in sick or ask to WFH or would you feel like you have to push through and go in? I don’t even think I could last the whole work day. I don’t even want to call in sick because I have so much work to do that has piled up over the 2 weeks I’ve been off. I don’t have to be up until 8 but now I can’t even try to get the last few hours in because I’m worrying about work

I’ve had similar issues to you and as much as you get the fear and do not want to go in on a sleepless night it’s never as bad as you think. I genuinely think just being in the routine and normality of going to work can sometimes kick your routine back and get you sleeping again.

Pain killers, snacks and loads of hydration helps. Small walk at lunchtime and buy yourself a treat of some kind for lunch (and a nice tea!) to motivate and give you something to look forward to!

You will be fine and good idea not driving!

Realistically OP you have. You need to just get a strong coffee in you and head in.

I found after about 5/6 days for me it was really making a difference

Go in, try your best. Make an appointment to see doctor and explain to your boss what is happening. If you need to go home later in the day at least you have shown willingness to go in

Im so sorry you have been worrying about a mistake at work. I am retired now but I remember that awful feeling. When I was working in a busy customer centre for a bank, I misadvised a customer on his upcoming inheritance and he made a formal complaint. I spent weeks worrying about it and I was reprimanded accordingly, but it was a very stressful and miserable few weeks. Everyone makes mistakes though, no one is perfect. Easy said than done, but try not to worry. Im sure once its been addressed it will be all over and done with and you can get on with your day.

I'd WFH or call in sick.

And I think all those saying "go in' "plough through" are the reason there's so much pressure on women in the workplace.

I have WFH since 2020 and hadn't had a sick day. (I'd rarely had one before that either) but recently my "keep going, sure you're only wfh" mindset left me so sick I'm now on my second month off.

I feel there's an unspoke rule when people are WFH that they think they should just work through everything.

If you don't feel like you can work, then don't. If you do, do. You know yourself better than anyone.

Are you extremely stressed? I randomly get bouts of extreme insomnia when stressed.
I would ask WFH but if you really can’t, I would go but not by car. You are likely to be fine-ish in the morning, but you will feel like shit in the afternoon-evening and your ability to drive home will be significantly affected.

Thank you so much for this @guestofclanmackenzie this has helped to put things into perspective a bit so I will face the dragon and get it over with.
thank you for taking the time to offfer a kind word. X

Ask your employer about help to resolve your eyesight problems relating to computer use. I think sorting work eyesight problems like this may fall under an employer's health and safety obligations.

You might be eligible for a free eye test through work. Regardless, I recommend asking an optician to help you find the right kind of eyedrops even if you don't need something like work computer glasses or an antiglare screen. I thought I'd been doing the right thing by buying over the counter eyedrops but it turned out they didn't have the right ingredients for my problem and my eyes had become terribly sore. The night ointment and daytime drops that the optician recommended did the trick for me. Now I just use drops in the morning and very occasionally in the day to keep the problem at bay. I've found it also helps to set a timer to make sure I take the regular breaks when working at the computer.

OP when I take magnesium I cannot sleep and I am usually a good sleeper.

I suggest you stop taking it for now.

She's not just tired. It's risky to drive and she'll probably make mistakes all day.

I walk to work but cause far more problems on the odd occasion I go in very tired than if I'd had a day off. I then spend the next day rectifying the mistakes I made when I wasn't thinking straight.

I think I would wfh. I agree about not driving and it seems excessive to get an expensive Uber when you can wfh.

Just make sure you keep active and hydrated and plough through the day. I feel for you - don't think I've quite got to that stage but going to work after disturbed nights with a baby was hard enough.

I’d have called in sick today and I think the earlier posters on this thread were incredibly harsh.

I hope you changed your mind OP and decided to stay home, if not I hope the day goes quickly and you sleep better tonight

You can’t call in sick because you’re tired.

I think Id go in try and get as much work done as possible and go home early and explain to your boss while your there. Try and get a GP appointment too.

Id go to work. Last year I went to an event drove home got caught up in the aftermath of a crash and after a four hour drive returned home at around 2.30am totally wired from the mental strain of driving. I had to get up at 6.30am and think I had perhaps 15 minutes sleep from lying awake stressing about being tired at work.

I went in, had a coffee, ate a good breakfast. I was tired and it wasn't my best work - but equally, it wasn't worth the hassle it would have caused everyone to stay off and have someone cover me (I cannot WFH and work shifts).

I was absolutely knackered and slept well that night. If I'd stayed off I'd probably have fell asleep in the day and messed up my pattern for the rest of the week.

There are some things you cant call in sick for without reprucussion - being tired is one of them.

How awful.

I'm sorry to hear about your heart. Is there anything that can be done for that?

I'd be asking to wfh and set an alarm when having a nap at lunchtime.

She's not just tired, though. She has a raging headache and dizziness.

OP, if I were your manager, I would absolutely be telling you not to come in.

I think the point is you were a good sleeper before so magnesium has had a different effect on you....? I and a lot of my friends who had sleep issues have found it really helpful

What time of the day do you take it? I take it early. A friend tried it and took it later in the day and it didn't work. Plus I take the 5 in 1 she bought a cheap one.

Yes clearly some people in this thread have no idea what real insomnia is like.

I think most of us have been there, OP. Unless you’re a surgeon, I think - just have some coffee and push through.

This has happened to me a few times, especially if I have had an important meeting or presentation the next day and there was no way I could take the day off or work from home. It is horrendous, but doable and I usually find if I push through the day at work I actually sleep better that night as I am so exhausted than if I stayed home and rested during the day.

I have also been taking magnesium, it doesn’t seem to work on those nights where I am very anxious although my sleep has improved in general since taking it. Going to try the Phenergan recommended up thread!

I think we all feel like that when tired, no? You still have to go into work.