Anxiety at night - can’t turn off the light ??

[Floella4]

I don’t have diagnosed anxiety so I’m not saying I HAVE anxiety just that I’m feeling anxious
But recently with everything going on I have been reading so much news and conspiracies and trying to get a complete and true picture of everything going on. I’m not a conspiracy theorist I don’t know why I read it all but I’ve read a lot of SCARY stuff recently.
It’s almost embarrassing to admit but I’ve freaked myself out so much I can’t turn the lights off at night now. I can’t even close my eyes until I’m really tired. I’m single so it’s just me in the room and I constantly think out the corner of my eye I can see something/ see stuff moving. I KNOW it’s not the devil that’s not even how the devil works but at night I get so scared if it is and I’m ignoring it.
I can’t even close my eyes I’m so scared of everything. Tonight just like every other night I’m sitting up in my bed and will watch light hearted comedies until about 4 or 5 am as it’s the only thing I can find to occupy my mind away from all the fear I feel and then only when I’m absolutely exhausted I’ll drift off for a few hours. It’s so strange because I always manage a nap mid afternoon and I can literally curl into bed at that time no worries I don’t get these thoughts and feelings during the day it’s just at night.
Before any Rona stuff was happening I was literally asleep at 10pm every night and up but 5am every morning for the gym my sleep cycle was SO good but now i can’t even close my eyes . I’m not sure why I’m posting this I guess I’m just lonely, sad and wondering if anyone has experienced similar ? I feel like a child

I completely understand about feeling childish. I've been through similar periods, but my trigger is generally too much True Crime. DH went away for six months and it was the first time I'd lived alone for any length of time. I got my dad to install a lock on our bedroom door and sometimes i would check in the wardrobe or under the bed before I settled for the night. Thankfully the periods where I felt scared were short lived, especially when I stopped myself reading about murders before bedtime!

Things that also helped were white noise (stopped me freaking out at every noise outside or creak of the house) and reading fluffy romance novels before going to sleep. That's like junk food for the brain and just took my mind off things long enough to allow my body to get out of the cycle of anxiety.

Lack of sleep will not be helping your mental state, so I would try to crack that over the next few days. If having a bedside light or the telly on helps, do it. Set a timer, keep the volume on low and let yourself drift off if you feel able. Try and get your exercise during the day if you can; even if you can't get to the gym. Fresh air and a bit of sun (vitamin D) won't do you any harm either.

It's natural to feel stressed and anxious right now, and these things can really have an impact on sleep- it's one of the first questions HCPs ask in assessments for depression or anxiety. Your routine is up the left and it's so easy to fall into unhealthy habits (I mean I'm up at 2am fgs). Try not napping tomorrow, or having a shorter earlier nap, and then doing something to take your mind off things before settling down. If your sleep quality doesn't improve or your anxiety gets worse don't hesitate to contact your GP for advice.