Son, sleep and anxiety

[badspella]

Hello,

My son is 20 and has had an anxiety disorder for at least five years. He has terrific problems with sleep. He cannot get off to sleep because he cannot 'switch off', and he is extremely aware of his heartbeat, breathing and so on. Part of his anxiety is a health anxiety and he experiences breathlessness and sleep starts, so when he does go to sleep, he often wakes up in a panic and cannot get back to sleep.

His difficulties with sleep make him extremely tired during the day, and lead to him not managing his mental health difficulties very well (he also has an eating disorder).

He refuses to go to the doctor, so I am doing what I can to try to help him. I have suggested some relaxation techniques for him to do in bed, but these do not seem to be working. Does anyone know of any techniques or strategies that may help him with his sleep issues?

Hi op, sorry to hear about your son, I went through a period of constantly waking up throughout the night, gasping for breath, thinking I was dying, panicking etc, I was utterly exhausted, has thankfully calmed down. I would do the 5 senses grounding technique to help with this:

5: Acknowledge FIVE things you see around you. ...
4: Acknowledge FOUR things you can touch around you. ...
3: Acknowledge THREE things you hear. ...
2: Acknowledge TWO things you can smell. ...
1: Acknowledge ONE thing you can taste.

I got a stress ball, play dough, a small soft cuddly toy, a nice fragrance, boiled sweets, chewing gum, affirmation cards, fidget popper thingy, things that mean something to you, will help self soothe, put them all in a nice box so I could easily access when I was triggered. Also relaxing music, plenty on youtube if you search for anxiety music.

Lately this is my go to for helping me when I am triggered, having a panic attack or just generally feel out of sorts, it’s very quick & effective

All the best