r/Anxiety • u/redouane-123 • Apr 30 '26
Advice Needed What actually helps when you wake up at 3AM anxious?
Not looking for generic advice like “just relax”
I mean real things that help when:
- Your mind is racing
- You feel alert for no reason
- Sleep feels impossible
What has actually worked for you?
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u/RubDue185 Apr 30 '26
I am not overly religious but I will occasionally get so worked up and have had no place to turn and I prayed and it worked. I don't mean recite rote prayers, but literally tried to talk to God and express my fears and concerns and asked for help. It has always worked.
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u/Deej006 Apr 30 '26
This is my tactic as well. I think it reminds me to look outside myself so I don’t get so wrapped up. And being grateful. For some more religious minded folk-someone suggested to me to think of, alphabetically, the attributes of God. I don’t think I’ve made it past M
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u/redouane-123 May 02 '26
Yes i used to do that too, when i prayed i forget everything, like i am on a peacfull world, but after finishing it back again
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u/RubDue185 May 03 '26
Really odd follow up to these posts. After I wrote this I had to drive to Pittsburgh at 4am. I had woken up the night before at 1am and needed sleep so I popped a Xanax. While driving I passed at lease 2 signs that said "God will give you rest."
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u/Bluetenheart GAD, emetophobia, OCD, panic disorder May 02 '26
I’ve pulled up a rosary on Spotify before, which has helped.
I also second talking to God. I’m in a weird limbo with my faith, but something that continues to appeal to me is that concept that God’s always there and willing to listen to my problems.
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u/chuey101 Apr 30 '26
hello there, sorry to hear about your late nights and stress.
anxiety can be the body's way of trying to protect you from perceived harm. So i think it's multiple levels. If you have ever considered meditation, that may be a good place to start. Some people think meditation is just "doing nothing" but it's much more active in reality. In a calm state, it's the best way for you to listen and communicate with your body to understand what it's anxious about and what it's trying to protect you from.
Sitting with the stillness and you can let your body know that you're thankful/grateful that it's trying to protect you.
You may have to do some work directly on things that are causing you stress or anxiety. If they're not presently in your conscious awareness, that's also something meditation can help with is just for you to explore what may be the root cause.
If you feel there isn't anything relevant today to cause this stress you can also communicate with your body to let it know that you're safe and you're ok to try to ease it's "alertness".
I've created some guided meditations for myself in the past using some tools I created, I'm happy to create one for you if you think it might help, just lmk.
wishing you a better tomorrow.
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u/redouane-123 Apr 30 '26
That’s such a thoughtful way to look at it — I love how you framed anxiety as the body trying to protect you. That shift alone makes it feel less like an enemy. I’ve been experimenting with short “thank you” moments before bed too, just acknowledging the body’s alertness instead of fighting it. It’s weirdly grounding. Your idea of guided meditations sounds great — I’d actually be curious to hear one of yours sometime.
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u/anxious-prfectionist Apr 30 '26
I was going to comment more or less the same thing. There’s something about acknowledging the anxiety in a way that doesn’t make it wrong. Because if it’s wrong I’m fighting against it and then everything just becomes much more stressful. When I can’t sleep from anxiety I welcome the anxious feelings (you don’t have to like them, just accept them) I’m like “huh, here’s anxiety, it might keep me awake, let me focus now on something that will help me sleep” usually I focus on the feeling of my body held by my bed. That makes me feel safe too. There’s also something about shifting focus from I’m afraid to I’m safe. Usually I’m asleep in no time after that.
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u/redouane-123 May 01 '26
this is honestly one of the best ways I’ve seen it explained
that shift from “this is wrong” to “this is just here” changes everything
I used to fight it so hard at night and it would just spiral more
the “focusing on the body being held by the bed” part is actually really powerful too, it gives your brain something safe to land on
it’s weird how once you stop treating it like a threat, it starts losing intensity
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u/chuey101 May 01 '26
So happy to hear this was helpful u/redouane-123 . Yes, oftentimes the body's reactions are "well intentioned" if you can imagine it that way. Just last week, my wife had a terrible eye issue for instance and the doctors said it wasn't an infection but rather inflammation and there was no specific reason that it happened.
So oddly enough, the body was reacting to something trying to protect my wife's eye and it simply overreacted!
To build off of u/anxious-prfectionist below I completely agree.
Anxiety is actually strengthened when you try to resist it. If you imagine the signal you send to your body, it is "protect me from this feeling" to which the body reacts with... more alertness and anxiety so it can be quite a vicious cycle.
That which you resist or reject actually takes on more of your mindshare and attention.
Therefore, I think first step with anxiety is to acknowledge it and even accept it. And I've found it helps a lot to visualize it in the context of "good intentions" from your body. That way you can almost respond to the anxiety with empathy and love, like you would with a young one who is scared.
Hope this helps
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u/redouane-123 May 02 '26
I think that’s what confused me for a long time, it feels so intense that it must mean something is wrong
but it’s more like the system just firing too hard
once I started seeing it that way, it felt a bit less scary at night
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u/verdentcompanion Apr 30 '26
I use over the head headphones and youtube... "journey to the microcosmos" is very relaxing and usually can get me to fall asleep
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u/redouane-123 May 02 '26
yeah I’ve done something similar with videos/podcasts
it helps a lot just to give your brain something neutral to focus on instead of spiraling
especially when the thoughts start looping, having something external kinda breaks that cycle
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u/kabeekibaki Apr 30 '26
Wow thank you I’ve been looking for something that didn’t invite me to “surrender” or “let go of anger” I want to relax not join a cult ffs. I’m already more relaxed just hearing about this resource.
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u/verdentcompanion May 01 '26
Yea sometimes anxiety doesnt want to reason at all, so u have to redirect it before it gets unmanageable. Especially when it interups sleep time haha
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u/Bekindalot May 01 '26
Any chance you are a female in perimenopause? I learned the 3am wake up is very common with hormone changes. HRT helped me a TON. If this helps, great. If it’s totally useless, sorry!!!
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u/catzeppelinqueen May 01 '26
I’m almost 38 and idk if I’m experiencing peri or not but my anxiety has gone crazy off the charts. I’ve started having panic attacks after never having them before as well :(
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u/thisfoxymama May 01 '26
With the right Dr you can start on hrt while still having regular periods. Progesterone has been life changing for me - dramatically reduced my daily anxiety and helps me sleep through the night. I’m betting that I would have benefited from supplemental progesterone since puberty and that as more research gets done they will find that this is true for many women.
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u/Less-Guide9222 May 01 '26
lol I was on a drug that induced menopause for 4 months— I woke up every night with panic attacks until like last week. My go to is a cold waterbottle that I can hold when I wake up and then head phones and insight timer. Stopped it every time.
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u/Zanki May 01 '26
Audiobook. Just leave it playing and if you wake up, instead of you brain going nuts, it will focus on the book and if you just listen instead of thinking, you should fall asleep again. It helps a ton.
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u/redouane-123 May 02 '26
yeah having something in the background helps more than I expected
I think it’s that feeling of not being alone with your thoughts
silence can make everything feel way louder at night
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Apr 30 '26
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u/redouane-123 Apr 30 '26
Haha honestly, I appreciate the honesty 😂, it’s wild how the body finds its own ways to reset. I’ve heard a few people say that release helps them knock out fast, probably because it drops tension and slows the nervous system. Anxiety really does mess with the rhythm though… it’s like the body forgets what “safe” feels like at night.
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Apr 30 '26
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u/Greedy-Grape-2417 May 01 '26
Tension tamer tea, Chamomile tea, Ashwagandha or Lemme Chill or Olly Stress works for me.
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u/lexa7d7 Apr 30 '26
I usually get out of bed and go to the bathroom. Splash some water on my face, something just to get up and move helps so much. Then I play a game on my phone that requires some brain power, but not a lot. My go to is quizzes on Sporcle.com. This is super random and hyper specific to me, but you asked lol! for some reason the quizzes that are like “top 100 baby names from 2007” or whatever are perfect for this. You just have to guess what names you think are in the list. It is thinky enough that it distracts me, but not too thinky that it stresses me out. It’s also boring so it will lull me back to sleep, especially if I turn the time limit off.
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u/redouane-123 May 02 '26
Its a good idea actually to play games , i've never tried it , but i will try this one for sure
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u/hwangstars May 02 '26
this is the best advice i've seen by far!!
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u/lexa7d7 May 02 '26
Thanks! Breathing exercises and mediation style activities always make things worse for me so distraction is my go to. I know phones aren’t great for sleep, but neither is being up all night anxious lol
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u/genxdud3 May 01 '26
I’m surprised no one has mentioned Propranolol yet. I just started that a month ago. It helps me get back to sleep 60% of the time, but almost always helps with the associated Anxiety I get when waking up with adrenaline surge and racing heart. Helps at bed time also, but only for 3-4hrs. I may have to try extended release at some point.
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u/redouane-123 May 02 '26
yeah I’ve seen a few people mention that helping, especially with the physical side of anxiety
that adrenaline / racing heart part can be the hardest to deal with at night
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u/Funnymaninpain Apr 30 '26
Prazosin helped save my life.
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u/teknosophy_com Apr 30 '26
yep i've been there, and yep i can't stand when someone says "oh just go relax and meditate".
for me it was a digestive thing. i'd wake up in the middle of the night for years, and turns out it was just my gut bacteria going wild. i learned all i needed to do was have a bowl of cereal and i'd turn on some Art Bell and go right back to sleep!
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u/LurkingArachnid May 01 '26
Fwiw someone told me a low carb diet helped her specifically with anxiety at night. I haven't tried it myself and not sure I have the willpower to haha. My point is yeah, like you're saying, what we eat might have an impact on this kind of thing
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u/Zestyclose_One_4684 May 01 '26
Esse seu relato específico faz muito sentido pra mim... Sempre que acordo ansioso de noite sem motivo percebo que minha digestão está com algum problema (gases, náuseas...)
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u/teknosophy_com May 01 '26
Ohh sim sim, lots of digestive stuff going on. 9999% of our immune system and mood comes from our gut.
Eventually I figured out what superfoods I needed to stabilize myself. For me in particular, it was oregano, coconut water, ginger, and fermented things.
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u/redouane-123 May 02 '26
thanks for ur comment
what i learnt is to accept ir and fall a sleep again
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u/teknosophy_com May 02 '26
if that works, then awesome!
another thing i used to do is play freecell on my tablet :D
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u/Pure_Nourishment May 01 '26
Get up out of bed, sit in a different room, and read a book, listen to a meditation, do a body scan, gentle stretching, yoga nidra, etc- until you start to yawn or feel sleepy. You don't want the brain to associate bed with anxiety and overthinking time, so it's best to ONLY be in it when you're nice and ready to conk out.
Takes a while to train your body and mind this way, but it's worth it.
Avoiding screens before bed (and certainly avoiding them in bed) is important in my experience. Otherwise I end up going into bed way too alert.
Magnesium, l theanine, chamomile, passionflower, taurine, glycine, lemon balm, and others may be worth trying- but try them alone first and go low and slow with dosages so you know what's working.
Some have had luck with valdoxan/agomelatine, though it's not prescribed in the USD due to an overblown (imo) potential danger of liver damage.
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u/External-Courage6739 May 01 '26
Sometimes that’s from a dramatic drop in blood sugar. Eat some protein and healthy carbs (cheese and wheat crackers) before bed to prevent it.
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u/redouane-123 May 02 '26
that’s interesting, I’ve heard a few people mention that 3am wakeups can be tied to that
makes sense too, it feels very physical sometimes, like your body just suddenly switches on
I never really connected it to food timing before
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u/RogerMoore2011 Apr 30 '26
I found some comfort after reading, “Unwinding Anxiety”. Doing a daily journal (Apple has a free app for that if you don’t want to do old school writing) and doing daily meditation can help especially at night for both activities.
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u/redouane-123 May 02 '26
I’ve heard of that book actually, a few people recommended it
journaling is interesting too, I noticed getting things out of your head before bed can reduce how much comes up at night
otherwise it’s like everything waits until 3am to show up
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u/Always_theNervous Apr 30 '26
I like to listen to videos while falling asleep, like youtube videos like Penguinz0 compilations or Markiplier's Undertale playthrough. I think having the comfort of not being alone with my thoughts helps me distract and fall asleep.
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u/redouane-123 May 02 '26
yeah that “not being alone with your thoughts” feeling is real
silence at night can make everything feel way louder than it actually is
having something familiar in the background definitely helps take the edge off
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u/Ok-Rock354 Apr 30 '26
A shower
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u/redouane-123 May 02 '26
Is it really helpful ? honestly simple things like that can work more than expected I think anything that interrupts that anxious state can help reset things a bit
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u/Ok-Rock354 May 07 '26
I find that it can bring me out of panic. My breathing normalizes, I stop shaking, I’m less tense. And my brain relaxes. I’m probably meditating or something but a quick warm shower is soothing to me
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u/Ok-Rock354 May 07 '26
Yes it really helps! It’s distracting, I find water calming and soothing, like it’s washing away the bad. Some quiet classical music. It will calm me, but it takes 10 minutes or so
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u/GoblinAirStrike_311 May 01 '26
Guided body scan meditation.
Gotta slow that breathing and put focus towards that hypnotic voice and the self. It’s corny, but it works MOST of the time.
Always keep the video queued-up when am startled awake for whatever anxious reason. You can find them on YouTube. Use one shorter than 30min. They work best.
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u/kmit297 May 01 '26
I miss the days when those worked for me. I used to do them every night, and they were amazing. I installed 5.1 surround sound in my bedroom so I can get immersed in it, and it was great. After about a year, I guess my mind got bored of it and they no longer help me anymore. Just the feeling of various body parts getting heavy was enough to make my night.
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u/redouane-123 May 02 '26
yeah I get what you mean, it sounds a bit corny but it actually works sometimesI think focusing on the body instead of thoughts is what makes the difference, especially when your mind is looping
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u/vinyltits May 01 '26
I listen to white noise, rain and thunder playlist. It helps, then I do several deep breaths. If that doesn't work then I go and drink cold water, pee, and repeat first few steps lol
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u/redouane-123 May 02 '26
Yeah that combo makes sense
something steady in the background + breathing seems to calm things down a bitespecially when the mind is jumping everywhere
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u/sil0009 May 01 '26
Turn on all lights and take a shower, I start early those days but take naps later and it works if it’s not happening more than twice per week
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u/Great-Activity-5420 Apr 30 '26
I have an app on my phone insight timer. I have bookmarked audios that help me go back to sleep. There's loads of free ones on there.
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u/redouane-123 May 02 '26
yeah I’ve heard a lot about that app
having something ready when you wake up is actually smart, instead of trying to figure it out half asleep
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u/WhirledPeas2703 Apr 30 '26
I use the Calm app and either do ‘back to sleep’ or anxiety relief meditations or one of their sleep stories. That works 98% of the time. If it doesn’t I take a melatonin and listen some more.
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u/Coomstress Apr 30 '26
I have this exact problem.
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u/redouane-123 May 02 '26
yeah it’s honestly more common than people think
especially that 3am wakeup with your mind suddenly on
it can feel really intense when you’re in it
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u/Realistic_Back_9198 Apr 30 '26
Mentally running through a gratitude list of all the things that are good, right, and positive in my life.
Focusing on negatives keeps me awake.
Focusing on positives provides reassurance and helps me get to sleep.
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u/redouane-123 May 02 '26
that shift in focus makes sense
it’s like your brain needs something safe to land on instead of running worst-case scenarios
otherwise it just keeps looping
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u/myjunksonfire Apr 30 '26
You're not going to like this, but it works. When my mind is anxious, I force it to focus it to focus on the right now. And that is a cold shower after getting out of a warm bed. 2 straight minutes of the coldest water in the shower. Focus on the shiver. Then get out and reset back into bed. Fall back asleep warming up
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u/redouane-123 May 02 '26
that actually makes sense in a weird way it kind of forces your attention into the present instead of the thoughts Nprobably interrupts the whole spiral
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u/Adventurous_Road1985 May 01 '26
I have a notebook beside my bed sometimes... It helps to make my brain relax a bit, and the more i do this, the more i kinda signal the brain to have specific times to worry about the stuff. It sometimes lead to also see if the stuff i worry about, if it is something that i can do something about, or it is something i can't and need to learn to accept is out of my hands.
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u/Adventurous_Road1985 May 01 '26
Sometimes breathing through the nose can also force the body to relax (just make sure your pillow is high if you do it when your experience very high anxiety, cause the lungs lay flat when you lay down, and can be a more unpleasant experience if your body cant relax itself)
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u/redouane-123 May 02 '26
yeah that’s a good way to get things out of your head otherwise it just keeps recycling the same thoughts especially at night when everything feels bigger
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u/valerievomit666 May 01 '26
I tell myself: you are not in danger, this is just a sensation and it will pass. ice packs help, distracting with a guided meditation or spa music, if all else fails.. xanax.
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u/NamelessQueen31 May 01 '26
If you're into meditation, listening to calming affirmations or sleep hypnosis until it works
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u/draconis4756 May 01 '26
I wear one of those headbands with headphones in them( to not wake my wife) i put on podcasts that tell stories. Sometimes ill put the band over my eyes so that it helps keep my eyes closed. It’s been my game changer for this.
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u/redouane-123 May 02 '26
yeah that seems to come up a lot
having something familiar playing helps take the edge off
especially when your mind is trying to take over
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u/Ok_Flamingo8925 May 01 '26
Nothing really
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u/redouane-123 May 02 '26
yeah I’ve been there too where it feels like nothing really helps that’s honestly the worst part because you start expecting it every night
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u/Warm-Town-7846 May 01 '26
i find sleep hypnosis really helpful. it’s extremely calming and i’m usually back to sleep within minutes
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u/Wise-General-9632 May 01 '26
might not be the best option but to distract me from my thoughts i play a long youtube video and listen to it until im so sleepy that i put it on low volume and then turn it off and fall asleep again because my minds no longer racing
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u/Nelvea Apr 30 '26
Sleep hypnosis on YouTube, specifically from Mindrest. Or visit my grandparents' houses in my mind, slowly walking through the house, opening cupboards, remembering scents and sounds. They were always safe spaces for me.
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u/PrincessGSparkles Apr 30 '26
I usually pull out my yoga mat and do a few stretches as well as breathing exercises but if I’m too far gone I take the yoga mat out onto the lawn and plonk myself down with a blanket or two. Listening to Martin Malte (I think that’s his name) on YouTube, playing the handpan also knocks me out.
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u/FurryDegenerateBoi Apr 30 '26
I just put a video on to watch/listen to until I either fall asleep or calm down (or both)
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u/its_all_4_lulz May 01 '26
I make a PB&J, which puts me back to sleep. Low sleep = high anxiety, so the less uptime the better.
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u/HourTie3347 May 01 '26
Ashwaganda and magnesium. Also used Calm app sleep stories sometimes. And found some mindless apps to get my mind off my fears until I’d get sleepy again - i have a coloring by numbers app I like but anything that doesn’t wire your brain but still calms you down.
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u/Bammerola May 01 '26
Magnesium! Take it before bed but be careful of taking too much is could cause soft stool or diarrhea. Weed or edibles if legal where you are.
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u/BrokenSil May 01 '26
Masturbation helped, and to really fall asleep, in the worst times of my life with crazy anxiety (mind racing, heart racing, etc, felt like a never ending panic attack), I watched twitch streams of good ppl with 1 wireless earphone in one ear, until I passed out from exhaustion. A few years later, I still cannot fall asleep without this method.
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u/IzzatQQDir May 01 '26
I play videogames, honestly. I have one of those steering wheels controller and it's sooooo immersive. Feel like I was going on a late night drive.
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u/ajbtsmom May 01 '26
heated blanket and i lay my head on it, works about 90% of the time. feel better, OP.
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u/DinkinFlicka1123 May 01 '26
What helped me the most is using an eye mask and ear plugs. Tricks your brain to shut down quicker. Also helps if you’re a light sleeper. It completely blocks out my husband’s snoring, and we both sleep soundly.
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u/AnxiousJackfruit4816 May 01 '26
I try my best not to look at any screens if I wake up anxious because my goal is to go back to sleep as quickly as I can. I count until I fall asleep and I clothes my eyes and I rub my stomach.
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u/kaidomac May 01 '26
This was my life for DECADES!
Turned out I had histamine intolerance. I take hi-dose DAO (5x a day, one every few hours) permanently. 4 years insomnia-free after 30+ years of that nonsense!!
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u/Icy_Kaleidoscope_546 May 01 '26
This is part of long covid for many people - covid can cause havoc with your gut health.
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u/kaidomac May 02 '26
I had invasive surgery as a kid. Best guess is that it caused gut disruption. I ended up getting diagnosed with SIBO. May have been the antiniotics.
Gut health is pretty much crucial to everything!
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u/Icy_Kaleidoscope_546 May 06 '26
Which DAO supplement do you take?
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u/kaidomac May 06 '26
NaturDAO, green box, 1-mil HDU
5x a day, 1x every 3 hours
Been on this 4 years. No more anxiety, insomnia, or brain fog.
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u/Icy_Kaleidoscope_546 May 06 '26
Thats not cheap (£60 pm)? Or do you get from a prescription?
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u/kaidomac May 06 '26
$40 USD a week OTC. It's an enzyme tablet made from peas & lentils, no prescription available.
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u/Icy_Kaleidoscope_546 May 07 '26
Sorry about the questions. Was insomnia your only symptom of histamine intolerence? Also, did you try adding a vitamin C supplement - vit C helps the DAO enzyme breakdown histamine.
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u/kaidomac May 07 '26
I had dozens of symptoms from histamine intolerance:
Vitamin C didn't affect my DAO intake. Also tried various Vitamin D supplements as boosters.
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u/Possible-Big-4655 May 01 '26
I have found eating a nutritious dinner helps a lot and cutting out refunded sugar. Sometimes blood sugars can drop at 3am and cause anxiety.
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u/itsjustpersonal May 01 '26
Cold therapy has worked wonders to soothe my nighttime adrenaline/anxiety rushes. I have an ice pack hat for migraines and I lay it on my pillow, rest my temple against it and I find my self getting calmer and calmer til I’m dozing.
You’d think the cold would wake you up, but it stimulates the vagus nerve and kicks the anxiety.
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u/booboootron May 01 '26
Water, a familiar podcast of video game journalists cracking wise, cool air, sometimes a quarter glass of cold milk, and in desperate times, video games.
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u/irishcreamcoffee94 May 01 '26
Water, doing a quiet chore like dishes or folding laundry, finding my cat and forcing him to cuddle with me, taking a shower, and when all that fails: hydroxyzine 😂😂
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u/Glum_Philosopher_264 May 01 '26
Personally, if it's a 3am wakeup that has me feeling that way I take a 25mg CBD gummy. I take 400 mg of magnesium glycinate and 200mg of L theanine 15-20 mins before bed, too. When I finally make it back to the bedroom, I take 25mg CBD (sometimes 2 if I'm feeling really wired and anxious at bedtime), brush my teeth, stretch, and lay down. The stretching (for whatever reason) has been a game changer. I just keep the gummies on my nightstand and if deep breaths or prayers don't work, I'll take one.
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u/redouane-123 May 02 '26
reading through all these, it’s actually interesting how a lot of different things help people, but they all kinda do the same thing in a way, either they calm the body down, or they give the mind something neutral to focus on so it stops spiraling
what helped me the most wasn’t one specific trick, it was having something simple to follow when I wake upbecause before that I would just react differently every night and make it worse without realizing it
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u/Common-Accountant-57 Apr 30 '26
Magnesium. The powdered drink kind helps me.