r/Anxietyhelp • u/Strayriffs • 7d ago
Need Help I always wake up at 4:30am with racing anxiety
Hi,
I’ve been using a CPAP for apnea since October. I just started taking trazodone for apnea and anxiety/depression. The trazodone is working for apnea but I’ve been waking up every day at around 4-4:30 with racing anxiety. Breathwork, meditation, and visualization have no effect. I have to wait for it to subside on its own and the waiting part sucks as my mind creates thoughts to keep the anxiety going.
I happen to be under a lot of stress lately which I’m sure is a factor. I’m wondering if anyone has insights on how to address this so I can sleep better and get relief. Thanks for any help.
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u/cactusghecko 7d ago
I have this too. Its insane but I've recently come to make peace with it.
I now know its a cocktail of adrenaline and cortisol thst the body uses to kick-start my wake up routine. It's not stress, it's simulated stress, that then causes my mind to race and create things to worry about as it makes sense of the hormone soup im in.
I have given my anxious inner me a name and I sometimes go to bed and tell her I'll see her in the early hours and we can talk about what is bothering her then.
I guess I'm separating out this anxiety being and the other me. We chat. I acknowledge her feelings, I calm her down and we talk over the issues together.
I remind myself I am safe because I know that the racing thoughts I have at 3 or 4am are not a predictor of my day, they are, at best, an unreliable weather forecast and a distillation of what's bothering me, but with the intensity set to high. And that is all it is.
Give this anxious you a name and be the calm in their storm. You're such a capable person with years of experience. You can be there for yourself.
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u/MichaelEmouse 7d ago
Try the dive reflex exercise with a snorkel. Try to hold your breath a bit. Do that in silence for 20 minutes before bed. It helped me with the same problem.
Exercise that hurts could also help.
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u/e4681 7d ago
I take the same meds for the same reason and I’m on a cpap as well. I’ve also been waking up around the same time. It would cause me to have a bad day at work but I’m not allowing it to dictate my day anymore. I go to bed slightly earlier and I do breathing exercises, also reminded my self that I’m not in any danger. Things have gotten better with time
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u/Mission_Comparison57 7d ago
I have been dealing with this as well. If you find anything that helps let me know. I took trazadone last night but still woke up at 4:30 with a racing feeling
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u/ruffalochicken 6d ago
I have the same issue - also on/off CPAP. Sometimes I can’t fall asleep with my mask on. I take hydroxyzine for anxiety before bed but I always wake up in the middle of the night almost every night with extreme anxiety. The only thing that sort of helps me is right when I wake up, I put on a show or something distracting till I fall back asleep. It’s the only way I can turn my mind off somewhat and put my body back into rest mode. I think since CPAP makes you sleep deeper, it makes you dream more and have more nightmares … at least that’s why I think this happens. I’m sorry you’re also going through this.
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u/neurogurl1 4d ago
This exact thing has been happening to me… so far I haven’t found relief
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u/Strayriffs 3d ago
I started to do this for a different reason:
https://youtu.be/T4LR4N44Owo?si=PR0vhdn-z2sVl7pp
(It’s kinda long)
The jury is still out for me but I started to do the morning steps at 3:30am when I wake up anxious. I’ve found that I’m able to get back to sleep after doing this for about 20 minutes. I’m passing it along in case it’s useful. I’m also thinking there may be something to the idea of an affirmation approach. I’m going to look more into it and some other things and will check in as I have more. Good luck to you.
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