Super,
The anxiety/ sleep cycle is so vicious, I don't know which one came first! I probably do have pretty high sleep anxiety, but I find that oddly enough I am calm in the hours before bed. I've been making myself stay up for as long as possible before turning in and taking my nightly meds (10-11pm). Your advice about clearing the mind is helpful- I will try it.

I too was prescribed Ativan after my injury and it was the same thing you are describing. I actually woke after two hours in more panic and anxiety than what I had before I laid down. It was awful. I take Remeron (Mirtazapine) now. It just makes me feel so exhausted the next day.

I'm with you- even 5 hours of straight sleep and I'd back flip out of the bed in excitement! Thanks for the reply. And on a good note- I actually slept "well" lat night. No "mini" panic attacks so I'm hoping this starts a good trend. I'm cautiously optimistic!

Rallen, Id recommend youd try to almost put yourself into a meditation mindset before falling asleep.

For example, the first few months of my injury I would either sleep a ton(because of a lot of meds), or not sleep at all. For the times I wasnt sleeping at all I would find myself having anxiety, thinking about the future, the past, whats going to happen ect.

I figured it out, from people on this forum, that recommended to just not think before bed, its hard, and it takes a lot of practice, but I have it down pretty good now. I make sure I dont use a phone, computer, tv ect at least an hour before bed. I try to meditate almost, just relax. It helps to clear your mind. With that said though, I just dont sleep well. I fall into a trance, but just dont get much sleep.

Ive talked to my dr about it, and hes said its very common with pcs. He claims the fact that I go through cycles where I get some ok sleep, and then cycles with hardly any sleep, is actually a good thing. It means my body is figuring it out on its own, and one day my sleep will return to normal.

I think he actually has a decent point with that one. But, we will see I guess.

Kev
Thank you for your advice. I am going to make an effort to stay off the computer and turn the lights down at around 9 to begin preparing for sleep.

I am glad that your doctor gave you the good news. It makes sense about the cycles of sleep- looking back since my accident there has been no rhyme or reason to the way each night unfolds. I know it's hard to be positive when things are so different than the way they were before. I hope all of us continue to get better and God will give us the strength to deal with the low parts because we all will have them at some point.

Thanks and hope this day is great for all.

The quick dream state may indicate a hallucination. In order to dream we need to get into REM state, that's when it happens. Its like sitting at your desk and you start drifting off and 'dreaming' right away because you are so tired. That's the bodies way of saying you need rest.
I wonder if a sleep study is called for, to attempt to determine the cause of your sleep issues.
Jamie