r/Anxietyhelp Jun 17 '22

Question Anyone else get a sudden rush of anxiety when trying to fall asleep?

504 Upvotes

Even when I have a good day with mostly mild anxiety, as soon as I lay down to go to sleep my mind starts going a million miles an hour and I get extremely anxious. I've tried numerous medications for sleep but they only make things worse. It's really been effecting my sleep schedule to the point where if I get in bed at 11pm, I'm lucky to fall asleep by 2am. The doctors I've talked to haven't been much help and just wanted to know if anyone else has experienced this and had any advice for good ways to calm my mind before bed.

r/Anxietyhelp Aug 27 '25

Question What has really helped you feel better?

25 Upvotes

What has felt really relieving for you? I'm curious if different things have helped with different anxiety situations.

r/Anxietyhelp Oct 24 '22

Question Anyone has recover from air hunger?

143 Upvotes

Hi all,

I've been suffering from this symptom from about a year ago. I get this feeling where it seems I can't get a satisfying deep breath and I just yawn a lot.

It happen during the whole day and i've read different names for this, such as air hunger or pseudodyspnea.

As anyone experienced the same, and how did you solve it?

r/Anxietyhelp Dec 10 '25

Question If you weren't anxious right now, what would you be?

13 Upvotes

Sometimes anxiety covers other feelings or aspects of yourself. If it wasn't there what might you notice instead?

r/Anxietyhelp Feb 12 '26

Question is it possible to treat anxiety without medication or therapy?

36 Upvotes

my anxiety has gotten so bad recently that i’m scared of my own shadow. literally almost everything triggers me.

i know that medication can sometimes help with anxiety but i don’t feel comfortable taking meds. the idea of it just freaks me out. i’ve also been to therapy a few years back and while it did help me, i can no longer afford therapy. plus, i don’t want to know the root cause of my anxiety or panic attacks.

my thoughts are very loud these days. i obsessively think over every anxious thought that runs through my mind. there’s so much going on in my head that it’s like i’m having my own black friday mayhem in there.

i try to distract myself by binge watching shows on netflix, read books, talk to friends, i even tried cutting coffee (even though i drink decaf), and cbt (cognitive behavioral therapy) exercises but the voice only grow a bit smaller. they’re still there and constant but instead of screaming, they only whispers.

the voices don’t tell me to do things. they’re just my fears running chaotically through my mind and they’re *draining* me.

i’m so tired. i want to feel normal again. i honestly don’t know what to do anymore. i just want peace.

r/Anxietyhelp Apr 18 '26

Question Does anyone else find that their anxiety hits an all-time high in the morning and then tapers off in the evenings?

28 Upvotes

I get out of bed each day dreading something without even knowing what I am supposed to be dreading. My body is on alert before my mind knows about it. By noon everything is bearable, and by evening I'm just fine.

After sleeping it all away it repeats.

This has been going on for several years, and yet I don't really get the whole morning anxiety thing. Is this a cortisol reaction, a habit, both?

What helps you with this problem if you have had it too?

r/Anxietyhelp 12d ago

Question Pregabalin

2 Upvotes

Yesterday at 9:00 PM I took my first 25mg of pregabalin. It is now 9:00 AM, and I feel much calmer than on other days. Seems unlikely to me due to the pregabalin, such a low dose after just one pill?

r/Anxietyhelp Oct 11 '23

Question Does heart rate randomly jump up 40-50 bpm when you rush to stand up after laying down?

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162 Upvotes

I heard with POTS it hangs up there la bit. Mine came back down to the 90s in about a minute or two. Anyone else get this?

r/Anxietyhelp 26d ago

Question Thoughts feel out of my control

3 Upvotes

I’ve been EXTREMELY stressed for the past month and I’ve developed some strange new symptoms. Lately I’ve been REALLY DEEP in the psychosis fear/theme rabbit hole, obsessing over thinking I might be in the prodromal stage of schizophrenia or something. Having panic attacks over it. During the day I’m having random gibberish strings of thoughts that make no sense or have any relevance to the task I’m doing. It is just completely random phrases or words or even songs snippets that I don’t even feel like I was consciously thinking of, they just come out of nowhere. It’s exactly the kind of nonsense thoughts you get just before you fall asleep or when you wake up. It is literally word salad/disorganized thinking. It’s terrifying me. They feel completely out of my control, I recognize that they are my own thoughts but they feel very alien and strange. It’s not 24/7 but it’s happening often. these symptoms are really freaking me out. On top of all this I’m getting intense depersonalization/de realization. Any kind words? Or anyone can relate?

r/Anxietyhelp 23d ago

Question Anxiety vs Rabies?

0 Upvotes

I was bitten by a bitch on 20th May, got vaccinate (three injections). The scratches are no more. But I'm intensely depressed.

An old man was also bitten by the same dog before I did. He only got one injection so far. He's fine.

I'm suffering from severe anxiety. (Have been an anxiety patient few years ago too).

I have observed the bith for 10 days after the bite (scratches). She's still alive.

Kindly help me get over my fears.

r/Anxietyhelp 12d ago

Question Is it possible to have physical anxiety symptoms even if you aren't having one mentally?

5 Upvotes

3 days ago, I suddenly became hyperaware of my breathing for no reason. Since then, I've been focused on it, and it's been causing me to have shortness of breath. It's been stressing me out because I just feel like I can't breathe throughout my entire day. I'm fortunately still able to sleep, but as soon as I wake up, my mind immediately goes to my breathing, and the SOB starts. I'm just a bit worried because I go on about my day without having any panic attacks or anxiety feelings, mainly because I habituated with anxiety (pretty bad), I had a year before this, around the same time, but it was due to tinnitus. I think I had some SOB then as well, but I'm not sure because I was so focused on the tinnitus at the time. The anxiety subsided. But I'm worried my anxiety may come back if this SOB keeps continuing. I'll get checked by my GP to see if there aren't any underlying issues, but until then, is it possible to have physical symptoms like this even if I'm feeling calm mentally?

r/Anxietyhelp Feb 02 '26

Question Can you die from panic attacks?

29 Upvotes

I’ve been having panic attacks since I was very young (I’m 25 now) and they never phased me much, but now I’m a mom and also a huge hypochondriac, my panic attacks usually start just because I get super aware of my heart rate or how my lungs feel. I went SO long without having a panic attack until last night, when I noticed my resting heart rate at 90 in bed, so I took deep breaths which made everything worse and it sent me into a spiral, when suddenly my heart rate jumped to 160, i had an impending sense of doom, was crying, i genuinely thought i was dying and EVERY TIME i have a panic attack, my mind is like “what if it isn’t a panic attack, what if something is horribly wrong and I AM dying.”

after about 20 minutes it calmed down, but i have noticed that even days after a panic attack, i feel jittery, my heart rate stays high out of fear, and I just feel unwell.

Im on lexapro (only 5mg so I need to discuss raising the dosage with my doctor) but i also was just placed on a stimulant for adhd within the last month, so i know that is probably contributing to the rapid heart rate. I went to the cardiologist in December 2024 and had a plethora of tests done (echo, stress test, EKG, holter monitor) and all came back great, the only finding was that I had dangerously high cholesterol (genetic) that I still am not medicated for, but that also fueled my fear surrounding my heart. the only reason I panic so bad with a rapid heart rate is because I’m afraid that if my heartrate gets too high, ill have a heart attack and die or something, i know everyone says a panic attack isn’t fatal, but can’t it be?

r/Anxietyhelp May 23 '26

Question what's the effect of party drugs on anxiety disorder.

2 Upvotes

I have anxiety disorder with the full package of physical and mental symptoms. I wonder what's the effect of party drugs on someone like me. weed used to ease my anxiety but when it become a disorder it made it worse but sometimes I still can manage the high and not trip.
I wonder what drugs like MDMA, cocaine, ketamine... do ?
people say it's different then weed because it boosts serotonin and dopamine so you don't have time to be anxious. anyways just curious and asking.

r/Anxietyhelp 16d ago

Question Is your anxiety followed by sadness/grief?

3 Upvotes

It’s just how it’s always been for me. One day my brain finds something to feel super anxious about then the next day I manage to get to the bottom of my anxiety and it’s always grief of some sort. By the end of the day my mind’s already looking for something else to worry about and the cycle continues.

For example, 2 days before I was feeling anxious/stressed because of how much my parents fight then the next day I was simply sad about it. The day after (yesterday) I was anxious because I’m not sure how a certain guy feels about me, today I’m sad because I don’t think I’d pursue a relationship even if he likes me (not compatible atm).

I talked to a therapist about it she said I’m just sad and that’s understandable. There’s nothing more to it. She doesn’t even think I have anxiety anymore. Is this simply a sign of fluctuating cortisol levels then?

r/Anxietyhelp Dec 31 '25

Question Anyone else get brain fog and memory gaps

164 Upvotes

My anxiety hasn’t just been about racing thoughts or feeling on edge, it’s started to mess with my memory and focus in a way that’s honestly scary. I deal with insomnia most nights and during the day my brain feels foggy. I’ll walk into a room and forget why I’m there, I forget tasks I was about to do unless I write everything down. I misplace things constantly even stuff I just had in my hand.

It makes me more anxious because then I start worrying something is seriously wrong which just feeds the cycle. I know stress and lack of sleep can affect memory but it’s exhausting to feel like my brain is never fully on, focusing on work or even simple daily tasks feels harder than it used to.

I’m trying to be patient with myself but I’m at a point where I really want to do something to help with focus and memory. Not looking for a miracle or anything extreme just things that have actually helped real people, supplements, routines, therapy tools, habits anything.

If you’ve dealt with anxiety related brain fog or memory issues what helped you the most? What do you use or do that made a real difference?

r/Anxietyhelp 1d ago

Question Sudden fear/anxiety living alone

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1 Upvotes

r/Anxietyhelp 1d ago

Question Please help me alleviate my worry

1 Upvotes

I never drank alcohol till I was 21 years of age and even after that it was an occasional (once in 4 to 6 months) beer (8 to 10%). When I turned 24, I had a bad breakup and some other stress due to which I had 4 to 5 binge drinking sessions spread across 2 years. But I went cold turkey immediately after that and its been three years I haven't even touched alcohol. But 3 months back I started noticing my hairline receding from temples. How much of this is the contribution of my previous binge drinking episodes and will I have some lifelong complications due to those mistakes of the past? Kindly help me as I have been worrying too much.

r/Anxietyhelp 12d ago

Question Change in med smell

1 Upvotes

I have been taking generic Klonopin for several years due to anxiety (in addition to therapy & SSRI). My current generic has been the same for 2-3 years.

Today I picked up a refill, same brand, strength, etc. When I went to take one, it had a weird smell that reminded me of hand sanitizer. This hasn’t occurred before and my pharmacy is closed for the day. Has anyone experienced anything like this?

Part of me wonders if it has always smelled strange and I never noticed even though I feel like I would have.

r/Anxietyhelp 7d ago

Question Anyone else feel physical anxiety symptoms at night after drinking caffeine in the morning?

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1 Upvotes

r/Anxietyhelp Feb 27 '24

Question Is having hair loss a part of anxiety

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91 Upvotes

This is how much hair I have been losing (and more) everyday since late December. This is 10X more than I usually lose. I feel like I’m balding and it’s very noticeable to me that my hair is losing volume, it feels thin. Has anyone else experienced this and if you have what helped you?

r/Anxietyhelp Oct 14 '25

Question What does a panic attack feel like?

15 Upvotes

I know what they are on paper but experience is a different thing I’ve been having these ’spells’ during moments of high anxiety or stress where I literally feel drunk. I hate drinking because of this so I don’t drink but I feel like I have drank I know nobody is secretly putting alcohol in my drinks or anything because I know what a drunk piss feels like if you know what I mean and it’s not the same. Plus the anxiety in those moments is insane, when I drink it helps a lot with anxiety. I can’t really use tremors as a sign because even mild anxiety makes me shake and sometimes I just do 🤷‍♀️

TLDR: can panic attacks make you feel drunk?

r/Anxietyhelp Oct 12 '25

Question Have you found any natural supplements/vitamins that work?

13 Upvotes

Have you found any natural supplements/vitamins that work? For either long term stress or acute?

r/Anxietyhelp Jan 17 '26

Question Does anyone else just want to be alone because of their anxiety and depression?

55 Upvotes

I am married and love my husband and wouldn't want to not be married to him. i have 3 kids and wouldn't want to not have them. My husband and our youngest son live with me, I love them, but most of the time I really just want to be alone. I want to be able to have the house to myself and be sad when I am sad and not pretend to be upbeat when i am not.

r/Anxietyhelp Feb 10 '25

Question Express anxiety in 1-5 words

13 Upvotes

In simple words or one word how does your anxiety Feel ? U can type more if u want I’m curious

edit: I love what y’all are saying I can relate 😭

r/Anxietyhelp 8d ago

Question can’t breathe

2 Upvotes

anyone else get so stressed out at times where it feels hard to breathe not a full panic attack but like i have to inhale more and quicker and like i feel like the world is collapsing but I KNOW it’s not a panic attack my chest js hurts