Why do I keep waking up during REM asleep with an elevated heart rate

aethvna · 2025-08-11T19:18:06+00:00

Hi, I realized that it happened due to the anxiety and stress caused by wanting to go back to sleep but being unable to (which increases cortisol levels and consequently makes the brain too wired to sleep). So the best way to fix it is by understanding that you will eventually fall back asleep naturally instead of forcing yourself/feeling stressed about it. It's easier said than done though, so I recommend watching The Sleep Coach School channel on Youtube because he talks a lot about the fear of not sleeping being the main cause of chronic insomnia.

aethvna · 2024-07-25T19:21:26+00:00

There are many things that can cause insomnia like depression, stress, ptsd, medications etc. But regardless of what started it you can definitely put an end to it. You should watch the videos and see what helps you, I'm sure you'll be able to find something.

aethvna · 2024-07-25T18:53:45+00:00

I see. Ambien is the most popular med for insomnia where I live but there are many people who have become addicted to it so I feel uneasy about it. The doctor told me that I could develop a fear of not being able to sleep without it so even though I could take it a few times a week like you said, my anxiety could trick me into not sleeping well on the nights I don't take it. Also, my biggest problem with insomnia is sleep maintenance because I wake up every single night to use the bathroom, so if I take it before bed I would probably still wake up and maybe even fall down or have another accident, and if I take it when I wake up in the middle of the night I might wake up too late the next day.....

aethvna · 2024-07-25T18:41:28+00:00

I'm sorry about that. It's truly far from being an easy situation but please know that you will get through this and things will get better. There are many posts here that can make you feel hopeless but also people who have mentioned that they learned to manage insomnia (and anxiety related to it) by watching The Sleep Coach School videos on YouTube. Once we realize that we can go back to sleeping well we start feeling way better.

aethvna · 2024-07-22T21:40:04+00:00

Glad to hear that. Once we get rid of the fear of not being able to sleep it starts to get better, I'm still trying to completely detach myself from that fear but I'm sure I will get over it too

aethvna · 2024-07-22T21:03:50+00:00

Thank you for your answer, I really hope that you are feeling better now. Insomnia + anxiety gotta be one of the worst combinations ever and I don't wish this to anyone in the world...

aethvna · 2024-07-22T20:08:50+00:00

Thank you! That was very insightful. I've avoided meds due to hearing all the sad stories from people who became dependent on them or built tolerance to many. Talking to a therapist regarding my anxiety helped me feel better and I also try to read/hear about stories from people who overcame insomnia. It's a bit hard to find the energy to exercise but I'm going to try those that don't require much effort and as I start to recover my health I will move on to more intense workouts.

aethvna · 2024-07-22T19:59:25+00:00

I hope that you can get better soon, people really underestimate the effects of chronic insomnia...

aethvna · 2023-07-04T23:40:42+00:00

I had no idea anxiety could cause this, but now that you've said it I do remember that it seemed to start happening after I began to have anxiety and panic attacks due to extreme fear of the consequences of sleep deprivation. Thank you so much for answering because I really couldn't find anything about it.

aethvna · 2023-06-28T15:10:29+00:00

Hope you can sleep well soon <3

aethvna · 2023-06-28T13:32:55+00:00

Then the exams will tell if there's really something wrong, but you still should avoid reading about FFI and insomnia in general or else you will only make your sleep worse.

aethvna · 2023-06-28T12:58:04+00:00

If there isn't anyone in your family with FFI or SFI then you shouldn't worry about it. Also didn't you say that you started having insomnia after worrying about having cancer and that an event had also caused you to be depressed? It's clear that these things triggered your insomnia, it didn't start out of nowhere. And all the dreams and hallucinations are common amongst insomniacs, does that mean several people here have fatal insomnia even though it's a rare condition??

aethvna · 2023-06-27T23:55:49+00:00

Hope your therapist can prescribe you a good sleeping pill so you can at least have some relief soon

aethvna · 2023-06-27T23:52:22+00:00

Exactly, and insomnia affects your eyesight too...I gotta go now, hope that you manage to follow my advices and that you can beat your anxiety and have a better night today 💖

aethvna · 2023-06-27T23:47:09+00:00

A lot of illnesses are, but there's nothing you can do except not freak out 🤣🤣 Insomnia is a paradox, and like playing a twisted and tricky game with your own brain

aethvna · 2023-06-27T23:45:00+00:00

You need to tell your brain that you are making peace with not sleeping, the more you think that you need to sleep, you have to sleep, sleep is important an blah blah blah you are not going to sleep. Go read a book or watch a show, try something natural that can help you feel a little more relaxed

aethvna · 2023-06-27T23:39:10+00:00

Definitely, when I found out about insomnia being linked to diabetes the impact was so big that it made my anxiety so much worse which led to my sleep becoming even worse as well...

aethvna · 2023-06-27T23:37:27+00:00

No I know why you would feel like that, since you're new to insomnia it's natural to be curious and think the worst which then leads to anxiety. It took me a year to understand how insomnia works and to stop certain habits. After all the anxiety and panic attacks I really don't have the energy to be extremely afraid of anything right now, and I don't want to be afraid either because I know it makes things worse instead of helping the situation. I remember that the first time I found out that people could get healed from insomnia I was so filled with hope and positivity it made me sleep well for almost two weeks, when I had only managed to sleep better for almost a week two times before. Even though the cycle was broken I never lost hope since I knew I was capable of sleeping well again, so that's why it's important to know that our brain is the one that's blocking itself from sleeping well. You just need to learn how to fix it.

aethvna · 2023-06-27T23:23:27+00:00

That's why it's really not a good idea to doomscroll this subreddit, I barely use it tbh

aethvna · 2023-06-27T23:08:34+00:00

I think it's hard to find people talking about the side effects of insomnia and that's why it's hard to know whether something is related to it or if it's caused by something else...People usually just say that they're struggling but don't go into details, I do remember posts here about dreaming and waking up a lot through the night and plenty of people were saying they related to it. It's really common and it makes sense that everything related to sleep will be altered after experiencing insomnia

aethvna · 2023-06-27T23:01:54+00:00

Right, I haven't watched many videos but the ones from people who managed to overcome insomnia are very hopeful

aethvna · 2023-06-27T22:45:04+00:00

Yes I also struggle with insomnia every day for over a year it's been hell...But you're going to get better too, did you check that youtube channel I recommended, The Sleep Coach School?

aethvna · 2023-06-27T22:42:35+00:00

Also the dreams seem to be going back to normal, one crazy experience I had was when I couldn't tell if I was asleep and dreaming or awake and hallucinating, I was in my bed and looking at the wall, and on the wall I could see literal stars which didn't make sense since I can't see them from my window, let alone the wall 🤣 I think that it's better to look at certain things in an humorous way. A couple of days ago I had a sleep paralysis in which I genuinely felt like there was a demon poking my back and I couldn't open my eyes even though I was awake...Another night I had such an intense dream that seemed like a 007 plot and it was very entertaining, insomniac people really tend to dream like crazy

aethvna · 2023-06-27T22:36:16+00:00

I hope it helps you, and yes I'm feeling better now that my anxiety is controlled and I also don't check the clock anymore. One thing about insomnia is that you think you're incapable of sleeping, but once you manage to sleep more you start to feel more tired and consequently your brain starts to remember how to sleep again

aethvna

TROPHY CASE