Sleep and anxiety

[slj2012]

Does anyone else feel drained and disorientated after sleeping? I feel this especially after a nap rather than a full nights sleep. I also feel a horrible feeling when nodding off..like something is going wrong with my heart and a strong rushing feeling down my body.

[calleycopley1]

I often feel really out of it a few hours after waking up and feel like i need to nap, even at work. It was worrying at first but you just have to keep reminding yourself that its the anxiety and stress that is draining all your energy. Its alot easier said than done but reassurance only gets you so far, as soon as you convince yourself that its nothing, it will be that!

[marc]

Sometimes after I get a goods nights sleep, I feel worse than when I did not get enough sleep.
The same thing happens to me if I take a nap; sometimes I feel great, other times terrible.

[aunjypoo]

I dont' even ever get a good sleep.. I never have fatigue for some reason (haha yet Im still terrified of Parkinsons/ALS despite the fact I've normal energy level)... I can never sleep more then 5-6 hours at a time and I wake up religiously ever hour or less and if its 1.5 hours or less until time for my alarm to go off I lay there in a panic. I used to take Tylenol PM or Nyquil occasionaly just for a good nights sleep but being pregnant you cant do that now, lucky me!

[Ravens Lady]

Yes... 

Sleep affects your "neurotranmitter-chemical-soup" so to speak..  Your brain and glands pump out different hormones and chemicals during sleep that affect and influence mood.   Think of it as going through an emotional-mood car wash.  You may wake up feeling improved, OR you may wake up feeling a bit out of sorts depending on what stage of sleep you arise from.  Different stages of sleep affect the body differently.  For instance, if you take a cat nap for about 20 minutes and avoid going into the deeper delta stages of sleep you will feel different than if you had gone into the deeper stages.  (Sleeping for more than an hour may get you into that deeper sleep, commonly, if I remember correctly)

I think that someone that is in a particular depression or anxious state may find that naps accentuate their uncomfortable mood.  Like I said above, its like a neurotransmitter soup is being all stirred up.  If you were already feeling a bit anxious or depressed, awaking from a nap and having your body's neurotransmitter chemical and circadian rhythm disrupted may cause you to feel jolted and off-balance mood-wise.  Where as if you were feeling more emotionally stable, a nap may not affect you as much for the worse (at least that's what I have found). 

Funny story - When I was 15 I had my first full-blown panic attacks phase.  I recall taking a nap one evening and waking up and having the very strong suspicion that everyone in the world had disappeared and I was the last person on earth.  Obviously that is completely irrational but I reason the very heavy and uncomfortable *feeling* I had for no known reason was generating these odd thoughts.   My brain was concocting a reason for the feeling of fear I had.  A situation to match my feeling of dread. I ran down the stairs to find my family there, and then questioned what on earth happened to my brain after that nap... lol

In summary- sleep phases and naps may have a tendency to produce funky brain chemicals, especially for those inclined towards anxiety and depression. 

[constantworries]

I get that horrible feeling when I'm half asleep too. Feels like a jolt in your body and Wales you up and keeps you awake for a while. I hate it.

[mollyfin]

I always feel horrid after naps.  I don't get how people feel refreshed after them...I just feel two steps away from falling back asleep until I give in and do just that!

[JunoX]

Anxiety affects my sleep a lot. I have all sorts of strange things happen to me while sleeping, actually while nodding off. Once I'm in a full deep sleep, I have no problems but while nodding off, I've had:

1. Feeling of suffocation, like I can't breath and I wake up like I've been drowning or something.
2. Feeling like I can't swallow and it suddenly wakes me up.
3. Different horrible pains through out my body, depending on what I'm scared of at the time. Once awake, the pain is gone.
4. Sensation of vision problems which suddenly wake me but nothing is there once awake.
5. I bite my tongue hard and wake up.
6. I twist my arm or ankle and I wake up.
7. I hear a tapping or loud noise but once awake, nothing is there.
8. I choke and wake up coughing.
9. I have a heart palp but once awake, nothing is there.
10. I have terrible lucid nightmares, where I can't wake up even when I try or feel like something massive doesn't allow me to move.

As you can see, I have some wild nights sometimes. I also feel horrible after a nap. The worse is when I wake up very early and then fall back asleep. I feel terrible after that. That's why when I wake up, I make myself stay awake, even if its a little earlier than usual.