Scared and Tired: Tinnitus Spiked, Phobia of Choking and Horrible Anxiety Came Back

[Jazzer]

Forgive me @zombiechick for not reading this whole thread.

I guess you have tried meditation.
Maybe guided meditation until you have learnt a good breathing technique.
Maybe meditation aided by hypnotherapy?
I'm sure you've tried Melatonin for longer sleep.

I'm just trying to think of something to calm your anxiety
and help you to sleep better.

 

[fishbone]

In March I had miscarriage. It doesn't end there. My phobia of choking along with horrible anxiety came back. My doctor wants to put me on Celexa but I'd prefer to avoid SSRIs. I came off of Zoloft in October. I haven't been sleeping well all week. I wake up around 4am to 5am everyday. I take 5mg of melatonin to fall asleep and go to sleep pretty quick. But I'll have a nightmare and bam, I'm awake.

Any thoughts or advice for sleep? Take more melatonin when I wake up? My tinnitus suddenly spiked tonight due to high stress and I'm really feeling pushed to my limits. If you want more info, please ask me. I really need help.

I am sorry that you are going through such a tough situation. In all honesty all of us are dealing with a lot of stress these days and our world has become an odd one for sure. I will say this much, some are all for meds and it may help some people and some like myself rather heal and move forward naturally. It's really up to the person on how the want to deal with it.

Right now, more than ever learning to relax, getting calm is vital. All of us have stress right now and trying the calm the mind is vital. I have sleep issues again myself and wake up many times per night. I was taking melatonin for a bit but it was not helping.

I find comfort in my faith, training and just trying to help myself calm down. I am a huge fan of just listening to tranquil sounds at very low volume and meditating on the noise.If I need support I will call a friend and see how they are doing. If i feel very stressed then I will try to control my breathing and do deep breathes and just chant to myself that "I will make it through this" , "things will be ok".

It's hard to work those hours and then come home. maybe you can just relax your mind after you get home, even 15-30 minutes a day can make a difference.

Take care, know that you are not alone

 

[zombiechick]

I am sorry that you are going through such a tough situation. In all honesty all of us are dealing with a lot of stress these days and our world has become an odd one for sure. I will say this much, some are all for meds and it may help some people and some like myself rather heal and move forward naturally. It's really up to the person on how the want to deal with it.

Right now, more than ever learning to relax, getting calm is vital. All of us have stress right now and trying the calm the mind is vital. I have sleep issues again myself and wake up many times per night. I was taking melatonin for a bit but it was not helping.

I find comfort in my faith, training and just trying to help myself calm down. I am a huge fan of just listening to tranquil sounds at very low volume and meditating on the noise.If I need support I will call a friend and see how they are doing. If i feel very stressed then I will try to control my breathing and do deep breathes and just chant to myself that "I will make it through this" , "things will be ok".

It's hard to work those hours and then come home. maybe you can just relax your mind after you get home, even 15-30 minutes a day can make a difference.

Take care, know that you are not alone

I've been trying to do that and when I lay down at night before bed, its the only time I feel calm *knock on wood*. I read books to my son, talk to my spouse. I worked so hard to get to where I'm at and I feel like could lose it.

 

[JasonP]

I did but the lack of sleep and tinnitus flaring is really making me panic more.

Okay, I have an idea that may or may not work but it's natural.

1. Try to exercise during the day so that hopefully you will be more "tired" at night.
2. Try some "blue blocking glasses". You can buy them off Amazon. I recommend this pair here:
https://www.amazon.com/Official-BluBlocker-Eagle-Sunglasses-2735k/dp/B00DE0NBCW
(However, I'm sure there are plenty of glasses on Amazon that will be able to substantially block out blue light. Blue light is supposedly the most stimulating type of light. I think you would probably need an amber lens to block out the most blue light but I could be wrong) Basically you can put them on a couple of hours or so before sleep and hopefully they will help you be less stimulated. I read some reviews where parents have put them on their children at night to help them sleep and also adults who put them on to help them sleep.
3. Turn the blue light filter on on your phone a couple of hours before bedtime.
4. If you can avoid TV, computer, phone, internet, or anything stimulating for a couple of hours before bedtime.
5. Try to read a calming book before bed, nothing stimulating. Hopefully the calming reading will relax you and help you drift off to sleep.

These are just some suggestions I think that may be worth trying. I hope things get better for you asap.

 

[zombiechick]

@zombiechick, can I recommend you a book that really helped me out during a bad time in my life? Nothing in it about tinnitus, but still.

I just saw this but yes! Trying to cope with this all is not easy. I have my good and bad days.

 

[aot]

I just saw this but yes! Trying to cope with this all is not easy. I have my good and bad days.

Lincoln's Melancholy: How Depression Challenged A President And Fuled His Greatness, by Joshua Wolf Shenk.

Abe Lincoln suffered from major, suicidal depression his entire life, including his time in the White House. But this didn't stop him being a good person and a good president. Just like how your issues don't have to keep you from being a good person, and being a good wife and mother. If your tinnitus makes reading difficult, it's also on Audible.

We're all rooting for you.

 

[zombiechick]

So, on Saturday my spouse had me try and edible and it made my tinnitus crazy. It went down the next day but my anxiety was still awful. I took a Xanax and I'd never taken it before. I slept great and Monday my tinnitus was lower, still there but lower. I woke up at 1am to severe ringing in my left ear. I should mention the two days prior I had noticed a lot of pain on the left side of my jaw. I have to go to work and today is my sons birthday. I feel awful. My muscles are weak. I have a sinus headache. And my left ear is awful. It's supposed to be a great day but instead I'm lying here shaky and scared. My spouse says there is nothing I can do and I need to deal with the day. I called my doctor but I'm not even sure if she'll be able to get back to me today and if she does, what can she do?! I was going to get back on Zoloft. Try and take time off work but she would have to sign off on it. This is a damn nightmare. I knew my tinnitus would go back to normal after the Xanax wore off but this is terrible. I shouldn't have taken it but I was so desperate for sleep.

Any advice on what I should do would be so appreciated. I just want to focus on my son but I'm not well. This is so unfair.

 

[Bobbette]

So, on Saturday my spouse had me try and edible and it made my tinnitus crazy.

On average it takes about 6 days for tinnitus spiked by edibles to go back down.

 

[Fifth Business]

Your sympathetic nervous system could be "stuck" in active mode all the time right now. It's not uncommon in today's society.

I really do agree. Took about a year of integrative therapy sessions to realize this. Had horrible insomnia even prior to getting the 'tee'. So much better now.

If you're doing therapy pls stick with it.