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Anxiety In Sleep

jmrogers31

By jmrogers31
in Coping with Celiac Disease

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jmrogers31 Contributor
jmrogers31
Posted

Before I went gluten free anxiety was my worst symptom. I had this sense of doom and was just sure something horrible was about to happen to me. I felt like I was dying even though I was a 30 year old male at a healthy weight who ran half marathons. My anxiety got really bad until I finally discovered gluten caused a lot of my issues with asthma, anxiety, and a host of digestive issues. My anxiety cleared up slowly but surely over the months that followed and I am back to my old calm self. Now, my question is that I wake up a lot with adrenaline racing through my body. I wake up and I can feel my heart and I am really jumpy and I feel like I am having a fight or flight response as if something was attacking me. Does anyone else have anxiety in their sleep like this? I don't have stressful days that lead to stressful nights. I am calm throughout the day and will wake up full of anxiety and panic. Very confused by this.

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Learner01 Newbie
Learner01
Posted

Did you experience the same things in your sleep before you went gluten-free? Are you on any prescription/otc medications? When was the last time you had a full physical? Keep a journal of your food/medication/sleep, etc. Maybe you'll see a pattern that will give you an idea of what's going on.

IrishHeart Veteran
IrishHeart
Posted

It is disconcerting to wake up like that. :( I feel for you as I had the same thing going on in me for nearly 3 years before DX. It took many months for that to calm down in me. I used to wake up screaming, my heart pounding out of my chest, my thoughts racing. I had major insomnia anyway. Not the best way to start a day, is it?? :rolleyes: My poor hubs--woke him up a lot! :rolleyes:

My initial thoughts were -- are you taking any NEW supplements or getting CCed in ANY way? (That anxiety crap comes roaring back in me when I am CCed accidentally.)

Also, have your blood glucose levels been checked recently? Hypoglycemia also caused that racy sensation in me-- as did adrenal fatigue from being ill for so long.

And, finally ---do you get enough protein in your diet? You probably do since you are an athlete. :) but sometimes too many carbs and not enough protein can also cause that feeling like you are going to self-implode. Someone on here said she almost feels like she is levitating when her anxiety is high.

Just some thoughts. Hope you find out what's causing it. It is an awful sensation.

jmrogers31 Contributor
jmrogers31
Posted
  • Author

This did not happen before going gluten free and have not had a physical in a while. I am taking a fish oil supplement with vitamin D. I also just stopped taking an Okra Pepsin supplement about a week ago that was supposed to clean out my intestine. They should be all natural supplements. I know I should keep a food journal, maybe I will finally start. My diet is pretty good but I probably do have a few too many carbs and not quite enough protein. I am about to start working out again but am scared because of all the health issues I have had the last year with my gluten intolerance, heart palpations, etc. I guess I will start slow and see how my body responds. I don't think I am getting cc'd but I will double check everything. Maybe if I get a physical I will ask about getting tested for hypoglycemia. Thanks for the advice.

norcal-gf Newbie
norcal-gf
Posted

I had something that sounds really similar... Wasn't sleeping well, and waking up with really horrible dreams and feeling upset. Turns out I have a mild case of sleep apnea. My osteopathy doctor suggested I try using the SleepRight nasal breathe aids and it works very well. If you search this site you'll see that many people who have Celiac also have sleep apnea. Try buying some of the SleepRight strips and see if that helps. Good luck!

revenant Enthusiast
revenant
Posted

I have this whenever I go back to the food intolerances, but that's the only time. If you're sure that you're not getting small amounts of gluten still, it could be that you have more food intolerances. A lot of the time the symptoms of other intolerances get stronger and more sensitive when we remove gluten, the main one. I guess it couldn't be low blood sugar either? I know that can make a person really anxious

peeptoad Apprentice
peeptoad
Posted

I've been experiencing this off-and-on for the last few months... a couple of weeks ago I finished wearing an event monitor and it turns out I am having preventricular contractions and tachycardia and it was waking me up at night, which was causing the anxious feeling. For some reason I only seem to get them when I'm at rest (sleeping, reading a book, etc).

My doctor didn't really tell me anything regarding my results (other than "no worries"), but I did read that one cause of PVCs is exercise (and I exercise pretty regularly). You mentioned exercise so might be worth checking out if all else fails.

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