Hour of Ease: Anxiety Keeping You Up Late? Turning Back the Body Clock

Emetophobia and staying up late seem to go hand in hand.

After all if you have a severe fear of waking up Sick during the night it becomes obvious that the only solution is to stay up for as long as possible in the hope of avoiding it.

Or until the clock strikes what I like to call the 'Hour of Ease'.

For me my Hour of Ease is 03:00am.

It's when my waves of nausea suddenly float away and my anxiety level reduces so much so that I'm suddenly feeling comfortable enough to go upstairs and lay flat out in bed just like someone who doesn't think twice about vomiting would have done hours before.

For years this need to stay up until the Hour of Ease has only plagued me during Holidays when I'm not working and spend significant amounts of time at home: on the first night I'll have a panic attack and for days after won't feel comfortable going to bed early.

It's almost as if after that first bout of panic it becomes a routine for my brain to automatically enter panic mode every 24 hours after the sun goes down where I experience constant bouts of nausea and as a result fear sleeping in case the worse happens shortly after falling into slumber.

But why the Hour of Ease? Why 03:00am?

In my head I have it fixed that someone who will wake up to be sick will do so at least two-three hours after going to bed in the early hours of the morning, as even I did when I was younger.

Which means I can presume I would feel more comfortable being sick in the early morning, say 05:00am as opposed to the dead of night?

Okay so maybe staying up until 03:00am isn't as irrational as I first thought.

But, still, it's a Compulsive behaviour that I have to stop soon when I finish my Christmas break: I won't have the option of sleeping in until Midday to catch up with the sleep I've missed the night before.

From experience I know breaking the Hour of Ease cycle can be extremely difficult so here is my short list of suggestions and tips that may help you:

1. Distraction. This is key! If you're going to bed at 11:00pm you need to take your mind of Emetophobia, your panic and the feeling of doom and dread. Read a book. Send that e-mail. Look around Facebook or Twitter for awhile. Watch TV in bed. Do anything that will distract you long enough for you to forget the time and start to feel comfortable and sleepy. Just don't use your distraction method until your Hour of Ease: that's cheating.
2. Comforts. Prepare some 'Comforts' so that if you do feel panicky you can neutralise your fear straight away. I can do this by simply sipping water - so when I'm trying to get to sleep early for the first time in ages I'll make sure I have a lot of water with me. And other times I find it helpful to tell my family about my progress so that they can support me if needed and make sure I go to bed on time. Whatever you feel will help you settle back down from a panic, you need to make sure you can do whilst in bed!
3. Hang in there! Seriously! It's only scary for a little while! There may be panic attacks ahead and hours of pacing the Landing expecting the worst. You may have a few mornings where Coffee is the only option. People may make fan clubs about your prominent dark circles. But remember soon enough going to bed late won't be in your routine and you will again enjoy eight hours of slumber!

What time is your Hour of Ease? Have you tried anything to turn back the body clock?