insomnia is hell

[stb]

Has anyone out there ever suffered from chronic insomnia, and then got over it? I tried a sleep study once, but it was a waste of my time and money. It made no difference in my diagnosis or treatment, and was so poorly set up that I don't know how the doctor could have learned anything from it. Honestly, I suspected that the clinic was just a moneymaker for the hospital.

So, any insomnia cures out there? I would love to sleep again.

[gypsy]

it can be really awful. i've had bouts, but nothing like what it sounds like you're dealing with. i think my worst stretch was 3 nights with almost no sleep.

what i've learned to do is know when it's likely to be a problem (times when i'm stressed about something either personal or professional, or nights before something big or important -- the kid-on-christmas-eve syndrome), and i just basically don't try to force anything. i stay up late, wait til i'm right at the nodding-off stage, and slip into bed. i've always had trouble turning my brain off at night -- the prime cause of insomnia, for me -- but i find if i just let the batteries run down before i even try to go to bed, it helps a lot. that means sometimes i don't go to bed until 4 when i know i have to be up at 8 or 9, but that's ok. one conceptual breakthrough for me was when i realized it didn't materially matter if i got sleep. i'd be tired the next day, but i'd still get through whatever it was that needed to be done. the anticipation of how bad it will be not to sleep is almost always worse than the actual effects of not sleeping. which is not to downplay the effects of not sleeping; it can make you miserable. just that, for me, learning not to worry about not sleeping has been important. that whole thing of lying there at 3 a.m. looking at the clock thinking 'I HAVE TO GO TO SLEEP,' i've just given up on.

the other thing is, if i go to bed and start to notice the symptoms of a sleepless night -- anxiety, frenzied thought patterns, etc. -- i get up and move out to the couch. i don't know why, but a lot of times just a change of place will make sleeping easier. maybe it's just the psychological thing of not actually being in bed, which reduces the formal expectation of sleeping and somehow makes it easier.

when worse comes to worst for me, i just quit trying at all and i do something -- clean the kitchen, fold laundry, anything i can do to make me feel like i've got a jumpstart on the next day. if i'm going to be up, i might as well be productive.

everybody's different and the causes of and useful solutions to insomnia vary a lot, so i don't know how useful any of my experience is. among other things, in my case, i identify strongly as a "night person." my ideal sleep schedule would probably be about 3-11 a.m. i rarely get the chance to sleep til 11, but i still stay up til 3 or so most nights because unless i'm ready for bed there's no point in going. a few days of 4- or 5-hour sleep will usually make me tired enough to go to bed at 1 or 2 and get the body at least partly recharged.

anyway, good luck. here's to 40 winks, or more.

[kag]

I found melatonin pretty helpful when I went thru a bad stretch.

[kag]

Also, I had to take progesterone supplements for the first trimester of my last pregnancy and they TOTALLY knocked me out. Don't know what gender you are, but if you are of the female persuasion, you might ask about trying progesterone supplements.

Insomnia is the pits.

[chuck taylor]

I too suffer from insomnia... and like gypsy said... it is only made worse by actually worrying, "I am going to be so tired tomorrow if I don't get to sleep"... which in turn usually raises your alertness/awareness and makes it that much harder to get to sleep.

I have two solid jobs...one has me working 9-10 hours on Saturday... and then I work sound at a church on Sundays (every Sunday)... and I have to get up at 6:30... be there at 7:30... and work through two sermons until 12:30.

I have had many a Saturday night when I get off of work...only to have trouble decompressing knowing I have to be up in a handful of hours.

I have relegated myself to these facts:

1. I know I was never meant to sleep much, fast metabolism.

2. On four-five hours of sleep... I can make it through any work day.

3. Staying up late trying to go to sleep while watching TV or getting in the Net does NOT help... your eyes take in the light and trick your body into thinking it is day in a way.

4. Never surf the net in bed... bed is for sleeping/hanky only.

5. TV is OK if for background noise or if you have always fallen asleep with the TV on, or it just makes you comfortable... just make sure to set the sleep timer...because after your first REM you will probably wake up.

6. Hot drinks help out some times.

7. Couches work at times too.

8. Drinking offers little if any help...actually makes it worse.

9. Release your brain from a lot of thinking intense work an hour plus before you get ready for bed...your body may shut down quickly...but the brain, at least mine, takes a wind down period.

Good luck.

[Hildegard]

I have struggled with it off and on for several years. If it's chronic, see a doctor, esp one who appreciates holistic medicine. I did and that helped a lot. It's almost like 12 step in that you have to change your lifestyle to recover from chronic insomnia. If you are having anxiety or worrying about something, talk to your doctor about that. Prescription meds may be necessary but I discourage use of Ambien, which I think exacerbates anxiety if you have it (you sleep, but you freak out the next day). If you don't have anxiety, Ambien or another prescription sleep aid can help but are not meant to be taken regularly. A doctor can help you recognize and change patterns that are affecting your sleep. If you really want to avoid a doctor go to any insomnia web site and learn about behaviors that disrupt sleep (such as poor diet, caffeine consumption, or too much alcohol, lack of exercise, etc.)

Gender, hormones and age also play into this. If you are middle aged and female, you need to see a doctor. It doesn't necessarily mean menopause but your hormones start changing when the body moves into midlife long before menopause. You might just need some anti-anxiety meds.

It's a very personal issue and what works for any one person may not work for you. But there's a lot of information and help out there. Good luck.

[stb]

All the input is appreciated. A lot. I am a middle-aged female so that gives me something to look into right away. I have dealt with insomnia off and on for years, so I have quite a bag of tricks to help me sleep, but none of them have been working lately. So some things mentioned by Gypsy and Chuck are familiar, but it is always good to be reminded. I keep wondering if it is something obvious that I am doing to cause my sleeplessness.

Does anyone have any recommedations for a doctor in Knoxville who appreciates holistic medicine?

[binR Bishop]

Prescription meds may be necessary but I discourage use of Ambien, which I think exacerbates anxiety if you have it (you sleep, but you freak out the next day).

I've had insomnia forever. Plus I'm a very light sleeper, so if I ever do get to sleep, the slightest little thing wakes me up.

Ambien is my friend. And yes, I'm an Ambien junkie. But it helps me sleep, and I notice no freakout, etc. afterwards. (I also VERY occasionally take an anti-anxiety med. That does sometime resulting in freaking out afterwards, usually in the form of really bad dreams. The last time I took one, Sarah Palin was trying to kill me.)

I'm definitely not recommending it for everyone. Just saying it works for me.

[Daizy]

Middle aged female here. I've always had a tendency to be a "night owl," but a couple of years ago, it was really bad. Not that I couldn't sleep, I couldn't make myself get into bed, period.

So, I learned to:

Start turning down/off lights about an hour before bedtime.

No booze, unless it's at dinner time. anything later, I will be hyper until well past midnight as the effect wears off.

Put on jammies and slippers, wash face and brush teeth at the time I want to go to bed. Usually, I will go to bed within 30 minutes of that routine.

I do set a sleep timer, sometimes, on the TV. I also have a clock with a night forest white sound setting. Crickets and owls.

Reading in bed knocks me out. Doesn't work for everyone, but it knocks me out.

When all else fails, I'll roll onto my tummy. If I've tossed and turned for over 30 minutes, it's time to try that, too.

Ambien is a last ditch fix for me. Melatonin would also leave me groggy. Also, since I have acid reflux, learning that alchohol triggers reflux, made a big difference.

Good luck and trust, you are not alone!

[tardisrider]

My students swear that alcohol helps. It certainly helps them sleep in class.