Does anyone else suffer from insomnia?

[MamaHappy]

I'm not talking about the occasional sleepless night.  I'm talking about real insomnia where you just can't sleep.  Night after night.  You might get a good night's sleep every now and then, but for the most part, you are existing in a chronically sleep deprived state. Some night are so bad that you can barely function the next day. 

 

This is how it is for me and I am getting scared.  Scared that it will never go away and this is what I have to live with for the rest of my life.  Scared of the long term consequences this will have on my health. 

 

I wish I knew why I can't sleep, but I don't.  I am not under any abnormal amount of stress.  Everything is fine and normal.  I just can't sleep.  Last night I fell asleep at 9:00 and woke up at 12:45 and that was it.  I could not fall back asleep the rest of the night.

 

I know this may sound extremem, but I honestly feel this is ruining my life.  I don't know what to do.  :(

[EKS]

I find that I have the waking in the middle of the night issue during certain times of the month (around ovulation and a few days before my period starts) and that as I progress through my 40s, it has been getting worse.  It will also happen if I've had any alcohol to drink, particularly if I've also had chocolate for dessert.

 

I don't know if any of this applies to your situation, but I thought I'd throw it out there.

[Soror]

I have a severe issue if my diet gets off. If I go too low carb I cannot sleep and consistently wake up around 3ish. If I eat crap(processed food) w/ lots of grains then I don't sleep well. Before I went gluten free it was totally whack.

 

eta When I was pregnant nothing helped. The hormones just totally screwed me up. I slept horribly.

[LostSurprise]

What has helped me: 

 

naps

getting enough exercise/movement in during the day

turning off electronics (any screen) by a certain time

having a relaxing bedtime cycle (hot shower or bath, quiet music, reading, praying/meditation)

if your mind tends to speed up at this time, having a specific thing to think about (planning a new project, reliving a memory or making up a story...it must be relaxing and not frustrating or anxiety-inducing)

quiet (white noise or quiet music or just silence)

complete dark

giving myself a time limit to lying in the dark (if I am still wide awake at X time...usually 30-60m for me..then I will get up and do X...usually something boring like dishes, not something I would look forward to just physical labor to help me get out of my head)

if I wake in the night I try to calm my mind, think of peaceful things, and also give myself a time limit lying in the dark (with very dull things afterward); I also give myself a certain number of hours up and then I start all over again with my bedtime ritual. 

 

If none of these things help, I would encourage you to see first your physician (especially if you are old enough to be facing peri-menopause or menopause) and then a therapist (if you have a hard time shutting down your brain). 

[Karen in CO]

I've had insomnia as long as I can remember.  Eventually, I quit suffering from it and figured out how to live with it.  If you are incapacitated by it, go see a doctor.  Sleep medicine can help, at least in the short term.   Melatonin helps.  Quitting caffeine completely helps.  Exercise helps.  Finding a very large and very complex book to read helps - this is how I've read Moby Dick four times in the last couple of years.   I always wake up at the same time, no matter when I get to sleep.  I've found that controlling that end of the schedule makes it easier to deal with.     I also don't have a clock in my bedroom and never look to see what time it is during the night.   

 

 

[Rachel]

I've been struggling with this for going on 2 years. It started out once a week or so during pregnancy. After my son was in the NICU, selling our house, moving, husband traveling, etc. it worked up to every night. The last two weeks I have finally gotten a good nights sleep all but one night.

 

I didn't think it was stress related (because relatively we have been under less stress the last few months) but I started sleeping better when my husband finished a project that was stressing him. In the month or so leading up to finally getting good sleep I also cut caffiene after about noon, started exercising more, and started going to bed at a consistent time (10:30) even if I'm not tired. I also quit trying to take naps during the day and started getting up at 7, even if I don't feel rested. I've had one sleepless night since then and it was a night my husband was out of town.

 

I hope you find some relief!

[jenn-]

I am up to 7mg of melatonin, and that only helps me get to sleep.  Staying asleep is a whole other ballgame.  I have to sleep with a room darkening eye mask on.  If I don't when I wake up at 2 then the whole room is pretty much lit up with glowing things.  This also keeps me from peeking out at the time as often.  I probably need a sleep study, but I just don't wanna go get one.

[kroe1]

Yep, as far back as I can remember. Like the above poster, I have just learned to deal with it. Everything over 3 hours is icing on the cake. Less than 3 hours means I might be hard to live with. Back in the day, I tried all the good sleep hygiene techniques. But, now I have just given up. I am a shift worker so my sleep schedule is doomed anyway. And if I ever meet the idiots who invented all those little red lights on cable boxes, VCRs, tvs, and clocks, there may be a murder mystery lurking. LOL.

[GreenKitty]

You could go see your Dr and see what they say?  I've been dealing with the same thing for years, and I've also learned to just deal with it. I'm assuming it's stress related or some sort of imbalance, I have no clue. I not normal during the day so I figure night shouldn't be different. :001_rolleyes:

[PrincessMommy]

I started having troubles after my last was born and I began entering peri-menopause.    I wouldn't mind the extra hours to my day if it didn't leave me feeling so worthless the next day.  Seriously, I'd love to be one of those people who can function on 4hrs or less.  

 

I usually have less trouble getting to sleep = it's staying asleep that is a problem.   Have you looked into Nature's Calm (magnesium supplement).  It's helped me somewhat.  It still isn't perfect, but it's definitely better.   I also have issues with RLS - and magnesium has definitely helped with that.

 

Do some reading on magnesium deficiency. 

 

I also find if my carbs are too high (I never go too low, unfortunately :closedeyes: ) I have more trouble with RLS and insomnia.  Also, stress (which I've had a lot of in the past 4 yrs or so) is an issue -but you say that isn't for you - yay!

 

Good luck.  It's painful to feel so badly when your family needs you.

 

 

[ThatHomeschoolDad]

I've had insomnia as long as I can remember.  Eventually, I quit suffering from it and figured out how to live with it.  If you are incapacitated by it, go see a doctor.  Sleep medicine can help, at least in the short term.   Melatonin helps.  Quitting caffeine completely helps.  Exercise helps.  Finding a very large and very complex book to read helps - this is how I've read Moby Dick four times in the last couple of years.   I always wake up at the same time, no matter when I get to sleep.  I've found that controlling that end of the schedule makes it easier to deal with.     I also don't have a clock in my bedroom and never look to see what time it is during the night.   

 

It's worth asking a doc about Atarax, which is like prescription Benadryl, with no risk of dependence.  Originally prescribed just for itch, it's increasingly being used as a sleep aid, often taking the place of Ativan.  You need to play around with dosages, as everybody's body...uh...body is different.

 

I had great luck with Source Naturals Night Rest, which combines melatonin with misc other herbs.  It seemed to work better for me than straight melatonin.  Timed-release melatonin can be good too.  The only downside to herbals is drug interactions , which is why I'm off the herbs now.  Read those labels!

[jenn-]

I find it interesting that some are saying if they eat too low carb it effects their sleep.  I live a low carb diet and I have for 6 years now.  I've also suffered insomnia for about that long... hmmmm....

[trulycrabby]

Yoga, walking, and very strenuous exercise help quite a bit. Also, I take a combination of Calm magnesium supplement, melatonin, Calm Forte, and occasionally valerian root.

 

Another completely non-addictive mecication is Trazodone. I have taken it in the past and it is very helpful, and I was able to quit with no rebound insomnia or anxiety. I have also taken Atarex in the past and it is very helpful.

 

Carb restriction always makes me a total insomniac.

[Susan in TX]

Please go see your doctor. There is no reason whatsoever for you to suffer with insomnia. There are many medications available to help with this condition and they are not addictive. Both my dh and my son take medication for insomnia.

 

Susan in TX

[joannqn]

I had difficulty falling asleep and would typically lie awake until 1-2am if I was lucky.  Some nights I would be up until 4-5am.   Melatonin took an hour and a half to work, but I would fall asleep.  Then I would wake up three hours later and be up for the rest of the night.  So melatonin just delayed the problem for me.

I was ridiculed for it at the time, but I'll  share it anyway....  

My husband usually left his cell phone on the nightstand next to the bed (sound off).  I prefer the alarm on my cell phone to my regular alarm clock, so I started leaving my cell phone on the nightstand as an alarm.  Again, the sound was off.  We were not using the cell phones; they just sat on the night stands with the sound off.

I decided to try leaving my cell phone in the living room.  At my request, my husband did the same.  That first night was the first night that I fell asleep within half an hour in many years.  And I slept without any problems.  It's been five months, and I haven't had problems with insomnia since...with one exception...a went camping with my son and forgot to turn off my cell.  It was 4am before I realized my phone was on and turned it off.  I was asleep within thirty minutes.

I do not leave cell phones, wireless routers, wireless computers/laptops, etc. to be left in my room anymore unless they are turned off.

[Camelfeet]

I had insomnia for over a year after my father died.  I don't know why the grief triggered it, but my insomnia didn't get better until my emotional/mental state was under control.  

 

I would stay up until 2-3am every night.  If I woke up that was it for me - I'd be up for hours.  It was awful.  

 

What helped me: 

- exercise until you hurt.  

- the occasional non-addictive sleeping tablet

- reading a boring/complex/slow book

- low calm lighting before bed and complete darkness after

- don't lie down for hours, get up and do something after a set amount of time and then try going to sleep again.

[Flowing Brook]

My dad went through a time where he could not sleep more than two or three hours every night.  It was wearing him down really fast.  This went on for a long time.  A chiropractor told him he had adrenaline fatigue.  He started taking a product called cortol ace.  Within a week he was sleeping well again.  As long as he takes it every day he sleeps fine.

[MariannNOVA]

I suffered from real insomnia for years.

 

Life was incredibly stressful at the time, and I attributed the insomnia to that. However, in my case, I learned the insomnia was part and parcel of thyroid issues and adrenal fatigue.

 

The process has taken approx 5 months (I am seeing a renowned endocrinologist) and my sleep pattern has become what I would call 'normal.'

[LucyStoner]

I did and in a really serious way, night after night. Now I am only troubled with it just before my period starts and I can even manage that. Here is what helped:

 

-better nutrition, less "inflammatory" food choices

-supplements to boost adrenal gland function.

-more exercise, especially early in the day. Vigorous exercise. Sweat.

-no eating after dinner

-creating a bedroom that is restful and for sleep only. No TV, no computer, no tablet, no really heavy reading. Comfortable bed and bedding. No mess or clutter in the bedroom.

-stretching and meditation before bed.

-drinking a cup of (not caffinated) tea right before bed. Either kind actually. ;)

-never getting into bed when I am not tired. Be nearly ready to sleep when you lay down.

-bedtime rituals. Just like a little kid. Do your nightly routine in the exact same order each night.

 

It becomes a self fulfilling prophecy/continuous cycle. You can solve it but it takes a concerted effort.

[LucyStoner]

My doctor made it clear that meds could help me short term (and they did) but that good sleep hygeine and better choices were necessary in the long term to fix it.

[Amy in NH]

OTC Benadryl worked for me when I went through a long phase of stress-induced insomnia.  It is safe to take long term.

[Heather in Neverland]

I have severe and chronic insomnia and I have had it for about a decade. Lunesta was a savior for me until I moved here where they don't have it. Now I take a low dose of ambien. I would die without it. Even with it I average 6 hours if I am lucky. Without it I might get 3-4 hours a night. I live chronically sleep-deprived.

[SnMomof7]

If my thyroid is whacked out. Caffeine after 3 p.m. PPD. Melatonin GABA tyrosine. They help. So does exercise.

[klmama]

Inositol helps me.  650 mg. at bedtime.  Knocks me right out, and I sleep well all night.