I understand your frustration. Tossing and turning is a terrible feeling. I can relate. I've had chronic insomia for exactly 30 years. It started when I was 12 and I'm turning 42 on Thursday. I sleep anywhere from 1.5 to 2.5 hours a night and I wake every 15 minutes of those 2 hours. For several years I felt it was going to make me insane, then I accepted it and went on with my life. I no longer lie in bed trying to sleep. I get up and do normal things. I force myself to live my life the way someone with 8 hours of sleep would. Per my doctors advice, I dont lie down in the day and dont take naps. My body needs to learn to sleep at night in my bed anf if it doesn't, then it will get another chance the next day.

In your case the "my mind wont slow down" is clearly a sign of anxiety. Ativan can help you fall asleep, but actually all benzo's, ativan being one of them, actually disrupt sleep. They keep you body from going into REM sleep - which is the deep sleep phase. So while it will help you fall asleep, it will actually make it harder for you to get restful sleep.

If this is a constant chronic problem - more than 4 or 5 days a week, then you should talk to your doctor about 2 things - how to better manage your anxiety through therapy and/or medication and what sleep medication might work for you.

Good luck - it can be frustrating.

welcome to the club :)

I had to take Klonopin to finally knock me out. I took it for about a week and was able to get back on track. Now I only take it when my brain won't shut off. I try to wind down by listening to something on my iPod or reading a book. I also found that the temperature of the room is a big factor. I sleep easier if the room is cold. and a regular sleep scheduled helped me as well.. no naps during the day.

I know its frustrating but with some backup tools like medication, the anxiety will tend to die down. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to go to sleep and the anxiety from that kept me up several nights. Knowing I have some medication that will knock me out, is nice to know... Oh.. I also took Benadryl some nights and Nyquil to put me to sleep. Right now everything is on track so I don't need anything.

good luck!

This has been a problem for me literally all my life. When I was very small, I was made to go to bed according to the clock, rather than whether I was tired or not. I would protest - LOUDLY - that I was not tired, but my parents wanted down time without the kid, so I was sent off to bed.

If they had left me alone I would have played quietly until I got sleepy and then gone to bed. But no. I had to be IN BED, LIGHTS OUT, and EYES CLOSED or I would get spanked. Don't even think about asking for water, using the bathroom, or anything like that. And I could not shut my brain down. It was busy playing. All the things I was forbidden to do in real life, I did in my mind. I rode horses, bikes, played cowboys, whatever.

To this day - unless I can follow a shutting-down sequence that usually includes reading or a long time, I have trouble sleeping. I use Xanax and Ambien, but even those don't hep for more than 4 or 5 hours any more.

I get SOOOO bored waking up and finding that it is still night time. If I lived alone, I might get up and start doing something productive, but there is the rest of the family to consider.

I have ALWAYS hated nighttime, and at age 62, that has not changed. It isn't time to relax and recharge. It is the time to be bored out of your mind, and angry.

I SOOO sympathize with anybody who has this problem.

I can relate to your problem and understand your frustration.
I don't sleep very well and have been like this for many yrs now.
Luckily I don't work anymore as it used to be worse if I had to get up early and do a day's work.
But it's still frustrating because sometimes I'm really tired going to bed, but even so I have problems dropping off!!!
If it conitinues with you I'd advise you to talk to your Dr about it. Lack of sleep can have an adverse affect your health.

I have trouble with sleep on and off. I get to sleep but wake up a few hours later and can't get back to a good sleep. I use 15m of (can't spell it) tomazapan. It is the generic for resterol. Works good. I used to beat myself up if I had to use it, but now I don't worry about it and use as needed.

Thanks for the comments, guys. May have slept 6 hours total in past 4 nights. Took vacation day today and took kids to the lake for a day of fun. Maybe wore myself out enough that I can sleep tonight.

I can fall asleep I just can't STAY asleep. I'm running on about 3 hours today 11:00 pm - 12:30 am then 4:00 am - 5:30 AM. I haven't been to the doctor, I have no insurance. I've had alot on my mind but I tend to have this problem most of the time. My brother has been diagnosed with 4th stage lung cancer, my husband is addicted to prescription pain meds and says he's trying to wean off, don't think it's going well, and the person he PROMISED he would have no more contact with I believe he still is. I have to take an advance in NEXT weeks paycheck so I can pay my mortgage for JUNE. My husband owns his own landscaping business and has no work so all the bills are dependant on my paycheck. I want and need so badly to take some time off but if I do it will be with out pay. I cry alot lately, I yawn frequently to try to catch my breathe. I watch alot of late night television and lay there and think way too much. I occasionally take 1 advil PM that helps a little, I took 1-1/2 one night and it made my more restless. Years ago my doctor gave me ambien and it kept me up all night!!! I go to church on a regular basis and that is what has been keeping me from losing my mind lately. Anyway sorry for the long rant. Thanks for listening
Nina

I am so sorry you can't sleep. After having a newborn, I know how hard it is to function on 3 hours or less of sleep. What is going on right now is really common when people are under a lot of stress. You are keyed up and your brain just won't stop. It is a big warning sign that you need to slow down and take some time to focus on YOU. I know, its easier said than done. But your brain is screaming help and you are the only one who can do that. Take at least 10 minutes a day...go to a quiet room and deep breathe. It seems like such a small thing but it really does help. It shows your brain that it is okay to slow down a little bit. It breaks the pattern that it is in. Get some exercise..I know, this is also easier said than done but it sounds like you have a lot of adrenaline in you all the time and you need to get it out of you.
It also helps me to write things down in a journal. It is so therapeutic. It is just like talking to a shrink. :) People with anxiety like things orderly and they like to be in control. You have all these random thoughts flying around your brain in chaos, and you need to organize them. Your brain is craving this. Every day, write your biggest problem down before you go to bed. Write until you feel better. I promise you will. And finally, try not to dwell on the lack of sleep so much. This creates a nasty little cycle of worrying about sleep, so therefore you can't sleep, etc. etc. If you get tired enough, you will get the sleep you need. Thats the way our bodies were designed. You are just in a funk right now. Oh, and have you tried Sleepytime tea? This stuff, along with a good book knocks me out every time.

I actually did try that tea when I was having bad anxiety before and it did seem to help. I have also started a workout routine. Hopefully I will start sleeping. I appreciate all the helpful advise.