That's rather sad and I don't know what advice to gibe you. However it must be better then being tired and not being able to sleep. I have that and I'm always tired and it kinda sucks. I think you might be able to overcome this, some people can sleep even when they aren't tired. But i'm not really sure how to go about doing that.

I've heard acupuncture is helpful! Maybe you could try that?

Absolutely yes kara you can overcome this. I would suggest a two-stage process.

1. First, prove to yourself that you do in fact get tired, just like every other human being that ever lived. Prove to yourself that you are no different.

Try this: stay up for 24 straight hours without napping or going to bed or sleeping at all. See how you feel after, oh, about 16 hours straight. After about 16 straight hours of wakefulness is when most people begin to feel the urge to sleep.

If you're still not tired after 24 straight hours, keep going. Keep going for another 24 if you can do it. Keep going until ... until you feel tired.

There's not many guarantees in life, but I am 100% confident that you will, eventually, feel tired. And sleep. Prove this to yourself. Prove to yourself that your belief that you are "never tired" is in fact false. Do this then you can release yourself forever from this inaccurate and unrealistic belief.

2. Then, once you have proved to yourself you do in fact get tired, learn how to manage the process for optimal results. The best way I know how to do this is using methods in CBT for sleep. They are drug-free and very effective. CBT has helped many people become normal sleepers again.

Good luck kara.

Thank you for replying. I stay up all night atleast once a week because I'm not tired and I'm still nerver tired the next day or even by the next night, but I have fallen asleep several times the next night, even though I still don't feel tired. Could that mean possibly that I am tired even though I don't feel tired? This began during an extremely stressful time and made everything even more stressful. I'm still going through a stressful time and this just makes things even more stressful. When this all began I woke up earlier and earlier all week until I was barely sleeping by the end of the week because I wasn't tired. I tried over the counter pills, but they didn't work. I was then but on Trazodone, which worked, but never made me tired. I had only slept one night that whole week and had barely slept in four days, but still didn't feel tired. Trazodone soon stopped working. At that point I went to the E.R. because I was so depressed, knowing that there was probably nothing that could be done. They checked to make sure I wasn't on any stimulants, tested my thyoid, which is supposedly normal, increased my Trazodone dosage and sent me home. I barely slept for three and half days at that point because I still wasn't tired. I was soon put on Seroquel along with Trazodone and the Seroquel dosage was increased. I don't know what could have originally started this. All I can think of is that stress started this. I wonder what else could have started this. I wonder if stress, worry, etc perhaps maintains it?I have become obcessed with worrying about how wide awake I am, that the pills will stop "working",etc. I have been told to try to not to worry about his so much by distracting myslf,etc. I agree that I worry too much,but not worrying as much is a lot easier said than done.I do have an anxiety disorder, but I started not to be able to sleep because I wasn't tired,not because of racing thoughts.I really don't ever expect to feel tired anymore. Some people have said that my stress hormones must be high , the stress hormones keep me awake and someone has said that my adenosine levels are depleted. I wonder if my adenosine levels are depleted that stress depleted them? What do you think possibly made it so I stopped getting tired? What factor{s] could be maintaining it, in your opinion? Could stress, anxiety,etc have started this all and be maintaining it? I wonder if this situation would improve if I didn't worry about it so much?

Couple of thoughts for you kara.

First: yes, if you fall asleep you are in fact tired.

Your description suggests you are not recognizing the signs of what it feels like to be tired. You are in fact tired, you just don't see it.

Here are some sure-fire signs you are tired: Yawning. Droopy eyes. Maybe a chill. You might be reading and suddenly realize you have absolutely no idea what you just read. Begin to recognize these sorts of signs that you are tired, and you can use that to help fall asleep.

Second, absolutely yes, stress, anxiety, and worry are all very potent fuels for insomnia, for many reasons.

If you feel like you are overwhelmed with worry and stress, I would encourage you to seek professional help. Your community mental health clinic will take you without insurance and at no or minimal cost.

Help is there for you, I would encourage you to take advantage of it.

Oddly this used to happen to me, I got told about trying soothing music, did that for nearly 4 weeks to no change. I also heard about acupunture but i've never tried it so wouldn't know if it works or not.

Thankyou for replying. I don't ever yawn or experience anything else related to tiredness. I have, however, as mentioned in other posts, fallen asleep on nights after I have stayed up allnight, although I still don't feel tired. Does that mean that I am actually tired on those nights, but can't feel it for some reason? I remember one night last summer when I went to bed and layed down because my shoulder was hurting. I had stayed up allnight the night before and wasn't tired. I layed down and the next thing I knew it was a beautiful summer morning. I was so happy, but I was sick later on that day because I was withdrawing from Seroquel. There's also been several times that I have been sick and in withdraw, but managed to fall asleep. Does this mean on those nights that I fell asleep without Seroquel? But there's also been several times, unfortunately, when I have not slept the night after I've stayed up all night. I have taken the pills and they have "worked". I've also gone several days, as mentioned before, not feeling at all tired,despite barely have been able to sleep. I almost never fall asleep on the nigths after I have taken Seroquel, which if it "works" I "sleep" for a long time, although I know the quality is atleast as important as the quanity is and I don't know how the quality is. I was going through a stressful time when this all started and this made it even more stressful, in my opinion. I am still going through a stressful time in addition to this situation. The only thing I can think of which started this ,perhaps, and maintains this, along with perhaps other factors, are stress and anxiety. I have had a social worker and I did not fare well with her. She doesn't see why I won't take Seroquel nightly, etc. She obviously thought that taking Seroquel is a good solution. I also don't have insurance. I'm confused because if ,in fact, stress and anxiety, among perhaps other things, have caused this I don't know anyone else with perhaps this much nervous energy. I've also suffered from anxiety for several years and until the last years I did not have all of this nervous energy perhaps. What do you think might keep me feeling wide awake? Could stress,anxiety,etc be keeping me wide awake? I really do feel like it is impossible for me to tire myself out.

Kara2012, I think I've mentioned before, you can never get rid of all anxiety and stress but you need to reduce it as much as possible before you will get anywhere. I think (and I'm not a Dr) your running on adrenaline and the stress just keeps building and building. When your not getting quality sleep you don't get a chance to release the stress. I agree with you that Seroquel is not the long term answer.
'I have had a social worker and I did not fare well with her. She doesn't see why I won't take Seroquel nightly, etc' Perhaps you need to change social workers to someone you can work with, the medical profession love trying to fix the symptoms and not the cause.
SleepTraining suggested in his last post trying a community mental health clinic, is that an option?

I found something that caught my eye yesterday that made me think about your issues, it's called optisleep, aparently it helps with insomnia so maybe that's something to try. Personally I haven't tried it but looked it up on goog and found that they are offering some sort of trial thing thats free, could be worth giving a go. I think I will try it seeing as everything else is failing to work.

Kara2012 I'm going throught the same thing with the not feeling the tired sensation. I'm lost because sleep is suppose to be so natural and I feel like my body has forgotten how to sleep.The last time i felt the nautral sleep sensation was Feb 25 2012... What are your doctors doing to correct it??? I hate the medications and mine are only giving me 3 to 4 hour if I'm lucky and I know I will have to be tapered off them. I feel like the meds are doing more harm then good to my body but I just can't sleep without them.

Hi,

The key to good sleep starts with good habits. Habits which promote good sleep include not engaging in mentally stimulating activities, such as watching TV in the bedroom, and avoiding heavy meals, alcohol, caffeine and smoking before bedtime.

While it is all right to catch up on sleep during the weekends, do not sleep in more than two hours beyond your usual wake-up time so as not to disrupt the internal clock. Doctors usually advise those suffering circadian rhythm seep disorders to make use of light to adjust their internal clock.

Exposure to light in the evening shifts the clock to a later time. Similarly, light exposure in the morning shifts it to an earlier time.

Hope this helps!