Insomnia Support Group
Insomnia is a symptom, rather than a disease, and is characterized by inadequate quantity or quality of sleep. People with insomnia complain of difficulty falling or staying asleep, which results in significant impairment of daytime functioning. Insomnia is categorized as transient (shorter than one week), short-term (one to three weeks) or chronic (longer than three...
Hello,
I love the look of this forum, it is "alive" and I see people support each other regularly, no one's question is left unanswered. Although I must admit I was a member of another forum until it was shut down recently (anybody here from Sandman?), I quite like this one too.
Anyway, I've had insomnia since childhood (I'm 30 now), like most people here I think.
I believe I the cause of my own insomnia with overthinking, or often even subconsciously. What happens is I sleep OK for, say, 5 days, and then a thought appears out of the blue - "Hm, wonder how tonight will go", and voila - no sleep.
Also, generally I have to trick my mind into sleeping, I can't embrace sleep like regular folk. So I often get drowsy only to somehow resist that drowsiness and then miss the "ride" to sleep. Ugh.
I am also completely unable to sleep during the day, a self-conditioned habit that I've had since childhood and that I will never get rid of.
I've been on Valium for about a year now for my epilepsy (I also have MS), and although not perfect, it still manages to put me under during those rough nights. What I dislike is the fact that I sometimes have to take 3 times the dose I was prescribed, but it's still within the limits of the recommended maximum intake.
Last night was my first night of no sleep in over a year since I ran out of Valium, sadly. :(
Melatonin does nothing for me.
Anybody else here who is unable to sleep during the day no matter how tired? I won't sleep even today until night comes again, even though I missed the entire last night. I hate that feeling of isolation only an insomniac knows. And on a freakin' Saturday, no less.
Anyways, sorry for the essay and hello once again to everyone.
Eddy
Considering your medical history and conditions, and the Rx therapy you already have, you most definitely should bring your sleep issues to the attention of your primary care doc. There may be adjustments to your meds possible. If that's not working, you might consider asking for a referral to a medical doctor who specializes in sleep.
That, plus you can in effect "stack the deck" in your favor for better sleep by embracing all the normal sleep hygiene methods. Consistent sleep-wake schedule, daily exercise, avoid caffeine later in the day, sleep in a cool dark room etc etc.
If there is overlap with a conditioned insomnia component (likely, considering your comments), then you might also have a look at CBT sleep training methods designed for adults. This is what I use and they help you get a grip on the racing mind syndrome, and provide effective in-bed relaxation methods.
I also can't sleep in the day. Always had that problem but there would be rare occasions where I was able to sleep in the day but it would only happen in a car when someone's driving. But i believe you will be okay since you can sleep good at night and that's all that matters :D Its hard for all of us. Im hoping i can sleep good again.
Derek7 - good to know I'm not alone in this. Funny, I would also sometimes nap for a few minutes inside of a moving car, which I couldn't do before, but when I'm at home and I adjust everything for a good nap - nothing happens! It's the conditioned part of my insomnia I guess. Maybe we should nap exclusively in moving vehicles? :)
That's what makes many nights dificult , too. The pressure to sleep is higher when you aren't able to make up for lost sleep during the day. But, you're right, so far most nights I'm able to sleep enough, with the help of pills, of course, I just hope it doesn't change too much , too. I hope you will find a way out of your situation soon.
Hypnos07 - thank you for the sound advice, you really know your way around this,
In the past I've always thought the best way to go about insomnia is to ignore it as much as possible, sort of like not acknowledge it's even there. That way, I thought, it would not take over my life and dictate it. So when I had a bad night, I would usually just rough it up that day and then, once I sleep well the next night, for a while things would be OK. Lately, however, I seem to be having more difficulty then usual (having trouble falling asleep the next night too, or sleeping very little every other night) , so I should definitely mention it to my GP.
I try to keep my sleep hygiene in check and really follow most of the directions, but since I'm unable to nap during the day I must admit I sometimes resort to coffee more than I should, in order to be able to make it through the day. Laying in bed last night (which was awful too - about 3 hours of sleep) I've decided to firmly say no to coffee, though I really doubt the problem lies there. Like I said, if I had a problem GETTING SLEEPY, I would definitely blame it on coffee, but since the problem is mostly not being able to sleep DESPITE being sleepy, I think the problem is my conditioned mind.
Funny, there is a sleep specialist in the hospital where I'm treated for my MS and epilepsy, and her door is right next to my epilepsy doc's, but I still haven't had the courage to ask for a referral. I guess I'm just still hoping things will get back to normal as they were, before my insomnia intensified, I can deal with that,
I will mention this to my gp next time and see what she says. Maybe she will just give me more Valium per month so that I don't run out of it like this month.
When are you going to your gp? Is it a sleep specialist or a regular md?
Glad you could get at least some sleep, I slept also thanks to pills last night. I feel great, I will worry about consequences later.
It's just a regular doctor :/ but it's scheduled for next month on the 2nd. Which sucks but I can hang on. We insomniacs also got to think more positive and not dwell on sleeping because it does make the difference when you don't think about it before doing to bed. We just gotta say " fck this, enough is enoigh" and sleep without even thinking it.
Exactly we can deal with the consequences later lol but right now let's worry about the present moment :) I hope all insomniacs sleep good one day. It's the worst to sleep very little or no sleep.
I think losing sleep is worse than taking pills. I mean I didn't do any research on that or anything, it's just my gut feeling.
Ouch, you have to wait that long? Don't they know how much insomnia sucks? Still, you can make it. Just don't let them shrug you off, some doctors ignore our problem as if it's a common cold or something.
Haha i wish hypnosis. with the snap of fingers and we will be asleep. like in the movie 'Get Out'
yup I feel the same way about the pills. they say getting little sleep or no sleep is as dangerous as being under the influence of alcohol especially when your driving, since you can fall asleep on the wheel.
yeah If the doctor says something dumb, ima just knock them out :) lol jk
You're right, negative thoughts certainly help noone. Just think positive, or better yet - try not to think about sleep at all, and things will get better.
If the doc doesn't take your problem seriously, tie him up and keep him awake for 4-5 days. That will change his mind. :)
haha thats true. he can get a taste of what im going through.
im just hoping the doctor just gives me some pills that actually work. Valium makes you sleep good? does it have any bad effects?
Valium works for me, but as we've talked there might be better alternatives, who knows. I'm not sure I'll go exploring them as long as Valium is working OK. It's the middle dosage, 5mg, there are also 2mg and 10 mg in my country (I'm from Europe).
One thing though - I think it works only if I'm relaxed. Then I can take that one 5mg pill when I have to and it takes me to sleep.
If I'm nervous about something,however, the efficiency of Valium can drop, a lot! For instance I once had to take 5 Valium pills (1 is prescribed for me) because I was anxious about something I had the next day. I'm pretty sure that wasn't smart. I'm not usually anxious and like I said 1 pill is enough, but occasionaly an important thing comes up and I need more.
In any case I think Valium isn't a bad choice to begin with, but please don't take my word for it, I'm new in the whole drugs-for-sleep department. :)
Believe me when I say i get it though, not sleeping is absolutely awful and very difficult to deal with.
I have had succes with CBT. Not a cure all sadly but definitely more of a long term solution without the draw backs of benzodiazepines.
My favourite, and this has happened twice now, is ''when I was at medical school I pulled an all nighter and was alright the following day so it can be done.''
Let's talk when you're pulling all nighters every single night for, in my case, the best part of 3 years!
Bless em, they're only trying to help but are woefully inept at dealing with sleeping problems.
As for Valium dependency, I'm quite aware of it. It sucks having to choose between a rock and a hard place every night. Are you on any sleep meds now or is it strictly CBT?