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...
It has been getting slightly better. Yesterday night I began hearing voices coming from within the house when there was nobody there. I felt slightly panicked about the hallucinations, and the same night again I didn’t sleep well. However I might have dozed off a bit, I am unsure of it. Last night was quite odd as I don’t know how much I really slept. First I was there half awake, aware of my surroundings but at the same time had dream-like thoughts going and passing. I’m pretty sure I wasn’t the one driving any of my thought patterns (unlike when I’m fully conscious) and it went on until 3 am. I easily woke up multiple times during this. I did not feel rested. Is this sleeping? During the next hour I went through a similar state, no dreams like before, and I woke up again but felt as if I’ve slept. It wasn’t until after it was light outside I knew I slept, because I remember having a dream. I’m very confused as to what is considered sleeping... or which stages and how much I need of each. Is this light sleep? Can light sleep keep me going?
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I'nm exhausted. This doxycycline thing has ripped me apart and I'm eating crackers and water. I can't take (anything) or eat (anything) except saltines and toast and maybe unbuttered watery mashed potatoes. Are we sure the cure isn't worse than the possible disease?!?!And a week to go. ***Fun cures that WERE worse than the disease:ARsenic. Popular against STDs, which just compounded misery...
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Insomniacs typically underestimate by an hour or more how much sleep they actually get per night, a very common phenomenon known as sleep state misperception.
Because we tend to sleep a lot more than we give ourselves credit for, this mistaken belief actually compounds the worry and anxiety about sleep.
If you haven't yet tried logging your sleep, you might see how you do with that. You can find generic sleep log forms online, and these pen/paper logs tend to be more accurate than the phone apps that rely on movement in bed. We insomniacs know there can be little motion as well as little sleep in bed.
As for stages, I wouldn't worry about that. Instead, you might find it helpful to begin to build trust in your own inherent sleep system, which in fact is more powerful than your insomnia. This is exactly what sleep science tells us.
I tried CBT therapy for my insomnia. Along with sleep hygiene, she had me keep a sleep journal, I recorded when I got in bed, when i tried to go to sleep, every time I woke up, how long i was up and when i finally woke up and got out of bed for the day. If i do get sleep, even interrupted sleep, I was surprised to see that i actually got more hours in then i thought I was getting. Anyway, several hundred dollars later, i realized CBT wasn't going to work for my insomnia, at least i can us the technique for other issues I hope so not all lost. They figured I am anxious and I need meds to bring down the anxiety level so my sleep levels can be at least equal so i can get some sleep. So far so good. I hate taking meds though. There has to be another way. I am trying hypnotherapy podcasts, mediation podcasts ect.
Good luck to you
That's the only way I know I got true sleep is the dream so I find it hard to log my sleep hours accurately. I also feel like all I get is light sleep and feel it's not sustainable because I am just exhausted before I get out of bed, even if I had these dreams.