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...
I am extremely anxious today because I feel so wide awake, as always. I stayed up all night, as I do atleast once a week because I'm never tired. All I can think about today is how tired I should be after staying up all night and how wide awake I feel despite being up all night. Being up all night doesn't even phase me, when I should be so tired after staying up all night. It doesn't make sense that I can stay up all night and not even be the least bit tired the next day.I feel less stress on the day before I stay up all night. I enjoy staying up all night. I don't see how I can ever sleep naturally without taking Seroquel when I'm never naturally tired. I'm worried that I will never get naturally tired again and unless I can get tired naturally again I feel like the situation is hopeless. I could stay up for days and probably never crash. I repeat myself, but I'm so frustrated and fed up. I don't understand why I seem to have lost the ability to feel tired naturally. When this started I was going through an extremely stressful time and I am still going through a stressful time, but this situation just makes things even more stressful. I'm extremely lonely, etc at this point in my life and feel extreme anxiety over other things in addition to feeling wide awake constantly, but this worry is higher than all my other worries presantly. What could be making me feel wide awake constanly despite how sleep deprived I am? The only thing I can think of that could be keeping me wide awake is anxiety and stress over the situation. I have had anxiety for a long time and until last year this was never an issue. I also don't know anyone who has anxiety that feels wide awake constantly no matter how sleep deprived they are. I probably would have barely slept this past year if I hadn't been on Seroquel, etc, because I would never be tired. I obviously obsess about this and have been told to try not to worry about this as much, which I know I worry about this too much. I need to try to do things I enjoy doing, such as listening to music, to try to distract myself, but this is easier said than done. Even when I am doing things to attempt to distract myself I'm still worrying about this situation. I'm constantly worrying and obsessing about this situation. I worry that the pills will stop "working". I don't see how I can ever overcome this if I'm never tired. I feel that all of the sleep hygiene tips, etc, will never help me. I am frustrated and am sorry for repeating myself.
You can practice thought stopping.......you literally say "Stop" when a negative thought is in your mind or if your mind is racing......it takes practice.
why worry that you are so awake even after a night of insomnia ? Eventually your body will put you to sleep.
I always recommend getting a bloodtest to check for nutritional deficiencies.
And talk to your doctor...you may have anxiety/depression issues....
The stress hormone cortisol may be playing a part. Cortisol is released naturally into our bodies when we're stressed. What you are describing suggests nonstop, chronic stress without a break day or night. No wonder you're hyperstimulated.
Your description also suggests you are well aware of this.
So the decision is really yours. You have the ability to choose ... do I want to continue stressing ... or do I want to finally once and for all put this behind me?
I would encourage you to seek counseling. There is help for you ... and anyone who feels overwhelmed by stress and anxiety. There are ways to do this. There is hope. Turn down the stress level, and you will sleep better.
i'm so sorry to hear that you're still suffering. there is always hope, so don't ever give up trying and don't ever believe that you will never feel tired again.
Remember, that I was in your shoes for a very long 2 years. I was able to overcome it and you will too.
Have you given those supplements any thought? Let me tell you about one guy I helped, a long time ago. From everything I told him, he decided to start with Vitamin B-Complex and L-Lysine. He came back and reported that it was the best 6 hours of sleep he had in ages. So, I'd encourage you to not give up hope on some good natural supplements. I really think it would help you.
I really am starting to think that you are having the same issue as I did. I mean, you're saying that you didn't even feel tired and yet, you dozed off on the couch. This tells me that you can't tell if you're tired or not and of course you're tired.
So, my advice to you, since you say that you just can't afford it.... (this worked beautifully for me, even when I did not take any supplements and I'm sure it will work for you if you try hard enough)
At night, roughly 1-2 hours prior to going to sleep, lay on the ground, on your back. close your eyes, make sure there are no noises. breath in and out fully but slowly. Relax your legs, spread your arms. now, concentrate and let go of your leg muscles (you don't have any control of your leg muscles now.... let it go, it's going to be alright; say that to yoursef as it will help)
Next... let go of your stomach muscles and relax, you're losing control of your leg muscles and now, you're going to lose control of your stomach muscles
Next... let go of your arm muscles and continue to relax and breath in and out fully and slowly
Let your mind wonder. think of the happiest time of your life; think of the best times and your greatest accomplishment. then, think about how you're just laying there in the warm sun, on the beach or on a raft floating quietly. (you may fall a sleep doing this and that's perfectly fine)
NOTE:
If you feel tingling sensations, if you feel sudden movements in your muscle, if you feel certain surges of energy in one or more part of your body, if you feel anything strange that you've never felt before, if you all of a sudden get a rush of calming effect or a rush of tiredness (yes, I said it, tiredness).... DO NOT be scared (Heck, I was frighten at first until my hypnotherapist told me that it is normal)
PLEASE PLEASE try this and let me know!!
It's exactly what I was trying to explain to that good for nothing Doctor. I told her, "It's like I'm on 5 cups of coffee and I can't tell if and when I'm tired." She looked at me like I was crazy.
Anyway, it looks like you're already making good progress. Just continue to slow yourself down at the right time. Do that every night and you should start to get in to a pattern. They call it a sleep routine. I would have to say that sleep routines really do work. At one point, I started hugging a body pillow and before I knew it, if I had the pillow, nothing could stop me from going to sleep.
So, yea, in desperate times, I've tried almost every single thing you could think of and I know what works and what doesn't, first hand; unlike a lot of people who just "think" they know (since they've read about it somewhere)