True insomnia is not just the inability to sleep. There must also be an adverse impact on one's performance during the day.

It's possible that you may be a short sleeper. Statistically, there are very few of these, but some people can get by just fine with only a few hours of sleep, far less than the 8 we hear is "normal."

Everyone is different. There is nothing set in stone that says you should or should not get a certain amount of sleep. The only thing that counts is what's right for you.

When you sleep, how is it? Do you feel OK during the day?

If you in fact perform well during the day, and feel no irritability, moodiness, or fatigue, this suggests you are in fact getting enough sleep.

Thank you for replying Sleeptrainining system. I feel like I don't require sleep. I am obcessed with my constant wakefulness. You have written in your posts several times that we can not sleep, but I truely feel like I am the exception that doesn't require sleep. I feel like I could stay up for days and still not be tired. I talk about other things, of course, and do other things, but I'm always thinking about how wide awake I feel. I get worried, as I've previously stated, that I will be up for days, still not be tired, but halliciante. I get worried also because I have heard a few people on here talking about being put in the hospital after being awake for a week. One person even said that she might require even being put out to get sleep. I'm worried that this will, perhaps, happen to me. I feel at this point that there is nothing I can do to tire myself out. I feel hopeless that I am stuck this way. I just don't know what to do anymore.

Some sleep is of course necessary kara. The amount you need is unique to you. But you, like all of us, need some.

Can you be a bit more specific about your sleeping habits. Do you keep any sort of sleep schedule?

kara2012, I think it is good that you are concerned because we all need some sleep. This allows us time to release the build up of stress from that day and if your not sleeping for a few days it will build up more and more. I was in a similar position to you but wanted to sleep but after 1-2 hours would wake up and couldn't get back to sleep. I felt tired and exhausted during the day and spirialled down hill. My Physc gave me Seroquel and large dosages of antidepressants but they didn't work and made me worse because the Seroquel was still in my body during the day because it hadn't had time to wear off. I'm now off Seroquel and are tapering off the antidepressants slowly. I was eventually diagnosed with a sleep disorder (Sleep Apnea) which was stopping me breathing 30 times an hour. The sleep apnea may have caused the depression otherwise I was misdiagnosed. I'm not saying you have sleep apnea but there are many sleep disorders out there. I would suggest you try to see a sleep specialist as it can't hurt. Most Dr's treat the symptoms with meds but not the cause. I use herbal tablets now to reduce my stress and they help me sleep, I take Valerian Forte and multivitamins with calming ingredients, I also do CBT and a mindfulness course to reduce the stress. Sleeptrainingsystems always gives fantastic advice, I'm suprised he hasn't mentioned CBT!. Keep us updated.

To re sum everything up:
1. I am not ever really tired. Several people have told me I'm lucky because I'm not ever tired, but I don't feel like I'm lucky. I feel that it is a curse. I also feel like I don't require sleep. I feel like I could stay awake for days and still not feel tired or crash.Sometimes I just feel like staying awake for days to see if I would actually crash. I am pretty sure that I would never crash.
2. I worry that the "sleep" that I get from taking Seroquel and another anti-depressant is not good quality sleep. Seroquel, if it "works" forces my body to sleep.
3. I also worry that the pills will stop "workng" because pills have stopped working before and because I've read about developing a tolerance to meds. I'm worried that if the pills stop "working" I will be awake for so long, still not be tired, but start to halliciante.
I do not drink caffenine that much, but do drink diet pepsi occassionly. I really don't like tea or coffee. Guess I'm lucky that I atleast don't like coffee or tea. I get so upset about never being tired. Yesterday, for instance, I had stayed up all night the night before and I still couldn't sleep yesterday morning. I wasn't tired at all, of course, and was extremely upset. I cried and was yelling. I had a choice to either not take Seroquel and be awake for at least 2 and a half days, at which point I probably still wouldn't be tired or to take Seroquel and another pill. I choose to take Seroquel, but was, of course, extremely worried that it wouldn't "work". If it didn't "work"I would have been extremely upset. I would probably still be awake, still haver never crashed and would still not be tired had I not taken the Seroquel. I "artifically"crashed, instead of naturally crashing. I should have been exhausted after being awake for almost two days, instead I was wide awake. The psychairist/ Social Worker that I have have tried to get me to take Seroquel nightly, but I won't. They have also told me that anxiety is the reason I'm constanly wide awake. They think my coritsol levels,etc are high due to anxiety and keeps me wide awake. I don't necessarily believe that anxiety is to blame considering that I have had anxiety for years and I was never like this until a little over a year ago. I also don't know any one that has anxiety and is wide awake constantly I've heard that people who have anxiety often have insomnia, but I have never heard of anyone who feels wide awake constantly. Anxiety might partly maintain me feeling wide awake, but I don't believe it is the only thing to blame because I obviously was not worrying about not being able to sleep because I'm so wide awake when this whole thing started alittle over a year ago. It started in a very stressful time and I am still going through a stressful time in addition to sleep issues. I believe that being tired is half of the battle. I feel that and am worried that I am stuck like this and I don't want to live the rest of my life like this, but I feel as I have no choice. I feel like nothing I could do will make me tired and be able to sleep naturally again, including CBT and sleep hygiene. My ex kept on telling me that I " need to get a diagnosis" and find out what is wrong with me. I really don't know what is causing this , unfortunately. His uncles, one of which is a pharmcist and one who is a professor who teaches nursing classes, etc have told me to get blood work, but I am worried that blood work won't find anything wrong. I also am worried that I won't be able to find a doctor who is even interested in my case. My own doctor, for example, almost year ago, told me to go see a psychairst, which I was already doing. The psychairist that I am seeing, in contrast, says that there aren't any tests that can be done. I also don't have insurance, which makes it hard, but will hopefully qualify for an independent insurance plan. There are clinics in the area, which or little to no cost that I could check out if I'm not eligilble for independant insurance, but I don't know if they would do that type of lab work or not. Even if something is found, which I hope there is something to be found, I'm worried that there is nothing that can be done about it, at which point I will be distraught, because I'll definatly feel like I'm stuck like this. I talk about and do other things, of course, but I am mostely just obcessing over the situation.

I wonder if it is posible for me to be tired, but for some reason I don't ever feel tired. I also wonder what people might think is the reason I am never tired and what I can attempt to do about this situation. Unfortunately, all we can do is guess when answering these questions.

Kara2012, your right about the Seroquel and would never suggest you go off it without your Dr's approval but it doesn't give you quality sleep as you said. You are obsessing over this, it's called ruminating this is where CBT or a Mindfulness course would help. I used to do it 24/7 and it didn't get me anywhere only more stressed, but once you are in this state it is very hard to get out of it. Now I accept it and move on otherwise you will spend the rest of your life thinking about it and not be able to enjoy the good things in life. I think that you have a good attitude and want to find out what is wrong with you which is great rather than just accepting what the Dr's say as they are not always right and only you know what you are going through and it is your body. I suggest trying to get to see a sleep specialist (I know you have no insurance), I'm in Australia so our health system is diffent to yours. Cure the cause not the symptoms.

Thank you for replying. I am pretty sure that if I hadn't been taking Seroquel,etc for the past year that I would have barely slept this past year due to never being tired. I am upset that you don't believe Seroquel results in quality sleep.Have you read anything about Seroquel and sleep quality. I am just curious and not trying to be rude. I just wonder how you know. I know some meds, like benzos, for instance, do not result in quality sleep. I have read one article about Seroquel because that's all I have ever found and it said that sleep quality is ok on Seroquel. I know Seroquel does not seem to disrupt REM sleep, which is one dreams, because I dream a lot, but I could be missing out on other stages. I do obcess and worry about my situation and would do better not to worry about it all the time. The only thing I can think of to do to try to distract myself is to do things that I like. I currently do this, but still, as I've already said, worry about my situation. It would be awesome if just not worrying about my situation would result in it going away, but I just don't think it's that simple though. Thanks for the advice.

Kara, I'm no Dr, Seroquel in large doses is used to treat schizophrenia, in small doses it's used to relax you while you sleep. I was on it for 6 months but it didn't help me because my Dr tried to treat the symptoms and did not diagnose the problem. It is up to you whether you take it or not, I'm sure it helps some people, but you are only treating the symptoms not what is causing the insomonia. Personally I worry about what I take and what effects it has on my brain as no one really knows. I was on it for 6 months starting on a low dose and eventually being upped to 100mg which is still low. It probably made me worse as my eventual diagnosis was sleep apnea so I stop breathing and my Dr was try to make me more relaxed while I stopped breathing, not good. This is not the same for eveyone and some people benefit. Anyway, we are worry it's the excessive worry that wastes our life. It's up to you but you should try CBT or Mindfulness and see if it helps. It helped me when I was at my lowest and just wanted to die. Now with the right treatment and these skills I have learn't, I'm not worrying 24/7 like I used too and I feel a lot better. I get the feeling you have more personal issues that you are worring about, if yu can reduce them you maybe be able to get more sleep med free.

Thak you for responding again. You're right that I do have other things that I am also worried about in addition to this situation. I was going through an extremly stressful time when this all began and was obcessed with different worries at the time. I am still going through a stressful time and am worried about the same things I was worried about when this all began, but the largest worry at this time is this situation. I don't expect to ever feel tired anymore, as I've already stated.

Kara, you will again, I don't know when but it will happen. I know it's easy for me to say but try not to stress about it because all your doing is stressing about stress and worrying about worry. Think of it as being a curious scientist trying to work out what is happening.

Thank you for replying. Do you mean I will get tired again when I should be tired?

Kara, Yes, the human body has a strange way of knowing what to do by it's self. It will do it for you. What I would like to know is what you do at night when eveyone else is asleep. Don't know what you could do for 24/7, just curious?
I now get about 6 hours sleep a night and would love more, but wake up around 4.30am and can't get back to sleep and don't know what to do till 7.00am when I get up.

Thanks for replying. I hope you are right that I will start to feel tired again and I hope I do sooner versus later. When you wake up do you stay in bed because it would be of benefit for you to get up and do something quite, such as read? I read a lot at night.

Kara, I think I have tried everything, I used to get up and read or sit quitely but it used to stimulate me brain more and I could get back to sleep. I now lay there because I think that at least I'm resting and there is a better chance if I laying down I may get back to sleep. Sometimes I put the radio or some soft music on. Sleep is an amazing thing and most people don't really think about it. It's probably on us that don't get enough or want more! It's good that you can get up and read rather than thinking too much about your worries. We'll all get there one day, just hang in there.