Sorry to hear about what you're going through. It's tough, all of us here in the group can relate.

But it will really help a lot to get an accurate handle on what's going on. For you to say "haven't slept for almost 2 weeks" ... well congrats you just set the new world record. It's 11 days.

In reality you probably have slept, every night, at least some. Maybe what you mean is you haven't slept as well as you'd like. Again we can all relate.

Getting a handle on how these inaccurate negative thoughts about sleep actually feed and perpetuate the problem is part of a permanent solution to insomnia.

Like i said there's days I sleep for 2 - 4 hours and other days I dont sleep at all. I see what your saying though. It just hard. I feel like im going insane. I just don't understand why it happened after my vegas trip.

Without knowing any more details on your specific situation, we can only offer general ideas of "what to do".

First is to establish a consistent sleep-wake schedule, only allowing enough time for sleep that you need. No sleeping in, no long naps. This has the profound effect of regulating your circadian rhythm and synchronizing it to your homeostatic sleep drive. Those are the two most important internal components controlling sleep.

Second is to get some good daily exercise. Avoid caffeine in any form after mid-day. Allow yourself a relaxing wind-down period before bed to transition yourself to drowsiness and sleep. Avoid alcohol for several hours before bed. And don't beat yourself up with all these negative thoughts about sleep.

All that's easier said than done I know. But check out CBT sleep training methods, that's where all those methods come from. That will give you a structure and plan for better sleep without drugs.
That's what I use and the methods help most people.

One more question please. How can I relax my brain? Because I feel like I can sleep but it feels like I'm my own barrier to sleeping. Also where can I see the CBT sleep training methods? I haven't lost hope to sleeping but it's hard when you sleep very little or no sleep at all and the only worry I have is that I can't sleep. It races thru my mind.

Derek, what you're describing sounds to me like the dreaded "tired but wired" syndrome. Yes, I've had it too, and it's probably the worst aspect of insomnia to me. You're dead tired,exhausted, body wants to sleep, but mind won't let you.

If that's also the case with you, then it suggests hyperarousal. That usually results from excessive stress and/or anxiety experienced during waking hours. Stress management and control of anxiety might help. There are many ways to do this without drugs.

I also wonder if the "weed" as you put it might not be feeding into your anxiety. Any drugs or substances for sleep will only treat the symptom. To permanently fix this you've got to get to the true root causes.

Try searching something like 'cbt sleep training methods for adults' online, and you'll probably find many good resources, some free and many low cost. These cbt sleep training methods include in-bed relaxation methods that can help you drift into a drowsy state while in bed, which is conducive to falling asleep. You can learn about deep, diaphragmatic breathing combined with progressive muscle relation for instance. Very effective for me.

I also think you should schedule a checkup with your doc and bring all this to his/her attention. That way you can either treat or rule out any underlying medical cause.

I will second this. I came into this forum maybe 5-6 weeks ago suffering from very similar levels of sleep deprivation as yourself. I have been having weekly CBT sessions since then and I have gradually increased my sleep time to 6-7 hours a night (it started at 2-3).

Not perfect, i still wake up a lot, but much more manageable and it has given me some hope.

Wind down (I listen to mindfulness recordings in a dark room for 30 minutes before bed), relaxation techniques during the day (diaphragmatic breathing and Yoga work best for me), having a set bed and wake time and finally, getting out of bed if after 15-30 minutes you are not sleeping and repeating the wind down routine before going back to bed, have worked best for me.

This stuff really works and it is absolutely not talked about enough.

Hope that's of some help.

How do you get Weekly CBT sessions? do you sign up somewhere? Also its a good idea for the 'wind down' because last night I showered with really hot water and then drank some melotonin and a warm tea. it helped me sleep because I got 6 hours and for me thats enough, dont really need more than that. I believe alot of our insomnia has to do with our nerves. like you have to learn to relax. its harder to do it then say it but we gotta try to relax the mind and body. Swimming is something I want to try later to.

I'm in the UK and whilst they are available through the NHS the waiting time is well over a year. There are private practitioners so I did some research and found someone well respected who worked locally. They are £50 a session, so not that cheap but well worth it. As I say I have had five sessions and the impact has been fantastic. Failing that there are online courses available that I believe are less expensive.

I can only speak for myself, although I am sure it is applicable to other people as well, but yes, my sleeping difficulties are based around anxiety so anything I can do to manage that or change the way I think about a certain situation, is going to be helpful. That is another area that CBT looks at addressing.

Funnily enough I swim regularly as well. Physical exertion is one area that is meant to help. In truth I've not noticed that much of a difference on my sleep whether I have exercised or not but it is certainly something that is recommended. Anyway, exercise is supposed to reduce anxiety, as well as making you fitter and healthier in general, so that still sounds good to me!