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...

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HPAaxis and high cortisol levels

kara2012
kara2012
I have been feeling wide awake still for quite a while now. I don't want any advice really on what I should do because I don't think anything like CBT will help those of us who feel wide awake constanly. I've seen the discussions about the HPA axis being dsyfunctional and I know noone can say for sure,but I wonder if our HPA axis being dysfunctional could be part of the reason some of us feel wide awake all the time. I also wonder,although noone can say for sure, if high cortisol levels could also be keeping us feeling wide awake. I only feel tired after I've taken meds,othwerwise I feel wide awake. I don't even try to sleep before I take the meds because I feel so wide wake. I am constanly thinking about how wide awake I am and I know both someone who went through this and someone else who is going through this that is also preoccupied with this. We feel abnormal also. We're both worried that we're stuck like this and we really don't want to live the rest of our life like this. I'm also always worried that,athough the meds "work" now, they will stop "working" and I'll be left wide awake. I could probably stay up for days and never crash.
bruticus
bruticus
you need something to calm you down and induce drowsiness.

GABA = calms you down
Adenosine = induces drowsiness
Serotonin = keeps you sleeping and also makes you happy
kara2012
kara2012
I noticed that not many people have responded to my post and I wonder why.I just have a simple question. I wonder,although nobody can say for sure,if a dsyfunctional HPA axis and high cortisol levels could be causing some of us to feel wide awake? I don't really think anything like CBT can help those of us that are wide awake so I don't want any advice,although I don't know what to do at this point. As I've already stated, I don't want to live the rest of my life like this,but I'm worried I have no choice. I know what I'm thinking of trying and I don't know what I'll do if that doesn't work,which I'm worried it won't work. I'm fed up with this. This has been going on for so long now. I'm always worryng the meds will stop "working" and I'll be left wide awake. I'm worried the worst is yet to happen for me.I don't think I'm capable of sleeping wthout the meds because I'm wide awake without meds.I don't even try to sleep without meds I feel so wide awake. I feel like those of us who feel wide awake have not been taken the most seriously in the past. We've been told things like just stay up until we feel tired,which we eventually will. Common sense would say yes that we will evenually get tired,but we don't. Staying up allnight doesn't even begin to phase me. I also hate to listen to people say how tired they are. My pet peeve is listening to people say how tired they are, when those of us who always feel wide awake would give anything just to be able to feel tired again. We feel abnormal.
seay
seay
Hi Kara,

You ask a simple question on a subject that most of us know very little about.

Yes...the HPA axis issue could very well be a significant contributing cause. How does this help you knowing that it could be a reason why you feel wide awake?

Your most recent post had the word "worried" numerous times. All of your posts have the word "worry" throughout. Worry is just another word for anxiety. Anxiety is where we try to control something that is outside of our control. One of the ways the HPA axis gets "out-of-whack" is by excessive stress & anxiety (worry as you put it).

I feel sad for what you are going through. I also fear that your continued "worry" will be the fuel that fulfills your own prophecy.....that you will stay this way for the rest of your life. I believe it doesn't have to be that way.
bruticus
bruticus
It's important to know how your insomnia started.

Why don't you tell us what happened if you remember.