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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Sleep Disorders
/ Insomnia Support Group

I need to know that I'm not alone.

imawesome611
imawesome611
All my life I have suffered with terrible insomnia. It tears me down every day and makes me miserable. I need to know that I'm not alone in this and that I'm not the only one. I take 20 mg of Ambien and it is the ONLY sleeping drug that works on me. But I'm starting to build up a tolerance to it and I need to get my dose raised for the 3rd time, I hope they will do that. I always run out way to early because I have to take more than my dose to get it to work. So most of my nights I get no sleep. I have taken numerous sleep drugs and Ambien seems to be the only one that works. I plan on NEVER quitting it. I actually have been up for almost 2 days now. Thanks to my insomnia, my life is getting even more miserable. No matter how much I clear my mind when I go to sleep or anything, I can never get to sleep and if I eventually fall asleep it's already light outside. My insomnia is making me dread every single day, I am not even exaggerating. I need to get my dose raised so I can finally not have to worry each and every day and so I don't keep running out. Please respond, and if you have any tips, please help me.
denymckusker
denymckusker
After years of Chronic Insomnia and trying every drug available that did not work my Dr. finally put me on Ambien. I could not believe the sleep I was getting. Such a beautiful thing. I started at 5 mg. Over a 6 year period my dose was adjusted up to 20 mg. It stopped working. Increasing it beyond that was not an option with all the talk about women should not take more than 5 mg dictated by the FDA. I panicked... I mean I truly panicked. My husband and my son begged me to try Cannibas. After several sleepless nights I agreed. My husband is a Musician in Austin Texas so it was very easy for me to find. After trying 5 different strains I found 3 that worked beautifully. I take 3 good puffs at bedtime and it is lights out. I am not even waking up in the night. I know this is not the traditional route we would like to take but when we get desperate it is not that bad. A huge benefit is I don't have to worry about whether the Dr. will write me a prescription. If you live in a Med. Marijuana state ... go see them. Bottom line..you gotta get sleep!!! Take Care, Deny
imawesome611
imawesome611
That's awesome you've finally found something. Unfortunately, I live in Indiana and it is definitely not legal here. You can get in big trouble if you're caught with it here. I have actually considered trying to find some before though. I'm so desperate to sleep. But thanks for your reply!
Hypnos07
Hypnos07
Hi, you are definitely not alone. Everyone here has struggled in some way with insomnia and can relate.

To me the key is understanding what is preventing with or interfering with your natural ability to sleep. Because after all, sleep is a lot like hunger. We don't eat for awhile, we get hungry. We eat, the hunger goes away. Repeat. And most of us don't need to take a pill to get hungry!

So wondering if you have any underlying health or psychiatric issues. These could range from pain or allergies to depression or anxiety.

Considering your use of sleeping pills, also wondering if you've ever seen a medical doctor who specializes in sleep. That might help you get to the true underlying culprit for your insomnia.
curiousmountain
curiousmountain
Have you tried CBT-i? This is the only non-medication method for insomnia that has proven to have some success.
imawesome611
imawesome611
What is CBT-i?
Hypnos07
Hypnos07
CBT-I is a collection of drug-free methods to improve sleep. It stands for cognitive behavioral therapy specifically designed for insomnia.

I used CBTI to improve my sleep. It worked for me and I still use the methods every day. I tried sleeping pills, supplements, melatonin, you name it. But CBTI was the lasting solution for me.

Most of the methods are very simple and common sense. Such as:

Have a consistent sleep schedule. Avoid caffeine later in the day. Exercise. Expose yourself to bright light first thing.

Let go the worry about sleep (that might be the most important).

Learn how to de-stress and manage anxiety.

All these methods combine very effectively to help most people who try them.

Especially if you have no underlying medical or psychiatric conditions causing your insomnia, CBT might be something to try.
DSmom12345
DSmom12345
A friend just introduced me ot CBT-i this week.

There's even an iOS app for CBT-i.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cbt-i-coach/id655918660?mt=8
Koyu
Koyu
You arenot alone. I suffer from insomnia since my early teens.
It is so frustrating. I tend to be sensitive to light and noise so I hung dark sheets so I would not let the light in and sometimes putting on my ear phones to screen out the noises.

Grateful for this site and look forward in reading about how people sleep through the night.
Sleepochondriac
Sleepochondriac
Count me on mate. I was on medication for two & half years. It started with high dose with a diminishing pattern. My medication was stopped one year ago. The doc advised me to pop 'Clonazepam' 2mg if I get the bouts occasionally. I still get the kicks four to five times a month now. I'm not very keen on taking 'Clonazepam' since it leaves me with sort of a hangover & a sweet tasting mouth. Until recently I came across a forum post somewhere someone using MENTAT with satisfactory results. I googled it and found that its a Indian herbal[ayurvedic] preparation to improve memory but also has a mild sedative property. I decided to give it a try and voila it seems to be working! I'm on it since the last two weeks now with also satisfactory results. The prescribed dose is 2 tabs twice daily but thank heavens since my condition is not very severe now I take only 2 tabs at bedtime. I suggest you and all my fellow sufferers to give it a try. Its available at Amazon. Do share your experiences with 'Mentat' here.