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...
For me, insomnia is a product of the chronic pain that comes along with my illness. After ages of not sleeping, at a doctor’s appointment, my wife asked about putting me on sleep medication. It wasn’t even my idea. But the doctor did prescribe something, and it does provide some relief when there was none before. It’s not great; it’s not even good. It’s something, though, and I know I should be grateful for that. Some nights I am. Then, on nights like tonight, when my wife has woken me from a rare, dead sleep because she felt nauseous, I find myself breaking down and alone. Because she can go back to bed after the nausea passes, but I was not able to find sleep again. I feel desperate. I crave natural sleep. I crave any sleep, too. And I do get some sleep now, which is better than so many others. But the tears come, and I feel so broken right now.
Pain can be a potent cause of insomnia, so I think you're doing the right thing by working with your doc. You can also check out CBT sleep training methods, as that might also help. They are substance-free.
Might be a good idea also to have a talk with your wife about awakening you. She hopefully will be understanding.