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...
As some of you may know. I stupidly took too much MDMA a little over a year ago which sparked a terrible depressive episode, permanently, ruined my jaw, made my eyes hurt when I am exposed to light, and started my sleep maintenance insomnia.
At first it would happen all the time for about 2 months. Then I started going through this phase where I'd sleep fine for maybe 2-3 weeks. But the SMI would show up for anywhere to 5-14 days again. I am not saying I have been perfect as of the past few months. But the last time when I had an SMI 'episode' was April. Sure, I've had a few nights here and there were I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep but those usually had a reason (boyfriend waking up to go to work at 3 in the morning, sleeping at a friends house, drinking alcohol the night before) but started last Monday it's started happening again. No matter what I do. So I had been sleeping well again for almost 5 months. I thought my brain was repairing itself from the overload of MDMA, but it appears that, that isn't the case and it just brought out a latent problem permanently.
I tried all the 'tricks and tips' (no caffeine, wake up same time, no naps) but nothing seems to work. I've tried OTC sleep aids, the 'knock out' kind and the 'natural' kind. Nothing...
I just wake up with this overwhelming tense feeling around my towards the bottom of my rib cage, I feel tense and restless. Anything but relaxed and sleepy. My heart rate seems to be going a bit faster. I know it has nothing to do with anything that is going on in my life because nothing has changed. Everything is pretty much fine. With the exception of my my mild depression which really is a nuisance more than a real problem.
I'm very upset and don't want to suffer my whole life with this problem. It makes life no worth living because I dread nights. I hate being tired all day because I only get a few hours sleep. I don't know what to do.
Are any of you like me? Does your SMI feel like mine? What do you do about it? Any advice? Does anyone have any scientific explanation as to why I wake up feeling so tense and uneasy in the middle of the night for no reason?
At first it would happen all the time for about 2 months. Then I started going through this phase where I'd sleep fine for maybe 2-3 weeks. But the SMI would show up for anywhere to 5-14 days again. I am not saying I have been perfect as of the past few months. But the last time when I had an SMI 'episode' was April. Sure, I've had a few nights here and there were I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep but those usually had a reason (boyfriend waking up to go to work at 3 in the morning, sleeping at a friends house, drinking alcohol the night before) but started last Monday it's started happening again. No matter what I do. So I had been sleeping well again for almost 5 months. I thought my brain was repairing itself from the overload of MDMA, but it appears that, that isn't the case and it just brought out a latent problem permanently.
I tried all the 'tricks and tips' (no caffeine, wake up same time, no naps) but nothing seems to work. I've tried OTC sleep aids, the 'knock out' kind and the 'natural' kind. Nothing...
I just wake up with this overwhelming tense feeling around my towards the bottom of my rib cage, I feel tense and restless. Anything but relaxed and sleepy. My heart rate seems to be going a bit faster. I know it has nothing to do with anything that is going on in my life because nothing has changed. Everything is pretty much fine. With the exception of my my mild depression which really is a nuisance more than a real problem.
I'm very upset and don't want to suffer my whole life with this problem. It makes life no worth living because I dread nights. I hate being tired all day because I only get a few hours sleep. I don't know what to do.
Are any of you like me? Does your SMI feel like mine? What do you do about it? Any advice? Does anyone have any scientific explanation as to why I wake up feeling so tense and uneasy in the middle of the night for no reason?
I also have felt something similar to what you've described in the night. I believe this worried wakefulness and tension in the night comes between sleep stages, and likely just after a REM stage. Many people briefly awaken after one of the several REM stages each night and before dropping off again to a deeper slow-wave stage of sleep. Most don't even remember these brief awakenings by morning.
However, if you are hyperstimulated or undergoing chronic stress, instead of falling back asleep you can go the other way -- toward alertness and worried wakefulness. It's almost feels like a sudden jolt of adrenaline, but I think it really is caused by an excess amount of cortisol in your body ... cortisol being the stress hormone.
If you are chronically stressed, cortisol builds up in your body during the day, and well into the night for many of us insomniacs. That can and will affect sleep.
To help reduce cortisol and sleep better, you might try a concerted effort to reduce stress both through both physical and mental means. Physically through exercise every day. Mentally through a variety of methods -- relaxation, deep breathing, yoga, music therapy ... there are a number of ways to turn down the dial on stress.
You might also be able to identify a number of auto-stressors in your life, and counter these with better response. These are situations that automatically result in a stress response, and they're common. Like a tailgating driver for instance.
It also sounds like you have a number of automatic negative sleep thoughts, and this also can be a significant contributor to insomnia. If so, you would benefit by learning how to identify and replace them with more accurate and positive thoughts that support better sleeping.
A good comprehensive cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia program will help you with all this. You might look into that. You can learn CBT-I from downloadable sleep training programs that are online, books, sleep counselors, and so forth.
Good luck, please keep us posted on how you're doing.