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...
Hi everyone,
For the last 9 months I have been suffering (on and off) with bouts of insomnia, however in the last month or so it has descended into the worst period of sleeplessness I have ever experienced. Last night I didn’t sleep whatsoever, I just tossed and turned all night getting more and more frustrated. Unfortunately this is not an isolated experience for me as of late. My sleeping pattern over the last 5 nights consists of; 1 hour, 6 hours, 3 hours, 6 hours and 0 hours last night. This is not an unusual weekly pattern for me either, and I am finding that most weeks follow a similar sleeping pattern.
On the nights I cant sleep, I find myself losing my temper and exploding into fits of rage. A few nights ago I decided to get up and iron my shirt for the following day, when I ended up throwing the ironing board across the room (breaking it). other nights I have pushed over anything that got in my way; water bottles, ironing maidens, bedside cabinets etc.
I suppose in the first instance, I would like to speak to people who have, or are going through a similar experience to myself, as currently I feel rather alone and isolated. I feel like there is something un-natural about me and I am the only person in the world who this happens to. When I speak to friends/colleagues etc. they can’t believe what I am going through and find it strange. Which makes me feel as though there is something up with me. My fiancée obviously knows all about it however, with her not experiencing it herself, I feel as though there isn’t much she can help me with and whenever I speak to her about my insomnia, it just makes me feel even more alone as she is just another person in a long list who doesn’t experience insomnia and sleeps fine.
Does anyone else suffer from the same level of insomnia where they literally do not get any sleep in a night?
If there is anyone who has suffered from this previously; what did you do to overcome your insomnia and do you have any recommendations?
Thanks,
Nick
What you are experiencing isn't a result necessarily of your insomnia. All of us here battle with it, but I suspect very few if any resort to acts of "rage" that explode into such violence. This suggests there may be something more going on in your life.
My suggestion would be to see a doctor to either treat or rule out the possibility of an underlying medical condition. I also suggest seeing a counselor to discuss your violent outbursts. These are by no means a normal reaction to insomnia.
Insomnia is treatable by a number of methods, some of them drug-free. In particular, CBT sleep training methods are the gold standard. This may or may not be applicable to you, based on your diagnosis.
You should be reassured however that all of what you have is treatable, depending on what's causing it.
I have recently been consulting my doctor who has put me on a course of antihistamines to help sedate me whilst sleeping, but i can only say this has made things worse. For me, my insomnia is often down to anxiety towards sleeping. Often when i get in bed my mind is telling me that I'm not going to get any sleep, and taking a tablet each night is only a reminder of my sleeping problems. I've been on the course of antihistamines for around a month now and can't say they have helped in the slightest. if anything, I would say they have developed further anxiety issues. I think i have made the decision to go 'cold turkey' and just try to sleep naturally. hopefully after a while the anxiety towards sleeping will pass and i will be back to normal.
I have read previously that CBT can be very effective and may give this a try in the near future.
I do agree that i should see a doctor regarding the outbursts of anger, however it is not something that I experience within other life scenarios, and i only ever really get very angry when i cant sleep and then start worrying about the following day.
Has anyone personally tried CBT? what exactly does it entail?
strong valerian tea mixed with camomile to calm you down before bed
guided meditation on youtube
no screens or contact with any one after 8pm
writing rage thoughts down for like half hour
running
walking on grass with no socks
xxx
thanks for your thoughts, it really does help knowing there are others out there who have overcome their insomnia.
I would certainly agree with you all that insomnia is a mental issue, i think the key to it is putting your mind towards overcoming the anxiety and not thinking about it too much. what i have learnt is that a pill prescribed from the doctor is not going to cure it. its not a physical condition that there is a quick fix solution towards.
since i have decided to stop taking the tablets the doctor prescribed i have seen a slight improvement in my sleeping and ability to drift off, but i also think the improvement is down to a new thought process i have which is sort of like "so what if i dont sleep..." its not the end of the world, ill be a little tired tomorrow but it wont stop me from going about my day and living my life.
I have stopped worrying about my sleep and stopped becoming angry on the nights when i cant sleep so things are hopefully on the up!