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 all,
I am trying to figure out if I have insomnia. I cannot seem to stay on a sleep schedule, and it is so frustrating. My dad and both of his parents almost never sleep. My dad will lie down at 8PM, but can't stay asleep for longer than two hours at a time. Most nights (when I lived at home), I would see his bedroom light on at 4AM, because he was reading to try to get himself back to sleep.
My problem is, I cannot fall asleep at night. I have been like this since I was in middle school. I just watch the clock for hours, then can barely function when I have to get up at 8:00 the next day. But even if I only got a few hours of sleep the night before, no matter how tired I am, I cannot fall asleep at a decent hour the next night. My problem is not staying asleep, it is falling asleep in the first place. So, right now, I am basically in a pattern of going to bed at 9AM and waking up at 2:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon. The problem is compounded by the fact my new job doesn't start for another month and a half, so I have infinite free time at the moment. I have tried, so hard, to stay up from the time I wake up in the afternoon until the next night, so I will be completely exhausted and get back on another decent sleep pattern. But If I get more than 6 hours of sleep in a night, the next night, I am back to the same issue of not being able to fall asleep at a reasonable time.
All of this is affecting my life. Obviously, it's not healthy. I can't sleep over at my boyfriend's house, because I will just end up staring at the ceiling until 5AM, so I always go home when he's about to go to sleep, and I think it's hurts his feelings. It comes off as laziness when I sleep until the afternoon, even though I only went to bed four hours prior. It's so frustrating!
Does this sound like insomnia to you? Should I see a doctor? The only time I've ever fallen right to sleep is when I've taken Xanax. I am only prescribed this for a severe fear of flying (and that's the only time I've ever taken it, but I went right to sleep and woke up feeling great). I feel as though I am almost nervous about falling asleep. Not scared, but I feel like I am pressuring myself. Is this a common feeling for people with insomnia? It is ten times worse when I am working (which I will be soon), and I know I have a long day ahead of me that I am obviously not going to get enough sleep for.
Sorry this is so long, but if anyone has any advice or would like to share what their experience with insomnia is, I'd really appreciate it. I am just starting to look into treating this, instead of just accepting it.
Thanks, guys.
I am trying to figure out if I have insomnia. I cannot seem to stay on a sleep schedule, and it is so frustrating. My dad and both of his parents almost never sleep. My dad will lie down at 8PM, but can't stay asleep for longer than two hours at a time. Most nights (when I lived at home), I would see his bedroom light on at 4AM, because he was reading to try to get himself back to sleep.
My problem is, I cannot fall asleep at night. I have been like this since I was in middle school. I just watch the clock for hours, then can barely function when I have to get up at 8:00 the next day. But even if I only got a few hours of sleep the night before, no matter how tired I am, I cannot fall asleep at a decent hour the next night. My problem is not staying asleep, it is falling asleep in the first place. So, right now, I am basically in a pattern of going to bed at 9AM and waking up at 2:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon. The problem is compounded by the fact my new job doesn't start for another month and a half, so I have infinite free time at the moment. I have tried, so hard, to stay up from the time I wake up in the afternoon until the next night, so I will be completely exhausted and get back on another decent sleep pattern. But If I get more than 6 hours of sleep in a night, the next night, I am back to the same issue of not being able to fall asleep at a reasonable time.
All of this is affecting my life. Obviously, it's not healthy. I can't sleep over at my boyfriend's house, because I will just end up staring at the ceiling until 5AM, so I always go home when he's about to go to sleep, and I think it's hurts his feelings. It comes off as laziness when I sleep until the afternoon, even though I only went to bed four hours prior. It's so frustrating!
Does this sound like insomnia to you? Should I see a doctor? The only time I've ever fallen right to sleep is when I've taken Xanax. I am only prescribed this for a severe fear of flying (and that's the only time I've ever taken it, but I went right to sleep and woke up feeling great). I feel as though I am almost nervous about falling asleep. Not scared, but I feel like I am pressuring myself. Is this a common feeling for people with insomnia? It is ten times worse when I am working (which I will be soon), and I know I have a long day ahead of me that I am obviously not going to get enough sleep for.
Sorry this is so long, but if anyone has any advice or would like to share what their experience with insomnia is, I'd really appreciate it. I am just starting to look into treating this, instead of just accepting it.
Thanks, guys.
Sounds like you have anxiety, nopt insomnia, like me. My mind races when I just lay there.
I have tried taking melatonin pills for awhile. I do fall asleep but would wake up a few hours later and not fall back to sleep.
Ask your doctor if you get script for xanax.
Good luck.
First, insomnia is the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep at the desired times, combined with an adverse affect on daytime performance. So yes what you are describing sounds like insomnia to me.
Second, what you are describing also sounds like a circadian rhythm disorder of some sort, especially since you've been this way for so long.
So what to do?
Providing you have no other medical conditions that affect this, you might be well served by trying to re-set your circadian rhythm, then synchronize it to your homeostatic sleep drive. These are the two internal processes that largely control sleep. When both are working well and in synch, sleep when you want it can be practically irresistible.
You might try and adjustment that's very similar to the way people recover from jet lag, which also affects circadian rhythm. And that would be to first get on the sleep schedule you want, and stick to it with discipline.
So in other words, if you want to sleep at night, do not go to bed 9 a.m. If you do that, and basically get no sleep for close to 24 hours, your sleep drive should be really ramped up the following night, and sleep may come more easily.
Maybe most important is to set and keep a consistent wake time 7 days a week. If you consistently get up at the same time every day, then immediately expose yourself to bright light, you in effect regulate your circadian rhythm and synchronize it to your sleep drive.
Theoretically after about 16 hours of nonstop wakefulness, you will then be drowsy enough to sleep.
Anxiety and worry are complicating factors no doubt, but there are ways to manage them that helps support better sleep. I think you should be confident by re-setting your natural rhythm and leading a sleep-supportive lifestyle, you can make this better.
Hey Somerdad, good to see you over here. :)
Hypnos, that is actually really helpful information, thank you so much. I do think the first step is forcing myself to wake up at the same time every day. This can be so hard sometimes, when I am still awake at 4:00 or 5:00 in the morning, but I know I am essentially screwing myself over for the next night if I don't suck it up and wake up early.
I am jealous of people who can fall asleep on command, basically. Or they can sleep in different places. I can only sleep in my own bed, and I don't like sleeping next to anyone (it was an issue in my last relationship, I was always getting up and going to the couch). I can wake up exhausted, go the entire day at work saying, "I can't wait to get off work and go home and go to bed," but it never fails, when that time comes, I am always up late. Always just laying there, like I can't shut my brain off.
I really appreciate the helpful hints from everyone, and I will try to be diligent about getting up at the same time. I am going to also look into melatonin. I am so hesitant to start on the Rx path (I have been Rx'ed Ambien before, but I never took it), but I'm pretty desperate to have a normal life at this point.
Thanks again!
Don't stare at the clock!!! Cove up all digital clocks and artificial light emitted by TVs and devices! Make your room as dark as possible, retrain your body to adhere to a sleep schedule. It also sounds like you're getting anxiety over it, which is pretty common. Once that andrenaline is going, it needs to be tamed. Try your best not to take Ambian bc they say it destroys natural sleep. I use Klonopin, which is like xanax, but it's not the best thing for long term use either. Hang in there!!!! Get that book!!!