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...
Trying so hard to get my sleep under control without drugs but it's really hard. I had about 2-good weeks with cbt then stayed in a hotel, could not sleep, then relapsed. now I'm back to square one and hate it! Starting my sleep restriction therapy again. I took xanax, trazadone, seroquil, ativan, mirtazapane, lunesta, and ambien, most of them I only took briefly because I didn't like the way they made me feel or because they worked briefly then stopped working. The only one that that helped somewhat was the zanax but I had to keep increasing my dose because my body build up a tolerance. When I got to .75 I told myself I'm done! I was scared of being addicted so I went on the sleep restriction therapy, and have been reading the book, Good Night Insomnia. I was doing so well and sleeping about 5-6 hours night before my relapse. It all started about 5 months ago for me when I got my first panic attack followed by severe anxiety and mild depression which I've been treating with acupuncture. My anxiety decreased along with depression but insomnia persisted. I have gone many times with not sleeping for over 3-days. But I'm still alive! :) I just have to stay over. Ugh!
Everyone goes through these periodic episodes, so be assured you're not alone. I first learned CBT sleep training methods including SRT (which really is nothing more than establishing a good consistent schedule) about a decade ago and still use them today. Sure, I've had setbacks to but overall they work! These tools help most people, so you should be confident they will help you too.
I suspect your panic, anxiety, depression, and stress about sleep issues are all contributing, and may really be the true root of all this. But rest assured CBT will help you address all of these issues.
It is important to also work cognitive restructuring, another of the core CBT methods. This will help you put a lid on the negative thinking, and replace those stressful thoughts with more positive, realistic, and accurate thoughts about sleep.
That cognitive portion actually may be more important than the SRT in my view, because the negative thinking is often the raw fuel that perpetuates and prolongs insomnia.
If you feel like your anxiety or depression issues are too much, then it's definitely time to ask for professional help. These issues can be addressed without drugs as well.
All of the many CBT methods work best when combined simultaneously. It does take some work but the pay off is better sleep without drugs and for the rest of your life.