Insomnia

Does anyone else suffer from insomnia periodically? What works for you, other than medication? I've been paying close, close attention to mine for a long time, and cannot identify any consistent triggers. It seems almost anything can set it off. I don't want to take medication for it -- I cannot tell until it's too late whether or not I will have trouble sleeping that night, and I don't want to take something every night. I've been studied. I don't have sleep apnea or any related sleep disorders.

I've been eating better. I've always exercised regularly. I make a point to go to bed around the same time every night (weeknights, exactly the same time every night). I get enough hours of sleep at night. I get up approximately the same time every morning. I have rituals before bed. I don't read or watch tv in bed. I take my vitamins in the morning b/c taking too late in the day would trigger it.

It's not all the time. It comes and goes with varying degrees of severity. Sometimes, it'll last a few weeks or longer. (At my worst, I had trouble sleeping every, single night for over 3 months.) Usually, it's anywhere from 3 days to a week. It ranges in severity from not being able to sleep at all to waking up every hour or two during the night (and consequently getting no really restful sleep).

Then, it goes away as quickly as it came and I can be fine for months.

I have not slept more than a few hours since Saturday night, and I'm beyond exhausted. All week, I've been this way until about 20 to 10 tonight (right before bed time), and then I'll be up all night or will only sleep for an hour or two at a time. My body's new favorite trick? Fall asleep for about 3 hours and wake up at 4am. No more sleep after that for me.

Just curious if anyone else suffers from insomnia and what has worked for you... Times like this, I'm desperate for sleep, but then it goes away and I sleep like a baby for weeks or even months.

I think the time change may have triggered this one... but who knows? I've been trying to document things and coming up with nothing.

Anyone else?

Re: Insomnia

I have experienced bouts of insomnia and if it gets really bad I use medication to get my sleeping back on track and it always helps. You may want to consult a physician.

Re: Insomnia

I would go the meds route..there are some OTC stuff out there that's very mild..

I would tell your doc though.

Re: Insomnia

I've identified many triggers - most of them food. One thing also - being dehydrated seems to effect me. Also, the climate of my room has to be just right. I have a humidifier and also use a sound soother.

Re: Insomnia

For me, when I can't sleep, I am thinking about the day's events, things to do, my life... In this case, I have found that thinking about anything else but my own life works really well...let's see: celebrity gossip, tv shows, anything... Very, very silly, but has worked for me for years.

Re: Insomnia

My biggest triggers are:
temperature change -- the transitions between seasons, when it can be cold one night and warm the next.

being swamped at work, because I'm worried that I'll forget some small yet vital task

the mere anticipation of not getting a good sleep -- like if I know a thunderstorm is coming in the middle of the night, I can't sleep because I know it will wake me up so why bother

ETA: It's never gotten so bad that I feel I NEED meds. I've learned to get by pretty well on 3 or 4 hours of sleep.

Message edited 3/20/2008 4:22:27 PM.

Re: Insomnia

As I said in my OP, I have been working with doctors and have done sleep studies. I've gotten second and third opinions. Not much has helped. I have meds, but they don't get me back on track. I can't use them the first night b/c I never know until it's too late if I need to take it. I also don't know when it stop them. It's a craps shoot. I don't know when to stop taking them either. I can take them for 2 nights, then stop the third and be up all night. I can take them for 2 nights and then I'm fine. There's no pattern and that is what is frustrating. Doctors are helpful, but strongly suggest behavior things to help regulate it (and they do help). Things like same time to bed at night, having rituals before bed, not reading or watching tv in bed, nothing stimulating for 30 mins before bed (e.g., no tv). The one thing I did wrong for sure this time was laying in bed awake. After 10 mins awake, I should have gotten up for a while, then tried to sleep again. That's helped before, too.

Meds are doing and have done all they can. (Only one or two really work - I've stayed awake right through some pretty heavy stuff. Probably unrelated, but the only time I had general anesthesia, I woke up during the procedure. Not sure if they could be related or not, though I guess not.) I was curious to know what behavioral things work for others suffering from severe insomnia.

Ironically, I slept like a baby last night.

Re: Insomnia

Re: Insomnia

Posted by cazhley

For me, when I can't sleep, I am thinking about the day's events, things to do, my life... In this case, I have found that thinking about anything else but my own life works really well...let's see: celebrity gossip, tv shows, anything... Very, very silly, but has worked for me for years.

Re: Insomnia

Posted by bird382

My biggest triggers are:
temperature change -- the transitions between seasons, when it can be cold one night and warm the next.

being swamped at work, because I'm worried that I'll forget some small yet vital task

the mere anticipation of not getting a good sleep -- like if I know a thunderstorm is coming in the middle of the night, I can't sleep because I know it will wake me up so why bother

ETA: It's never gotten so bad that I feel I NEED meds. I've learned to get by pretty well on 3 or 4 hours of sleep.

....

Message edited 3/6/2013 10:16:02 PM.

Re: Insomnia

I could have written this post word for word. The only thing that has helped me is taking an anti anxiety med because I get really anxious about not being able to sleep it becomes obsessive and then that is counter productive for my sleeping. I have tried everything and I have seen a sleep specialist- it has been debilitating at times. My sleep specialist told me that I should try to stay awake to reset my sleep rythem good theory but it didn't work. He told me to just sleep from 12-5. While trying to follow his orders in hope of helping myself I found myself so tired that I was literally sick. I was experiencing the symptoms of the flu from tiredness. I found for myself that the earlier I lay down to sleep the better. Because it takes me a long time to fall asleep I start out at like 8.30-9 and then if it takes me an hour or two to fall asleep- its not so bad cause its only 10pm. If I start going to sleep at like 10 and then aren't asleep at 11,1130 I start to get panicky and then I never can fall asleep. I don't know if that makes sense but that is the only thing that has seemed to help. Then there are those nights that I cant dedicate myself to this schedule and I wind up having insomnia and the only thing that helps me from staying up all night is a klonopin- similar to xanax. I try to take this as infrequently as possible because it is addictive. I have been dealing with
this for 2 years and its horrible.


ETA: i know that " they" say to get up if you cant sleep after 15min or so. For me this does not work, I cannot be up at all or my body wil think its actually time to wake up and i can never relax for the rest of the night.

Oh and one more thing re the klonipin- it can betaken in the middle of the night it does not give a hangover feeling because its not a sleeping pill like ambien or the others.

Message edited 3/21/2008 4:04:08 PM.

Re: Insomnia

Glad you got a good night's sleep!

Re: Insomnia

Hi Kara,

You should try melatonin. Its found in the vitamin aisle. Its all natural and works great. Try the ones that are 3mg. Start by taking 1 about 1/2-1 hour before you go to bed. If that doesn't work, then switch to 2. They will naturally relax you and make you drowsy. When you will wake up in the morning you will feel great.

Good luck!

Re: Insomnia

I have horrible insomnia. It started when I was PG, and it never really went away.... NO matter what, I lie awake for sometimes more than 2 hours, even if I was falling asleep at what I was doing before going to bed What makes matters worse, is that I am a light sleeper. If I happen to take up during the night, the cycle starts all over again. Some nights I'm lucky if I get 4 total hours, even if I am in bed for 8 hours.

Mine is probably a little bit of not being able to turn off my mind - it's constantly all over, going over things I did that day, worrying about the next day....

Sometimes, I will take a "Simply Sleep" by Tylenol (it's a Tylenol PM without the acetomeniphen). I find that it does help a little if I take it 30 minutes before bed. It says it's non-habot forming, and luckily, I only need it once in awhile.

Re: Insomnia

I am having the same problem even way before I was prego Im usually up until 4 or 5 am