Terrible insomnia and migraines

[lentilbake]

Hi, I don't think I have ever had an ordinary headache, always seem to be migraines and for the last few years have only ever been caused by lack of sleep. However, I seem to have developed a sleep disorder and so get migraines very frequently now!

Have never been a great sleeper as sleep really lightly and the slightest noise or movement wake me up, and if I'm slightly cool or too warm or have a different pillow etc then I struggle to sleep, I always need to empty my bladder frequently at night. Often I would struggle to get back off to sleep if I woke up from 2 am onwards but would ususally get back to sleep after 2 - 3 hours.

About a year ago I started waking up at 1 am and lying awake for 4 hours then getting a bit of sleep before the alarm went off and would have an hour in the afternoon sometimes to try and catch up. That went on for a few weeks.

Now this started again 2-3 months ago except I was no longer able to sleep during the day, I would feel I was about to doze off for a nap but couldn't. To start with it wa sstress keeping me awake, then I slept a couple of nights and it started again but I didn't feel at all stressed. The last 4 eeks have been the worst, one night I don't think I even got a second! Some nights I go to sleep for an hour then wake and don't get off. The last few nights I feel I'm getting 10 minutes at the most. Some nights I feel have been worse as I go to bed terrified of a bad night, expecting not to sleep and the worry probably keeps me awake, one night I went to bed telling myself I would have a good rest and I did sleep quite a bit better. However, even on a "good" night I feel like I am not completely asleep, it's like I'm half awake half asleep, and feel like I'm waking from the half sleep every few minutes.

I feel awful, tried Nytol, warm milky drinks, baths, lavender, massage. The tiredness is stopping me from doing thingss I enjoy, housework, washing, taking children out, looking after myself and the migraines so painful and not responsing to medication that I want to die when I have one. And then there;s the dizziness that makes me afraid to move my head in case I fall over.

It;s just no life.

The pain of migraines used to be in different places, sometimes one side and some the other. However, the last few days it has been in exactly the same spot above my left eye.

Anyone else had such bad insomnia, does it get better, have you tried anything that has worked?

Sorry for long post and hope it makes sense, too sleep deprived to concentrate!

[joanna1990marie]

I'm having alot of sleepless nights, I wake up often and can't get back to sleep for a couple of hours, I also used to get migraines and the only way I could get rid of them was taking an anadin and putting a cool wet flannel on my forehead closing the curtains and going to sleep. Do you wear glasses? I went to the opticians even though my eyesight wasn't blurry and found out one was long sighted and the other short, I can see perfectly well beforehand but after wearing them themigraines went away because it took the strain off. The sleeping, well I think it's because you're worrying about not sleeping, think of how it was before the insomnia, think about what you used to think before you went to sleep. I bet it wasn't about not sleeping! But now it is and it's staying with you and making you concious about waking when you relax, try reading a book and get lost in it, and there's a good free app on play store with lots of relaxing sounds and music and just focus on the sounds rather than thoughts, it helped me. Hope this helps.

[noddyholder]

I go through phases of this have had some success with spray on magnesium

[Shodan]

I can't help with the migraines but wrt the insomnia, fgs get yourself to the doctor. This has gone beyond lavendar pillows- you need something to knock yourself out for a couple of nights.

I have had insomnia for nearly 30 years, off and on- usually anxiety or stress induced (and it can be the tiniest of stresses, like now, for instance- is our sitting room big enough for 8 small children to party in!) and I've tried all the home remedies. When it gets as bad as yours though, only Zopiclone does the trick.

I find that sometimes just having the pills there is comfort enough to stop the 'I can't sleep' panics and help me get to sleep, but if that doesn't work you can just take one.

After you've got that sorted, get some earplugs. I am a 'troubled sleeper' - light sleep, easy to wake, nightmares/dreams, restless- but if I have earplugs in I seem to sleep more deeply.

Also get your migraines checked by the doctor.