Any insomniacs out there? Any advice welcome!

[MepsiPax]

My inability to fall asleep and stay asleep is slowly driving me mad. I have never (as an adult) slept particularly well,but it has reached a whole new level lately. Bit of background,I'm 55,I have various chronic illness,i.e. rheumatoid and osteo arthritis and fibromyalgia. I have had the first two for 20 odd years,and the last one was diagnosed 3 years ago,although I suspect I had had it for about 5 - 6 years prior to the diagnosis. I also have severe tendonitis and RSI in my right shoulder.

I take fairly strong slow release painkillers,that work pretty well at keeping my pain under control,so it's not because I am in pain that I can't sleep. I have tried all the usual advice,e.g. making sure my bedroom is really dark,not too hot/cold,I don't watch TV less than an hour or so before going to bed,and I don't use my iPad or phone close to bedtime. I also don't keep my phone in my bedroom at night. I've also tried milky drinks and herbal sleep aid tablets. There is no excessive noise bothering me,so I know it's not that. The only thing I can't try is a warm relaxing bath,as due to my bad joints,I cannot get in or out of the bath,I always have showers.

It can take me up to 3 hours on a bad night to fall asleep. Then I'll stay asleep for an hour or so,wake up again,then not be able to fall asleep for another 2 hours. Some nights,I only manage about 2.5 - 3 hours sleep,and I feel permanently exhausted. It makes no difference what time I go to bed either.
Anyone else had severe problems sleeping,and if so,have you managed to overcome it,and how?

I have terrible trouble falling asleep - I am usually awake until gone 2am every night - and then, in the morning, I am so shattered, I can’t wake up.

I have tried a short course of prescription sleeping tablets, to see if they got me back into a better pattern, but they didn’t. I take mirtazipine at night, which is supposed to have a sedative effect - it did at first but doesn’t any more.

A friend has advised taking magnesium supplements before bed - I am going to try this starting tonight, along with a pillow mist spray - I will let you know if it helps.

Have you been through menopause? If so..recently? Because for me, sleep was the first thing to go, and the first thing to get better with HRT. So, worth considering that there may be a hormonal basis.

Other than that.....sitting up listening to an audio book.

You have to sit up (comfortably) and keep your eyes open while listening. It’s odd but trying to stay awake is a pretty effective way of falling asleep....probably because you’ve moved out of the “agggh, can’t sleep” mindset into a different, less anxious one.

When you feel yourself drifting, lie down and carry on listening. It works for me, so worth a try.

If you wake after a few hours (very common when under stress) you need to stay in bed, in the same position no matter what. If you need the loo, don’t switch on lights and get straight back into bed. Do the sitting up audio book listening thing again if you need to.

Just to reiterate....it’s really important to move your mind from “Want to go to sleep” to “Must stay awake”. It’s that psychological shift that makes the difference.

I went through the menopause about 4 - 5 years ago,no problems really,just the occasional hot flush. But even before the menopause,I had problems sleeping. It's just got worse in the last year or so.
I can understand the psychology behind the 'Must stay awake' and 'Want to sleep' method. I know from experience that if I've had to be up early for say,a hospital appointment,and I wake up half an hour before I actually have to get up,I know that if I lay in bed thinking 'Must stay awake',I'll be back asleep within 5 minutes. I think that I will give this a try at night.