Insomnia

[Marylou62]

Please help me.
I'm going mad with this now. I'm exhausted.

I went to bed last night and asleep by 10pm..I have no trouble getting to sleep..

I woke up at 1.30am and basically gave up on sleeping at 5am.

I was resting and drifting off but then my mind would start up again!
My mind just won't stop thinking..

I'm not particularly stressed.

Stopped screens over 6 weeks ago. (Still watching TV but 'gentle' TV)

Stopped tea as well after 4pm but only drink decaf anyway. Cut back on water as well so not up for a wee.

I used to take amitriptyline 10mg but stopped a while ago.. not keen to restart as there's a link with dementia. But willing to start taking it again as I do have some.

I've tried Nytol (over counter one) which works but I try not to use it much as I can feel a bit spaced out. Only use it when I'm desperate.

I've just ordered some magnesium which will come tomorrow...

I've probably forgotten something as I'm so tired..
I'm getting ready for work now and absolutely dreading getting through the day..

I'll add I'm through the menopause but still have hot flushes at night..

As mentioned on other thread I already play the 'alphabet' game and just as I'm drifting off my brain suddenly reactivates and I'm back to square one.

I've not had any alcohol for months and I don't smoke..

Anything I might have missed?

I'm not sure if you have taken or can't take hrt but that's the only thing that sorted my sleep.
Melatonin reduces so there is enough to get you to nod off but then it fails and you wake again.
Can you be prescribed some meltonin if you don't want HRT?
You could have a very small dose patch? If you are still having hot flushes at night then you aren't through the menopause.
My DD takes a 2mg melatonin which I occasionally take and it knocks me right out but not in a groggy way.
Magnesium didn't help me but it's good to try it.

Sorry.. should have said I can't have HRT as I have had a DVT and multiple pulmonary embolisms .
I am on vaginal HRT but a very low dose..

And I have no problem with going to sleep at all.. it's just waking after just a few hours...

It might be a form of chemical intolerance causing hyperactivity. The Mediterranean diet spruiked so loudly is terrible for me.

Read right through this www.fedup.com.au/, join the fb page and go to a good dietitian for help.

Re: magnesium, magnesium glycinate is much more effective than any old cheap magnesium. I thought this was marketing hype but definitely true for me.

Yes I read that just this morning and already ordered it.. thanks

Thank you... I'll read later when I have time..

OP I wonder if you might be able to have HRT patches. I’ve had 2 DVTs and have inherited thrombophilia but I was cleared for HRT patches by the specialists. It might be worth asking your GP.

Huge sympathy for the insomnia…I have it a lot and it’s awful. Honestly my best resource is talking books - if I can’t stop thinking, they distract me from my thoughts and often I then drop off. May be broken sleep but better than none.

also wonder if you’ve cut out the TV and screens so much, it’s giving you fewer distractions from your thoughts overall, and you could perhaps try some slightly more interesting TV?

I was told by a sleep specialist once not to drink ANY tea or coffee, as even decaf contains caffeine.

I would try melatonin. I am prone to the insomnia you describe rather than the sort where you can't get to sleep initially. I buy it online from Piping Rock - just the 3mg ones - and, along with magnesium, it works a treat. If I don't take it for a week I soon notice the difference.

thankyou for this advice.

thankyou..I've started magnesium and will wait a while to see if it works.

I listen to audiobooks to fall asleep. If I wake in the night I hit 'play' and drift off again. The audiobooks have to be unexciting and either something without much of a narrative, or a story I know fairly well, so that FOMO won't keep me alert. The reader has to have a soothing voice. Anything by Kazuo Ishiguro works well! I use a Pillowtalk speaker under my pillow.

What works for me:
Reading for a little while before trying to sleep
Having an audiobook/radio/music on low all night
Having a notebook and pen next to the bed for when I wake up thinking about something. If I write it down it tells my brain that I can think about it tomorrow so I can sleep now
Having a small snack (usually a couple of biscuits) by the bed so if I wake up hungry I have that.

I take a magnesium supplement every day and sometimes I will have a bath with Epsom salts (magnesium) and lavender in it before bed. I also find that it is better if I don't try to sleep too early. I go to bed around 9pm because I am tired, but usually read until around 10.30, by which time I am really sleepy.
if I feel that I really can't go another night without sleeping properly I will take a cetirizine antihistamine which really makes me sleep. I take it early in the evening, half if I have work the next day, a whole one if I can sleep in.

I feel for you - on Wednesday night/Thursday morning I woke up at 1.30 and went to sleep around 5.30. I didn't take a cetirizine because if I take it too late it zonks me out for the next day. I realised also, after about 3 hours, that my audiobook was a bit too exciting. You need to choose something gentle that you can go to sleep to, not something that you want to know what happens next! Sometimes I stay awake whatever I do - so I just make up for it next day. I took a cetirizine last night and slept for nearly 12 hours. Wonderful!

I'm another advocate for listening to something to calm your brain down if you wake. I listen to night time radio stations, such as LBC and Talk Radio. I also have a multitude of podcasts to listen to. This is the only way I can switch my brain off and drift off again. I've had insomnia for over 30 years and after having my Ds who fed every 1.5 hours as a baby.
I've tried every medication going (Zopiclone 7.5mg work best for me but you have to be relaxed before you take them - I suffer no morning sleepiness or drowsiness with them and GP's not easily persuaded to prescribe them but were a lifesaver for me). When I had no medication left, I used to use a couple of glasses of red wine to try and sedate my brain. Obviously that is absolutely not the answer but it would make me drowsy and able to doze long enough to enable me to function the next day. I would get absolutely hyper with panic after a 'no sleep' night and be wired for days. Have gone months without sleep to the point where it drove me to suicidal thoughts. I have previously been assessed by sleep clinic put on Pregabalin (not for me..), so in a nutshell, good old Podcasts have finally helped this desperate woman! Sadly, this has probably contributed to two divorces and I now know I have to live and sleep alone-i really need my own space. I am 💯 happier now I have my sleep back but it's taken a wicked toll. I hope you find a solution. A decent and understanding GP is essential.