To be at the end of my rope.....

[Supermanspants]

.... because I have had my 6th night in 9 where i have not slept even one minute. Tried everything. Feel very tearful. Is there any point in going to see my GP.... will they just suggest a hot bath and warm drink? Have had major issues with sleep the last few years but it seems to be getting worse.
Just ground down with it all now

[booooooooooom]

the effortless sleep method

I would urge you to read this. I did and my (ex)P did. We both suffered terribly. After reading this book...we didn't. Its been 2 years since I read it and I still sleep soundly almost every single night (DS permitting!!)

[AliceInUnderpants]

Glad your GP is being helpful. I suffer from the 'quality' of sleep. I'm lucky if I get 1 hour of 'deep sleep' a night, despite trying every kind of advice given. It sucks. This week I've averaged about half an hour a night

[PurpleHairAndPearls]

Very good news. I'm pleased to hear it I find if you can "break the cycle" even if it's temporary it does wonders for your mental health.

Glad the GP was nice - don't worry about the crying, it does help them to see the extent of the problem! I bring my own tissues these days after using up all my GPs
----
Fingers crossed for some lovely restful sleep!

[Supermanspants]

Purple
Well... after having a day from hell on Monday after no sleep Sunday I dragged my sorry arse to my GP and she was lovely. It all got a bit too much and I ended up a sobbing mess. She has given me sleeping pills for a month and then I am going back to review. She is possibly going to put me on something else(name escapes me) which I can then use longer term as they cause drowsiness without knocking me out and not as addictive as the ones I am on now. I have had two nights of sleep and I feel so much better. Ive only been taking half a tablet to see if that is enough and it seems to be ok.

[PurpleHairAndPearls]

How are you getting on superman? I thought of you in the early hours when I couldn't sleep! I have a rule not to go on MN before 5 though generally

[QOD]

Hi. I feel for you! I have a bad night every week or 10 days and then am so exhausted I can usually sleep OK for a while
I have melatonin that I brought back from the USA but find it gets me to sleep but I don't stay asleep. So even on 'good" nights I'm awake 2 or 3 times
sucks doesn't it?
Hope the gp çan help you

[Supermanspants]

Oh, you have my sympathies ish

[IDismyname]

I'm here, too. Bloody awake. Despite my best efforts and suggestions above.

Hang on in there. It's not long until morning. Get thee to the GP. ASAP.

[Supermanspants]

Well here I am again.
Excuse me while I fucking cry.
Hoping to get an appointment too see my GP at some point today.

[whois]

Like a PP I find audiobooks help. A familiar story told by a narrator I like, on a quiet volume, helps me drop off. Has to be a families story because you don't want to be desperate to hear what happens next! Then if I don't sleep at least I am resting with my eyes closed in my bed, listening to an enjoyable story.

[Geraniumred]

Earplugs. Also could try hypnotherapy as this can make you really, really relaxed . And valerian.

[Supermanspants]

Some more really helpful posts. Thank you so much to those who have made the effort to share your experiences and suggest things that may help. It is very much appreciated.
Shiny yes, I completely understand what you are saying and while I am shattered and ST's may give me a few good nights they are not the answer longer term.

My sister is going to get me some really good ear plugs...... she orders them from abroad somewhere so will see if they help although I do have my fan on for some background noise.

[Coldlightofday]

GP definitely. And keep going back until it is sorted.

The "Sleep with me" podcast has really worked for me - rather than being medatative, it tells a meandering boring story. It's just interesting enough to keep you listening but doesn't stop you nodding off. They're about an hour long and I have never got to the end of one- and it used to take me 2/3 hours to drop off.

Would also second Piriton. Works for me.

[wallywobbles]

The other thing is good ear plugs - but that in itself is a challenge. Really great mercurochrome ones from France again. All other ones are pants frankly.

[wallywobbles]

I have also used Valerian, but my doctor who also suffers, said they would either work or not, and in her case not. I found them to be a bit better than nothing.

[wallywobbles]

wally are they addictive?

No they are not at all. I take them semi-regularly but not every night, and stopped taking them over the summer, when I went through a good phase. I am awake in the night for a couple of hours most nights regardless of whether I am worried or not. These enable me to sleep through. Last night, as a result, I slept for 10 hours straight through - but I was exhausted. I

You might be able to get them through an online pharmacy from France.

[unlucky83]

Knobbly said something about hop pillows not being any good ...I mentioned buckwheat pillows - I thought I'd make clear that buckwheat and hop pillows are completely different things... buckwheat are a real pillow - an alternative to microfibre/feather pillows...not one of those sachets things. (And the rustling noise really does knock me out - I lay down to try them when they were new, in the daytime when I wasn't tired - was listening wondering if I would ever get used to the noise and fell asleep)
And looking at this thread seems to suggest that some people need no distractions - black out blinds/ear plugs/warm baths etc to get to sleep whilst others need something for their brain to focus on rather than sleep (watching TV in a recliner, listening to music).
I think which works probably depends on the real reason why you can sleep (which you may not be even aware of) ...and think it is worth trying both approaches....

[Breadwidow]

Your poor thing, it's the pits. I've had occasional insomnia for a while, often a PMT symptom and then it got worse after having kids - mainly in the form of sleep maintenance insomnia where I found it impossible to get back to sleep after night feeding though sometimes I am unable to get to sleep. Yours sounds like it's more intense than mine but if you are able to get to sleep and then wake up your GP may prescribe amitriptyline - it's an anti depressant but now more often used to treat insomnia and chronic pain and for that you take a much lower dose. I got prescribed it last spring when anxiety and having to cut short my maternity leave left me exhausted. I have found it very helpful, not a total cute as I still get the occasional bad night but overall much better. I also sometimes take piroton to help with getting to sleep when that is a problem. If you want to try something before seen your GP I'm told 5HTP (supplement) has similar affect as amitriptyline and I e taken it a few times when I've run out of my prescription and I think it works but maybe not as well - I do notice the difference when I take amitriptyline again after a few nights of not

[shinynewusername]

I am a GP with a special interest in sleep as I have suffered from insomnia since the age of 2.

Sleep is very complex. As well-meaning as the suggestions are on here, OP, they won't necessarily be right for you. Go back to your GP but go with an open mind. Sleeping tablets are not always a good option: on average, someone taking them only gets 20 minutes' more sleep than someone who takes a placebo (sugar pill) and it is not proper sleep as they prevent the normal sleep cycles of REM and deep sleep. And they are highly addictive, increase the risk of accidents and increase the risk of sudden, unexplained death. Having said all that, they can be wonderful for a small group of patients who really benefit from them. But it is important to realise why a good GP will want to explore the reasons for not sleeping, not just sign a prescription.

In the meantime, the most important things you can do are:

1. switch off all screens (including phone and Kindle unless it is the 1st generation Kindle with no backlight) for at least an hour before bed
   
   
2. cut out all caffeine after lunchtime (and preferably at all)
   
   
3. try to get outside into daylight for at least an hour a day (doesn't have to be all at once). This is important for resetting the hormones that control sleep & waking.
   
   
4. avoid alcohol - though it can help you pass out, it also interferes with sleep over the course of the night.
   
   Bedtime routines such as a bath help some people but make others worse by building anxiety about sleep, so experiment as to whether they help you.
   
   Valerian as suggested by a PP is a great idea.

[Oldisthenewblack]

I've not read all the posts on this thread, but I have struggled recently with insomnia. Well, all my life but particularly recently. I was recently given some antihistamines that also have a sedative effect, they're called Alimemazine. They really work for me, including drifting off again if I wake up in the night. I take one every now and again if I'm desperate. The only downside is that they sometimes give me a headache on waking, nothing major though.

Good luck, I know how distressing insomnia can be!

[ihearttc]

I had insomnia for a year. It started completely randomly on Christmas Eve 3 years ago. On a good night Id get about an hours sleep from 5am-6am but I often went days without any sleep at all.

My heart used to feel like it was racing...literally the second I was about to drop off it would jump and the whole falling asleep process would start all over again.

I had ECG's to check my heart was ok and was given sleeping tablets which actually didn't work either...GP said I was one of the few people he'd seen that couldn't even fall asleep on Zopiclone. They then decided it was Anxiety so gave me Amitriptyline which worked for a few months then I had another 6 weeks of no sleep at all. I did loads of research and asked GP to try me on Mirtazapine (another AD). He started me on 15mg with the instructions that I could go up to 45mg if I needed to. Nearly 18 months later Im still taking just 15mg and I can honestly say its changed me life. I realise that sounds dramatic but to go that long without sleep just destroys your life. I can't remember most of that year...so effectively I missed out on a year of my children's life.

I have put on around 1.5 stone since taking it but Im happy and Ive alive...there was a point when I wondered if people could die from lack of sleep.

Obviously won't work for everyone but it did for me.

[AliceScarlett]

CBT for insomnia has better outcome rates than zoplicline. Ask your gp for a referral.

[gobbynorthernbird]

Start a secret club, get a second job as a projectionist, make soap?

[PurpleHairAndPearls]

Thedevil that's interesting - I changed from ami to nortrip because of side effects but can't remember now what the actual problem was! I do have very vivid dreams (tramadol is the worst for this) but I find it's worth it as I am sleeping

What does ymmv stand for?

[Iliveinalighthousewiththeghost]

There's nothing worse when you can't catch your sleep and if its to the point where your having hallucinations then you must book in with your GP ASAP.