Severe insomnia

[Intohellbutstayingstrong]

I just want to cry. Still awake at 5am last night. Still awake now. Back and forth to GP over last two years. Sinking lower and lower. I just dont know what I can do anymore. I just cant cope with this.
Anyone else?

Longterm insomnia (>40 years following a head injury). I fall asleep for 20-40mins at a time and am very rarely asleep for 2hrs so don't ever remember dreaming.

Head injury? That's interesting. My sleep seems to have been a lot worse than usual in the last few weeks since I had a fall and banged my head - hard enough to split it open and need gluing. I used to wake after a couple of hours, read, then fall asleep again for an hour or two. Now I wake after an hour or so and that is it..........

How old are you?

It is so hard to explain how it affects us. On the surface, we seem OK and do manage to get on with every day life but e everything people just do normally is an effort for us. I get up every day unsure how ill make it to the end of the day and just counting the hours until its time to go to bed! I feel dizzy, lightheaded, mentally slow, struggling to concentrate. My OH misses the outgoing, cheeky, exuberant self and instead seem to have landed with a boring miserable self. I miss her too!

Yep...... this is me to.
I had no idea it was so common.... I guess you cant imagine anybody else sat up at 4am wide eyed and knackered but without even a single minutes sleep

I wonder how body clock also impacts insomnia. I watched this programme about body clock and it showed lots of people woukd have their deep sleep from 5am to 9am- exactly when most people are having to wake up. If you're sleep is broken constantly it's like living with jet lag and affects your body so much.

It also said a lot of people would naturally have 25 hour body clocks; going to bed an hour or so later naturally after a few days. Our bodies are struggling to stay on track.

I also can nap at night and then be awake. I honestly think I'm naturally nocturnal. Also the less you sleep the worse it gets. Doctors should prescribe more benzos. I spoke to a doctor who said most are too scared but are wrong in not prescribing more medications.

If I don’t need to get up I do tend to ‘sleep’ from 6.30 to 9 Ish.

Ursula. I think this is a big problem for many people with sleep issues. I think a lot of people would naturally go to bed late and wake up late with an afternoon nap. It obviously doesn't fit with most people's lives. Then the daily disruption makes people so tired it's hard to fall to sleep.

I go through periods of bad insomnia and had a really bad period once which lasted a year. For me it’s always linked to stress. I seem to have improved and got more relaxed about not sleeping recently but then again it may just be a phase. I listen to talking podcasts which helps to switch my mind off. It’s really awful so I feel for you

I fell asleep at midnight last night and was up again before 2. Went to bed again at 5.15 then my alarm went off for work at 6.45. I am knackered now. I go through phases of insomnia, my worst was about 18 months long, that nearly broke me

@Raven88 and Zoflorabore: Thanks for the info re CBD oil. I didn't realise it was legal, I might give that a try.

@IDismyname - that's interesting about the acupuncture, I didn't realise that could be an option. Is it a Chinese clinic? I'd be interested to hear more about that, if you are happy to share a few more details.

I'm so happy I found this thread, insomnia is a very isolating condition, so this thread is very helpful.

Re medication, like others I have found Zopiclone helpful, and Diazapam better - but getting a prescription is nearly impossible. I've self medicated using a combination of antihistamine (piriton/cetirizine h) and ibuprofen, when I've been overtired and had a headache coming on at bed time, and found that combination seemed to work. I thought maybe I'd just imagined that it helped, but a PP mentioned upthread that Tylenol (American drug?) contains this same combination, which might mean I'm onto a winning combination! ☺ Drugs can have side effects (especially on stomach/liver, long term) so this may not be a perfect solution, but like others have said, insomnia has such an awful affect on quality of life that maybe drugs are worth trying, especially for those who do important jobs and need to be on the ball.

Thanks all of you on the CBD recommendations. I’ll look into that.

The chap I saw said that the Chinese acupuncture treatment was a very similar approach for anyone with insomnia, hence his trial with 12 of us guinea pigs. He was going to contact our local hospital which has a sleep clinic to see if he could take it further.

I’ve continued going every few weeks, and he’s tailoring it a bit more to encompass my anxiety. I also have a few pressure points to press at night if I can’t settle again. I’ve stopped doing a diary but it was giving me an average of 25 mins extra a night on top of maybe 3-4 hours.

I think if the person belongs to the British Council of Acupuncture then they should be ok.

It’s not been a complete cure, but is giving me options beyond the drug options of antihistamines, melatonin etc.

Read the book the effortless sleep method by Sasha Stephens and then read her 2nd book the effortless sleep companion. They will definitely help you if you have insomnia

Does anyone else feel like their sleep issues are linked to having children? Before the dc I used to sleep like a log but since, it takes me forever to get to sleep (sometimes 3-4 hours) and i wake up several times in the night.

I've ordered a weighted blanket, to see if that helps me to sleep better.

Another non sleeper here.. Iv been like it for years. So bloody boring.. Roaming around the house.. Sometimes having a walk up and down the drive sweating. Iv baked. Made casseroles Done all ironing. Cleaned all the cupboards.... Eventually fall asleep at about 6

HAve tried most of above...temazepam works a treat but of course not longterm.
Was prescrbed Clonazepam by a sleep clinic , no joy lol

Piriton drowsy tablets worked for me, took a few plus ear plugs and seems to be ok. You have my sympathy as I am a frequent night clockwatcher and it is awful

Have you tried no computer or bluescreen after 6pm and amber tinted glasses :) www.re-timer.com/i-cured-years-of-insomnia-how-woman-used-hi-tech-glasses-to-change-her-life/

aslo I tried this brand of melatonin tabs and it worked, possibly a placebo but hey www.amazon.com/s?ref=nb_sb_noss_2&k=melatonin+tablet+natrol&tag=mumsnetforu03-21

another amber tinted www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/12/171215135144.htm

Has anyone here used them and can recommended a good brand?

Benadryl works for me, I take 2 at night, I'd tried literally everything else, it's the one with acrivastin

2 hrs sleep last might 2am garden picnic wasnt too cold some clockwatching aaargh

Have you tried an antihistamine called Doxylamine succinate? You can buy it over the counter in many countries in Europe. It's very good and not much hangover

1. No technology at least 1 hour before bed. Blue light messes with your circadian rhythm. No tv, no phone, nothing.
2. No caffeine after 2pm. No caffeine after 1pm if you can.
3. High strenght quality magnesium everyday.

@MitziK

I've suffered from insomnia ever since I can remember, and have found these gb.pipingrock.com/melatonin/melatonin-10-mg-120-tablets-4232, plus a good quality cbd oil have helped enormously. I have slept about 8 hours per night almost every night since I started them, and actually wake up feeling refreshed rather than zombie-like.