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?

Hi, haven't checked through all messages to see has anyone let you know about magnesium supplementation but it's often very curative of insomnia, and usually within a few days. I'm a fully qualified nutritional therapist. People often get good results taking around 900mg a day . If you've also got restless legs and/or cramps then those are also mg deficiency signs. Don't get magnesium oxide... it's cheap but not v absorbable (great for constipation though) . Mg citrate/bisglycinate/malate are all v good. Magnesium doesn't usually interact negatively with medication but if you are on any, check with your dr and take it at a separate time.
Sadly doctors don't seem to prescribe Mg for insomnia, cramps, restless legs, headaches, anxiety, fatigue or high blood pressure; but the evidence is all there in medical studies if you search them out. Brilliant and essential in pregnancy too. Good luck!

That was me. Got sorted through a combination of cbt, melatonin and strict sleep hygiene and now I sleep okish. But I remember how miserable it was, sympathy.

I see this is a few weeks old now but as a fellow insomniac - driven to suicidal ideation regularly since February 2020 (definitely due to lack of sleep and nothing else) - I didn’t want to skip past this.

Haven’t RTFT so sorry if I’m repeating things.

Firstly, a GP can prescribe 14 zopiclone tablets. They can. They don’t often want to mind but don’t be fobbed off. If you go to a sleep specialist (I see one through HCA at the shard) they’ll prescribe much larger quantities.

Magnesium does nothing for me (glycinate or threonate) but it works for a lot of people.

Melatonin is often better at 1mg or lower (Google it for studies) but some people need a fair whack to see an effect. You can buy it easily at iHerb or Biovea. It’s legal to buy from outside the UK. My psych prescribed 6mg (I have ADHD) but I find 1mg better. That said, it just helps a bit. It doesn’t give me a full nights sleep.

A kind woman on here once told me to try magnolia bark when I was on my knees. It’s ‘nature’s diazepam’ apparently. It won’t work for everyone obviously but it might be worth a try.

Nytol makes me whacky but phenergan does something. It’s not so much knocking me out but a lasting grogginess that can help keep me asleep. Sometimes. One I haven’t tried but that everyone says is better is Kirkland Sleep Aid (doxylamine succinate?) - you can buy this cheaply on Biovea.

Mirtazapine, trazadone and amitryptaline can all be used long term for sleep issues. They didn’t work for me but they knock most people out. A more hardcore one (only a specialist or a psych will prescribe - in my experience) is quetiapine. That’s my last resort as I worry about long-term effects.

What else…For me screens and all that crap do nothing. I don’t think long term issues are about that. That said, I have ADHD so stimulation will affect me differently to NTs.

I like yoga nidra if I want to do a guided relaxation in bed. I also go through phases with the Sleep with Me podcast where a man with a boring voice tells a meandering story that you don’t really care about.

I have just bought the Drowsy sleep mask which feels nice (light isn’t really an issue for me though) and I sleep with a white noise machine.

I hope something here helps someone. It’s fucking soul-destroying.

Are you peri menopausal? I started hrt a few weeks ago and the insomnia has definitely improved somewhat. Thought I would die the lack of sleep was just awful.

Oh also - CBTi helped my mam. She did Sleepio or Seep Station. I had an actual sleep therapist and he gave up on me because he couldn’t figure me out (suggests it wasn’t psychological).

And B12, D and iron levels can apparently make a difference. I was deficient in all 3 but fixing it didn’t make me sleep better. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Sleepio. Best wishes.

How old are you ? I’m starting HRT next month as it’s a common menopause symptom.,

Just skimming previous posts…

Amber glasses did nothing for me but to the poster who asked for recommendations, there are loads available online. Get a pair that’s not just cheap plastic as those ones are just awful to look through. Maybe worth a try instead of turning screens off early?

CBD also does nothing for me but I can see people have covered all bases there already.

I have a weighted blanket. It doesn’t help me sleep but it’s bloody lovely - especially when you’re feeling a bit sad. It’s like a hug. Get one. We all deserve a hug when we’re at our wits end in the early hours.

Totally agree that it takes over your ability to function, enjoy life and just BE YOU. It definitely contributed to problems in my last relationship (compounded by him being a twat but still ).

God, sorry - I swear this is the last one. A combo of supplements a lot bro-science and nootropics folks swear by is inositol, magnesium and l-threanine. Just in case anyone wants to dig into that.

Definitely magnesium supplements but also talk to the GP about taking Amyltriptimine.

Another long-termer here. Feeling everyone's pain, it's awful.

On the benzo issue- I've been prescribed a couple of short courses in the past & they don't work at all unless I take 2-3 of the 5mg tablets (temazepam). Then I sleep for a few hours and feel zombified for hours afterwards. So not a solution even if I could get them!

Quetiapine (mentioned somewhere above) was prescribed to me for 6 months at a low dose, and it took me from 2-3 hours of broken sleep to 5 solid hours, which felt like a miracle. That lasted for a year or so after I stopped the course.

Now I'm back to a couple of broken hours. My new GP at the time wouldn't prescribe it. Am tempted to ask my latest new GP about it. It didn't have any side effects other than dry mouth, and it worked. We'll see.

Hugs to all, it's shit

I've not slept yet and it's just a horrible vicious cycle.

I've been told I'm depressed and have 2 young children and I think sleep would help but I'm worried any medication would stop me from functioning properly in the mornings.

It's absolutely awful especially when I know my 3mo will be up in about an hour

Been given zopliclone for 7 days but was told to take one every other night,want to guess what night this is? Have phenagen?and melatonin but they dont work either.
Going to try this book next as every time I tried to read it in the daytime I'm nodding off

GPs are very reluctant to prescribe zopiclone these days and quite rightly so. Dh has had success with hypnotherapy.