Insomniacs - how do you get through the work day?

[Thejewellershands]

I sleep very badly, I always have. But sometimes I go through phases where it gets even worse for a few weeks or months. During these phases I will fall asleep for a couple of hours then wake up at about 3am and can't get back to sleep. When I work from home it's ok because I can usually fall back to sleep at about 7am for a couple of hours, but when I have to be up at 6am on my office days I often have to go in on only 3 hours sleep. If its a one off I can push through, but when I've had a few nights of only 3 hours sleep I feel very ill.

I've had to call in sick once before because of this. I couldn't concentrate, the computer screen was giving me headache and making me dizzy and I was just so tired that I couldn't push through, I needed to go home.

The past week has been this same and today I have once again been awake since 3am and it's making me actually feel depressed. I am wondering how I'm going to get through the day today, I already have a banging headache and feel absolute crushing exhaustion.

How can I make these work days bearable when I have to keep going in like this? I don't drink tea or coffee so don't have caffeine to help me. I have thought about taking things like pro plus but I'm worried it will make me feel worse

Insomnia is a very strange thing - it can be very debilitating yet there seems to be no effective medication. When diazepam was fairly freely available I used to take that. However, now it's strictly regulated.

Over the years I've had no end of well-meaning advice from friends such as 'well, if you're tired you'll sleep, warm milky drink, etc, but it doesn't work like that - I can be exhausted and still remain awake all night. I feel wired. I wonder if it might be a disordered adrenalin release. Has anyone experienced similar?

I did hear that there's a new drug being licenced in the UK which may be of interest to those fellow insomniacs - details below:

'Quviviq (Daridorexant) is a new treatment for chronic insomnia that has recently been approved in the UK and will soon be available in pharmacies. It works by temporarily blocking a transmitter in the brain that causes wakefulness, therefore helping us to fall asleep and stay asleep'

Night shift, I’ve never been able to sleep at night but I sleep solidly during the day

I’m a life long insomniac, my earliest memories are being awake for hours when everyone else in the house was asleep.I feel your pain.

What I’ve accepted is that I’m a bi phasic sleeper. Apparently before the Industrial Revolution & electric light this was how most people slept. So go to bed, sleep for couple of hours, wake for a couple of hours then sleep again.

Accepting this & not stressing about being awake helps. Easier said then done, I have a full on job, manage a lot of people so I know the stress of feeling awful but having to get on with it. An eye mask, blackout curtains & a weighted blanket have definitely helped too.

I wonder if there is something in the body clock that causes it. Where some people are natural night owls and others natural early birds. Maybe trying to change our natural body clock to fit a regular lifestyle is like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.
I also get plenty of exercise during the day, so it's not like my body isn't tired enough or stuff like that. Sometimes I've not been able to sleep after an all day hike either.
Yes all my (previous) partners have given me their share of unhelpful and at times condescending advice. (oh a glass of milk before bed, sure I hadn't thought of that yet and already test and tried it a 100 times). Yet my day and nighttime routine is/was the same as theirs, but it's not keeping them up. People that don't have this don't get it.

Radical idea but at the end of the day I think insomnia is your body's way (or mind's way) of telling you that your current lifestyle isn't working for you. You are doing too much. Even if you don't feel like it. Something has gone wrong somewhere. It sounds like too much but honestly I would take some time off work or instigate a massive career change - maybe you should work from home full time/part time. I had to give up a job in the past due to insomnia. I work part time afternoons now and much better. If I am wide awake in the middle of the night, I know it's ok because I haven't got to get up at 7am....and then sleep ensues..

After being an excellent sleeper for most of my life, once I hit 40 this is the problem I got as well. Unfortunately, I got so anxious about it that I ended up having 18 months of hardly any sleep at all. I went to the GP and he prescribed Amitriptyline and this works really rather well, unless I am very stressed then it won't.

Another long term insomniac here - although I think I'm just used to it now and regularly function on very little sleep. Mu current system seems to be sleep until 2ish, awake for exactly 2.5hrs then a 1-1.5hr nap before getting up. I also have 2 small children (5 and 2), full time job and just finished a full time degree too.

I agree with this poster - Phenergen is the only thing that has ever worked for me, plus it can be taken long term. I only stopped taking it as cosleeping.

I actually have some amitriptyline but I'm too scared to take it. What dosage do you use for sleep?

Don't be scared to take it. I take 20 mg (2 x 10 mg tablets). When you first take it, you might find that you will be fuzzy headed the next day but this soon wears off once you get used to it. It has been a literal lifesaver for me.

Low doses of amitryptiline are used for sleep usually 10-25mg. Insomnia really is miserable

I use Nytol and I take it at bedtime if I have had a bad night the previous day and have to work. It works most of the time but I don't take it more than twice a week.

Sleepstation (which is CBTi) is worth doing if you don't already understand the basic principles of healthy sleep patterns.

Depending on your age it might also be worths seeing your GP about HRT. I found it didn't cure my insomnia, but made the impacts of it much easier to cope with. Some women find it helps with the insomnia too.

I also usually find after a bad night that I am reasonable OK in the morning, so I try and do the most difficult tasks in the morning, go for a walk at lunchtime, then do more routine stuff in the afternoon which needs less brainpower. But obviously that depends what type of job you do.

You have my sympathy OP, it's really tough.

Were you prescribed amitriptyline for this purpose?

It's a tricyclic drug, it's not one to take casually without following the guidance on when to take/stop taking it or without medical oversight.

Phenergan (promethazine) can also cause dependency and discontinuation symptoms. It's a drug that's abused and there are calls to restrict its availability. So I would be cautious about becoming reliant on it or taking it routinely as you may store up more problems for yourself.

What do you do when you wake in the night? Do you let your mind spin off into thinking or worrying about things? Do you get up?

Some types of thoughts can activate different parts of your brain - some of these make you more alert which will stop you getting back to sleep.

No I haven't been prescribed it, that's why I'm too scared to take it. It's been sitting in my bedroom drawer for ages, probably out of date by now anyway.

When I wake in the night I just try to get back to sleep. I just try and clear my mind and relax. I know that some people say they wake up after a few hours and are wide awake so they read for a bit or get up and do something, but in my case Im not wise awake, I'm very very tired. I wake up after a few hours feeling groggy and exhausted so I sleepily walk to the bathroom and get straight back in bed. I couldn't read or anything because I'm too tired to do so. Lying in bed with my eyes closed feels better than doing something

Right, I wondered if that was the case. Then absolutely do NOT take it.

But if you're at that level of desperation, it is worth talking to your GP.

Life long insomniac, I don't fight it now. I'll get up and have a wander round the house. I listen to a lot of radio 4 and the World service.

I've got to the stage in my career where if I wake up late I just let them know I've had a bad night and I catch up later.

Naps are good.

And every so often I have an early night and catch up with myself. Which is blissful.

Also I try and practice good sleep practices too.

Oh and HRT helped too.

BarrelOfOtters,

Do you find that you are no longer anxious about not having had much sleep? How do you function during the day? Has it affected any areas of your life? (sorry for all the questions!)

I'm less anxious than I used to be about not having had a decent night's sleep which in itself helps. I kind of power through as much as I can. But I've been honest at work about it which has helped me. But my job isn't a critical one! If I'm a bit sleepy or late no one is going to die.

Sorry you are going though this OP.

What I do is I tell myself I'm special and built for when civilisation collapses! 😅And that many clever people are insomniacs!

A few pointers:

After years of it bothering me, I accepted it. I'm a nightowl and like the quiet of the night. Also let go of worry about 8 hours sleep. 5 is what I aim for. 4 will do. 6 is good.

I listen to podcasts and have memory foam ear plugs and an eye mask. I recommend Musicosy eye masks from Amazon.

I put teaspoons in the freezer to put over my eyes for the morning! It makes me feel better and is an instant pickmeup.

I do drink a fair bit of coffee (mornings only). Is there a reason why you don't drink it?
One nice strong coffee can really help, I appreciate it's not for everyone.

I did try Proplus for a time but wouldn't recommend it, it made me crazily wired.

Cacao powder has caffeine but also has magnesium to help with sleep. I use it like instant coffee, made with boiling water and a splash of milk. I only drink it in the morning because of the caffeine.

I’d also ask for an OH referral. Depending where you work that can lead to further help, as well as managing your work.
Is there some flexibility with your office days so it can be adjusted when you are in a cycle?
This is the kind of thing OH is there for.

I feel your pain. I'm wfh today, but didn't fall asleep till 12.30am and was wide awake 3 hours later.

Now, my eyes are stinging, my head is banging and I can't concentrate at work.

I'd nap, but I'm incapable of napping during the day too.

Doc gave me phenergern hydrochloride (I think that's what its called) at 25mg and at first it was a revelation and for the first time I was sleeping 8+ hours. But then, it all went wrong. The tablets started to give me horrific restless legs, like off the charts bad restlessness.

So I'm back to square one now..

Most nights I go to bed early enough to fit 2 sleeps in. I listen to audio books via sleep band headphones to stop me over thinking/worrying and when I start to feel sleepy I set the timer for a few minutes. Audio books are free from your library. This has been my sleep pattern since menopause.

What time do you go to bed?

I take Mirtazapine every night. It’s an anti depressant but in low doses works well for insomnia.