Insomnia friends; bye bye 2010 the year of bad sleep, hello 2011 the year of good sleep!

[BeckyBendyLegs]

How about this then everyone?

Hi, Newbie here. Have read a bit of the old thread but its VEEEEERRRRY long.

Thought I'd come on just for a bit of a vent really and to finally speak to people who understand.

I have suffered insomnia on and off since i was 15 (wow thats 10 bloody years ) As a general rule I sleep about 4 hours a night but have been known to cope on less than 2.
When i was a teenager i got into the really bad habit of taking night nurse to help me sleep, which did work but left me groggy as i always took too much and obv became very addictive, not easy to come off I'll tell you. I have taken it a few times recently but know i musnt.
About 4 years ago I finally saw my GP about it and she put me on various antdepressants, none of which worked. She then put me on zopiclone which worked a charm. I was on these for around 6 months until she was struck off for malpractice and my new GP told me that they arent a long term solution. I came off them which was very hard and went back to my 4 hours a night.

I then got pregnant, left my OH and moved back in with my parents. All very stressful but for the first 6 months of my DC being here we both slept like frickin logs. She is a bloody miracle.

For past 18 months things have been going back to what I call normal in terms of sleep but past 2 weeks have taken the biscuit.

I have slept for about 15 hours in the past 2 weeks and am at my wits end.

My dear mum bought me the paul mckenna sleep CD for xmas but havent the heart to tell her i wont use it... his voice really bloody annoys me.

Anyway sorry for long story, just needed to vent a bit.

i'll drink to that..still awake even after 4 hours exercise!!!!!!!!!!!!

Still awake... Black books keeping me company

what are they...im being boring and reading cookery books..as if i havent had enough food.

Gotta love cookery books, all the things you will never cook!
The low point is flicking through the argos catalogue. Mine is so well thumbed its got pages falling out

BTW Black books is a TV show starring Dylan Moran and Bill Bailey... Its piss funny but I had to turn it off, it was counterproductive!

Well I hope everyone had a good sleep. I was doing great until LO got in my bed at 7.30and asked if we could watch toy story 3. Again! I love the little bugger more than life itself but I'm now knackered and miserable after we both balled our eyes out at the end she's asked to watch wall e this aft. Not with me she ain't, crying at one cartoon a day is my limit!

Hi all happy New Year and welcome to Frikadela

Sorry have been struggling and still am so not in a mood to write a lot about myself. Sleep is pants with DH poorly coughing and complaining of headaches and having a temp and ds having midnight parties and me needing only the slightest excuse to be wide awake thoughts racing

How are we all doing?

Oh madmouse poor you:( Hope it's just a phase with your DS and your DH gets better soon. It's so difficult somehow to get back into a good sleep cycle when so much is going on around you and in your head. Do you get up when you can't sleep or stay in bed?

I'm Ok. Have had a lovely day in Eastbourne with one of my old school friends and her DDs and got to meet her new DP today. Really pleased for her as she's been on her own for a very long time. We had a nice catch up and all the girls played together. The only problem is the time always goes so quickly!

I'm sleeping fairly well atm. Not sure if I will tonight though as had an extra coffee today so will have to wait and see. Did have long walk to the park though so hopefully OK.

Hi everyone.

Well i had a good nye, got drunk and slept for 6 hours, bloody miracle!!!
But last 2 nights, back to my usual 4 hours, but i can cope with that.

Happy new year to you all and here's hoping its going to be better for all of us.

Am off to bed now, hope i can get at least 4 hours or i wont function for my first day back at work tomorrow.

fell asleep on the couch for 30minutes..woke up and went to bed. now i cant sleep as my arms,from the shoulders to my hands are giving me soo much pain. they have gone really weak over the last 6weeks or so and i am soo tired(but too tired to sleep IYGWIM.
dont feel good at all...body feels sooooooooo weak.and my hands are on fire.

Oh madmouse. I echo what Orangeflutie says and hope that this is just a phase. January is the worst month of the year in my opinion. It is the most stressful month. I count the days down until it is over.

Today is the first day back at school here. Madness. DS3 is really clingy at the moment and whiney and I'm trying really hard to be calm and collected and just accept that 'this is just a phase' but it really gratese on me sometimes. I can't do anything, even go to the loo. It's hard work.

DS2 is now full-time at big school and in a new class. I feel really emotional. I won't have to pick him up at lunchtime anymore but I will miss him so much. He looked so little going into a proper classroom this morning. He's the youngest in the class (most of the children are the year above - Year 1). It feels very odd just being me and DS3 at home now.

Sorry things are difficult madmouse . I agree about january. Have been some horrible anxiety late night for last few days for no obvious reason. Hope things get better really soon.

Hi everyone x

Hi all and happy new year!

alypaly that sounds awful, what's wrong with your arms/hands? Is it RSI or something?

Hope you're feeling a bit brighter today madmouse. I agree with what the others are saying - a really hard time of year in many ways, lots of winter still to get through and the anti climax after Christmas.

for your little boy becky being the little one in his class! Hope it goes well and he comes home excited.

kizzie good to see you're still around on here, hope your anxiety gets better.

And hello to everyone else new and old!

I've had a lovely break but am absolutely terrified going back to work tomorrow as I have got into a bit of a dispute with my boss (my employer = my boss, no HR department or anything to neutralise things!) and he is a scary man. I've been off for four weeks and god knows what is going to happen tomorrow... but i refuse to slope off and I am going to try and find a new job whilst still there... may not be easy to do though esp finding part-time work .

Oh well, here's to this year being better than last, can't be much worse!

Belated Happy New Year everyone! (I would say here's to a better year than last, but that may not apply to all).

Welcome Frikadela - I think Black Books is a good companion :)

madmouse , I'm sorry that things are tough at the moment, and hope nights improve soon.

orangeflutie , I hope you slept last night despite the coffee.

FeelingOld I hope work went ok.

alypaly , that sounds nasty :( Is it trapped nerves?

Becky , I hope you have a tired but happy DS after first day at big school.

kizzie , I hope the anxiety lessens soon :( it's horrible having it at night.

Arcadia , will send good thoughts at your boss tomorrow.

I finally caved, explained sleep issues to GP and specifically asked if anything could help (not even lying down til 4 am now :( ).

They've given me promethazine / Phenergan (anti-histamine) to take at night - has anyone tried this?

Hi Snowmash

I've taken promethazine/phenergan. It's also known as 'Sominex' and can be bought over the counter. It can work quite well but you do have to take it a good hour or so before you actually need to go to sleep as it takes a while to work.

It used to work for me quite well but when I last tried it about two weeks ago when I was having sleep problems, it no longer seemed to work.

I hope it works for you and you start having some better nights x

P.S I would recommend taking two.

Hi snowmash I've also taken promethazine. It is the thing that makes you feel sleepy in nightnurse. I found you could buy it on it's own over the counter under the name 'Sominex' (be careful though - there is also a sominex herbal which is valerian based which doesn't work well for me and gives me nightmares sometimes). I believe it's the same as phenargan. I take 20mg which is good but it's not as strong as zopiclone. I may still wake up on the promethazine but I will get back to sleep more easily. I find it works pretty much straight away (within half an hour of taking it).

Anti-hystamines like this are definitely preferable to the prescription sleeping pills as they are not as strong and they are not physically addictive.

If you took it every night it would probably wear off after a couple of weeks. I don't take it every night and I rotate it with other things to give it a better chance of working.

Good luck, I hope you sleep well!

Hello all

Hope tomorrow goes ok arcadia - hold your head up high and walk in with confidence. I always think that people who look confident are generally treated better than those who don't. I tried to do it today at work - someone at work was quite rude to me, I saw her later on the same day and just tried to look confident rather than all timid and pathetic like how I feel inside. Remember you have done nothing wrong, it's your boss that's got the problem. I hate that back to work feeling though. It's really crappy. I hated being back at work today.

becky aww your poor little DS. I bet he loved it though, being with the big boys and girls. It's a bit of a milestone I bet. Think of all the afternoons you will have just you and DS3 though - more freedom to go out for coffees and meet up with friends?

Hi orangeflut hope you are doing ok, glad to see you've been generally sleeping quite well that is really positive.

madmouse sorry to hear you are really struggling, if it helps to talk to us please do. It's rotten when DH is ill as well as you not feeling great.

Waves to kizzie how are you doing? Sorry to hear about the anxiety.

Hello to alypaly snowmash and feelingold sorry to hear you are all suffering with insomnia too, it's hideous. I've found this thread a great support though.

I had a pretty terrible night last night. DH is ill at the moment and his nose is all bunged up, hence snoring like a motorbike Everytime I kicked him tapped him gently on the shoulder he would stop for a few seconds then start again! Arrggh! Really tired today.

orangeflutie and Arcadia , thanks for the feedback.

It definitely sounds worth a try for short-term :) (hopefully after that I will have a plan of action from MH services).

Thanks getdown you're so right I have to keep telling myself I've done nothing wrong. I keep feeling that I've been really 'naughty' but all I've done is stand up for myself, I've been perfectly polite about it! Must repeat like a mantra... I've done nothing wrong ... all day tomorrow!

First day back is hellish anyway isn't it, sorry someone was rude to you . Why does work have to be so stressful?

arcadia I have just noticed, you've dropped your numbers from your nickname!!

Hey peeps. I too have taken various antihistamines over the years. they may not be physically addictive but be warned, psychological addiction is just as hard to beat. The sleep you get isnt like proper sleep either.

I've heard people suggest taking melatonin supplements but never found them over here.

Darts has been helping me past couple of nights, its like being hypnotised

frikadela , melatonin is over here (I used to get it on prescription).

But that was only because a DSib got it via CAMHS, and I take too many drugs already, so it was one of the few I could take.

Good luck today Arcadia.

GetDown I've had a bad night too (although hope you had a better night last night). Anxiety and stress getting the better of me. Stupid, stupid anxiety I bloody hate it. I guess it's the back-to-school and back-to-normal thing catching up with me. DH has a job interview today too and won't be back until 9pm. I just feel stressed and anxious and my stomach is in knots. I hate it. I so hate it. What is this? It can't still be 'P' ND can it? Am I just destined to spend life stressing and worrying about sleep and life and all that stuff? I just want to be normal.