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

[BeckyBendyLegs]

How about this then everyone?

After a month of sleeping really well, didn't sleep well last night, I'm tired zzz

Poor you becky One bad night in a month is not bad though! Were you worrying about anything? Tonight will be better xxx

No, I was just thinking 'oh I'm nearly asleep', then I was still awake over and over. Really stupid! Then my ipod had run out of battery!!!

Hi all,

I've not been sleeping well either Becky I've been struggling for about a week now. i'm trying not to worry about it but I am starting to get a bit scared. I have 1 zopiclone left and am thinking about going back to my GP for more.

Maybe tonight will be different.

Fingers crossed things are better for you.

holly hope you've had some better sleep now.

Need some urgent advice please ladies. Have just managed to get a new job (offered to me yesterday) and am really, really excited about it but guess what? Sleep has been disrupted again due to the adrenaline/excitement/thinking about it (and worrying a bit about giving in my notice at my current job, all the implications etc.).

I am staying with family in Norfolk (together with DD & DP) and so bed is unfamiliar and very light in the mornings especially in the room we are staying in. Had set these few days aside to come off my nytol/sominex/amitriptyline (don't take all at once! but in rotation) which I have ended up taking nearly every night and I want to be able to do without.

Last two mornings have woken up at 4am and not got back to sleep. Going to sleep at 11 so am getting 5 hours unbroken sleep. The two nights before that weren't great either as one was the night after the interview and one was the night before coming away (and sunny in the mornings).

Maybe it is bad timing to try and come off the pills but I don't have to work, can snooze in the day if possible and have lots of help and support around me for these few days.

Shall I stick with it or resort to the pills again? Can I manage on five hours a night for a few days do you think?

Just seems to become an adrenaline cycle as the more sleep deprived I am the more adrenaline seems to be released to keep me alert and the more I feel anxious and can't switch off.

Any input welcome! Thanks.

Hi Arcadia and everyone else:)

A bit of a dilemma for you. It's frustrating when you want to come off sleep aids and the timings not quite right. Are you coming off all at once or reducing gradually? I'm also finding the light mornings are disturbing me at the moment. The curtains in our bedroom are very light. I need to sort out blackouts. I woke up yesterday at 4.30 am and couldn't get back to sleep. Interestingly this had coincided with a stressful day and my appetite had also been low. The adrenaline thing I think is a problem for me too so I do sympathise.

If you feel you can manage on 5 hours maybe stick with it, but make a note of how you are managing during the day. If it gets too much maybe come off pills over longer time or try going down the herbal remedy route?

Good luck x

Thanks orangeflutie. Haven't seen you on here for a while, hope all is OK with you?
I did manage to go back for another couple of hours at about 6am this morning but still felt tired today.
Tempted to take one tonight but at the same time wanted to try and go 'cold turkey' whilst I didn't have work etc., maybe I should try again once I've changed jobs and settled in? I don't think the pills are doing me any harm, I just don't like feeling dependant on something.
Unfortunately the GP that I transferred surgeries especially to see (recommended by my friend who has MH problems) has moved away from the area (not because of me I hope!) and I was hoping to talk to her about how to come off them.
It's just wierd because I wake up feeling quite anxious and short of breath in the night if I haven't taken my mild sedative.
How is everyone else?

Thanks Arcadia I'm ok at the moment, am recovering from an operation I had about two weeks ago to remove an ovarian cyst. I'm now not needing to take so many painkillers and wounds healing nicely. I was feeling quite down initially but apparently that's quite normal. Feeling a bit brighter now and sleeping ok (touchwood). I'm still taking my ADs and don't really like being dependent on them either but I'm not ready to come off them yet. Last time I tried it was the wrong time I think and my sleep started to go a bit pearshaped.

It's a shame your GP has moved as it's much easier to talk to someone that knows your full story. From what you say it may be easier to cut down very slowly. The anxious feeling is horrible. How much amitriptyline are you taking at the moment?

Arcadia don't worry more about sleep than you need to that will just make it worse. I have survived on 5 hours most nights for a few years now, and that's usually not unbroken. A good friend of mine sleeps from 11.30 to 5am every single day and is fine. Not to say that it is ideal for you, but it is fine in the short term.

If the job is exciting go for it. Don't let the anxiety over sleep hold you back. Every new job is exciting to begin with but it will settle.

I'm sorry I have no experience coming off Nytol etc, but maybe you can take the Getdown approach and cut down very slowly - cutting tablets in ever smaller pieces.

Thanks orangeflutie and madmouse.
Orangeflutie I can imagine that is a really unpleasant thing to go through, so I hope that you are feeling a lot better now.
Home now. I took my pills again the last couple of nights away as I was just tired and irritable with everyone.
I am on only 20mg amitriptyline twice a week,three times a week I take a sominex (the nights before work), and the other nights I tend to take nytol.
I think I'll have to try and cut down more gradually next time, as you say Madmouse with the pill cutter maybe.
I'm definitely going for the new job, that was never in doubt. Giving in my notice tomorrow! The initial excitement has settled down a bit but I am still really happy. I never thought I would be able to move on with my career whilst I have a young child but new employers seemed really positive about it and a lot of people there work part time.
Hope everyone else sleeping well.
Mental health board very busy at the moment.

Hi Arcadia yeah on the new job! That's great news!!! I'm sorry your having a few troubles with sleep but I would be exactly the same in your position - I can't sleep when I am happy or when I'm feeling anxious and low. It's a bit of a double wammy really. I do struggle with the early wakings at the mo. I woke up at 5am today wide away but the only way I find to deal with it is to just try to relax and think about anything else except for the fact that I am awake and how annoying that is and most of the time I go back to sleep. I think I did go back to sleep for a bit this morning.

I am pleased that you are able to combine work with motherhood - I feel so very lucky that I can do that too. Although I'm not sure how much career progression I will get being freelance but the fact I can earn a good wage and look after three children is a real boost to my general feeling of well-being. I wish there were more opportunities for women with children to work and pay for childcare / combine motherhood.

I'm up early working as I woke at 6.30am which I consider reasonable! I think gone are the days of sleeping beyond the alarm clock.

Thanks Becky. I am prone to getting over excited when good things happen.
Handed in my notice yesterday. Colleagues seem quite envious, half of them are trying to leave too!
I'm still waking early due to the light but getting back to sleep, and had half an hour this afternoon when DD was down for her sleep.
Have made an appointment to see another GP at the practice who has replaced the one I had who left, to discuss coming off the pills and how to do it. I think I'll wait til I've started the new job and life has settled down again before I try to change anything.
Work is important to me and my self esteem too, becky, and I find being part time makes it much less intense and I get much less involved in office poiitics and stress. I guess freelance is similar in that way.

Hi. Ive just joined the site after googling insomnia support. My insomnia started 7 years ago after the birth of my son and the anxiety over sleep and trying to get to sleep before he would wake again in the night. My insomnia led to depression and I have spent the last 4 years on dolsulpin. I had to come off this in Jan as I fell pregnant again (something I had decided not to do as the thought of 1-2 hours max sleep a night for the first 3 years of my son's life terrified me). Anyhow, I am now 7 months pregnant and sleeping really badly. I tend to take a few hours to fall asleep but alwas wake after an hour or so and often cant go back to sleep. I fell asleep last night at 11pm and woke at 2am and have been awake since. I cant take medication due to pregnancy and wondered if anyone has had any luck with seeing a hypnotisted? Desperate for help please as I'm so worried this will lead to depression again and terrified that I will not beable to cope without sleep once the baby is here. Your help is really appreciated

Hello loulu - I have had some experience with hypnotherapy and had really good results. My mum is a hypnotherapist and she gave me a couple of sessions (although she isn't supposed to as you are not supposed to work on family members) but it really helped me and I also use Paul McKenna's I Can Help You Sleep CD on the nights I can't sleep (usually about once every two weeks or so now) and I find it works really well, and not necessarily that night but I am sure it works on the nights I don't use it too. His book has lots of tips as well. Have you tried it? Some people say it doesn't work for them but personally I think it saved my sanity after I started suffering from insomnia after DS3 was born.

Hi there loulu55 welcome Sorry to hear you suffer from insomnia too, it is truly awful isn't it. I have found great support on this thread. Thankfully I am sleeping well at the moment so have been a bit quiet, but like you I am also 7 months pregnant, and feel a certain amount of trepidation over what the next months will hold, as my insomnia really all started after the birth of my DD (who is now 3.5).

At the moment I feel really well, but I know how lack of sleep can send me spiralling down out of control and I can become seriously depressed when sleep deprived and not the "real me" at all.

I totally understand your wish to avoid medication in pregnancy - I am the same. Do you have a CPN / under mental health services? Have they helped you ? Or pressurised you to take medication? I see a perinatal psychiatrist once a month, and she really wants me to start taking medication before the baby is born, but I am resisting so far as I feel so well.

It is really important you get the support in place now, before the birth of your baby.

I agree with becky that hypnotherapy may help. I am doing a hypnobirthing course, and already it is making me feel so much more relaxed and confident about the birth. I listen to a hypnotherapy CD every night, and have never yet heard the end, so I know I am asleep within 20 minutes - something that would have been unheard of for me a year or so ago.

Hi - thank you BBL and GDYWF for taking the time to reply.

BBL - I am really encouraged to hear that hypnotherapy was positive and helped you. I have just recentely bought Paul MKenna's book and CD. The first night I listened to it I slept for 5 hours without even moving as I was in exactly the same position when I woke! - I couldnt quite believe it. Since then it has helped me get to sleep but I am now waking again after a max of 2 hours. I'm really glad that it has helped you and thanks for your feed back, I think I'll try it!

GDYWF - both 7 months pregnant - wow - when are you due? My date is the 8th Sept and I'm SO worried about sleep. My sleep has become really bad now but I keep thinking that at least I dont have a baby to look after during the day. Once I've taken my son to school I can just lie on the sofa, so I'm terrified about not sleeping once she arrives - I'm sure this just adds to the insomnia but it's impossible not to worry. Like you said this thread is full of advice and support. After reading it yesterday I went out and bought some Sominex which was recommended - it gave me the best sleep I have had in ages (about 6 hours if I added it all up!!!). I'd like to take it again this eve but i'm aware that it's still not a good thing to take whilst pregnant.

I also seem to feel well since stopping my AD's (except the insomnia) and I'm wondering if this is because of the 'happy hormones' are bodies produce during pregnancy to help us cope - and that these happy hormones counteract the affect of AD withdrawal. I intend to bottle feed so that I can take AD after the birth just to help prevent any possible PND. My doctor is supporting this. I would think that you would only need to start your AD's before the birth if you became seriously depressed immediatley after, if this was the case it would be better for you and baby to try and prevent this by starting them 5 weeks before - you need to way it up.

Happy sleeps!

Hi there again lou. My due date is 14th September so we are really close in dates! I'm feeling massive already.

My psychiatrist wants me to start ADs as soon as the baby is born as a preventative measure, but I really don't want to! I think because I feel so well at the moment, and I dearly want to give breast feeding my best shot, as we failed so miserably at it last time and I felt terribly guilty about that for a long time (which didn't help the PND at all). We;ll see. I'm not going to be silly about it - if I need the ADs I will take them, but I think I'd rather not if possible.

By the way there are loads of different kinds of ADs. If one type doesn't suit you it's worth asking to try another. Citalopram sent me round the bend I had a horrendous 3 days of hell on it. Mirtazapine on the other hand worked wonders and gave me fantastic sleep of 10 hours a night!!! It's weird how different ones work better for different people.

Glad that the paul Mckenna Cd helped a bit. I found that you need to keep listening to it every night to get the fully benefit. I've switched to a hypnobirthing one now, but I find that equally helpful for something to focus on as I'm lying in bed, rather than how long I have been wide awake for and panicking that I'm not yet asleep!

I had my letter come through today about my "care planning approach" meeting - where all the health professionals get together to decide what they are going to do with me after the baby is born! Quite a scary meeting. I was slightly peeved when it said "you may wish that your carer accompanies you" My carer??!! Do you mean the man whom I cook for every night and wash all his pants?? Grrr.. the language of mental health professionals eh.

GetDown how did you sleep last night? I've been thinking about you and sending you lots of relaxing and PSTs (is that the right acronym?)?

Thanks becky I did get a better night last night, but still woke up at 1:45 and was wide awake So annoying.

Yesterday I was a tearful gibbering wreck by the end of the day, and it brought it all back I am so scared of getting ill again. The lack of sleep reminds me how awful I felt. We actually went round to friends for a take away last night, and I ended up crying at their house. How embarrassing.

Just hoping it resolves itself in the next day or two.

How are you doing?

Thanks for thinking of me xxx

Getdown just a reminder that very recently you said that you found it hard to engage with the mental health services right now because you are so well. You just got very very tired and that doesn't do anyone any good. Keep going, rest while you can and remember that it won't be the same as last time, it just won't. It's a different pregnancy, you know so much more and so do those around you, professionals are ready to help. History is not going to repeat itself xxx

GetDown I echo what madmouse says. It's just a blip, I have them. I know that when you're having a blip it feels much, much worse but it isn't. It's just a blip.

I'm not doing too badly - sleeping ok, not brilliantly but ok. I'm really restless in the early hours so quite tired most days but I'm getting by. It's just stress.

Thanks madmouse and becky. I'm actually feeling terrible at the moment. Think I must have got less sleep than I thought last night. Have that constant nauseous feeling and a slightly fluttery heart like background anxiety. Also my eyes are really dry and stinging.

Really hope I'm not like this when I have my CPA meeting, they will be muttering "medicate" before I even give birth

Getdown you are as Becky always says so well totally catastrophising xxx

GetDown I'm thinking of you today, hope you slept well. I couldn't get to sleep last night because the theme song of The Big Bang Theory was going around my head thanks to DH teaching DS1 the words over and over yesterday.

madmouse have you had a bad night (going on your FB status)? Hope you're ok too xxx

ds had a mild temp (cold related) - still set off some major physical anxiety reaction so the adrenaline stopped me from sleeping well. The thoughts were not so bad though, could still feel the pills working so it was much easier to deal with. ds of course majorly chirpy today and has been chattering happily since 6.20 so has been merrily sent on his way for his last morning at school. I'm off to singing lesson hoping it will kick the last of this shaky feeling.