I'm being driven nuts by insomnia.

[Phylis81]

So I've not had a full nights sleep since Saturday night (and that was thanks to two bottles of wine). Sunday night I probably managed two hours after about 4am - Monday night probably 2 hours again - tuesday night I think I managed about an hour and last night about two hours.

It's absolutely horrible laying there feeling tired with your stupid head racing, tossing and turning all night, the fear that if you don't sleep soon you'll have gone 4 days without sleep - the anxiety of NEEDING sleep and therefore not able to achieve it ...

I've just been put on AD's for anxiety and depression so that won't help and I've been on sleeping pills before and know what a zombie they turn you into.

Can anyone offer any words of advice?

Do you follow a sleep hygiene plan? I've seen them have really good results.

Yoga and meditation can help too. A bit woo but also really useful for anxiety.

I suffered with this for about 2 years, it was torture, so you have my sympathy.

Go back to your GP as ask to be a referred to a sleep clinic.

I have a few suggestions,not sure if you have tried them though

Get up and go to bed same time every day.
Go late to start with, if you get up normally at say 7 don't go till 1 am.
No caffeine drinks after about 3 pm.
Daily exercise, this really helped me.
No TV, computers etc in bedroom.
Do not eat a heavy meal too late in the evening.

I suffer from this too. Things I find that help are:

• This stuff: www.amazon.com/Melatonin-Time-Release-Natrol-tablets/dp/B001HCM7AQ
• No wine (sadly).
• Not looking at computer/phone at least an hour before bedtime.
• Exercise (running or yoga).

Also, if you give the ADs a chance to kick in, they'll hopefully start to help soon as well. good luck! x

I've suffered with insomnia pretty much all my adult life and the only thing I've found that helps switch my brain off so I can sleep is white noise on my iPod. If I wake in the night which I still do I stick the ear bud back in and usually can drop off again reasonably quickly.

I've suffered with it for years. The only (non drug based) thing that has helped me a lot is listening to something called ASMR videos on youtube. Some people find certain sounds/voices very soothing and relaxing. It sounds crazy but the one that gets me to sleep is by someone called Savannah's Voice and involves her drawing a picture, describing what she's doing while chewing gum!!!!!!! I listen on my laptop with earplugs in and invariably wake up hours and hours later with them still in and the computer on standby. My other favourite ASMR person is someone called VeniVidiVulpes and again, her voice along with the sounds she records, really works well for me. There are some who do role-plays such as a trip to the hairdresser or spa but I just find those a bit weird.

Like QuietNinja, if I walk up in the night I listen again, in mostly drop off again. Might be worth trying to see if it helps you. There are lots of people who record all sorts of sounds/noises and it's worth just trying a selection out.

Sweetheart, go back to the doctor. I have suffered with insomnia-it's debilitating. Agree with sollers -cut out the alcohol and do some excercise. I was advised against cat napping during the day as it messes up night time routine.

What ad are you taking? Disrupted sleep is a very common side effect which usually wears off after a couple of weeks. You might need to discuss changing the time you take it with your doctor.
Sympathies I am an on/off insomniac. I recently did not sleep for 6 weeks, combination of house move and work stress. Do all the sleep hygiene other posters have suggested, it wil help your body get back into a good rtythm.

Piriton (an anti-histamine that you can buy over the counter) helps me when I find I can't sleep. It has to be the original one though - there's no point getting the one that doesn't make you drowsy! I don't do it very often, just when I've had a few restless/wakeful nights and I'm really really tired. I had a few nights this week when I woke at about 4am and couldn't get back to sleep, so last night I took a piriton and slept right through from 11pm to just after 7am. Lovely! I've heard it doesn't work for everyone, but worth a try.

yes would agree with every thing above. My tips no napping during the day and a regular bed time that you stick to even at week ends. No alcohol and no caffine after 3pm.
Some AD totally mess with your sleep so it may be worth checking with the GP
Also foods can help, your body needs a good supply of Tryptophan to make serotonin which is lacking in depression and which gets converted to Melatonin the sleep hormone. Good foods are poultry, brazil/walnuts, bananas, porridge. I find a bowl of banana and porridge before bed can improve the quality of my sleep. x