Insomnia

[PrimroseHall]

I've been having bouts of insomnia for the past couple of months. The first time it lasted a couple of weeks and then my sleep pattern returned to normal. This time, it's lasted for over a month.

Tonight I have not slept at all. I went to bed at 2am, although I didn't feel tired, and I stayed there, awake, until 4. Got up, came on here and gradually started to get sleepy about an hour later. Problem by then was that I daren't go to sleep at that time or I wouldn't get up for the school run. I'm knackered now and desperate for bed.

I'm stuck in this miserable cycle. I try to go to bed at a reasonable time but sleep just doesn't come. It's boring so I start thinking about things - nothing in particular, sometimes it's controversial threads on here that have perhaps pissed me off a bit - and I start this internal dialogue and I can't stop doing it. Even if I do fall asleep while I'm having these 'conversations' with myself, I don't fall into a deep sleep and I'm in control of my dreams, like I'm directing a film . I'm awake again within an hour and the cycle starts again. By the time that I am tired and think I could sleep, I'm too frightened to let myself so I get up. The one occasion where I did go to sleep 90 minutes before the alarm went off, I slept right through it and woke up 3 hours late . The school woke me phoning to find out where DS was. I think this has led to sleep related anxiety.

The really, bloody frustrating thing about this is that I can't sleep when I should, and am only tired when it's almost time to get up.

I've tried Kalms nighttime but they didn't work. I'll hopefully see my GP this week and I'll mention it then. Any success stories to cheer me up in the meantime. Sorry for garbled message by the way. Blame it on my sleepy brain.

if its any use sleep does catch up with you.I have been awake since 4 am.I know for a fact i will be so tired today but theres nothing worse than just laying there.too much time to think.perhaps doc could prescribe sleeping tabs just to get your sleep pattern ajusted.Have you got any probs in life thats making you worry.
hope you get sorted out soon.xx

Thanks mother3. Sorry to hear that you'll have an exhausting day as well though.

I do have a lot on my mind at the moment. DS has had a dreadful start to his new year at school and I'm really worried about it. He's on the autistic spectrum, but had been doing so well that we dropped all extra help for him, and it's been like a kick in the guts for him to start struggling so suddenly. I think this is why I start filling my head with pointless things when I go to bed, just so that I don't lie here going over what's happening with him at the moment.

There's so many things that I need to be doing that would help him, but I'm too tired to start them. I've got all these books, but they're f-all use on the book shelf.

I got prescribed temazepan (sp) and it's great, I only take maybe one a week but it helps my brain switch off. Doesn't make me groggy at all.

Other things you can try are things I'm sure you've tried... log off MN early , don't watch TV and read a trashy novel to empty your mind .

And if you can't sleep, don't spend hours tossing and turning in bed, get up and do something.

Thanks GG. I don't think my GP would let me have anything like temazepan, but perhaps some ADs would help to relieve anxiety and then I'd start sleeping again.

The problem with getting up and doing something is I'm completely knackered all the time. I'm spending just a few hours in bed each day, yet housework is piling up around me because I'm too exhausted to do it. Taking DS to school this morning, I felt like I was going to faint, I was so tired. It's a different tiredness to normal though - I'm physically and mentally worn out, but not sleepy.

I'll ring the surgery now and see if they've got anything.