INSOMNIA HELP! Please tell me there is a cure. I cannot live like this

[cruisemum1]

I have suffered bouts of insomnia on and off for a years but never as prolonged as this. Usually just a couple of nights in a row but now this has been going on for months. i am the living dead - dragging myself around, going through the motions, trying to look after a home, dh and two lo's. I have tried valerian (worked for a while), nytol - occasionalloy works and hypnosis cd on my i-pod, works sometimes. But I am getting depressed at the thought that I could be like this forever. PLEASE HELP ME!

orangina - lol at your faith in radio 4 as a sedative

Hey Cruisemum - how did the night treat you? Manage to get any shut eye?

hi snooch - not too bad - but now i work out how i feel in varying degrees of tiredness not in just feeling normal iyswim. I feel jet lag tired today not unfeasibly tired. I have booked an appt at docs but she cannot see me until Fri. I took a valerian and hops herbal tablet last night which i had lying around the place (like you do)! which was OK. dh snoring though which didn't help. Roll on Friday. Thankyou for your concern. I am off to climb through tunnels and scale dizzy heights in the local adventure kindom ball pool with my 2yo ds this morning - no wonder I am shattered! Hope you had some good quality sleep

I do sympathise cruisemum.

I suffer from insomnia and to make it worse I work 2 nights a week .My sleep pattern is well and truly fucked atm.

I take melatonin to help me get off to sleep.I do have to be careful as one whol tab makes me groggy and exhausted the next day.I usually manage on one quarter of a 3mg tablet all other factors being well.

Hello-
I am a hypnotherapist, and one of the first things I reccomend with insomnia is to give yourself time - a set amount of time like 10mins- (and permission) earlier in the day to just sit and think about things.
Many people are so busy - they don't have a moment to do this, then at bedtime everything comes crashing in.

Also, I would also suggest laying off the caffeine. Sometimes an amount that you are normally ok with becomes too much when your body is under stress.

B vitamins are also good for "feeding" the nervous system
Good Luck

yes. i had insomnia for years. occasionally even having NO sleep at all. was so awful. then someone recommended a website that gives you tips. i followed the tips and they sorted me out. the website wants you to buy a cd, but i didn't need to.

Oh, would definitely recommend EAR PLUGS if you are getting disturbed by snoring/other noise. And I go the whole hog and don an eye mask in the summer when its light at an ungodly hour.....

amitriptyline.

much sympathy,

Aw Cruisemum...know what you mean about the varying levels of tiredness I didnt do too badly last night - being 31 weeks pregnant and getting up half a dozen times every night for a teething 21 month old isn't what I'd call the best sleep, but still quality compared to what you're going through at the moment - apart from the odd few nights I haven't had a bout of inexplicable sleeplessness for a while now really - 5 or 6 hours is still good compared to nothing at all which was me at my worst.

My DH snores really badly too which has always affected me - I am ashamed to say that lately because I have an excuse (being pregnant and entitled to my rest!), I've been kicking him out to go sleep on the sofa if it gets too unbearable! I can still hear him half the time though, that's how bad he is!!

Crumbs - embarking on an adventure kingdom with a two year old and lugging a massive sleep debt to boot - shattered indeed!

ggirl - - you have my total and utter sympathy. Pants isn't it?
purpleduck - v interested to hear about insomnia from your angle. I use a hpynosis cd to get me to sleep sometimes but it is not ideal as it is not directly related to sleep. Anything you could recommend in they way off visualisation/breathing techniques for sleep?
warthog - i looked up the website you recommended. I shall read it properly when I have time. Thanks
orangina - unfortunately, dh's snoring penetrates even teh thickest of earplugs and once i am woken - that is it!
brianobrian - i will look it up on internet - thanks and sympathies
snooch - you make me feel humble. Congratulations on pg

i am hoping for sweeet dreams for all
thank you all for your comments - make me feel more relaxed already.....

Cruisemum

In my experience, worry/anxiety is the chief culprit - even when you are not completely aware that something is worrying you that much.
It could help to imagine what "tired" and "sleepiness" feel like to you. Do you automatically imagine a sensation? a colour? If so, can you make it bigger? More intense? Could you feel it seeping in to all parts of your body?

That could be a good excercise before bed.

Its also a good idea to manage your day to day stress. Eat properly, like I mentioned before, lay off the caffeine (caffeine robs your nervous system of b vitamins, which your nervous system needs to operate properly)
Excercise! Very good for discharging stress.
Have you thought about a meditation class? Might be cheaper than hypnosis, but still very beneficial.
Is there anything that has been bothering you that you haven't given enough attention to?
I know you are recently bereaved have you thought about some grief counselling?

Good Luck and take care

purpleduck - thank you. I am sure that my sleeplessness is owing to anxiety though i generally don;t feel anxious in the day. I used to suffer terribly from panic attacks and anxiety but thanks to the writings of dr claire weeks I can manage them well enough now and my episodes are few and far between. I will try the colour association and see if that improves matters. I don't seem to find time for exercise as such as i look after my 2yo and 11yo alone (I am married but by the time dh gets home there is no time to exercise as such. I shall switch to decaff though. I love hte thought of meditation but again, I am not often without the responsibility of the children owing to dh's work commitments (he has two demanding jobs). The doc mentioned grief counselling - maybe I will ask for more info on it when i see her tomorrow. Many thanks....

Message withdrawn

here

here
here

some b vitamin info
more b-vit info

stress response and vitamins etc

Christiana, why would you think it sounds unlikely?

blimey purpleduck! thanks for those links. I had no idea that caffeine had such a strong effect. I usually have around 4 cups per day all between 7am and 3pm. Never after that. I will get my decaff today!

Message withdrawn

Hi cruisemum

I had severe insomminia for a couple of years on and off.

My GP refused to give me sleeping pills despite me literally sobbing on her lap for some.

Instead she sent me for relaxation classes. I went to 4 sessions and then practiced every day for about 2 weeks. Once learnt hard to forget.

that was 17 years ago and now whenever I go back to having sleep problems I do the technique and it works.

I do also use:

• Kalms decaf tea (watch the headaches when you withdraw horrible worse than giving up fags ime!) *no alcohol (whilst trouble sleeping) *getting out of bed at 7am NO MATTER WHAT, even if only went to sleep at 6am *if not asleep after half an hour getting up and having some milk then going back to bed.

good luck

Message withdrawn

No, I wouldn't say that those websites are on par with the Lancet or anything, its just what I found to show you I wasn't making it up
I learned about B vits years ago when I did some Nutrition courses years ago.

Noonki, I think that is totally cool that your GP sent you for relaxation classes

Cruise, I am really sensitive to caffeine, and I really notice when I have too much (ie, one cup every day is too much )
I get seriously cranky around my period and I am far more tense. Its a bit evil for some people.

Hi Cruisemum

popping up late on your thread here. I have a suggestion which really worked for me, taking magnesium citrate. If you don't mind I've linked to my (epic) post on another thread for you to read the ins and outs of it.

I recommend it highly and know how it feels to be at your wit's end with this hon I also didn't think I was depressed, but my doctor diagnosed me with depression and anxiety at the time. For both I also took a specific fish oil, again the info is in my post, towards the bottom.

Whather you are depressed or not though, they can help. Taking these supplements I felt an improvement within weeks.

Good luck!

and the link, sorry!

Message withdrawn

God I know...

I shall be doing nothing of the sort I can assure you!

thank you all for posts. I will read and respond soon . I went to docs yesterday and she prescribed me dosulepin 25mg. It is a very low doseage but it relaxed me enough to SLEEP!!!. I feel great!!!!!!