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Original poster

Chronic Insomnia

200 replies

Readingandrighting · 07/01/2021 01:13

Anyone else?

What to do?

I’ve tried everything I can think of: guided meditations, sleep tea, magnesium at night, no caffeine in the evening, breathing techniques.... it’s starting to feel hellish.

Anyone tried anything that worked?

Thanks

OP posts:
Original poster
Readingandrighting · 07/01/2021 13:34

Thanks @NotN0wBernard

I’m a ‘career insomniac’ too!

Did you gain weight on the amitryptaline?

OP posts:
Original poster
Readingandrighting · 07/01/2021 13:35

Cross post! Thank you! I’ve seen it mentioned as a drug for fibromyalgia too, which i also have so I’m definitely going to mention it to the GP.

OP posts:
ravenmum · 07/01/2021 13:48

Hope you can see your GP soon and they can help in some way, Reading. Come back on and let us know if things improve.

BumbleNova · 07/01/2021 14:21

I take probiotics too but I do mean prebiotics. It's the food for gut bacteria. There is emerging evidence that the gut places a critical role in sleep. I'll try and find you a link!

Original poster
Readingandrighting · 07/01/2021 14:23

Thanks @BumbleNova

I’m all about keeping the gut happy and healthy. I’ll read that.

OP posts:
Original poster
Readingandrighting · 07/01/2021 14:24

Thanks @ravenmum
I feel I can take on so much more when I sleep.

OP posts:
Original poster
Readingandrighting · 07/01/2021 14:27

it is too soon to say whether a supplement or drug containing such compounds would be safe and effective for everyone

Do you take a probiotic supplement @BumbleNova ? I take a probiotic supplement every day but not a prebiotic one yet ...

OP posts:
BumbleNova · 07/01/2021 14:28

@Readingandrighting yes. I take bimuno prebiotics. It's really helped me.

Original poster
Readingandrighting · 07/01/2021 14:32

Have you noticed an improvement in being able to fall asleep? @BumbleNova

That’s pretty amazing if so!

My biggest problem is going over & over things that have happened: regrets, mistakes etc. I beat myself up & feel so bad about myself I cannot sleep. I’m not worrying about the future — it’s all about the past, sometimes almost thirty years ago. I had a catastrophic few years in my adolescence & I don’t know if I’ll ever get over it all. I wish someone had parented me at the time. It could have saved a lot.

OP posts:
GinandGingerBeer · 07/01/2021 14:53

@Readingandrighting

Have you noticed an improvement in being able to fall asleep? *@BumbleNova*

That’s pretty amazing if so!

My biggest problem is going over & over things that have happened: regrets, mistakes etc. I beat myself up & feel so bad about myself I cannot sleep. I’m not worrying about the future — it’s all about the past, sometimes almost thirty years ago. I had a catastrophic few years in my adolescence & I don’t know if I’ll ever get over it all. I wish someone had parented me at the time. It could have saved a lot.

Audio books have been a game changer for me. It stops your mind from wandering and thinking of ridiculous incidents in your past that you'd not give a second thought to in daylight hours. That combined with magnesium and occasionally melatonin. I listen every night for 30 min and it's rare for me to still be awake after 30 minutes. If I wake in the middle of the night I stick an ear pod in and set a timer to listen for a further 20 min. I now just have around 2/3 nights a month where it's still problematic but I can cope with that!
GinandGingerBeer · 07/01/2021 14:56

Sorry I didn't mean your nighttime musings were ridiculous just that mine are!

Pipgrin · 07/01/2021 14:57

I have massive problem with my sleep too, it's really awful. It's not so much getting to sleep that's the problem but staying asleep. I nearly always wake at 3am, then I'm just riddled with worries and negative thoughts and unable to drift off again until round about the time I need to get up. It's the norm for me to feel like I have no energy and can't function, and like i can't even follow simple conversations at work sometimes as I'm just so tired.
Like you, on those rare occasions I get a decent amount of sleep the difference in my mood is unreal.
I have found CBD helps somewhat,I consume it in tea form. I think supplement 5htp may also help (also good for depression). The best thing I ever found was a drug called Mirtazapine. It makes you sleep like a baby but it's an antidepressant that comes with a fair few side effects.

crochetcrazy1978 · 07/01/2021 15:01

I suffer with anxiety and insomnia. The doctor put me on mirtazapine which is a sedating anti depressant. I take it at night and sleep like a dream now. Plus my anxiety is gone. It's been a life saver

dogsdinnerlady · 07/01/2021 16:58

I have had a prescription for Zopiclone for many years. I manage by taking only half a 7.5mg tab three or four times a week. All the herbal/mindfulness/music options are useless for me. Prescription sleeping tabs are the answer, just have to be careful how you use them.

Original poster
Readingandrighting · 07/01/2021 17:12

@GinandGingerBeer

Thanks! I was listening to podcasts for a while and then stopped so I must get back into then & audio books too — thanks.

No I appreciated you calling it ridiculous because it makes me see it all in a lighter way.

OP posts:
Original poster
Readingandrighting · 07/01/2021 17:13

Thanks @Pipgrin

You get exactly how I feel. I haven’t met anyone IRL who can relate.

OP posts:
Original poster
Readingandrighting · 07/01/2021 17:14

@crochetcrazy1978

Love the username!

Thank you. It’s lovely to hear it has helped you so much. Have you had any side effects with that drug?

OP posts:
Original poster
Readingandrighting · 07/01/2021 17:15

@dogsdinnerlady

I hadn’t heard of that drug. Thank you.

OP posts:
crochetcrazy1978 · 07/01/2021 17:16

[quote Readingandrighting]@crochetcrazy1978

Love the username!

Thank you. It’s lovely to hear it has helped you so much. Have you had any side effects with that drug?[/quote]
No not really to be honest. Easier to put on weight but if I eat healthily I can lose it

Original poster
Readingandrighting · 07/01/2021 17:25

Thanks.

OP posts:
litterbird · 07/01/2021 17:30

As another poster suggested I have Zoplicone, I only take half the 7.5 mg tablet just to get me off. Its great for that and I dont wake up with a foggy head. I work on long haul flights and insomnia comes with the territory. I just use them sparingly but they get me back into some form of regular sleep when needed. They also helped me when my partner suddenly left me and I had panic attacks and couldn't sleep. Just to have a full nights sleep even a couple of times a week helped me deal with the chaos of a relationship breakdown on top of jet lag.

Original poster
Readingandrighting · 07/01/2021 19:35

Thanks @litterbird Glad it helped you & a great tip.

OP posts:
ProfessorPootle · 07/01/2021 20:54

Valerian works for me most of the time. I have terrible hayfever Feb-Oct and take daily antihistamines, they help with my sleep so take them sometimes in the winter when I’ve had 3-4 nights no sleep.

Daphnesmate04 · 07/01/2021 21:15

Could peri-menopause be at play?

I think so in my case.

Can I ask those who take amitriptyline...does it make you feel drowsy the next day? I'd previously taken it and felt fine but more recently, went back on it and can feel wiped out the next day - not good if you have to drive to the supermarket etc. Anyone? It is the one thing that works for me.