I need urgent help Awake for almost 7 days 160 hours and counting
Posted , 9 users are following.
I'm at the point where I don't even want to lie in my bed anymore because I feel so deeply terrible now. All I do is lie there hoping to fall asleep and it doesn't happen.
I've had sleep problems my whole life, as a child of 6ish it already took me several hours to fall asleep. And when I did sleep I'd be awake and about 4 hours later and according to my mother this was normal for me.
Continuing in my life it always took me hours to fall asleep. And the older I got the worse it got. And now for at least 6 months now I have not had REM sleep because I don't sleep long enough in a row for that, And that I can deal with because well I just don't have a choice there's nothing I can do to sleep longer if my body doesn't want to.
And also for the past 6 months I've slept on average about 2-3 days of the week if I'm lucky. 5 days of no sleep has been my record throughout the years and so far I had never gone passed that. This week I went passed day 6 and now I'm on day 7.
I never used many sleep medications because you know the deal with that stuff you will just need more and more and more and it will eventually break your ability to sleep at all.
I've used some zopiclon with some succes in the first months when I would be sleep deprived for about 3 days or so. After that stopped working I tried Temazepam and that did absolutely nothing for me. And for the record in total in this time I used 2 boxes of zopiclon and 1 strip of temazepam so it's not like i'm addicted or depended on them.
The next step was after 4 days of sleep to take a valium and again that helped at first.
But now it just doesn't do anything. Again in total I've not taken more than 10 valiums/diazepam in my life. On day 5 of no sleep I took another valium because well what else is left to do I HAVE TO GET SOME SLEEP. But to no avail. Then on day 6 well what can I do.. I took another valium in the hopes of getting some sleep. And I started listening to ASMR sounds. But nope ofc not I don't even feel tired when i'm in bed. I only feel tired during the whole day but when i'm in bed I'm wide awake.
Now as I am typing this I am on day 7 and I got a lorazepam from a friend and I'm considering taking this strong medication because if this goes on for much longer I will literally die.
I've also been referred for treatment in a sleep centers but ofc as our whole society is sleep deprived nowadays the waiting list is at least 10 months. And they don't care about urgency even though half the people coming their probably can't sleep because they eat too much crap (i.e sugar) And have terrible habits like taking the smartphones into their beds.
Things I've tried
- Pills
- Relaxation techniques
- ASMR
- Relaxing music
- Breathing techniques
- Trying to accept that I cannot change it
- Weighted blanket (10kg)
- M-line matras (spent 3000 euro on this s**t) it's a great bed but I still can't sleep
- Reading before bedtime
- Reset my circadian cycle with light therapy and melatonin
- Bodyscan
And I've tried many other things that I can't recall right now because as you can imagine the effects of sleep deprivation are f*****g intense excuse my swearing but I just can't take it anymore. And I'm seriously starting to get concerned about my health. And this is not a unique occasion as I mentioned on average I'm awake between 3-5 days a week not by any choice.
All my doctor can really do is just prescribe me stronger medications but I would prefer to not use these. Though as I said tonight I might take a lorazepam to see if this can turn the lights off.
What happens when I lie down in bed. First of all I'm tired when I go to bed and I really want to sleep. 20 minutes later I'm wide awake my jaws are clenched and its hard to unclench them. My body is pretty tense as well and my head feels like it's in a vice grip of madness (thoughts) Plus I experience this as a physical pressure by now. I sweat a lot, and now in The Netherlands it's becoming winter and I get the added bonus of sweating and then feeling cold and then sweating and feeling cold.
I tend to stay in bed even though I can't sleep so that at the very least my body gets some rest. For example if I go to bed at 24:00pm I would stay in bed till 10:00am or maybe even 12:00am because I'm just to godamn tired to get out of bed and I still have a secret hope the whole night long that somewhere I might be able to slip in a hour of sleep or even a few minutes but it never happens and I'm stuck in this cycle of waiting for sleep to happen.
It's a pretty long story I know.
Also ?I just typed into google " sleep forum " as I'm so desperate that any new advice that anyone could give me I will try.
Please please pleaaase I really need help. I am losing my mind.
0 likes, 19 replies
apu91247 frank61952
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Itsmeinca apu91247
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after reading this post, how could you make such a moronic comment? f****** idiot.
pat75005 frank61952
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frank61952 pat75005
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frank61952
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I can feel that slowly I'm going through a mental change of more aware living and thinking and that maybe there is hope for the future again.
ninet1988 frank61952
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frank61952 ninet1988
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Well all the things I've wrote in my 2nd more extensive post are true. I finally realize there's only one way to solve it. And it's by not forcing yourself and preferably not taking any medication for it because that's a short term solution that will make the long term solution that much harder.
It's a vicious cycle that you cannot fight all we can do is accept that sleep will once more not come to us. And the sooner we can really accept these things the sooner we can go back to sleeping again. It's about trying to tie positive feelings to it again and regaining some feeling of control but not real control because that does not exist. But the control that you do actually have the ability to sleep and solve this problem.
Look into Cognitive behaviour therapy and how we can learn our self to make positive associations even when things are bad.
I know how helpless we can feel but any doctor specialized in sleep will tell you that the solution is in your own power and not medication unless you have genetic issues or something is thoroughly broken ofc.. There is no EASY way.
frank61952 Guest
Posted
I'm glad I never let myself slip into that medication habit but I've always been aware of what a bad effect medication can have, people need to change how they look at medicine. NOT as a solution but at the most as a temporary fix to get some more energy to undertake things that actually contribute to sleeping better again but even then the likelyhood of simply just taking another one when it's on your night stand instead of not giving up is just too dangerous really.
Aye and though drinking coffee before bedtime is a bad idea the point is clear :D
I agree with what you are saying that acceptance is the most powerful tool in all of this. And that's the point
All the other suggestions and advice may help but they forget to look at the root cause of the problem.
It does help me write off a thought that's stuck in my head for example to prevent it from spinning out of control.
For example the only reason I hold onto that thought is because I don't want to forget it. Well we got a bunch of inventions called pen and paper.. no need to keep it in your head. This was a problem for me. And in the end all that holding onto that thought.. in the morning I would have forgotten it anyway hahaha. As long as you don't expect the pen and paper to solve your problems like all the other things that are suggested to help sleep and realize why you use it and for what purpose I think it can be a useful tool.
It's hard to believe that not 5 days ago I was ready to give up.
frank61952
Posted
Also as a quick FYI *for your information* you need to be ready for something like this. A change in perspective is not something that can be forced onto someone, it has to be experienced. And often someone has to hit rock bottom before they can. No matter the amount of advice and help is offered. I know it very well if you are not ready then you will resist consciously or unconsciously.
So @ninet03432 If you feel this is too much information or too alien for you then don't stress it, it will come to you when you are ready and then you will understand. Everyone here knows its easier said than done.
atulit75078 frank61952
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frank61952 atulit75078
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Hi,
I know it's a tough thing to go through that's for sure, it even affects how you think pretty strongly.
I had to put in a lot of hard to work to get back on track really change any aspect of my life that could influence my sleep and most importantly I had to reset my biological clock so that my body naturally wanted to sleep at more proper times again.
And never stay in bed longer dan 15 minutes after I woke up, whether I slept or not I always get up at 8am.
because staying in bed for longer is a killer.
atulit75078 frank61952
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atulit75078 frank61952
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frank61952 atulit75078
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hey man,
Did you read through this whole thread? all replies, because everything I said in here already is kinda all the help I can offer you.
It's still not perfect no and it probably will never be. Sometimes I get 6-7 hours and sometimes I get only a few hours, but there's not many sleepless nights left.
And I learned to not care about whether I sleep or how much I sleep because thinking about that just makes things worse, you just gotta get up and get on with it and try again tomorrow so to speak.
Routine is key, you gotta go to sleep at the same times and get up at the same times and I cannot really diverge from it because then I will get messed up again.
The method that helped me the most is ChronoTherapy to get my sleeping pattern to normal again.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronotherapy_(sleep_phase)
"In chronotherapy, an attempt is made to move bedtime and rising time later and later each day, around the clock, until a person is sleeping on a normal schedule.[citation needed] This treatment can be used by people with delayed sleep phase disorder who generally cannot reset their circadian rhythm by moving their bedtime and rising time earlier."
" Here's an example of how chronotherapy could work over a week's course of treatment, with the patient going to sleep 3 hours later every day until the desired sleep and waketime is reached.[citation needed]
Day 1: sleep 04:00 to 12:00
Day 2: sleep 07:00 to 15:00
Day 3: sleep 10:00 to 18:00
Day 4: sleep 13:00 to 21:00
Day 5: sleep 16:00 to 00:00
Day 6: sleep 19:00 to 03:00
Day 7 to 13: sleep 22:00 to 06:00
Day 14 and thereafter: sleep 23:00 to 07:00
While this technique can provide respite from sleep deprivation for people who must wake early for school or work, the new sleep and wake times can only be maintained by following a strictly disciplined timetable for sleeping and rising."
I did not do the whole day 7 to day 13 thing though I just make it so I am done at day 7 and I had been around the clock.
So what you need to do is take a time where you usually go to sleep or even fall asleep if you know this.
And then go to bed 3 hours later than that time. So if that is 03:00AM you are going to have to stay up till 06:00 and the next day you add 3 hours again and again and again till you have come round to a time that you find is more suitable to your lifestyle. For me this was going to bed at 24:00 and waking up at 08:00.
This method is extremely tough and not easy to do, it requires a lot of discipline and motivation but it does work. Because every night you will WANT to go to bed so badly. And the fact that you are up during the day when it's light outside sucks haha and the week that I'm doing this I try to have no responsibilities whatsoever, I need all my attention for this and I don't want to go outside into the light if I don't have to because it makes you feel horrible. The first few days I still do not sleep usually making it even harder but you got no choice but to go on till you've come full circle.
By the final day you should be falling asleep fairly normally again, but you can't quit halfway! you really can't because that will mess you up even more. I suggest taking this up with your doctor or go to a sleep clinic for it, they know about this method.
Over the years I've had to apply this several times because it just is really hard to stick to a sleeping schedule that you cannot diverge from even in the weekends and especially at the start you need to solidify it. it was not great for my social life I can tell you that much, but so is not sleeping.
If you are anything like me it will never really be easy and for the rest of your life you need to bring up a lot of discipline. You cannot smoke tobacco/weed drink coffee or tea or anything that can give you more energy. You gotta cut the sugar, eat healthy, develop healthy exercise habits. Don't look at screens for 2 hours before you go to bed, you literally have to change every aspect of your life that could influence your sleep negatively. BUT BY FAR THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS - DO NOT STAY IN BED AFTER YOU WAKE UP OR THE ALARM GOES OFF!! GET THE FCK OUT OF BED AND CRY ABOUT YOUR NO SLEEP LATER. if you stay in bed for longer than 15 minutes you will start to confuse your body and develop very bad habits.. I know if you sleep badly it's tempting to stay in bed but this is a vicious cycle that gets worse and worse. You're always hoping that if you just stay in bed another hour you can catch some sleep and feel a bit better, but then the next time you go to bed your clock is off already and it will just make falling asleep so much harder again.
And the other important mindset to have is that when you go to bed, IT DOES NOT MATTER IF YOU CAN SLEEP OR NOT! WHAT WILL HAPPEN WILL HAPPEN OR IT JUST WON'T AND THAT'S TOUGH S**T. BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME, Thinking about I MUST SLEEP I MUST SLEEP well that will guarantee it won't happen.
Again read through everything in this topic and if you haven't tried professional help yet then find a sleep clinic that can help you with Chronotherapy. It might just help you.
atulit75078 frank61952
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