Extreme insomnia for 5 months, brain forgot how to sleep...Only light sleep in 1hr blocks :( HELP!!!
Posted , 29 users are following.
hello, I am sure my brain is turning into mush after 5 months of severe insomnia. i had very mild insomnia before for a few years, but after a trigger of a lot of emotional stress in March, i completely lost the ability to sleep.
It started from having no sleep for 10 days straight, and i know that initially it started due to a fear that i would die from sleep deprivation. then i got very depressed and have been living in a constant brain fog. i tried natural remedies for a month and nothing helped...i just continued to get very light/conscious sleep if anything, and id get up extrememly exhausted and would cry all day. i even ended up at the hospital for2 weeks where they tried EVERYTHING under the sun (trazadone, doxepin, gabapentin, seroquel, ambien), and the only thing that would get me sleep 3-4 hours max was combining one of these drugs with a heavy benzo. on some days i still got 0 hours on the benzos, so i stopped taking them. this has been a nightmare and completely debilitating. ive lost everything, my job, my boyfriend, and now about to loose my apartment because i can no longer afford it.
i now only get very light sleep where i feel conscious the entire time, i can hear all my surroundings and im looking at the minutes go by on the clock, so i know im awake but just resting. Every few days ill have whats feels like very light sleep in one hour blocks only....but i only think ive fallen asleep briefly bcs i remember a dream, although i feel like ive been awake, if that makes any sense. maybe im going i to REM immediately since im so sleep deprived, or maybe im hallucinating in my semi conscious light sleep. Anyway, only been able to sleep 1-2 hours every few days, sometime 0 hours! i can only sleep 3 hrs on benzos, but i dont want to take them (just take one per week to get some relief bcs my depression has skyrocketed bcs of this, but i feel like ive surrendered and accepted that i will slowly deteriorate, and thankfully ive become less anxious but that hasnt help resolved the problem. maybe my brain got use to not sleeping anymore so even if i try not to worry about sleep anymore, it doesnt matter cause its is now programmed to get light sleep/rest only. i know that i havent gotten any real deep sleep since this all started and im so worried that my brain simply forgot due to making up for prolonged sleep deprivation.
also, any time i do realized that ive been dreaming (again, only one hour blocks) i become more alert and my head hurts...i feel brain zaps and the ringing in my ears get so lous! anyone experiece this? i know its the electrical activity in my brain rocking my nerve cells bcs of the severe sleep deprivation...also i sometime feel like im goign into sleep paralysis over and over again. i. constant brain fog all day and feel soooo tired, and bcs of that i dont every feel "sleepy", ive completely lost my sleep drive even though im sooooo exhausted 😦
HELP!!!
2 likes, 36 replies
vikki87350 lo65763
Edited
Your not alone with the INSOMNIA,
I went through 5 months without any sleep and i also thought the trauma, caused by the sleep deprivation, had caused permanent damage to my sleep cycle and that i'd never sleep again.
The docs are hesitant to prescribe benzos for the obvious reasons but i was prescribed promethazine for sleep and it really helped me .
For me, my no sleep was down to all the adrenaline, but in time it will all settles down and you will begin to sleep again.
It's the trying to go over to sleep thats the hardest. You're mentally exhausted but the mind wont let you rest!
You will get your life back, it just takes a long long time. Take care x
lo65763 vikki87350
Posted
thanks vikki, your words give me hope! I was prescribed atarax (which i think is similar to the drug you took), but it only made me very drowsy and i relaxed to just lay in bed, but not actually sleep...maybe i didnt try it for long enough... did you experienece the same thing, and how long after you started taking it did things start lifting? was it slow progress at first? Also, before your 5 month episode started, did you struggle with sleep? im afraid bcs i have now realized that i was in flight or fight more for a very long time before i started to worry about sleep and then when my 10 day no-sleep episode happened, i became terrified...so i wonder how ill ever get my sleep drive back if before i was also very tense but sleep itself hadnt become an obsession so it was able to happen. its all a fog, and night and day feels the same to me...im tired but alert, so i wonder when ill ever start noticing the difference since im so hypervigilant of every sensation i feel that my adrenaline, as you mentioned, is confusing any feelings of relaxation for alertness 😕
Mike-NZL vikki87350
Posted
Hey Vikki, were you taking any medication for sleep to get some relief?
tasha7908 lo65763
Edited
hi- i can't believe none of those prescriptions helped you-did they really try that many meds on you while you were in the hospital for 2 weeks? how long did you take them? i'm surprised the seroquel didn't help! i hear it works well but i haven't tried it yet. have you had amnitriptyline yet? what about mirtazapine?
have you had your cortisol tested? i'm interested in testing mine to see if it's too high and could that be causing the severe insomnia.
lo65763 tasha7908
Posted
yes, mirtazipine too as well as elavil. serroquel and everything else would make me drowsy of course but not put me to sleep, unless you added a benzo. mirtazipine was the most horrible! i felt so drugged for 2 days...seroquel too, i felt so confused and had vivid dreams/or hallucinations. i think that in a hospital setting, bcs they switch things daily, its hard to know whats gonna work if u keep taking it longer...they try to figure things out quick, but you end up feeling so drugged and confused and it adds tot he anxiety. it made things worse for me to go to the hospital...it surely added to my fear.
bcs i only responded mildly when on venzos, i know for a fact it has to do with gaba depletion, and ive been doing more investigating into that... for me im sure it was chronic stress, which depleted gaba, and creates and excess of glutamate that becomes excitotoxic (makes sense bcs this is linked to OCD, which i have). Once that happens to the extent that it has been, its hard to get back to balance , especially when youre having NO sleep , and things seem to further deplete, youre extremely depressed and anxious during the say etc. ive been trying all natural supplements once again, since last week (no luck yet, but im sure it takes some time even in a normal sleeper to see benefits).... im trying to tackle the serotonin, gaba and glutamate stuff by doing the following daily (i knownits a lot but i feel my issue is very extreme):
AMINOS: SAM-e, NAC, 5htp, also ill be adding Glycine at night (ordered today)
PROBIOTICS: there are certain strains that help w/ both the serotonin systen and the gaa/glutamate inbalance
VITAMINS: zinc, D, magnesium glycinate, B-complex vitamins espec B6, 12, and l-methyl.folate plus inositol
OTHER: tumeric/curcumin (better that prozac apparently), cashews (high in serotonin)/leafy green/bananas for potassium, and Omega-3 oils
MIND/BODY: accupuncture, chiropractic, rosen method, walking a lot, listening to positive affirmations, gratitude practice, meditation, recently started CBTi again w/a different therapist, Yoga nidra (supposedly one hr equals 4 hrs of sleep and its the only thing tahts gotten me to survive this long, alrhough it does not equal deep sleep).
tasha7908 lo65763
Posted
wow - thanks! i can see you are fully on your game...i will try some of these too. have you ever tested your cortisol levels? high cortisol can cause issues. i too think my insomnia may also be gaba depletion as well.
lo65763 tasha7908
Posted
im going to ask for that when i go to the dr next week... theyve checked everything else except my cortisol
g58036 lo65763
Edited
Im dealing with the same crap right now since july 15th. Ive tried every natural supplement under the sun but whenever i get close to drifting off i jerk awake i haven't slept but in maybe a single 4 hour block since July 15th. I get maybe 1-2 hours of sleep a night. Im so scared im gonna die of sleep deprivation im going to a GP on Monday hopefully he can help fix it. Im so anxious 24/7 about not getting enough sleep im hyper focused on it and i just cant relax. This has been the worst last 4 weeks of my life. I dont wanna continue like this i just want to sleep again.
derek76 g58036
Edited
It now seems to be much more prevalent than before as the Press and TV are doing so many features on it.
lo65763 g58036
Edited
dont worry, if ive survived 5 months on very little light sleep only, you wont die...so i woydl just say, dont focus on how long its been bcs it made things worse for me when i started to fear that. i really hope you get your issue under control soon bcs it truly is torture, and i feel for you. it feels like the longer you go on like this, the more the anxiety and learned helplessness further exacerbates the problem. if you have any luck please keep me posted!
g58036 lo65763
Posted
The worst part is the feeling of being trapped with the anxiety and the inability to take my mind off it. I have had periods of anxiety before but they always got better over a period of months. I know that if i could just get a couple nights of at least decent sleep ill get the confidence back and ill heal my brain. Id really rather avoid prescription drugs as my dad had addiction issues that caused all sorts of issues for my family.
lo65763 g58036
Posted
i hear you. you know what, to be honest im not even that anxious anymore, but im more saddened by the fact that my brain has learned to be this way, i feel like even surrendering hasnt alleviated the problem. i think maybe that putting so much effort i to sleep for so long has messed me up, at this poitn now that im not all that anxious about it, the brain is doing what it learned to do to survive---light/coon cious sleep. it is agonizing.
have you tried CBTi? i hear it works for most folks...i tried it during a time that i was too anxious and it didnt work for me...but i know i have severe anxiety/ocd that was heightened around the time it all started...maybe it will work for you? also, see the natural supplements i wrote about in my comment above---you might have luck w/ them since they seem to work for a lot of folks. i think for me its not knowing the differnece btwn what feels normal during the day since i realized i was verrrrry anxious and always running on adrenaline before my episode.....and thats how it feels right now....a blur of veryyyy tired but wired.
g58036 lo65763
Edited
Just wanted to update. Things got better but as of the last 4 days i haven't slept at all and ive felt very depressed. Im completely obsessed with sleeping all the time. I cant stop thinking about it. Im terrified and j feel jittery and scared all the time. I want this nightmare to stop.
mike24933 lo65763
Edited
I have experienced most of the things you are talking about. I have no idea why it started. I can remember being certain, like you, that something had gone wrong with my brain. It all cleared up in the end.
For a start don't have a clock in the bedroom. Use a radio that comes on at wake up time. You don't need to know what time it is at night.
Lack of sleep will make you tired for sure, but it won't do you any real harm. The worry about not sleeping makes you feel much worse than the not sleeping does. You will get enough sleep to keep you going even if you think you aren't sleeping at all. If you adopt the attitude of "do your worst; I don't care whether I sleep or not, the thing will eventually blow over. It can take quite a while, but it will. You can't force a solution to this. Stop worrying about it. There is nothing wrong with your brain. Stop TRYING to do anything. An enormous number of people have had the same issue and got over it.
Mike-NZL mike24933
Posted
How many days did you go without sleep Mike? I dont know how to cope with it. Nauseus, Migraines, Fatigue im on day 9 living on 4 hours.
Did you get any other symptoms other than fatigue?
mike24933 Mike-NZL
Edited
Mike,
I got next to no sleep for weeks on end. I was totally exhausted but I felt as if my brain was "wired" and wouldn't switch off. I felt as though my mind was disintegrating. My anxiety was through the roof and I seriously considered ending it all. As I said it did clear up in the end. You will get through this. I think a lot of your symptoms are caused, as I now realize mine were, by worry rather than lack of sleep. I know it is impossible to just not worry. You need to find a way of accepting the situation as it is rather than fighting it. You can't force yourself to sleep. It is a fact that this won't kill you. To cope with it you need to accept the truth that lack of sleep won't harm you. Nobody ever died through lack of sleep. If you try to accept the condition as it is, you reduce your worry, and the thing will eventually clear up. Do all the other things as well like comfortable bed, duvet not too hot or cold, no TV an hour before bed, no caffeine after 14.00, don't eat too late, no clock in bed room, sit quietly for 30 min before bed, dark room or eye mask, if you read make it something really boring. I can tell you more about what happened to me if you want but in the end the solution was to stop fighting it and let nature take its course.
Mike-NZL mike24933
Posted
Hi Mike,
Really appreciate you taking the time to write. This made a world of difference. Today since this all begun has been the easier. Reducing the worry certainly reduces the symptoms. Its keeping that positive mindset after a sleepless night tossing and turning thats the hard part.
I have to take a sleeping pill every few days to keep my sanity, did you get by on medication every now and then as well?
appreciate the response. 😉
mike24933 Mike-NZL
Edited
Hi Mike,
Yes. My doc prescribed Zopiclone which didn't seem to work, then Trazodone, which is an old fashioned anti-depresant. It is supposed to make you sleep but it didn't seem to do anything for me. It might have reduced my anxiety a bit, I don't know. I got so desperate that I rang 111 and went to an out of hours hospital doc. I remember telling her I thought I had a brain tumour! She gave me a couple of diazepams for that night and contacted my GP who then prescribed some more. I was worried about becoming addicted so I decided to take one every three days if I couldn't sleep at all. I didn't actually take many but I think just knowing I had them reduced my anxiety a bit. I've actually still got them after about 7 years!
It is easy to give advice when you haven't got the problem but I know how scary it is when you have. I got some literature from the NHS which had the line in it " remember lack of sleep cannot harm you". I kept reading that line over and over again. I found some similar advice in some old time books on worry. I just kept saying that to myself. It is important not to keep thinking of how long you have had the problem and being impatient for it to go. You somehow just have to accept it and forget about the time. You have to get out of any mindset which is "trying" to force the issue or setting some time limit. When your fear of the problem reduces you break the vicious circle and it will eventually correct itself. I have no idea what started my problem. It may have been a build up of anxiety about other things going on.
Best wishes and feel free to contact me if you want to.
amy61566 mike24933
Posted
Hey Mike,
I know this post is old but I didn't sleep at all last night and I'm 24 weeks pregnant. I am so scared i will never sleep again and I'll die and so will my baby. I can't take any medication because I am pregnant so i feel very bad. Do you think this is going to continue to happen to me?
mike24933 amy61566
Posted
Hi Amy,
It is absolutely certain that neither you or your baby will die. It will make you feel tired but nothing else. The fear of what you think might happen will make you feel worse. I can't really say anything to add to what I said in the previous post. I know how scary this can be but thousands of people have had this problem and they have all been OK. You will as well. Somehow you have to convince yourself that nothing really bad is going to happen and try to accept it for now. Don't "try" to get rid of it. It will blow over in time when you stop fearing it.
Best wishes,
Mike
Nasteha85 amy61566
Edited
Being pregnant with my daughter was the worst time of my life, I had NO ONE. I was all alone in the world (now I have my daughter) and I routinely went days without sleep because I have a sleep phobia. And I gave birth to a healthy 8 pound, 4 oz, 21 1/2 inch long baby in 35min from the first contraction. You're with child, sleep Interruption and disturbance is completely normal. Nevertheless, I understand your fear, you feel horrible after not sleeping. However, you have to just let it work itself out with healthy sleep hygine habits from you. I'm having a horrible bout with sleep fear now, I just want to sleep peacefully and wake energized. I know it's hard not to, however, don't worry it's all going to get better.