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In need of reassurance about insomnia

Posted , 10 users are following.

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Guest

Feeling anxious and worried about lack of sleep on my health and that it will kill me. I've had this problem about 10 years ago somehow got rid of it then it come back again for about 12 months then the last 9 days I've really struggled!I keep fixating that every cold I have appendicitis I had 5 years ago is all caused by lack of sleep. Now I'm waiting for something else to go wrong which is keeping me up so it's like a vicious cycle. It doesn't help that since I was a little girl I have always had health anxiety so this is where the problems stem from plus I'm naturally a worrier anyway but the sleep thing is the one that consumes me. Please just need reassurance xx

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  • Liam36009
    Liam36009 Guest

    Posted

    Hi Tracey, I also understand how you feel. I have had chronic insomnia since last August. Not sure what triggered it, maybe anxiety and stress. I used to be a great sleeper before all this. When my insomnia started I dreaded going to bed, started sweating when I couldn't fall asleep and my heart would race, so it became almost impossible to sleep in that sort of state. I had many completely sleepless nights, my muscles ached through no sleep. It's not as bad now as it's been a while since I last had a night of zero sleep but most nights I still struggle to either get to sleep or stay asleep, my sleeping patterns are very erratic - last night I woke up 4 times in the night, but the previous night just the once. I also have very vivid dreams too. Before I had sleeping problems I rarely remembered my dreams, makes me wonder what is causing it all. About twice a week I take a 10mg Zolpidem tablet, these are extremely effective to get you asleep but they won't keep you asleep all night - so far they give me 5 or 6 hours before I wake. I think in America they have a controlled release form of this drug (Ambien CR) which gives you another couple of hours. The tablet dissolves more slowly or something like that. I don't think it's available here in the UK though.

    Some of us differ on how we react to different drugs but I find Zolpidem more effective than Zopiclone, it works more quickly too. Been times when I've taken two 7.5mg Zopiclone tablets and still only got 3 hours sleep. Just one 10mg Zolpidem and I get more sleep. They do have side effects though, if I do not go bed straight after taking one I don't remember getting in bed or turning the light off. It's like I black out or something. But yes I sympathise that chronic insomnia can be irritating. It causes me depression from time to time as well. Sometimes all you think about is having a good sleep which rarely comes sad

    • Guest
      Guest Liam36009

      Posted

      I totally understand it takes over your whole life whole thought process. I don't really know wot the answer is because I've had it on and off most my adult like , only had it mild every now and then as a child . Be nice if we just had a on off switch that would solve all our problems .

    • Liam36009
      Liam36009 Guest

      Posted

      Sometimes I wonder if my circadian rhythm is totally upside down as I often feel a lot more awake/active when it goes dark. I've always been a night owl but when I did go to bed late at night I had no real issues falling and staying asleep bar the odd rare time. I might try melatonin soon to see if that can help alter my circadian rhythm. They are a better option than a possible addiction to sleeping pills which I am trying to avoid.

  • atulit75078
    atulit75078 Guest

    Posted

    How are you feeling now
    • Guest
      Guest atulit75078

      Posted

      Hi I seem to have one good day then one bad day lol. I've got 4 days off work should be enjoying them and chilling instead of worrying about lack of sleep. Hope you are well

    • atulit75078
      atulit75078 Guest

      Posted

      Yes thats the acceptance theory coming out of you now. Dont get scared it wont kill you. Sooner or later you will be better. 
    • Guest
      Guest atulit75078

      Posted

      I think there are many people who suffer with insomnia or some sort of sleep problem . My dad for example was diagnosed with sleep apnea in he's 20's he's now 57. He was given one of them machines to help but he couldn't sleep with it so he's chose to just cope on whatever sleep he has, yes he's tired all the time but unlike us with insomnia he genuinely doesn't worry about it! Ino it's a different thing in a way but then it isn't in another , it's all mind set with us with insomnia but Lord knows how to change it when its at it's worse x

  • dustin09330
    dustin09330 Guest

    Posted

    Hi Tracey, I am struggling with this as well. I’ve tried everything for sleep and nothing seems to work. Literally every sleeping pill they have. Doctors are baffled that nothing gets me to sleep. It’s definitely your stress and anxiety doing this to you. It’s how it started for me and depression hit when I was thinking like you that I’ll never sleep again. It’s a miserable feeling but my mother is living proof things change. She had horrible sleep for years and one day she started sleeping again. Sometimes for 12 hours. We all go through hell and to me I’m living it and it sounds like your right there with me. I hope you find your way through this. We all Will eventually. I would love to talk to you about it as I am exactly where you are and feel alone .
    • Guest
      Guest dustin09330

      Posted

      Hi Dustin, sorry to hear you are going through this although try and take some comfort that you are not alone. I'm off work till Tues next week and already I'm losing sleep over not sleeping Monday night and not being able to sleep now worrying about it! Yeah it makes you depressed and anxious and I genuinely believe it's the overthinking that causes that more than the lack of sleep. How long have you had this problem? How much sleep do you get?

    • Liam36009
      Liam36009 dustin09330

      Posted

      Hi Dustin. So no sleeping pill gets you asleep? Your insomnia must be pretty severe if prescription sleeping pills fail to get you at least a bit of rest. Do you rarely sleep at all? I don't think it's as rare as people think either as I have seen cases of people going a fortnight with no sleep at all and I think some people keep their sleeping problems to themselves. Personally I have taken Zolpidem and Zopiclone, both get me to sleep but Zolpidem seems to work the best. I wouldn't recommend sleeping tablets to anyone on here as they are not as good as natural sleep. Bu if someone has had no sleep at all they can be a short term fix, if they work... Obviously in your case they do not.

    • atulit75078
      atulit75078 dustin09330

      Posted

      Hi dustin. Can I know whats your age and since how long have you been sufferring? On average how much slee do you get every night? How do you cope when you dont get sleep at all? Are you still taking those pills? 
  • dustin09330
    dustin09330 Guest

    Posted

    This has been going on for 3 months now and like I said they have tried me on over a dozen meds with little success. I seem to be the type that something works for a few days then stops. So I'm figuring out that it must be rotated in order to work at all. Some days I get a couple hours sometimes nothing. It is very scary and i hate taking meds. I'm 33 and happened from a medical scare and then boom I started getting insomnia so bad that no meds saved me. Went through cbti and even a sleep institute made me leave because they tried everything saying I needed to see a psychiatrist. I told them I wouldn't have anxiety and depression I'f I could sleep. I try to never lose hope because that's all we can do and pray something will help us struggling through this. It won't kill us but it's no way to live and makes it hard to even smile during the day.

  • dustin09330
    dustin09330 Guest

    Posted

    I even asked my doctor about trying xyrem which is for narcolepsy patients but its extremely sedating and in 25 years my sleep doctor has never prescribed it. My psychiatrist seems to think that once my anxiety and depression is under control I will sleep better but I dont believe him. Did 2 sleep studies one said severe sleep apnea the other said no apnea (what the hell) and now I have to do an in lab study. Did all the blood work necessary. Cat scan and all I could. There has to be an explanation for this . So dont worry Tracey I would love to talk back and forth through this we can do get this figured out just have to believe.
    • Guest
      Guest dustin09330

      Posted

      How do you find work , family life whilst not sleeping? I haven't tried any sleeping tablets im Abit worried about them as would hate to become addicted but I have been given fluoextine for my depression/ anxiety they don't seem to be working yet but only been a few days . Does your family support you with your problem? Mine do to a extent but at the same time I know they think it's a silly thing to worry about.

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