Insomnia

Thanks John. It seems to be a self perpetuating cycle, the more I worry, the worse it gets, but I can't NOT worry about it.

I take magnesium supplements. Did you find the body spray helped?

it did work yes, what I did was have a bath before bed, spray the oil on my arms and it worked, it may have been a placebo back in June, because I tried it last week with no results, and the prob is as you know, the more you worry the worse it gets, I'm sure you like me in the middle of the night toss and turn, and the slightest noise makes you angry, you wonder why you can't sleep when everybody else does, with me I fall asleep as normal, then wake up suddenly after ten mins, then I can be awake until 3am...by then you worry about the next day ahead, or you hear you heart beating and panic...I just take each day as it comes, yes if I get 3 hours i feel rubbish, but not everyday is the same..last night I got 5 hours, tonight I might get 0 hours...but it will catch up with you after a few days and you will fall asleep...what hours are you getting at the moment?

Well, it varies, last night about four. Maybe slightly more. Night before was about seven but previous nights was five or six. Knowing that I havent slept makes the next day so hard, do you find that? I also have panic and anxiety and it is just horrible, feel very tearful and easily upset and vulnerable. I wish I didnt care, I wish I didnt make such a big deal out of it and put so much pressure on myself. I wonder if CBT would help.

Do you know others with insomnia? I don't - so hard to talk to anyone about it.

it does make you feel irritable, grumpy and you feel rubbish, I don't know of anyone who suffers from insomnia, so again it's hard to relate to those around you how you feel, as I said I'm a fit bloke, not normally a worrier, I got over it before and had months of normal sleep, then bang 3 weeks ago..it hit harder than ever, and you know the longer it goes on night after night the worse you feel, I actually felt the night I had 0 hours that i was going mad...but remember an adult can live on 5 hours a night of sleep, I would only worry if i was awake for days on end, eventually your body gives in and you do actually sleep...I try and laugh about it, it's now been 3 weeks, I'm still ok, I'm still working, going to the gym etc...with what you say, 4 to 5 hours altho horrible for you...at least you are getting more than I do...keep a sleep diary and log your sleep each night...warm bath before bed, also try this...imagine the number TEN as a 3d model on a table..keep saying 'ten' over and over in your head...imagine you are looking at the model, walk around it...just keep doing this..it works for me, but don't give up just keep doing it...by saying ten over and over, it blocks our that negative signal...but let's be honest Jane, we both are suffering the same issue...so we are not mad, it's helped me to know you are going through the same as me..so I'll take that as a positive...

I am exactly the same. Exactly like you are. Mine started about 5yrs ago. I have had times where I sleep better but then im always worrying its going to come back and of course it does. At the moment some nights I dont sleep AT ALL or maybe 3 hours or on a good night 5 hours. I am even starting to resent people that sleep well! I hate going to bed as I convince myself I wont sleep. The nights are so long and I turn my clock around so I cant see the time. Iam a nervous wreck all day and it seems to be taking over my life. No one knows what true insommnia is until they have it. I know its worrying about not sleeping that is keeping me awake but how do you stop fretting about it?

I just want to sleep normally even if it was for 6 hrs it would be a good night.

The issue is, we all get anxious about getting a good night's sleep, we all dread going to bed, we all think about if we are going to sleep at all.....me, I can fall asleep on the sofa at 9pm...for 10 mins, then I go to bed because I think I'm tired, but as soon as get into bed, that's it the anxiety comes straight back the adrenaline runs and then that's it, tossing, turning, getting hot, wanting the toilet every hour..thats the trigger, so it must be the same for us all....do you all then start clock watching? yes we do it...we can't help it, we worry about the next day..but we get through it, we carry on, it's now going on for 10pm...and even as I type this, a subconscious message is there in my head...not going to sleep tonight...and it repeats and repeats over and over...it takes over, you think you are going mad, and when it's gets to 3am and you suddenly fall asleep...and get up at 06.30 you have had that 3 hours, maybe 5 on a good night...you then analyse that nights sleep, how many hours did I get..3 maybe 4? does this sound familiar?? because that's my cycle.....nothing has happened to me so far, I'm still here same as you, yes grumpy, and washed out the next day, after two days of no sleep, you then panic even more....but we do sleep, we may not think we do, but we do..I've had only 1 night of 0 sleep...how many of you have had more than 2 nights of 0 hours sleep?? I think we need to recognise we all have this issue...we are not mad, nothing will happen to us...yes it's a problem, but nobody has ever died from no sleep...what's the worst thing that would happen, think about it...nothing, I'm learning to deal with it...it will go away...and belive me I've tried everything to get me to sleep, books, hot bath, audio books...etc, I was described Promethizine, last year, 1st tablet knocked me out...after that it didn't work...so I don't take them any more....the one thing thing I use and it does work is a sleep fan app...I find the gentle sound of a fan through ear buds really helps...doesn't cure the problem buy it helps

Hi all (not sure I am replying in the correct thread here!)

Thanks for your messages.

I think I maybe had 6 hours last night. The overall lack of sleep seems to be catching up though and I am very tired.

When I get into bed, I often stop feeling tired and sleepy, and keep looking at the dreaded phone to see what time it is, and going to the toilet, turning pillow over etc. I managed to have a lie in today, and by lie in, I mean 8.30am.

I agree that the sound of a fan is helpful. We have a fan in the bedroom, and I have used an app when trying to sleep before in a car, I do recommend white noise.

JOHN you are so right. Your post has given me lots of reassurance. The longest I have gone with no sleep at all was 2 nights. I have stopped keeping a sleep diary now as I was getting paranoid and kept analysing it!!! I am trying to have a no care attitude and sleeping slightly better. I once cancelled a holiday because of not sleeping. My husband sleeps like a log!!

Hey gareth. Did you ever find those tablets that i mentioned awhile back. The SEREMIND?

Hi Gareth

I definitely agree with your sentiment that the answer is not to care: " The answer to it all for me has been to develop a mindset of not caring if I sleep or not - once I started thinking that way my sleep got much better almost straight away" which I have tried to do but with little success.

I did manage 6 hours last night, but was worrying about sleep until 1.30am.

How much sleep do you get these days, now you have stopped caring so much about insomnia?

Hi Michelle, sorry but I haven't tried them. I'm not taking anything for sleep at the moment. I was taking Amitriptyline for a while which certainly helped but I didn't want to rely on it so weened myself off it.

Hi Jane. I sleep generally ok most nights now. I don't always sleep 7 or 8 hours uninterrupted but even if I wake up during the night I can get back asleep usually right away again. I have the odd bad night when I take at least an hour to fall asleep when I first get in bed but overall my sleep is much better than when my insomnia first started. I feel rested during the day so that's an indicator I am getting enough sleep.

That's good that you weaned yourself off that medication as we all know the potential implications down the track. But i do totally get that sometimes we don't have a choice at least for the short term anyway. Never mind you may get your hands on them one day as i said, they are quite good but most importantly 100% safe.