Insomnia circles.
Posted , 7 users are following.
Hi. For the last 3 years i have been struggling with insomnia. The last few months i have been much better. I managed to have normal night sleeps for most of the days except maybe once or twice a month that i had trouble sleeping i took just a valerian pill and a half of Stilnox. I was so happy that i was almost over this torment. All these up to two nights ago.
I tried to make an experiment with me. Work on my pc for a 1 or two hours not take the pills even thought i was unable to sleep and try to sleep. i ended up getting so much stress up that i needed i valerian pill and 1.5 stilnox. And even that did not help i got panicky and all those old feelings. After some breathing exercises i bearly managed to sleep at 3-630. And last night the same. I took 1 stilnox and 1 valerian pill and breathing exercises to manage to sleep at 2.
My question does insomnia comes in circles? For some time u r doing ok and then for some time bad and then good and so on?
Has anyone experienced this?
2 likes, 7 replies
lily65668 Marioscy
Posted
Yes, totally. I was like that for most of my working life. I'm sorry if that's bad news. The good news is that I'm still very much alive (and enjoying life) in old age - and I usually sleep very well these days. I think this proves how great a role stress plays, even if one isn't aware of it at the time.
You're doing the right thing in not taking sleeping pills every night. I used to take antihistamines rather than sleeping pills - still do occasionally, especially on the eve of a journey or a busy day in my voluntary job. I would take them a max of three nights in a row - preferably only one or two nights - then tough it out for the next week. That way, I never developed tolerance to them, and they're still very effective 50 years later.
Part of the problem is that a run of bad nights can make you start doubting your ability to sleep well again, which is why it's useful to have something you can take just long enough to break the cycle. In your case it may even be that this is a temporary thing, an understandable reaction to a period of insomnia that may eventually wear off and leave you with normal sleep again.
As you've probably worked out, the hour or two working on your computer before bed isn't the best solution for insomnia! If you must do this, have you thought of getting the kind that doesn't emit blue light? (This has been established to be a problem when you're exposed to it directly before bedtime.) I don't know what they're called but you can google it.
It sounds to me as if you're basically doing OK, but still reacting to a period of insomnia you've been through. Try to hang on to the fact that even though poor sleep can make you feel very tired, it won't seriously damage your health.
Marioscy lily65668
Posted
Dear lily65668,
Thanks for the immediate response.
It looks like when i have one bad night i lose my confidence of sleeping and i get all crazy up. When i have a good night "natural" sleep i get my confidence in sleeping and i get a lot of nights sleeping in a row. Even pc, light decaf don't bother me those days. In bad days EVERYTHING bothers me and i am down and want to die from no sleeping.
Does this makes sense to you? Did you experience the same??
lily65668 Marioscy
Posted
Yes, this is quite normal in those of us who're inclined to be anxious about our sleep. The only way I found to deal with this was to simply accept it and work around it. Getting onto sleeping medication - including antihistamines - on a regular basis certainly isn't the answer, as you'll just develop tolerance to them and they'll stop working.
You're probably in for the long haul, as I was, but you won't come to any harm.
Marioscy lily65668
Posted
annie_16257 lily65668
Posted
I was prescribed an anthistamine pill called phenergan. I read it can cause rls. Did you experience that? I had a mild case of rls. Do you think I can take it?
lily65668 annie_16257
Posted
Hi Annie,
I actually had to research that, and I see that Phenergan can indeed cause RLS.
I do get some episodes of mild RLS, but I don't think they're Phenergan-related in my case, as I've only ever taken very small doses, and only on an occasional basis. I'm able to control my attacks by staying perfectly still and resisting the urge to move my legs for as long as possible, only giving in when I absolutely have to. That way, I find the intervals between having to move gradually get longer, till I fall asleep.
In your case, I think it depends on the reason why you were prescribed Phenergan. There aren't many conditions for which this is an essential medication, so I can't think of any harm it would cause to stop taking it if you're worried.
It's not clear from your post whether your mild case of RLS was associated with taking Phenergan. If it was, then you have your answer.
If you just have a concern it might happen, why not try a very small dose of Phenergan to see whether it produces RLS? It wouldn't have a permanent effect, unless you suffer from severe anxiety, in which case it could leave you with persistent RLS. The reason for this last remark is that although RLS is a very real physical condition, it can also have a psychological component. An excessively anxious person who experiences it once or twice (as most of us do at some point in our lives) could become fixated on the sensation, and be stuck with it permanently.
hope4cure Marioscy
Posted
Insomnia effects everyone differently . Sometime the winter is tougher I read in dark winter zones the body makes melotonin a sleep hormone . In many cases it's does pass. Sometimes mindfulness helps, stories on YouTube. I use mindfulness relaxing music on you tube. Go to bed and wake at the same time is the biggie according in to sleep specialists. Also sleep clinics can help.