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Insomnia, how to face the long nights!

Posted , 7 users are following.

saloire
saloire

My insomnia is back with avengeance, and I'm having real trouble relaxing at night. I'm in a state of hyper-alertness which basically means I can't fall asleep till maybe 4am each night. I've tried not to focus on it too much, but I can't stop thinking about how tired I'll be the next day. I've tried cleaning, washing, listening to music, reading books, watching TV shows, even doing nothing, but none of it works. My main problem is that I'm all alone while everyone else is asleep. I can't make too much noise in case I wake them up and I have a four-year-old to look after who is incredibly well-behaved, but needs lots of energetic play. This is tough at the best of times, but even more taxing on very little sleep.

I think the loneliness gets to me the most, and there seems to be no way to solve it. I can't wake my partner up as he has to work, I obviously don't want to disrupt my daughter as she is generally a good sleeper, and I have nobody else to call or talk to during the night. All I can think about during the day is how tortuous the night is going to be, and then it comes and it's just as bad as I thought. I know this is a vicious cycle which I have to break somehow, but I don't know how. If anybody has had any positive experience with this it would be great to hear it, as it just feels like a relentless cycle of misery and I don't want that. I did have CBT a couple of years ago, and it was great, but it hasn't really solved my insomnia or the anxiety that surrounds it. Anyway, if you got to the end of this well done,

Saloire

1 like, 8 replies

8 Replies

  • lisalisa67
    lisalisa67 saloire

    Posted

    Have you tried hypnosis? Meditation? Meditations, healing meditations do work nicely. I get issues with this for spans at a time. Make sure you are eating healthy, no caffiene and you arent on medicine that can cause this. 
  • evergreen
    evergreen saloire

    Posted

    There are a couple of good books. The Effortless Sleep and say goodnight to insomnia. Have you tried them? Or you could ask your doctor for a very small dose of mirtazapine. At higher doses it's an anti depressant, but at 7.5 - 15mg it helps restore normal sleep. I was a hopeless insomniac and mirtazapine made me sleep like a normal person for many years. Sadly after four years it stopped working but I am greatful for those four years.
  • lily65668
    lily65668 saloire

    Posted

    Hi Saloire, that's awful. I can remember going through this myself for years when I was working as a nurse. Like you, I had terrible anxiety as to how I was going to function during my busy days. Curiously, when I was on nights - which we all did back then, one week in four or six - I slept quite well during the day!

    What used to work reasonably well for me was a very small dose of phenergan. This is an over-the-counter antihistamine of the old-fashioned kind, that actually makes you sleepy. I believe it's still available today. I used to take it a couple of nights in a row. This would make me sleep, which would break the pattern and relieve the anxiety for a week or so. Then it would all start again and I'd have to take phenergan for another couple of nights. I note Evergreen is suggesting a very small dose of mirtazapine, if your doctor is prepared to prescribe it. I never tried anything like that but I think it could work too. The important thing about both these remedies is that they aren't instantaneous, particularly phenergan. It's therefore preferable to take it an hour or so before going to bed. If you take it at the last minute, you'll think it's not working and your anxiety will then stop it from working!

    My own insomnia gradually decreased as I went through life and now I'm in my 70s I sleep like a baby. However, a friend in her late 50s recently went through a terrible period of insomnia because of job-related anxiety. She tried everything but it was acupuncture that finally did the trick. It took quite a few sessions but she finally broke the pattern and now sleeps well.

    • DClassic
      DClassic lily65668

      Posted

      Hi Lily,

      ​I would advise you (and anyone who reads this) to be careful with antihistamines. Most people develop a tolerance to it VERY rapidly.  When you build up a tolerance, you may find it hard to sleep with or without it.

      ​It might work for some, and its worth a try, but be careful.

    • lily65668
      lily65668 DClassic

      Posted

      Thanks D. I would, however, reiterate that this isn't a remedy to be taken every night - just occasionally to break the pattern, which is often all that's needed for insomnia generated just by the fear of not sleeping. I used to find that a couple of good nights' sleep would relieve my anxiety enough for me to be able to sleep well for several weeks without taking anything, till something set me off again.

      Of course, antihistamines aren't a solution if anyone needs something to help them sleep every night. In that case, medical help should be sought.

      Incidentally, what I didn't mention is that I only used to take 2.5mg. Yes - you heard correctly! That's half the dose a five-year-old can take three times a day! I used to buy the 10mg tablets OTC and cut them in approximate quarters. I used this remedy on and off for 40 years, until I no longer needed help sleeping. I once shared this with my GP and she burst out laughing and said: "That's homeopathy!" She refused to believe this tiny dose could have any effect other than placebo, and I'm sure she was right. Sometimes, when I'd had a few bad nights, I'd take my minute dose of phenergan, or so I thought, and sleep like a log... only to get up the next morning and find the fragment of blue pill still on the kitchen counter!

      I agree that a healthy lifestyle, good "sleep hygiene" and positive thinking are essential. But there's nothing like a little placebo effect for an extra boost for a couple of nights from time to time.

  • DClassic
    DClassic saloire

    Posted

    Hi Saloire,

    ​I went through my own tough time with insomia, so I now where you are at. I also found that CBT was helpful. My therapist also encouraged me to "change the narrative." Rather than thinking, "oh my god my life is over," I turned it into "well this is a challenge, but I can overcome it." Basically, channel the power of positive thinking. It may sound lame, but I found that it truly does work.

    ​In your case, you should reinforce the idea that you can get over this with the fact that you have had insomnia before and it was in remission. You beat this once, and you can do it again.

    ​Also, I found that developing tricks to keep my energy up during the day helped me feel less anxious about how well I slept at night. If I was lying awake in bed, I would tell myself I can still be productive tomorrow in spite of poor sleep. Then I would go out the next day and do exactly that. I was able to progressively reinforce the idea that poor sleep wasn't a big deal. This in turn made me less anxious about sleep, so I was then able to sleep better.

    ​As for actual ways to keep your energy up, see if you can take small snacks perdiodically. Small amounts of fresh fruit and nuts give you suagr and protein for energy. Don't take candy for the sugar - sugars in fruits (mostly fructose I guess) are absorbed slower than the cane sugar or corn syrup in candy, which gives you sustained energy rather than a spike. Also try not to take a big meal all at once. The digestion process itself takes energy.

    ​Winter and cold weather was also my friend. I'm not sure if this will work at your job, but I would go out and stand on the loading dock for a few minutes if I was nodding off. Nothing like 5 farenheit weather to shock you back to alertness!

    ​I hope this helps. Insomnia is the worst, I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. But you can beat it. Good luck!

  • Taina75
    Taina75 saloire

    Posted

    I can completely understand what you are saying. Reading your post, I feel like I could have written it.  I tried so many different things and nothing seems to work.  One thing that now I regret is all the medications I've taken for the insomnia.  I've become dependent on them and even if I get a different prescription, within a few weeks, I need to increase the dose.  I would really try the "natural" remedies first and if nothing works, then medication.  Meditation combined with aromatherapy is helpful.  In my case, it doesn’t help my insomnia, but I feel relaxed and rested when I do it.

    You mention anxiety, have you seek medical help for anxiety?  Maybe if this is what is causing the insomnia and you treat it, the insomnia would be resolved?  Last year I took antidepressants due to a personal situation, and while on them, I was able to sleep better than I had in a very long time.

    Anyway, hopefully my respone puts you to sleep cheesygrin  Sadly, you are not alone. 

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