1. Community
  2. Symptoms
  3. Sleep Problems

No sleep for days, tried everything.... need help!

Posted , 6 users are following.

todd87120
todd87120

male

51 yo

highly active

good shape

Over past three weeks, I sleep about 2 to 3 hours a night and sometimes no sleep.

I have had sleep issues for past 10 years, but it would come and go in cycles (i.e. 1 week every three or four months). Now it is every night and nothing works. I am physically exhausted, but my brain just will not shut down!

currently taking ambien (no affect)

drink sleepy time tea (2 tea bags 30 min before bed time)

unisom (no affect)

melatonin (no affect, other than it causes restless leg)

even tried some marijuana gummies. made me numb, but did not help me sleep.

was on Mazepam and Lunesta before Ambien and they did not work.

AMBIEN had been somewhat effective for past 4 months, but no success for past 3 weeks.

Retired ARMY (30 years), VA just wants to give me more ambien.

I think there is something else going on.

Any insight, suggestions, or thoughts will be greatly appreciated!

0 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • michelle70460
    michelle70460 todd87120

    Posted

    Hi todd. I am the same age as you but female & i can assure you, you are not alone with this problem. I also get 'bouts' of bad insomnia every few months sometimes lasting up to a month at a time. It,s not fun i know, but you will get through it. Whenever i get it now i just accept it because the more i worried about it the worse it got. Whilst i don't completely object to sleep meds as on the rare occasion i've had them to but i don't believe they are the answer. The answer lies in getting to the bottom as to why you are having trouble sleeping. For example, do you worry about not sleeping? as this will make your problem a whole lot bigger. Sleep anxiety is very real & without knowing to much more about you i'm strongly suspecting that this is at least part of your problem. You don't have anything wrong with your brain such as protein accumulation or nerve misconduction. None of these things have anything to do with why you can't sleep. But i do agree, if it continues, seeing a sleep specialist is not a bad idea. Good luck.

  • angela55814
    angela55814 todd87120

    Posted

    Hi Todd

    Please dont worry about protein accumilation etc etc!! I am exactly the same and can go for days with no sleep at all. Michelle is right the more anxious you get about not sleeping the worse it will be. I went to my dr and he said not sleeping never killed anyone.Not what I wanted to hear but strangely reassuring!!I sometimes take an over the counter Nytol tablet (not the herbal ones they are useless) when I get desperate sometimes they help and sometimes not. Try not to get too anxious about this believe me you will sleep again although at the moment you probably think you wont!

  • omein26046
    omein26046 todd87120

    Posted

    dont worry and relax i had insomnia for about 18 months and im responsible for it somewhere that i put my self into that vacious cycle we all have problems with our sleep but sometimes you worry about that so much and get yourself into a state of anxiousness relax sleep is a natural process and please dont scare yourself sir u will sleep get an appointment with a medical professional and he or she can help you the funny thing about sleep is the more you worry the less you sleep so relax sir im insomniac myself im alive on 3 hours of sleep for 8 years cause i have stress depression and responsibilities on my head and u r completely fine sir and dont diagnos yourself on the internet cause different people have different views it will cause you more worry then help you will sleep believe me

  • christine66659
    christine66659 todd87120

    Posted

    this was me last year..im 52 yr old female..there were underlying issues..bereavement etc.my health was fine...im now in a position were i havent had a total sleepless night for four mths..on the odd occasion i will get a night of 2/3 hrs the rest of the time 7/8hrs..anxiety is what stopped me sleeping when it started the fear of going to sleep or not sleeping...my anxiety kept the fear alive..one day i just thought blow it..if i sleep i sleep if i dont idont..that was the way forward for me..occasionally it comes back but the fear is not so great..let go and sleep well

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.