Severe sleep problems I need advice asap
Posted , 2 users are following.
I can't remember precisely when i startes to have problems going to sleep but I think it was when I started a new study (I'm 20 yo). I didn't like the study so i started getting stressed. I quit the study and after that I've been in and out of a job. I had nights where I didn't sleep at all, my brain would just go beserk once I got into bed. I started smoking weed before going to bed which helpted me get to sleep but I never slept calmly. I quit weed after 7 months of smoking each day. I just cant seem to get 1 good night of sleep now and some nights (like last night) I have nothing to be stressed about but when I go to bed my brain just cant stop thinking about stuff, its like a storm. Ive tries melatonin pills bit it doesnt help, ive tried reading aswell. I was thinking about suicide, just thinking about it I would.never do it, since I got sleep problems. I have huge blue red circles around my eyes which make me ashamed. Im healthy and go to the gym 5 times a week. My mind is cloudy most days. Sorry for ramblind I just got out of bed and have to work soon which makes me want to.jump in front of a train but I dont know what to do anymore. Im not particularry stressed anymore so thats not a reason for me not to sleep, I just want 1 night of good sleep. Theres alot more to it I mainly wantes to vent and see what people think. English is not my 1st language sorry.
2 likes, 3 replies
DClassic hidde45073
Posted
I have a similar story, with sleeplessness developing after a period of stress and going out of control from there. But I can give you a positive story. My sleep is (almost) back to normal now. It took hard work, but I eventually found habits that help me sleep well. Hopefully what I'm about to share can inspire you.
First, let me start with stress. You say you aren't stressed out, but you most certainly are - over your poor sleep. Its a cycle. Poor sleep leads to stress leads to even worse sleep. The key is to break this cycle by learning not to stress out over bad sleep.
Right now, it sounds like bedtime is a scary thing for you. This is going to ramp up your body's natural response to stress, which will make you too anxious to fall asleep. So, be sure to do something relaxing for 30-60 minutes before bed. Read a book. Do light meditation. Nothing with large stimuli (no TV, loud music, or video games). Then, when you get into bed, don't think about anything stressful. Don't think about sleep, work, health, anything. Rather, focus on something pleasant. A nice vacation, good times with friends or family. If you stay focused on something calming, it will help to keep you relaxed so you can fall asleep.
I know that's easier said than done, but its absolutely necessary. If you lie in bed fretting over still being awake, you will stay awake. There's actually some really good discussions over dealing with insomnia-induced anxiety on this website. Check them out:
https://patient.info/forums/discuss/anxiety-and-sleep-disorders-415212?page=0#1458149
https://patient.info/forums/discuss/the-fear-of-not-getting-back-to-sleep-depression-anxiety-hell--414073
Second, follow good sleep hygeine. Things like no caffeine after lunch, no large stimuli before bed, etc. Double-check your exercise routine. Make sure you finish at least 4 hours before bed.
Lastly, try to get an appointment with a therapist. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the only permanent solution to insomnia. You can do CBT on yourself, but it helps to have someone guide you.
And whatever you do end up trying, stick with them for at least a month. So if you try reading before bed, don't try it for 5 days then give up on it. Stick with it for more like 5 weeks.
I've been where you are too, so I know how it feels right now. But it WILL get better if you work at it.
Good luck!
hidde45073 DClassic
Posted
I have tried reading books before sleeping a few times but never really stuck to it because I wanted to do stuff on the computer and my phone. And sometimes I would sleep a few hours even if I was on my phone etc so that's why Ive never read for a long time.
Last night I started reading a book and it did help me get some sleep, I slept for a few hours which is a victory compared to the night before. I think that's indeed mainly because I wasnt playing on my phone / computer.
As you recommended I will try reading for a longer period of time now and look if that will help, before reaching out to a therapist, if it ever comes that far.
I was also thinking about (if I sleep or not at that night) to get up at like 5 or 6 AM and go for a run so make me more tired physically. I can't remember the day I fell asleep because my body needed it. Thought I have done that a few times and it didn't make my body tired much.
Ehhm I think everything has been said already, the only thing I want to say is this. The day I wrote my messy post on this site was a night were I was almost literally shaking in bed. My heart was beating uncontrollably fast and I had a weird and awfull feeling of stress in my stomach. It was almost as if i was on drugs, I was so awake, my eyes were so incredibly awake and my body too I could jump run lift weights anything at that time, like 3 AM! As I am typing this I realise that it was pretty severe and I had something similiar yesterday when I was reading the book. My heart rate was just really high and I couldn't do much to lower it, breathing reading sitting nothing helped.
I try not to take any meds to help me go to sleep because in the past it's only a temporally help for me, but are there meds that can ACTUALY help me get to sleep if I feel that im going to get like what I wrote just now?
I feel much, much better than yesterday and do have good faith I will be able to regain my sleep if I make up a routine.
THANKS!!
DClassic hidde45073
Posted
1. Glad to hear you had a victory. Hold on to those, use them as examples to yourself that you can make a change to your situation.
2. Yeah, cell phones are especiialy bad. Noise and flashing lights. Also, its possible, but not confirmed, that devices like that produce excess blue light, which fools your brain into thinking its still daytime. If you read with an e-reader, Google search for a blue light filter app.
3. No, excercise when you are trying to sleep is no good. You want to keep your heart rate down, not elevate it when you are trying to sleep. Aerobic excercise is great during the day, but avoid it at night. If you do wake up in the middle of the night and can't fall back asleep after say 20 minutes, you could get up and read for a bit.
4. Yeah, I've had that happen too in the middle of the night. Its an extreme stress response. There's not much to do except not focus on it. I tried breathing excercises - if you breath slowly and regularly, your heart eventually has no choice but to follow that pace. Its great if you can make it work, but it takes a lot of discipline. I would usually just read to take my mind of it. If you don't focus on it, it will pass eventually. I know its tough though.
5. Its good to stay away from meds. Really, they are only good for short term. Their side effects are too severe to take them for very long. And it isn't a real sleep they induce anyway. Its rather lack of being awake, which is different and not as restful.
There are some sedatives that while they have few side effects, they are not very strong. For example, melotonin. It really can't hurt, but it might not help.
So yeah, unfortunately sleep meds aren't much help. Anti-depressants could be useful to knock back the excessive worrying though. That's why I was saying to see a therapist. As well as CBT, they can help you find medicine to help treat the anxiety that makes sleeping more difficult. I would recommend trying to get an appointment even while you are developing your own routine. They can help.
God Bless.