Sudden onset insomnia? Help?
Posted , 8 users are following.
Hello guys,
I'm a 32 year old woman in overall good health. Starting in November 2017 (the 1st, funny enough), quite suddenly, I started having insomnia issues. The symptoms are difficulty to fall asleep, sensations of adrenaline surge and alertness, waking up startled when falling asleep, a sensation of weakness/numbness in both my arms, mental agitation, occasionally (what feels like) restless leg syndrome, falling asleep late, waking up several times per night, unable to get back to sleep and having very vivid dreams.I just felt very weird altogether. I had this pretty bad for about a week in November, then I started feeling a bit better, with just 1-2 wakes during the night (usually around 4-5am), but still not my usual deep, proper sleep. At the end of November I started taking melatonin supplements before going to bed, around 1.5mg (half a 3mg tablet) and it made me sleep VERY well. Felt the sleepiness within 40 minutes of taking it and then slept well throughout the night. Yesterday I stopped the melatonin since I don't think I'm supposed to take it for a long time and I had a horrible night. Woke up 6-7 times, staying awake between 10-40 minutes each time, dreaming very vividly, being aware that I am dreaming while asleep, didn't feel like I managed any deep sleep at all. I don't know what exactly is the matter with me. I am now fearing sporadic fatal insomnia and that is NOT helping things at all. I feel very distressed now. I feel terribly tired and look like hell today, it's obvious I did not get any rest.
A bit about my context. I am a mother of a 1 year old boy, who sleeps in the same room with me (and my bf), but he sleeps well throughout the night. I do check on him whenever I wake up from sleep (and have been doing that ever since he was born, however I only had insomnia in the last 1.5 months). I'm a bit stressed with all the work involving staying at home with a small child, but nothing extreme. I do get irritable and angry sometimes, but nothing that would constitute an issue.
Last summer I started having migraines with aura, all of the sudden, in June, during the stresses of starting solids and having to employ my non-existing cooking skills. I was pretty worked up and overwhelmed during that time. I had an MRI and angio-MRI and it was all clear. So I was diagnosed with migraine with aura and had a few of these auras for a few months and then they seem to have stopped around September. In the last 3-4 months, I also started having occasional hypnagogic and hypnapompic hallucinations with visual patterns appearing, pulsating (with my own pulse) and.or rotating in my vision, I can only see them when there is dark and they disappear in about 5-20 minutes. I was told this was something that's not worrisome and that many people have these sometimes by a neurologist. But I still notice that symptoms keep appearing where before there were none.
I also have autoimmune hyperthyroidism (Grave's), which only occasionally acts up. I have had this for 13 years, I only take medications when my thyroid acts up. I NEVER had insomnia with this condition. And I don't feel like being hyperthyroid at the moment (normal pulse, not a lot of anxiety, no panic attacks, not losing weight) - but I will check it tomorrow just in case. However even if I am hyper, I would still not be sure the insomnia is related to that, since I never had insomnia as a result of my thyroid condition.
I have no one in my family with fatal insomnia, but my mother did have insomnia as a result of her anxiety and depression (which started when she was over 40). However I do NOT have depression and have only mild anxiety (related mainly to minor issues and now this new onset insomnia).
First of all, can this be sporadic fatal insomnia? Because this scares me a lot during the night. I know it's rare, but can it be? Also, can it be some sort of psychosis or whatever? Something neurological? During the day I feel and function normally (so far). Today I do feel especially tired and feel unusual, but it was probably the worst sleep I ever got since the insomnia began.
What else can this be, does the melatonin working well for me suggest anything in particular?
What should I do? Any ideas or advice? Anyone in the same situation?
Thank you for any help.
0 likes, 7 replies
rebeccaj
Posted
Anyone?
I've just had another awful night, without melatonin. I couldn't sleep I'd get these horrible sensations of weakness, heaviness and heat in my arms and legs, sometimes they felt like they came in a wave. I couldn't sleep at all until 3am and that's after the previous night I only slept for maybe 4 hours in total. I'd close my eyes and feel like I'm tired and on the verge of falling asleep but never could actually sleep. Then I'd get the weird feeling in my limbs and this strange anxiety.
At 3am I took a 3mg bromazepam pill (had some leftover pill from when I had thyroid-related panic attacks). Even with the pill, I still couldn't sleep well. The strange sensations in the limbs became more subdued and I could feel sleepy. I think I maybe slept for about 3h until morning, kept waking up and it was difficult to tell when I was sleeping and when I was just lying there almost sleeping.
I just feel so hopeless now, wondering if maybe I have some condition that makes me unable to produce melatonin or maybe even something worse - there are like a million conditions and deficiencies that can cause insomnia and strange feeling in the limbs, from MS to B12 deficiency.
I also remembered this issue didn't start in Novermber like I thought, but I have read a journal entry from July and mentioning that I had started occasionally having difficulty falling and staying asleep... so It started around 5 months ago and apparently it got progressively worse.
rebeccaj
Posted
Please, no one has any ideas? Yesterday night I could not sleep at all. Not even for 5 minutes. I am terrified of going to bed and I am utterly useless this morning. Whenever I would feel like falling asleep I get these adrenaline surges in my arms and legs it feels like I'm going crazy.
David7719 rebeccaj
Posted
Hi Rebecca,
First of all you're experiencing something quite common if pretty damn horrible.
It's highly likely that you're suffering mainly from a fear of not sleeping ... or 'sleep anxiety'.
This happens when we become so fearful of the consequences of not sleeping, that our body fills with adrenalin making it impossible to sleep. It can quickly become a vicious cycle.
There is an abundance of advice on the internet about sleep anxiety but book I found really helpful is 'The Effortless Sleep Method' by Sasha Stephens - she went through what you're going through and advises from experience.
You can find it on Amazon.
Also search for 'The Sleep Clinic'.
In essence, there is no quick 'fix' and the more you look for a 'fix' the worse it will become most likely.
The key steps would be:
- Make sure your 'sleep hygiene' is spot on and follow the rules each night
- Insomnia is VERY COMMON and you are not alone, accept the situation is temporary, you will have more sleepless nights but try and care LESS about that because you won't die - the more you realise you can get the basics done during the day the more you will relax
- Try and focus on non-sleep thoughts / activities during the day as possible
I've just scratched the surface there but get hold of the book and it will be a great friend x
girl02520 rebeccaj
Posted
Hey, I hope you don't mind the message, I just was wondering if you were still having issues with your sleep. I read your post and your symptoms matched with mine completely. It's such a scary thing to go through, PM me if you would like to.
Amy
ryan723 rebeccaj
Posted
Funny I'm currently in the same boat. Just suddenly started suffering from insomnia. Had a bout of insomnia related anxiety when I was 24. 32 now and just out of nowhere suddenly started waking up startled in the middle of the night. Always takes forever to fall back asleep. Then I lay there and think I'm shaking or my heart is racing even though it isn't. So now I just dread going to bed because I know I'm just going to be awake all night. This has been going on for a couple weeks now. Also took melatonin but I'm afraid of the long term side effects. It sometimes helps me get to sleep but doesn't prevent me from waking up so I kind of gave up on it. The last time I had this problem almost 10 years ago I went to a sleep therapist and it was extremely helpful.
Mark319 rebeccaj
Posted
I am experiencing almost the exact same thing. I can only sleep 1 or 2 hours a night if I take melatonin or benadryl. it has been going on for weeks, I even went to the emergency room but they just ran a blood test and said I was fine. I actually started out physically sick and now it changed to this insomnia. When I finally fall asleep I have very vivid dreams and don't feel like I'm in deep sleep. when I wake up after am hour or two I have bad anxiety and don't feel rested at all. I was convinced I was going to die the other night. If anyone can respond and let me know if you found the cause I would really appreciate it.
zeke41552 Mark319
Posted
Hi mark are you still having the vivid dreams becuz i been dealing with crap for a year now.