Insomnia

[countrygirl]

Its along time since I have had a bout of this and my anxiety goes through the roof.

I asked for a decaf coffee two evening ago because caffeine keeps me awake all night , my husband also asked for decaf but we thought it was strong and at 2am we were both still wide awake so assumed we had been given normal and strong coffee. Husband found it funny and just said well I will fall asleep eventually and he did at 3am but I started to panic, as I always do if I cannot sleep with the "what if I never sleep again" thoughts. I eventually took a mild sleeping pill and did sleep but as soon as I woke up at 8am I was worrying that I had only slept because I had taken a sleeping pill etc etc.

All day yesterday I was worrying about sleeping - I did fall asleep quite quickly but only for 20 mins and then woke up and then the panic set in " I am awake again and will not be able to go back to sleep etc etc". I eventually took yet another pill at 2am but was still awake hour later and could not tell I had taken it!! I did fall asleep but woke at 7am and straight away the panic thoughts are back " Now both nights ony slept with sleeping pill, I can't take them every night etc etc".

I know this is all in my head, I had had it so many times before and ended up in a terrible state, it can last from week to months.

Once I start thinking I don't care and stop panicking then it goes away and I sleep fine again. Its nearly a year since I last went through a bad spell with it and that was caused by strange sensations as I was falling asleep.

Anyone else have trouble getting to sleep??

[MrRedShirt]

Hi Countrygirl,

Yes I'm currently going through exactly this.. I'm not sure what the solution is.. My problem is more waking up once I've got to sleep - about 2 hours after. I then lie there and struggle but just end up getting more wound up

[Jamesk]

Hi Countrygirl,

Yes I'm currently going through exactly this.. I'm not sure what the solution is.. My problem is more waking up once I've got to sleep - about 2 hours after. I then lie there and struggle but just end up getting more wound up

This was me last night awake from 1.00am - even listening to the very soothing/boring talking book I have listened to 100s of times which normally calms me enough to doze didn;t work last night.

[MrRedShirt]

This was me last night awake from 1.00am - even listening to the very soothing/boring talking book I have listened to 100s of times which normally calms me enough to doze didn;t work last night.

I had Radio 5 going behind my head - got me off to begin with but when I woke I was so wired that even that wasn't boring enough.

[countrygirl]

So were you both awake for most of the night?? How do you cope during the day?? Does this happen every night or do you get a good night sleep inbetween??

[MrRedShirt]

Well, I'm in the start-up phase of some new medication, so hopefully the insomnia is due to this and will settle down in time.

It's pretty new to me and yesterday I felt awful all day. I don't feel as bad this morning for some reason. We'll see how the day wears on though.

I also have tinnitus, which is also new to me and I'm finding it difficult to adjust to, particularly in the middle of the night.

[Jamesk]

I feel truly grim today. Normally when I "don't sleep" I probably in reality cat nap. Last night I was really awake all night - heard bits of my talking book O haven;t heard before, which proves I guess I often doze.

So today I am feeling really groggy, really dizzy and am trying to prep a seminar I am speaking at next week - total nightmare!

Normally after a bad night I sleep the following evening (I hope) but I might help it along with a zopiclone this evening.

[MrRedShirt]

I feel truly grim today. Normally when I "don't sleep" I probably in reality cat nap. Last night I was really awake all night - heard bits of my talking book O haven;t heard before, which proves I guess I often doze.

So today I am feeling really groggy, really dizzy and am trying to prep a seminar I am speaking at next week - total nightmare!

Normally after a bad night I sleep the following evening (I hope) but I might help it along with a zopiclone this evening.

Hi James, have you used zopiclone before? I'm considering asking my doctor for a sleep aid, and others have suggested that this is what he's likely to prescribe.

Thanks.

[Jamesk]

Hi James, have you used zopiclone before? I'm considering asking my doctor for a sleep aid, and others have suggested that this is what he's likely to prescribe.

Thanks.

Yup it has worked eally well for me - I use it as a "break glass in case of emergency" as my Doctor calls it, i.e. not every night but when I am desperate.

Half a tablet normally sorts me out pretty well.

[MrRedShirt]

Yup it has worked eally well for me - I use it as a "break glass in case of emergency" as my Doctor calls it, i.e. not every night but when I am desperate.

Half a tablet normally sorts me out pretty well.

I like that phrase...!
I think I may have to enquire. I don't like the idea of taking additional meds, but if it's only temporary and occasional then I've no problem.

[countrygirl]

What has added to my anxiety is that I read that taking any sleeping pills or benzodiazepams or anti depressants increases your cancer risk by 35%. I knew that amyltriptyline can trigger breast cancer if taken in high doses for long enough as my mother had been taking this in very high dose for 2 years for severe depression when she was diagnosed with bc and I was there when Dr told her about the connection. So not being able to sleep AND worrying about taking any sleep aid is not a good combination.

I have tried zopiclone ( it worked wondefuly) but it left me with evil taste in mouth all the next day so tried zolpidem which has no side effects for me but also does not work anywhere near as well as zopiclone. I do have problems metabolising drugs as codeine and tramadol have no effect on me and I can take diazepam in high dose before feeling any effect!

I also feel as if I probably cat nap as last night I was moaning to my husband that I could not sleep and he said he had been listening to me snoring but I am only sleeping for short time like 20 mins then waking up again so as has been said it feels as if you haven't slept.

I have just bought the anti histamine nytol that can be used as a sleep aid over the counter if you are interested and in the past it has worked for me.

[MrRedShirt]

I know of others who have used Nytol with varying results. Do you know if it's safe to take with an SSRI/SNRI?

[JaneC]

I put up with insomnia for years, at last in part caused by odd working hours and the loud snoring of my husband. Night after night I used to lie awake watching the clock going to 4am, 5am, thinking I've got to get up in 4hrs, 3hrs; daylight appearing in the summer and the birds making a racket.
I finally spoke to my GP about it last summer. I didn't look at the prescription until after I left the surgery and was horrified when I did to see it said "temazepam".
Got over my initial freak out to try it and it has changed my life, wish I'd got it years ago. Of course you have to be careful with it but I limit myself to using it maybe three or four times a week (if necessary) and still find 5mg puts me to sleep (my doc prescribed 20mg).
Half the time, even just the knowledge that I can resort to it if I need to is enough to let me sleep because I know don't have to lie there watching the clock - I can do something about it if I choose to, if that makes sense.

---------- Post added at 13:05 ---------- Previous post was at 13:03 ----------


I know of others who have used Nytol with varying results. Do you know if it's safe to take with an SSRI/SNRI?

Mr RedShirt, that seems to be open to debate. On the couple of occasions I tried to buy it, the pharmacist has refused to sell it to me because I take Prozac. However, there seem to be people who use it without any ill-effects.

[MrRedShirt]

Mr RedShirt, that seems to be open to debate. On the couple of occasions I tried to buy it, the pharmacist has refused to sell it to me because I take Prozac. However, there seem to be people who use it without any ill-effects.

Hmmm, interesting..Thanks Jane. I think I'll speak to my doctor and let him prescribe something in that case.

[countrygirl]

Thanks Jane - nice to know someone who uses sleeping pills and is still alive and kicking:D. Its sods law that I always read reports about health that scare me! I just cannot skip them if I come across them:blush:

In the past I have decided that if I get a complete no sleep night then the next night I will take a pill so that I am not taking them every night. Like you I try and keep it to 2 or 3 a week when I am going through a bad spell.

For some reason not being able to drop off to sleep has caused me terrible panic since I was a child and I know its self fulfilling as the more you worry the less chance you have of dropping off.

I too have the snoring husband and there really is nothing worse than him snorting for england while I toss and turn getting more and more het up.

[MrRedShirt]

Hi Countrygirl,

Have you tried the 'not-fighting-it' appoach? Like, if you wake up, then instead of lying there wrestling with yourself, you get up and potter about.. read a book, have some toast or something?
I have found that if I start to do something like that, before long my mind gives up and says 'oh ok, maybe sleep is a better idea than this right now'..

If I wake up tonight I'm going to give that a go!

Just realised my quote from Jung could be relevant in these situations!

[countrygirl]

I know they always tell you to do this but whenever i have tried it getting out of bed makes me even more awake.

Let me know if it works for you tonight!

[xvolatileheart]

I had this last week and had to call into work because I was not going to be able to function! I've never had trouble sleeping so it threw me for a huge loop. I didn't even feel tired the next day, I was so wired on anxiety. I thought "this is it, I'm going down the rabbit hole now..." I just told myself the next night that I barely had any sleep, so I surely was going to sleep that night and it mostly worked. I did get a lot of those anxiety jolts everytime I started to drift off but eventually I got to sleep.

[countrygirl]

Had a terrible night. As soon as I got into bed I started panicking thinking what if I can't get to sleep again tonight and have to take another sleeping pill and on and on. I was still in an awful state by 1.30am despite my lovely husbands bests efforts to calm me ( he of course falls asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow and although he is sympathetic cannot understand my panic). I took another sleeping pill and went to sleep very quickly so doubt it was the pill but woke again 4 hrs later and was straight away into another panic thinking I have only had 4 hrs sleep with a pill and won't be able to go back to sleep and of course I couldn't. My husband said that at one point I snored for 10 mins but then woke up with a jolt and started panicking again about not being able to get back to sleep.

I have made appt with my Gp for later this afternoon but I know he does not have a magic wand. What scares me is that I feel so desperate in the middle of the night and as if I am going totally crazy.

I do not know what my Gp can do, I have even in the past about a year ago managed to stay awake even with sleeping pills! In the past I have been almost out of my mind with lack of sleep over a couple of weeks anad then it suddenly starts to improve as if I have to reach a crisis first????

I do not want to do anything as I feel so awful and just want to sit andcry all day with this terrible dread of having to go to bed:weep::weep::weep:

[MrRedShirt]

Hi Countrygirl,
So sorry to hear you're having a hard time about this. I would suggest going to your GP with all your concerns, perhaps writing them down so you don't forget anything. Maybe print out the post you just wrote, GPs need to understand the distress we're feeling in order to help us appropriately.

It sounds to me like you have trouble with the worry about sleep, as much as the sleep itself.. have you considered antidepressants? Mirtazapine is the AD commonly prescribed that also helps with sleep.. there maybe be a couple of others too, although a lot of them can cause insomnia (like mine is at the moment!).
Alternatively, CBT might help you confront your ways of thinking about sleep and the surrounding issues.

I too have just had another rough night.. This morning I decided enough is enough and called my doctor and he's prescribed a week's supply of zopiclone. Hopefully that should provide me with some relief.

Keep us up to date with your progress, Countrygirl. Feel free to post even if it's just to rant - we're all here to support each other.. I hope you have a better day today :hugs:

[JaneC]

Sorry to hear all that Country Girl, it really is torture. Hope your doc manages to come up with something xx

[swgrl09]

Not being able to sleep is awful. Valerian root worked wonders for me though.

[countrygirl]

Saw my Gp who was sympathetic and he understood about the cycle of panickiing about not being able to sleep means you can't sleep. I also told him about the article I had read about the increased risk of death from sleeping pills etc and he had read it as well but he said he feels its more for old people.

He suggested I change to temazepan for a week to see if I could establish a sleep pattern . I did ask about treating the panic and he said the best thing would be a betablocker but you cannot take these and sleeping pills and as I am a former asthmatic there was a possibility that a beta blocker could trigger astham attacks so he didn't want to use it if he could avoid it.

He did say he sees alot of people in the panic/not sleeping cycle which made me feel better but as expected no magic solution which he pointed out.

I know I am in panic mode as I have a contant fast hearbeat, shakes and want to cry all the time.

[MrRedShirt]

Hi countrygirl,

That sounds generally positive, do you feel better having spoken to him?

I'm shattered today and I know that when you're so tired your nerves are ragged and you can't think straight - if you do manage to get a good night's sleep with the temazepam you may get into a position where you see the situation from a calmer, less stressed perspective.

I just picked up my zopiclone prescription - here's hoping tonight we both get some well-deserved rest!

[countrygirl]

I bet your looking forward to your zopiclone!!

Whats really bugging me is that I know its all in my head. Until I get the mind set of I don't care if I sleep or not its hell and I don't know about you but at 3am the world is a very horrible place. I know I should just get up and do something rather than laying there panicking and getting more and more stressed but its easier said than done. I was speaking to an acquantance who has told me in the past she has terrible sleep problems, she cannot go to sleep either and often is awake till 3 and 4 in the morning but when I asked her if she got stressed about it she said no not at all its just annoying to be tired all the time - oh I wish I was like that.

Let me know how you get on with the zopiclone, I found it worked a dream in that you zonked out but it left me with horrible foul taste in my mouth until teatime the next day. Certainly zolpidem and temazapam are not as effective for me but I could not cope with the foul taste all the next day.

I will know I am on the mend when at this time of night instead of thinking panic panic I bet I can't sleep I will start thinking sxd it I don't care any more:roflmao: I just hope it happens soon!

[MrRedShirt]

I bet your looking forward to your zopiclone!!

Whats really bugging me is that I know its all in my head. Until I get the mind set of I don't care if I sleep or not its hell and I don't know about you but at 3am the world is a very horrible place. I know I should just get up and do something rather than laying there panicking and getting more and more stressed but its easier said than done. I was speaking to an acquantance who has told me in the past she has terrible sleep problems, she cannot go to sleep either and often is awake till 3 and 4 in the morning but when I asked her if she got stressed about it she said no not at all its just annoying to be tired all the time - oh I wish I was like that.

Let me know how you get on with the zopiclone, I found it worked a dream in that you zonked out but it left me with horrible foul taste in my mouth until teatime the next day. Certainly zolpidem and temazapam are not as effective for me but I could not cope with the foul taste all the next day.

I will know I am on the mend when at this time of night instead of thinking panic panic I bet I can't sleep I will start thinking sxd it I don't care any more:roflmao: I just hope it happens soon!

I really am looking forward to it! :) And I have some mint gum for tomorrow, I hope that is enough..

3am for me of late has been the place of horror.. If it weren't for my tinnitus then it might be bearable, but every time I've woken up it's been screaming like my head's about to explode.

I do think you could possibly benefit from some CBT about your thinking relating to sleep.. like you say, it's not just the sleep, it's your anxiety relating to it. You can even try some CBT by yourself, without seeing a therapist (although it'll be more effective with one).

I'll let you know how I get on tonight.. I hope you find peace soon too!

[Gemini74]

Just wanted to say hi as a fellow sufferer of insomnia.
My problem used to be waking up loads in the night, which then progressed to waking up any time after 4am & starting to think about things (work stuff mainly) which stopped me getting back to sleep. Lately though it's stepped up a gear to not being able to get to sleep, to the point where I sometimes have to go to work after about an hours' sleep.
Like countrygirl, I start to stress out when I can't get to sleep. I go to bed at around 11.00 and if I'm still awake after 12.00 that's when the panic sets in. I resisted getting up on nights like this for ages, clinging to the hope I'd drop off, but now if I'm still awake at 1.00 I go and pull the sofa bed out and lie on that. Then I can usually get to sleep by around 2.30, though not always. It's not ideal having to sleep apart from my OH so often, but I have a really busy job where I have to be on top of things every day.

I saw a doctor 2 weeks ago as I was so desperate for sleep. She referred me for CBT (I'm still awaiting a letter), and she gave me a prescription for 2 weeks' Zopiclone for emergencies. I took it for a few nights' running last week and whilst it did help me sleep, I felt awful the next day, like a zombie. I also had the bad taste in my mouth. I don't know what's worse - being exhausted from lack of sleep or spaced out on pills :scared15:

Anyway, just wanted to share my experience. There are plenty of us awake at silly o'clock it seems :)

[countrygirl]

thanks Gemini its nice to know I am not alone if you know what I mean!

I have just laid on the sofa for a couple of hours because I was so tired but still did not drop off:weep::weep:. I cannot believe how tired you can be and still be awake its as if the drop off to sleep bit of my brain has malfunctioned!

I am going to set a time tonight by which if I am not asleep I will take the temazepam and hope it works.

[marleymoo]

Hi I have trouble sleeping, Infact I don't sleep unless I take zopiclone, I find 1 tablet a night is enough and I don't get that hung over feeling in the morning. Hope this helps :)

[JaneC]

Good luck to everyone in getting some sleep tonight xx

[MrRedShirt]

Thank you zopiclone!

I think I must've been asleep within 30 minutes of taking it, and can just remember tasting that funny taste before I dropped off.

I STILL woke up about 2 hours later, but I dropped off again almost immediately.

What a relief! I just hope my sleep settles naturally before I run out of the zop..

Hope everyone else has found some relief..?

[countrygirl]

I took the full dose of temazepam (20mg) rather than the normal 10 mg and went to sleep after tossing and turning for 2 hrs. I did wake up after just 2 hrs like Mr Red but did go back to sleep, my husband saida that I was hilarious trying to talk to him and sounding totally drunk. So I did get over 7 hrs sleep but feel zonked this morning!! NOt sure which is worse no sleep or the after effects.

Will only take 10mg tonight if I need it. I am still panicking that i won't be able to sleep at all without sleeping tablets:weep:

[xhyperyogix]

hey all, I'm really bad with sleep atm too!! Read in the paper today that the clocks changing can affect us too, although I think my insomnia would have been caused by when they changed when I was a kid ha ha!!!! I take temazepam for it (10mg, never more or less) and have done for a year now, and have to say that sometimes they work, sometimes they just don't as I'm too hyper, but they have never done me any harm as I was frightened they may do. I take from about 3 a week to 2 days on, one day off, 2 days on, etc... and i've never had any hangovers from them at all. my doc was hoping the sertraline ive been on for 3 months would help the sleep and provide a more long term solution. However, although I'd go as far as to say I'm in love with sert (mood / anx soooo improved - I was scared about taking thsi too, thinking ads would make me a fat zombie) my sleep is getting off the radar! and i'm getting less nd less, but no panic and no anx, just feeling lovely. but as i know from experience long term sleep deprevation is really bad for me, so i'm seeing my doc on thursday and we'll see what she suggests. i did have somethign called promethazine which is an anti histimine which knocked me out actually, but i got really depressed and yukky the day after - you can buy it otc....

anyway, hope you all got more sleep last night and don't worry about sleeping pills. if you're respectful of them, they can be a life saver!

love yogi xxx