Thanks all - yes, am returning to my original strategy and it is helping. Just keeping breathing and not letting myself get worried about the effect of the lack of sleep on my health etc
hope you are all doing well
Thanks all - yes, am returning to my original strategy and it is helping. Just keeping breathing and not letting myself get worried about the effect of the lack of sleep on my health etc
hope you are all doing well
How you doing Jomo?
Struggling a bit the last couple of days. Anxiety and insomnia still taking their toll. Ended up having to take 2mg of Lorazepam last night, which i am annoyed about (I had not take anything for a month). Some nights I sleep, but at least 2 or 3 nights a week I am awake for most of if not all of the night, and this has been going on for nearly a year now. During the day I have gotten pretty good at managing the anxiety, but at night, when i am alone in my head, it all just flares up. I am going to try yoga and acupuncture to see if either of those help. I also have 5-htp to try if I feel like I need to and, of course, there is also my psychiatrist's suggestion of 300mg Gabapentin at night so that it helps with sleep but has pretty much worn off by daytime. But I am very reluctant to do that. Feeling very down and groggy today, partly from feeling like a failure for taking the medication, and partly due to the effects of that med which make me depressed etc. Seeing my therapist tomorrow, and doing my first yoga class, so we shall see.
Hope everyone on here is doing well. I try not to come on that much at the moment as one of my symptoms is obsessive researching/googling/commenting on symptoms etc, which is not healthy, so I am working hard not to do that.
I understand Jomo your health first , your CBT therapist what think about these situation?
Yeah - he told me there is nothing wrong with taking an Ativan a couple of times a month if I need to, and he is right.
Did my first yoga class last night and really enjoyed it. Felt like it did me some good. My feeling is if I work on being healthy and looking after myself as much as I can, it will help mitigate any negative effects of the things I cant control - the sleep and at least parts of my mood. Feeling good today so a reminder that there will always be ups and downs and I should not pay too much attention to them.
Also taken 500mg taurine that last couple of nights, and have slept pretty well. May be nothing to do with it, but some research does seem to show it can help with relaxation/sleep. Either way it has no negative effects so will keep taking it for a while and see what happens.
Just a note to say have been doing well the past month. Including having to take an unexpected work trip to Singapore for a week (with a 13hr flight and a 7hr time difference!) which was very stressful and busy. But am doing fine. The Taurine does seem to be helping - just takes the anxiety down about 10% or so, which is enough to let me sleep much better. Still have the odd bad night, but in general doing ok. Yoga and exercise and meditation helping with mood generally.
Thanks for the update Jomo. It's good to know things have improved for you.
I am still struggling with insomnia and I may finally need to accept that I should go and see someone about it. I find I am putting a lot of social activities and other stuff off because I never know how I am going to feel on that particular day. I am considerably older than you Jomo, so there is probably some older age related insomnia feeding into my problem. In my head I still think I'm thirty
I have a health issue which doesn't help, silent reflux which affects me mostly in the small hours or very early morning. I wake up with sore throat and feeling headachey and rubbish. Unfortunately I cannot take the medication prescribed for this which are PPIs. They cross the blood/brain barrier and make me feel worse, anxious and depressed. So quality of life is definitely being affected. Some days are fine and I think I've got this, it's not so bad. I can be so stupidly stoic and keep thinking I can solve this by myself. I have an appointment with a GP next week and may ask for to try Mirtazapine again. Or I may go privately when I would be given more time to sort out the best route and possible medication.
I take Zopiclone (just a quarter of a tab), when I am desperate, and I don't know why because the rebound of anxiety and depression the following day isn't worth it.
Anyway am really pleased for you
Belle
Last edited by Belleblue; 16-05-19 at 16:55.
Oh Belle, I am so sorry to hear that. Insomnia is still an issue for me (I got no sleep at all last night so am feeling pretty rubbish today!) but the only thing that has genuinely helped has been working hard on acceptance. On what Pema Chodron calls "discomfort resilience" - seeing the bad times as opportunities to practice being ok with the discomfort. Those of us who have struggled with anxiety and all the rest are actually really tough. You have to be just to keep going every day! But whenever I have a bad day or a bad night, I try to be in it and not run away from it/label it as "bad". It is just a particular experience. It may not feel very pleasant, but it is just a bunch of physical sensations and it will pass. I ask myself "can I control this?" and if the answer is "no", then I try and let it be. Seems like I cant do anything to control the sleep. Sometimes I am fine, sometimes not. So I am working on just letting whatever will be, be.
But you have the addition of silent reflux, which makes it all much harder. I certainly think talking to the GP is a good idea. I hear you about zopiclone - I think I have taken it maybe 4 times in the last year and a half and hated it each time. I also rarely take my Lorazepam for similar reasons (I feel like crap the next day).
For the sleep, have you tried 500mg of taurine before bed along with some magnesium? That helps me a bit I think. I am also trying acupuncture just out of curiosity.
Thank you Jomo for those helpful suggestions. I'll give the taurine a go and will be near an H&B today and will get some. I suppose their brand is as good as any? I already take magnesium for my bones, but am not really aware if it helps or not. But maybe if I stopped taking it I would find that I am worse.
I love what you say about discomfort resilience/ seeing the bad times as opportunities to practice being ok with the discomfort. I agree with the philosophy of practicing acceptance, and that can work at times. But sometimes, like you sleep just wont come.
Take care of yourself.
Belle x
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