Can't Sleep.

[sharky]

I've been having nightmares. But I've also had a lot of anxiety lately and memory-type flashbacks and severe emotional flashbacks. I've been staying up all night and then maybe getting two hours of sleep at most. Although the other day I actually slept for over 24 hours. My sleeping is really messed up. I get my days confused. If something happened yesterday, I might think it happened three months ago. I constantly forget what month/day of the week it is, and occasionally what year it is.

People I know claim to only sleep two hours a night every night. But I don't think that they're telling the truth. It destroys my brain and my body and completely drains me of everything - except my anxiety, to sleep for two hours or less every night. My anxiety is the only thing that seems to stick to me like it's part of my body.

As all of my symptoms are increasing lately, I've been having more and more of a messed up sleeping pattern. And because of this pattern, I go out in public to go shopping or whatever, and I won't have showered in days, I'm wearing clothes that I know look disgusting on me and make me look like a sea cow... But I just don't have the capability to care anymore. Which is saying a lot for me because one of my biggest things is that I'm afraid of not looking the way I want to be perceived whenever I'm around other people outside of the household I live in. But the weirdest part is I hardly even remember running errands in town, most of the time. It was as if I never left the house to begin with.

Right now I look like a greasy crack head and I've been wearing the same dark blue jersey shorts and black calvin klien shirt for days. I am losing my grip on personal hygiene again, which I haven't lost since freshman and sophomore year of high school.

 

[piratelady]

Can you go to your doctor and maybe get some meds or something? It sounds like the lack of good quality sleep is exacerbating your other symptoms. You definitely need sleep to be able to function properly and it will help you to heal. I know the nightmares are tough, I struggle to deal with them myself. I am sorry to hear you are having such a hard time sleeping.

 

[sharky]

I've been prescribed Ambien twice. And it didn't really help, though I severely abused it the first time I had it and used it to 'trip'. And the 'all natural' sleeping meds don't do jack shit for me, which sucks. I don't know what I'll do to regain my control over my sleep. But thank you for your concern.

 

[piratelady]

I imagine there is something they can prescribe other than ambien? or maybe something for anxiety would help? I like to take Valerian root sometimes. It calms me down enough to sleep, I just have to remember to take it early enough in the night...which doesn't always happen.

Also, if you look through this sleep and nightmares forum, I think there are a few threads about things you can do to help sleep. Not meds, but more changes in your routine, things like that.

 

[raging bull]

I feel your pain Sharky, I have only slept one night out of the last three, cant switch off or relax, I find the more frustrated I get the worse it is, so I just try to accept it. Don`t help me sleep but at least I stay awake a little less frustrated.

 

[frozen]

Well I hate to say I'm glad I'm not the only one, and wouldn't wish these sleep issue on anyone!

I truly understand and relate to everything you said and explained. I thas robbed me of so many normal, everyday things that this symptom alone is now causing trauma.

I have tried all the "normal" sleep aids with none working. Same thing with Ambien, WAY too much
to be of help! High stress/anxiety = high amounts of the chemical your body produfes and over rides many medications.

Just started taking Seroquel, it has really helped, it's not addictive, will make you stupid and knock your butt to the ground but after 6years I'm not fighting this one!!

Feel free to message me if you ever just need support

 

[jaiya2012]

I have the same problem is was so bad a while back my doc put me in the hospital for 4 days. I slept maybe 2 hours 4 days prior to them admitting me. I did not want to go in but figured well maybe I can sleep. It did not really work got a little more sleep but still couldn't because now I was in a different place and noises. The only time I did get a little sleep was when they gave me something to help me relax.

I took ambien for years and went off of it because of the sleep wake effect I was sleep walking or awake and forgetting what I did. lol I do that now and I don't even take it so I wonder

I am reversed I am dead tired all day then wide awake at night. My anxiety starts every night like clock work around 8 or 9 at night. I get maybe one good night sleep after being up a few days I guess I pass out.

I have really bad nightmares and my brain remembers what happened so who knows.

I can tell you the one thing that has helped me sleep a little better is my dog if he lays right up against me I can at least fall asleep for a little while.

I also go out go to the store or something and I feel the same like it was a dream or something I am back home thinking did I do that today or yesterday.

I am out of it all the time If I did not have my dog I would never leave my house anymore or bother doing anything.

I wish I had some suggestions I am at a loss and in the same situation

 

[sharky]

I got my dog (a pitbull) as a christmas present from my boyfriend. My dog has helped with a variety of things, and he also sleeps with me and helps me get to sleep sometimes! I take him with my everywhere, he's like my security blanket except he has a consciousness. I love all of my animals, but without Sharky (my dog) I don't know what I would do.

 

[sharky]

Just started taking Seroquel, it has really helped, it's not addictive, will make you stupid and knock your butt to the ground but after 6years I'm not fighting this one!!

I know of someone who has this, and he always uses it as a threat that he's going to overdose on it because he wants to die. I'm afraid of my suicidal thoughts taking form if I had access to that. I have a hard time associating Seroquel with sleep instead of death. Which is kind of a shame because I know I cannot always control myself, and there's definitely a chance that Seroquel would fix my sleeping problem. But at the same time, my doctor hardly wants to prescribe me anything besides anti-depressants.

 

[sharky]

I have another question for all of you; do you ever feel like, because of how hard it is to get to sleep, that it's like you've taken Adderol? Obviously if you've never taken Adderol, you won't know what I'm talking about. But I get that feeling all the time and it's usually by the time it's light out and I'm sitting here going insane thinking, "Okay, anytime now I should be going to sleep..." But I just stay awake. For hours. Upon hours.

 

[jaiya2012]

I got my dog (a pitbull) as a christmas present from my boyfriend. My dog has helped with a variety of things, and he also sleeps with me and helps me get to sleep sometimes! I take him with my everywhere, he's like my security blanket except he has a consciousness. I love all of my animals, but without Sharky (my dog) I don't know what I would do.

My dog is mine also and I used to take him everyplace I went until I started getting denied access. Thats a whole other topic. But with out my dog forget it I would be in worse shape then I am in now. He knows all my moods and emotions and knows what to do for each one.

 

[jaiya2012]

I know of someone who has this, and he always uses it as a threat that he's going to overdose on it because he wants to die. I'm afraid of my suicidal thoughts taking form if I had access to that. I have a hard time associating Seroquel with sleep instead of death. Which is kind of a shame because I know I cannot always control myself, and there's definitely a chance that Seroquel would fix my sleeping problem. But at the same time, my doctor hardly wants to prescribe me anything besides anti-depressants.

I can say everyone reacts different to meds but I was married to someone that was put on seroquel, and he became really violent in his sleep I would wake up to him doing some very scary things and when awake he out of it depressed and became suicidal. For some it my work great for me I am scared of it. Anti depressants do nothing for me at all but make me have no ambition and go even more numb then I am now.