Insomnia Making Me Crazy!

[Charon]

4) play calming classical music - I use a baby CD, just loud enough to hear, it gives you something else to think about & seems to block out some of the other noises, if I wake I put it back on & concentrate on my breathing.

Just thought I'd suggest also Roger Eno's "Voices" album. Lots of very minimal, peaceful simple piano melodies. Ooh or Erik Satie. Just about anything Brian Eno.

 

[dutchieinPA]

I have had bouts with insomnia as well. I have found that the most helpful medication for me has been Trazadone, however, you have a window of opportunity with this drug and you miss it you're basically screwed.

I can't say I've heard voiced, but I've had the feeling of being totally out of it, going through the motions and being completely numb.

One thing that did work for me is not staying in bed when I was not sleeping.

I did jigsaw puzzles in the middle of the night to try to refocus my mind on something else. Else I read books that were pretty boring like technical journals or theoretical stuff that would bore me so much I got sleepy. I have journaled, done crosswords.

One of the the funkiest ways I have been able to stop my mind from going insane and falling asleep is going through the alphabet backwards and coming up with either a boy or girl name for each letter. I can't remember ever getting from Z all the way to A before being out.

Different tactics work for different levels of anxiety. I know that certain antidepressants had bad reactions for me making me even more hyper and agitated than before.

The best advice I can offer is don't give up. It does pass, even though it seems to last forever while you are going through it all.

 

[This Ends Now]

Insomnia

Insomnia sucks that is for sure. I have had visuals and such under sleep deprivation. I have learned that the absolute max I can go without sleep is 3 days. After that I start to get some visuals and its all down hill from there.

Some really great suggestions have been posted here.

Kava helps, but I would suggest buying the kava tea from yogi brand. I find the hot tea works better than the drops and I do not get the "too much kava" effect I get from kava pills.

Valerian root also helps but only at high doses. It is relatively safe. I would suggest the capsules on that one b/c the taste is awful.

Melatonin can also help but you need to google the amount that has been proven effective (10mg I think). It is safe even in relatively high doses. If you want melatonin for free then you can try a quiet dark room and your brain will produce it naturally.

Yoga, meditation, writing, and breathing excercises can help but they work better if you focus on the process rather than the goal.

Alcohol and benadryl both backfire for me. They seem to produce a rebound effect that causes even worse nightmares.

Colonzepan, Ambien, Xananx, and Valium have all worked for short periods of time but they can be very addictive so I keep those as a last resort. Also, their effectiveness will decline with frequent use.

I disagree with the no nap advice unless you are on a strict schedule and even then there are some who advocate power naping. Of course it is not as good as 2 consecutive rem cycles, but it can reduce the more serious side effects of insomnia (such as paranoia and halluninations).

Tonight I have been trying to go to sleep since 10 pm and its 5:38 am now. I have given up on the natural methods for the night and taken an Ambien. It is starting to take effect so I will be laying down now.

I wish you well,

Liz H.

 

[ISupportHer]

What We Use

Not wanting to sound like a broken record here but...

My wife's therapist introduced her to Belleruth Naparstek's guided imagery CD's. ( do google search or healthfuljourneys.com) She has used it every night for quite some time. She uses one FOR PTSD which is soothing music and affirmations. I sometimes use use the restful sleep one.

For me, there have been so many times I have been so upset that maybe I'd get 2 or 3 hours of sleep. Up and down all night with worry. Frankly, I did not like it so much at first. For me, I think it has become somewhat of a conditioned response. Can't guarantee results but I rarely have to start it over a second time. (on iPod now so it is easier) Just the ear buds help shut out other noise.

Also, did anyone mention aroma therapy? You can do a search here for previous threads.

 

[ISupportHer]

Oh, and over the counter Benadryl if not taking other sleep prescriptions. In my are of the USA, it IS the ingredient in a lot of over the counter sleep aides. Just diphenhydramine, which is just plain Benadryl. Usually is 50 mg. in the sleep aides, which is the equivalent of 2 Benadryl you would purchase for allergies. Do NOT take more than 50 mg. And also, do not take it later in the night, like 2 AM. It takes about 8 hours, sometimes longer to get through your system. I usually take it an hour before I intend to go to bed.

And by the way, this was also recommended in one of the group sessions when my wife was in the hospital. It was a family group session about symptoms and ways to manage them. Presented as a safe way to help with sleep. IF not taking things like Ambien.

 

[NarcSis]

I've suffered from insomnia but never so severe as to hallucinate - my body hits exhaustion and it does what it needs to, ie. gave out in the middle of the day once, slept like a rock for a whole hour. I used to only get an average of 3 / 4 hours a night - which is strange because if I was working I'd only average 5 /6 anyway - but now I use a nature sleep CD. It has sounds of rain, crickets, light piano and I leave it on a very low volume so I actually have to concentrate to hear it...I usually don't make it to hearing the third song anymore. I still wake up in the middle of the night occassionally but the CD helps me get back to sleep quicker.

Good luck.