Sleep impossible, need advice.

[Artemus]

I've struggled with this for 8 years and it is getting more debilitating now than ever. I've tried everything under the sun--meds, meditation, reading, exercise, therapy, herbs, teas, and more. Nothing works. I'm so sleep deprived it feels like a physical pain. I OD on caffeine to stay awake to work, which only exacerbates the problem, but what else to do? Sometimes take caffeine pills to stay awake after lunch--or just skip lunch so as not to get the afternoon drowsy. I go to bed at 6-7 p.m. hoping to get 6 hours out of 12. Up down up down up down. Life out of control just trying to get one night's sleep. I'm so exhausted most of the time I can't even think anymore.

Unisom gave me nightmares. Three .5 Klonapin + 6 Valerian herb pills 400mg ea + liquid Melatonin will get me 3-4 hrs sleep. I wake and take more of the herbs, sometimes that buys another 2 hrs, depending on how exhausted I am. Wake again repeat.

I do yoga every morning, hike 7 miles every weekend, story goes on. I've tried stopping all the meds/herbs and just white knuckling it staying awake until I collapse. Exercise in futility. I'm at my wits end to sleep. I've had a sleep apnea study, results negative. (Note: I didn't begin by taking these large amounts of sleep aids, it's grown to that over time.)

Any help more than welcome. I'm frustrated beyond words and out of answers. Thank you!

 

[BM2A]

Instead of going to bed early, maybe try staying awake for as long as you can, like till 1am. Then see you if you can get bit better quality sleep for those hours till morning and your alarm clock goes off. Then gradually increase it.
I rely on meds to sleep which at the moment I dont have. And its the hardest thing l, I get to the point im nauseous from exhaustion. But the above strategy helps sometimes

 

[Justmehere]

Have you tried reducing the caffeine intake to see how that affects sleep?

If falling asleep at work is an issue, there are devices that will actually alert when someone starts to nods off and beep in the ear to wake them back up again.

I struggle with trying to get through the day without caffeine but without fail, whenever my sleep gets out of whack, backing down or caffeine intake will work better than meds to get sleep at night.

I used to also have "learned insomnia" where I'd fall asleep early, and wake up super early and be drop dead tired all day. I did a sleep study to figure out what was happening. This is exactly what the sleep medicine doctor suggested doing:

Instead of going to bed early, maybe try staying awake for as long as you can, like till 1am. Then see you if you can get bit better quality sleep for those hours till morning and your alarm clock goes off. Then gradually increase it.

It was really hard to do the first few nights, but after that, it really began to change. I wasn't so tired during the day and eventually I was able to lengthen the amount of sleep. The first night I went to bed at 2am and slept till 4am. Then I went to bed at 1am for a few nights, then midnight.... and so on. I had to be super active (doing something like cleaning my house) at night to keep myself awake until the time to go to sleep. It helped though.

Your body may be becoming dependent on the klonopin - it's a med that is great for emergency use but not so much regular use - which is why you have to keep increasing it. Don't despair, there are other meds that can help with sleep without that issue that you could see a doctor about that might help you back down off it without white knuckling it so much. I have Vistaril myself that replaced the Klonopin I used to take. It's a prescription strength antihistamine. No nightmares on it. I've tried a few others and had mixed results.

 

[DanielC12345!]

i jus t gave up....got up and cleaning the house now

 

[EveHarrington]

Does your mind not shut off?

 

[JustForToday]

I've struggled with this for 8 years and it is getting more debilitating now than ever. I've tried ever...

Have you seen a sleep psychologist or had CBT-Insomnia? CBT-I helped me develop this schedule, and yes, it's ridiculously long, but it works!
1) About two hours before I want to sleep I go for a short walk with my dog...nothing long or intense, just a short, slow stroll.
2) When I get home, all screens (TV, iPad, iPhone, etc...) go off for the night and classical/meditative music goes on.
3) I start my diffuser, usually with Clary Sage or Lavender.
4) I do an evening yoga routine, usually 20-30 minutes.
5) After yoga, I take 5mg Melatonin, 1000mg Valerian, and 200mg 5-HTP.
6) I journal about the positive/negative aspects of my day for 10-15 minutes while drinking a cup of Chamomile tea.
7) Based on my journal entry, I pick an appropriate meditation and meditate for about 30 minutes.
8) I finally get in bed and start either yoga nidra (if my mind isn't racing), or a podcast (if I'm still really stressed and need something to distract me).

If you haven't checked out sleep psychology, I encourage you to try it. It's not based on meds, it just helps you look at your problems and how you can change your routine to get more good quality sleep. It has made the quality of my life SO much better.

 

[LuckiLee]

Sleep with my guy is hit or miss. Some days he doesn't get any or just a couple oh hours here and there. And some days he can sleep 12-14 hours.

He doesn't like to take meds so he suffers through it most of the time. When his nightmares are relentless he will take prazosin.

We've found if he sticks to a routine. Wake early. Work. Get a full day in. He sleeps better. Will even go to bed when I do. It doesn't last long though. His anxiety and nightmares see to that.

XO

 

[JustForToday]

Sleep with my guy is hit or miss. Some days he doesn't get any or just a couple oh hours here and there...

Prazosin is the only prescription med I’m still willing to take for sleep. I think it really does help with the nightmares. Sticking to a routine, combined with that med, has had the best long term success for me.

 

[Tornadic Thoughts]

I struggled with sleep big time most of my adult life. Was a shift worker spanning all three shifts with each and every job I ever had, often within the same week, stayed super stressed, ate foods that were overly stimulating in many ways and painfully taxing on my system, was hooked on caffeine, nicotine, etc. and used them as my supposed "anchors" to what sanity I had left and swore I couldn't even consider functioning without them.....until it all came crashing down and my health greatly suffered. Once that happened, I was able to sleep for hours and hours during the day, but not at night time when it would be the most beneficial to my health. I slept as much as I possibly could, once I could, because it was as close as I could get to death without the commitment.

I had a sleep study done and they found no issues, was continually prescribed anti-anxiety meds (xanax) and sleep meds (ambien) to take to try to help me at least get in a nap every so often, but they only worked to make me feel worse than I did being sleep deprived alone. Joined a gym to try to get more exercise in my days, but was more often than not too damn tired to even get there, plus public showers and such gross me out. Used every OTC thing I could find to keep me awake or try to help knock me out, all the while feeling more and more like shit everyday.

Eventually, I had to give up the job, lose those particular stressors, unlearn most everything I thought I already knew based on what professionals had told me, totally change my consumption habits to giving up meat, dairy, eggs, gluten, and artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners, etc., completely kick the caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol to the curb, make exercise fun and readily accessible in my own living space, give up the prescriptions, and add more time in nature, more alternative methods like massage therapy, acupuncture, chiro help, etc., and now I naturally fall asleep no later than midnight, usually, except for when the seasons change, and am up no later than 9 each morning, except for gardening season. Not to mention reversing a few other dis-eases I was told I'd just have to get used to.

Never EVER thought I'd live to see the day I'd fall asleep before the sun came up or be awake and functioning before lunch time. But then again, I also didn't think I could ever live without consuming all that stuff I used to be convinced I needed. Each scenario comes with its own set of hurdles. Life continues to be full of surprises. Wishing you sustained relief in finding whatever it takes to finally work for you.

 

[mamachick]

I have all the same issues, tried all the things, cleaned, painted, etc. The only thing I have not been able to consistently try is serious exercise (gym, walking, etc) because of the combination of fatigue and other health issues and my avoidance issues. I am so tired right now but my mind does not shut off. I will just stay up since its after 6 am and I have a commitment and have not slept all night. It makes me dizzy, anxious and even nauseated in the day to do this . So its back to the caffeine.

 

[asadafagahajakal]

Find a podcast or radio show where the host talks in a boring voice. Works with me sometimes

 

[Artemus]

Thanks all. I've tried most of the things I see in these responses whether I've done them before or not. I'm not 100% by any stretch, but one hell of a lot better. The best thing was the stay up late and work your way back to more hours. I fall off the wagon and end up with coffee without even realizing it until a few days have gone by, but then I get back to a regime and recover. I have gotten 6 hours a few times this way when I don't caffeine myself to death during the day. It's getting better and heading in the right direction is sometimes all it takes to get to the goal. That and some patience. Thanks once more!