For a few months now I just haven't been able to sleep properly or for long enough. I go out like a light but within an hour I'm awake again. I stay awake for about half an hour or more, fall back to sleep for about forty minutes or so and then I'm awake again. This goes on all night in pretty much the same pattern and I end up getting about three hours sleep which is not enough for me. I just don't know what to do. I've tried all sorts of patterns to get around it. TV/no TV, reading/no reading, early nights/no early nights, bedtime drink/no bedtime drink, computer/no computer, warm bath/shower or no warm bath/shower. I go to the gym every other evening for at least 2hrs so it isn't as if I'm not using up energy but now I'm feeling too lazy/tired to even do that . I feel fed up and stressy in the morning, tired as the day goes on and ready for sleep by bedtime. I've taken sleeping aids - to no avail - they're all a big con! Having said that, I'm trying a new one tonight from the local health shop. I'll try anything at this stage! As a last resort, I went to the doctors and asked him for help and he gave me 7 nights worth of Tamazepam. The first two nights I slept a couple of hours longer but after that, they didn't help me.
Apologies for the whinging but any suggestions will be much appreciated at this point. I wasn't sure where to stick this so it's ended up in here.
Hey Sam...a baby would fit into those kind've sleep patterns ...
I am running so fast now I haven't time to get my coat ;D
:-\
Sleep deprivation is the worst thing. As a shift worker I found it hard to sleep at night and found a solution. Radio 4. It turns into The World Service at 1am, never fails to send me off into a peaceful sleep. Sometimes I wake up and it's still on, that's ok. I find that I have learnt lots and had some sleep....bonus!
Zzzzzzzzzzz
when you lie there is your brain just randonly thinking??
1) step is to keep a diary seams silly but i want you to record what time and what you eat/drink and what your sleep pattern is like as might be a link.
2) Dump the drugs these are short term and dont help ( i know i have tried!! )
3) If you cant find a cause from the diary add a tea spoon of brandy to your night time tea as a last resport :)
Cam
(8 months of insomia behind me last year and it started up again 3 weeks ago)
Hi Samlouise
Reading your thread i have the same problems,sometimes, in the middle of the night i feel like crying as all i want is a few continuous hours sleep,i do seem to get 1 good night every 4/5 bad ones .and a good night is just waking 2/3 times instead of every hour.
I will very occasionally take 4mg Diazapam, but i have to be desperate as they are all Valium in various forms and addictive.
I see from your profile your age is 41, i am in the latter stages now, of the menopause is it possible you are showing early signs?.
If so you will be better trying to alleviate the symptoms of that and it will help the sleep pattern,
I did not try HRT as i was under the impression i was in the latter stages ,that was 3 yrs ago, and i still get hot flushes and cant sleep ,but if you are early onset it may help you, i think you would need to discuss this with your GP
If you're waking every couple of hours, I bet you have things going round in your brain.
It might help to have a pad & paper next to the bed, and just write down whatever is on your mind when you wake up. The idea is to get it out of your head, and onto paper.
I have suffered lack of sleep for 13 years, since surgery did my back in. If I am desperate, I take Zopliclone for a night or two. It doesn't give you a hangover the next day, just a slight bitter taste in your mouth.
It can help break that cycle, but obviously isn't for long term use.
the other tip is don't catnap during the day, or sleep in at weekends to try and catch up. You need to have a routine and stick to it. Currently I am getting up at 5 or 6am, and to bed at 10pm. I don't like it, but if I sleep in, I feel groggy and bad tempered, and I also don't want to go to bed until later and later.
Sam can't give any advice but I do hope you soon find the answer. Good luck
Bring back Mandrax & Mogadon!!
I don't believe that anything suits the longer term. In fact, things either become addictive or useless.
It might be worth trying an anti-histamine - such as Chlorphenamine. It can be surprisingly helpful & is certainly less harmful.
Pad & paper - oh, yes!!
Quote from: katynewbie on November 21, 2008, 00:58:31
:-\
Radio 4. It turns into The World Service at 1am, never fails to send me off into a peaceful sleep. Sometimes I wake up and it's still on, that's ok. I find that I have learnt lots and had some sleep....bonus!
Zzzzzzzzzzz
Another thumbs up for radio4 8) + relaxation techniques, bet you can google them if you're unsure....you can learn to put yourself into a state of absolute relaxation and then the quiet drone of voices on radio4 does the rest. Tim's suggestion of an anti-hist. is a good one.
yeah weren't moggies brilliant, anti histamines now i would never have thought of that.
they used to make me sooo sleepy
lbb
Guilty conscience.
I guess you've tried camomile tea?
sleep aids like nytol (available over the counter) are anti histamine based although they do a herbal variety too they work for me, and i have used zopiclone (prescription only) we use these in the hospital and they are safe for pretty much anyone to take. i recommended them to my mum who was having the exact same problem she was given temazepam but found that zoiclone worked for her.
another tip i found worked for me was not to have the bedroom too warm, i find i sleep better in a cooler bedroom
Hi SamLouise,
I had the same problem, I could drop off to sleep just fine, but woke up at 2.30am each morning, and watched the clock go round.
The doctor gave me a small dose of amytryptaline (actually an antidepressant), I took it at about 9pm, and it kept me asleep when I usually woke up. I took it for 3 months ish, and it completely broke the pattern. I was a little drowsy in the mornings for the first couple of days until it got into my system, but it did really work. It wasn't addictive, and he reduced my dose to be sure. I would definitely take it again, as it did work.
If something like this works for you, go for it. There's no stigma involved, and to be honest, if you aren't sleeping anyway, you're a danger to yourself.
How I drove the car during my insomnia is anybody's guess, I must have been really dangerous.
Take care.
No tea, coffee, chocolate or alcohol for several hours before bedtime. I also read somewhere that it's good to keep a diary. Write down what you've done that day and plan what you intend to do the next day. It's supposed to send a message to the subconscious that everything is organised and there's nothing to stress about and so you sleep.
I have the opposite problem at the moment. Since I had the throat and ear infections I can't stay awake so I'm sleeping about 14-16 hours a day on and off. :o :o :o
Ray used to find kalms helped, hope you get sorted soon, I'm not too bad now, used to be so tired, I'd be really weepy :-\
I haven't slept well for years and have never really dealt with the problem. My OH has tried to hypnotise me (he is qualified!), and to show me how to do it myself, which certainly relaxes me. I think the key is to try to empty your head, but it is really difficult.
Someone told me "Night nurse" works for them, but I haven't tried it.
I changed my job recently and it's less stressful than my old one and I think I'm sleeping better because of that, although I never wake up and think "ooh, I slept really well!"
Quote from: Hyacinth on November 21, 2008, 09:02:02
Quote from: katynewbie on November 21, 2008, 00:58:31
:-\
Radio 4. It turns into The World Service at 1am, never fails to send me off into a peaceful sleep. Sometimes I wake up and it's still on, that's ok. I find that I have learnt lots and had some sleep....bonus!
Zzzzzzzzzzz
Another thumbs up for radio4 8) + relaxation techniques, bet you can google them if you're unsure....you can learn to put yourself into a state of absolute relaxation and then the quiet drone of voices on radio4 does the rest. Tim's suggestion of an anti-hist. is a good one.
Gets my vote too. Have it on all night :) :)
Hi Sam,
You have a typical sleep pattern of someone with depression, I speak from experience. It may not be, but its certainly worth going to the doc and getting his / her opinion.
Good luck, I hope something works for you soon x
Another small thing that might help is to turn the clock round or have one that doesn't glow in the dark, if you have one in the room.
There's nothing worse than watching the minutes go by.
I have sleep problems for years usually around this time of the year when the light levels are falling. I haven't been officially diagnosed but with a few other indicators I think its SAD.
In 2007 this coincided with a lot of stress at work and so I had broken sleep for an extended period as after a while your body clock starts to form a pattern and for it broken sleep starts to become the norm.
I finally cracked it this year - I went on a two week holiday in Sept with no TV, no phones, no internet and no distractions which forced me to relax and rest. After a few difficult nights in the first week I got used to a new pattern of sleep and have been sleeping through since then.
I have borrowed a light box from a friend so I don't fall into the pattern again. Looking back now I think I was much more stressed than I thought at the time as the two weeks gave me a chance to take stock and not to get so uptight when things are hectic.
Two weeks holiday may be unrealistic - but I would advocate anything that breaks the cycle. I agree with Star in that sometimes our symptoms are what we concentrate on and not the underlyig cause - so get checked out and perhaps have a think about alternatives to medication such as hypnotherapy or acupuncture.
Hope this helps.
Thanks very much for the various bits of advice (ahem, ACE) I will definitely be working through some of them and with a bit of luck, find one that works or at the very least an answer for the sleeplessness!
Just out of interest, am I right in thinking it can't be good to take things like anti-histamines or night nurse on a regular basis as they're bonafide medications? ???
Thanks again :)
I thought Ace was bang on, but then I plumped for Heldi's idea. :-X ;D ;D ;D
I feel sorry for you Sam because I am having sleeping problems as well at te moment. Its awful being deprived of much needed sleep. I am waking up at 6.22 every morning, its just like a light is being switched on at that time. OH has taken Night Nurse off and on for years to get a good nights sleep. He also goes for Nytol now and then and Sominex. All available over the counter. You aren't having a rush of adrenaline with going to the gymn in the evening? You are in need of melatonin somehow. Health Food shops used to sell it but its no longer available at HF shops. Google Melatonin and see what it says. Hope yo uget a sleep soon.
:( :(
Watch gardeners world!! it put me to sleep tonight. ;D
I second those people who have already recommended Zopiclone - great for an occasional night's rest in amongst it all, but not for regular use. It's a bit variable in its efficacy, and if you take it for more than 2 nights in a row, the effect really drops off. A 'clean' effect in that it doesn't leave you zombified in the morning - I'd really be wary of Temazepam & Diazepam! Bad news - addictive, and groggy-inducing.
I'd also add to what Star said. Could there be some depression or anxiety underlying it all? It's not always easy to identify anxiety, if you don't actually feel anxious as such - it can affect you in other ways that you don't at first recognise. I had what I thought was recurrent labyrinthitis till a very observant doctor suggested anxiety... I had no idea that it could knock me that flat without my even knowing what it was!
I wouldn't think regular use of anti-histamines would do you any harm - hayfever sufferers take them regularly for months on end. Beware of diphenhydramine, though; in Nytol, Sominex, Night Nurse, (I think) and Benadryl in the USA. It makes a certain proportion of people restless instead of sleepy - jumpy legs and so forth. It's also a common allergen, can bring you out in hives. I'm in both camps there so it's useless to me. :D
Chlorphenamine is worth a try, though - that's the one in Piriton.
d**n, I know far too much on this subject... :-\
Instead of shoving all these chemicals down your throat, why don't you just address the problem, you poo poo my guilty concience, but there must be something you are worrying about. Even something so small and niggly you would not count it as a cause for worry.
Also my mother always swore by her hop pillow. I used to collect the wild hop flowers out off the hedge so she could make a new one each year. She had a lot to worry about, like would her husband come home from a war zone.
I don't shovel chemicals down my throat, ya numpty. I tried them once to see if they'd help. I didn't 'poo poo' your guilty conscience suggestion either, I laughed at it. I don't have a gc but I probably do think too much. Pfft, how do you stop your brain from working overtime before sleep? If I knew that, I wouldn't have a sleep problem! ;D
I'm adverse to trying prescribed medication on a regular basis before trying all other options (which is why I've asked for suggestions on here) but at the end of the day if that's the route I end up going down to get me more than 2-3hrs sleep a night then that's what I'll do :)
From today I'm going to try the 'empty head' suggestion (shouldn't have a problem there ......!) and try to clear my thoughts in the evening, put my routines in order so I've nothing to think about and then go up to bed with a nice relaxing book so my thoughts stay focused on the story before sleep :)