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[AgathaC]

When I can't sleep, I get up and do jobs. Washing, ironing, cleaning, admin, writing, you name it. It makes me feel anxious and tired but also productive. As opposed to just anxious and tired in bed trying to sleep. I know that the cycle will break when I'm tired enough. I didn't sleep at all for two weeks in July and it's hitting me now.  I have the tv on at night so it's not so lonely. Luckily I have a big enough house not to bother my family. Hope you sleep tonight, Squeaker xx

[CLKD]

One night I was awake again and said "Well it hasn't killed me yet and I manage my job".  After that I slept and if I wake, it's no longer every night.  The 'oh I'll be too tired for X, Y, Z' will kick the brain into negativity. 

[BoilingKettle]

Hi there,
 
I saw your post and had to respond. Years ago I was on AD's for work related stress - I couldnt sleep at all and when I went on the AD's it got even worse for the first month .. I got the tip about phenergan which is an antihistamine and used for travel sickness from my GP ( its over the counter) If you take it before bedtime it helps you sleep like a baby.. and the next morning you wake up feeling very calm..

not for everyone and I would check with your doc but I stil use it now if my sleeping is bad.

Worth a shot?
Boiling kettle

[squeaker99]

Thanks for all your lovely supporting posts.  Quick update on how I am doing on the sleep front.

After my ' bad run' I had a phone chat with the GP and he supported taking (half!) a sleeping
tablet for a few days to get my confidence back ( I was physically so knackered). He also said to make sure I
got out of the house and maybe did some exercise even if I felt knackered. He was right on this.

We agreed that it was my anxiety (and maybe hormones) keeping me awake so I decided to do something
positive to get out my anxiety spiral. The following have helped:

- I'm listening to the Paul McKenna ' Reduce Stress' CD and following some of his meditations and also How to Sleep book.
A lot of this is about positive thinking and getting out of negative thinking.

- I am cold showering before bed every night
- I am listening to Headspace sleep noises and stories an hour before bed and also if I wake in the night.  I actually woke one night and felt quite calm and relaxed about it which was amazing for me.

I find this really useful if I wake at say 1am and am scared. I just get up and lie on the couch with my headphones on.
- Kicked caffeine apart from the morning and also alcohol.

A big thing is not to include is negative sleep related trains of thought. I try to just acknowledge thoughts then let them go and keep busy.

So I have a plan and  so far it is moving me in a better direction mood and sleep wise. I know this will not be a ' quick fix'. I still clock watch which I am finding hard to stop.

Will be interesting if the improvements are simply my hormone cycle and in another 3 weeks I will be back in crazy mode!

Thanks you so much for all your supporting mails. They are much appreciated.

[Wrensong]

Squeaker, thanks so much for taking the time to post a comprehensive update.  You are trying so hard to get this issue sorted, you deserve to kick it firmly into the past & I really hope you do.  Keep sharing your strategies - those of us who are sleep challenged can never have too many tools in the box!

[dahliagirl]

I found, for some reason, that no matter how badly I slept or failed to sleep, I dropped off like a rock as soon as the birds start.
I need to reset the birds.

[CLKD]

Well done Girl!  It's about breaking a habit which can play on the mind, what did we say B4 'catch 22'? 

As for the birds ......... I've had that too.  I lay there thinking I won't sleep then find that at dawn, I'm off 

[Winterose]

2 of my insomniac friends have had huge success with CBD oil - it's expensive and there's a good shop in London called ‘ the drug store ‘ where you can buy good quality oil. I occasionally have sleep issues and tried a droppers worth under the tongue and it definitely worked for me too . I woke briefly and then easily went back to sleep . Felt comfortably dozy when I awoke but once up felt great .

[CLKD]

Apparently I'm comfortable dozy most days ;-)

I have had busy dreams lately which don't help how I feel when waking 

[flyingsquirrel]

My GP's nurse practitioner just put me on Trazodone two weeks ago.  So far, she's been the most helpful medical professional in this past year of insomnia and constant anxiety!  Been sleeping much better now.  I sometimes still pop awake randomly, but I'm able to go back to sleep with 15 minutes to an hour tops.  I don't feel so wired anymore.  I feel a bit tired still and yawn a lot.  Well, I did that before, too, but I'm not feeling like I have gallons of caffeine running through my veins.

It comes prescribed at 50mg at the lowest, but you can get a pill splitter and go lower.  I tried 12.5mg on my first night, since it was a work night, to make sure I could get out of bed on time just in case.  I got about 5 hours that night?  Which is better than what I was getting before, which was zero or close to it.  The dreams are a bit more vivid, but that's okay.  It might also help anxiety symptoms.  It did for me the first week, but it's come back again.  At least I can sleep, though.  That's progress.  Anyway, 25mg seems to be the sweet spot for me, and it's what the sleep disorder center recommended as a starting point anyway.  Not too groggy the next day, but still able to pull 7-8 hours most nights.  Still some interruptions, but I'm able to go back to sleep when I wasn't before.

Might be worth a try?  Unfortunately, nobody even recommended it to me!  Except my GP's nurse practitioner.  The actual OBGYN nurse practitioner didn't even think of it.  Go figure.  You'd think she of all people would have offered it to me?


Also, don't be afraid that it's a "sleeping pill".  It's actually an old school antidepressent that's prescribed off-label for insomnia.  It's not like Ambien where you get addicted or start sleep walking and doing weird things you can't remember.  At low doses, it's also not that useful as an antidepressant.  Some tapering off will be required to get off it, of course, but it's not like it's Effexor or Paxil.