Has anyone else had sleep problems their whole life?

[LastBitOfJoy]

I can't sleep, It's like my brain doesn't want to rest. Being suicidal made this much worse as I am thinking of it all the time.

I always had problems with sleep, I was never one of those people who sleep easily. I guess I have never liked my life and I couldn't find the reason to fall asleep even. I hate what I am going to wake up to so my brain just wants to delay it.

And these sleep problems affected me and my psychology so much, I became more mentally ill and suicidal because of them. They gave me panic attacks and derealization. Which all made it so hard to find a meaning in anything.

I would like to hear someone who relates.

 

[Fktw0rld]

Yes. Major sleep issues for over 30 years. I was diagnosed with chronic insomnia in the early 90s and eventually comorbid insomnia once I returned from the military. The paradoxical part is when I am able to sleep I suffer from extreme PTSD nightmares, looping, false awakenings and sleep paralysis. I'm very tired and always want to sleep, when it's time to sleep I can't, when I can, I'm nervous to. It's been the story of my life.

 

[Slark]

I developed a type of insomnia called paradoxical insomnia. Even when I sleep, it feels like I haven't slept at all, it's like I just blinked. I've been like this for four years and I can't get better, I don't think I'll ever be able to function normally again and feel like I really slept. Paradoxical insomnia is the main reason that makes me want to die

 

[piryohae3]

Yes. Sometime between college and now I started to never sleep completely through the night. I'd wake up repeatedly through the night but I'd only be awake for a few seconds before falling back asleep then I'd wake up again, rinse and repeat. I probably wake up at least 5 times a night. I've told doctors and even had a sleep study done at a hospital. They said nothing was amiss.

 

[cold_severance]

yes, i had that all my life. from frequent night wakings, to full on insomnia. whats worse is that its just random with no probable cause, and sometimes i have periods when these problems just go away. though even if i fall asleep immediately and sleep for like 8 hours, i never feel rested.

 

[notherenotnow]

Yeah. I cant sleep when I'm stressed and I'm stressed all the time. The last time I slept well was a few years ago. Nowadays I try so hard to go to sleep, and when I somehow succed, I wake up after 30 minutes because I had a nightmare. Or sometimes I just wake up without a damn reason. Fuck living like this.

 

[FutureHanger]

yes since I could remember I've been searching up "how to sleep faster" thank god someone else relates that's relieving!

 

[Kattt]

Sleep science

Having problems sleeping? The likelihood is that you're worrying, about not sleeping as much as you believe you should. Well, let's see if...

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[ManByTheRiver]

I've had sleep issues all my life as well, not as much classic insomnia, but I've had terrible and constant nightmares since I was a child leading to reluctancy to sleep. Even if if I don't have them for a period of time, it still takes me an hour to fall asleep and I wake between 2-12 times a night.

 

[BlazingBob]

I can relate. I have 4 sleep disorders: sleep apnea, horrible insomnia, PLMD, and severe RLS. When I tell people I have RLS they all say "oh that's no big deal. Have you tried.....?" People think it's a joke but if it were so trivial would an RLS specialist prescribe me 3 controlled substances to deal with it? (an opiate that's 50 to 140 times more potent than morphine, a benzo, and an anticonvulsant) Any time I start to relax and transition from wakefulness to sleep it feels like fire ants and snakes are crawling out of my bones. I have to take all the medications listed above and wear a breathing mask to have any chance of sleep and even with all of that I can lie there and nothing happens. It's like my sleep switch is broken and is stuck on wake mode. If I do manage to get any sleep it's completely fragmented and non refreshing and I wake up more tired than when I went to bed. This has been going on for 20 years and has cost me relationships, jobs, etc. The RLS Foundation website says right on their front page that many of their members take their own lives every year. Sleep problems and the resulting cascade of problems both mental and physical are my #1 reason for ctb. I'm exhausted all the time and am stuck in bed about 20 hours a day. No advice please or have you tried x,y, or z? I've spent 20 years and tens of thousands of dollars trying, including traveling to 3 states and 2 countries 6,000 miles away.

 

[Old Friend]

Yes, always struggled. I'm naturally a night owl and have never been good at mornings. I never feel refreshed after sleep like one's supposed to.

I was proscribed zopyclone recently and I find it helps we get off to sleep at least.

 

[turbomightbegone]

Struggled ever since I was a little kid. I vaguely remember always staying awake for around 3 hours before being able to drift off to sleep when I was like 6-7 years old. I cant get a proper diagnosis atm but I assume I have some form of insomnia or another sleeping disorder.

I sometimes end up staying awake for a few days without any difficulty. Sometimes I can function normally with less than 4 hours of sleep. Sometimes I sleep for over 24 hours and I feel extremely groggy. I don't know if it's because I'm a young individual or smth. I have no way of knowing.

 

[Lost Magic]

Yes, but I take sleeping pills now. It doesn't always work, but when it does I am grateful for that mercy. Sleep is my temporary escape.

 

[losing hope]

I had probs with sleep & still wake up too early (like 2am this morning). However I did find setting your circadium rythim in the morning helps. This along with getting darkness, cold & tired in the evening helps to make your bed cozy.