Severe insomnia

[Mia Wallace]

I am on day three with zero sleep. I have taken unison every-night as well and nothing has helped. I will be going into night four of no sleep tonight if this goes on. Brain won't switch off and anxiety is insane. I feel all messed up. What helps you guys get sleep?

 

[Worthless_nobody]

Severe insomniac here too. Ambien and benzos combined with 5-6 unisom and Benadryl is all that works for me anymore. I definitely don't recommend it..it's so easy to build tolerance and I'm a complete benzo addict. I got this was because of my severe insomnia and Drs not taking it seriously. I have heard people mention Seroquel makes them sleepy but it gave me very bad side effects and not one bit sleepy. Everyone suggests weed for whatever reason but it makes my anxiety and PTSD way worse. I have been using a blue light blocking app on phone and trying to listen to music to relax more...my goal is to get off the benzos. I'm about to try some natural supplements and see if they help at all.

 

[SpontaneouslyCombust]

I am on day three with zero sleep. I have taken unison every-night as well and nothing has helped. I will be going into night four of no sleep tonight if this goes on. Brain won't switch off and anxiety is insane. I feel all messed up. What helps you guys get sleep?

Go to the ER if you can't sleep tonight. They may give you Ativan or Xanax. These are called "benzos". If they don't offer you any, tell them how bad your anxiety is. Then when you get some rest, go to your primary doctor and get a prescription for benzos, like Klonopin or something. 3 days is far too long. Keep us updated.

 

[Sensei]

Have you tried utterly exhausting yourself? Hard physical exercise of any kind, even something as simple as pushups and situps in your home, works for some people. Of course, you really need to push yourself to the limit and get really sweaty.

 

[Mia Wallace]

Severe insomniac here too. Ambien and benzos combined with 5-6 unisom and Benadryl is all that works for me anymore. I definitely don't recommend it..it's so easy to build tolerance and I'm a complete benzo addict. I got this was because of my severe insomnia and Drs not taking it seriously. I have heard people mention Seroquel makes them sleepy but it gave me very bad side effects and not one bit sleepy. Everyone suggests weed for whatever reason but it makes my anxiety and PTSD way worse. I have been using a blue light blocking app on phone and trying to listen to music to relax more...my goal is to get off the benzos. I'm about to try some natural supplements and see if they help at all.

Weed makes me paranoid as all hell. Heightens anxiety even the strain that is supposed to mellow you out gives me anxiety so I feel you on that. I just took unison with some natural pills I got at cvs. I'll let you know if they help. So sorry you deal with this as well.

Go to the ER if you can't sleep tonight. They may give you Ativan or Xanax. These are called "benzos". If they don't offer you any, tell them how bad your anxiety is. Then when you get some rest, go to your primary doctor and get a prescription for benzos, like Klonopin or something. 3 days is far too long. Keep us updated.

Thank you for the response. I just left my job last week so I no longer have insurance here and I don't want to be stuck with high doctors bills that will stress me out even more. I'm hoping tonight is the night. I just took more unison with some natural stuff that's supposed to be good

Have you tried utterly exhausting yourself? Hard physical exercise of any kind, even something as simple as pushups and situps in your home, works for some people. Of course, you really need to push yourself to the limit and get really sweaty.

Thanks for the response I haven't today bc I am having mild auditory hallucinations and my coordination is off but I did manage to go 2 days ago and the day before that. I did start taking the supplement Sam-E a few days back but stopped last two days to see if that was causing this but still here I am

 

[so tired or manic]

for a while I was sleeping a few hours every 3 days. probably had passed out some and didn't realize it since that happens when you're not sleeping enough. sleeping pills of every kind were nothing more than a placebo. after poking around here for a little bit I started sleeping again. I'm not sure why it made a difference and I wish I had a better answer then 'keep on plugging along and eventually you'll figure it out'

I hope something works.

 

[Worthless_nobody]

Kava kava was the next natural supplement I am going to try. I hope it works I haven't ordered yet. I want to stop my benzo addiction so bad...it's just so sad there isn't much help for chronic insomniacs.

 

[Mia Wallace]

for a while I was sleeping a few hours every 3 days. probably had passed out some and didn't realize it since that happens when you're not sleeping enough. sleeping pills of every kind were nothing more than a placebo. after poking around here for a little bit I started sleeping again. I'm not sure why it made a difference and I wish I had a better answer then 'keep on plugging along and eventually you'll figure it out'

I hope something works.

Thank you so much and I'm so sorry you struggle with this as well. I did manage to get about three hours of sleep tonight and I'm not sure if it was the pills I took or the fact ive been in complete exhaustion and my body just shut down. I'm still so incredibly tired it's the anxiety that is more powerful than my absolute need for sleep. Perhaps when I become at peace with how life has been or I'm able to take control of things, I will finally get back on track.

Kava kava was the next natural supplement I am going to try. I hope it works I haven't ordered yet. I want to stop my benzo addiction so bad...it's just so sad there isn't much help for chronic insomniacs.

I agree and I'm so sorry you go through with this. I did manage about three hours tonight and I did take a natural sleep aid that's a proprietary blend with melatonin being a key ingredient. I'm not sure if this helped or if it was the fact that I haven't slept at all for three days and my body just crashed. I will continue to take and see what happens.

 

[Worthless_nobody]

Thank you so much and I'm so sorry you struggle with this as well. I did manage to get about three hours of sleep tonight and I'm not sure if it was the pills I took or the fact ive been in complete exhaustion and my body just shut down. I'm still so incredibly tired it's the anxiety that is more powerful than my absolute need for sleep. Perhaps when I become at peace with how life has been or I'm able to take control of things, I will finally get back on track.

I agree and I'm so sorry you go through with this. I did manage about three hours tonight and I did take a natural sleep aid that's a proprietary blend with melatonin being a key ingredient. I'm not sure if this helped or if it was the fact that I haven't slept at all for three days and my body just crashed. I will continue to take and see what happens.

Did you have any vivid dreams? I have feared melatonin because of the claims of vivid realistic dreams. Maybe I should just try it and see what happens to me. Some people seem to love dreaming but for me it's horrible because all my dreams are PTSD nightmares or just downright weird and unsettling. A dreamless sleep would be amazing.

 

[RainAndSadness]

I use Ambien for the insomnia. It helps me fall asleep.

 

[Eren]

Another person with serious sleeping problems here. I have gone five days without sleeping at all.

I am taking zolpidem (in other places it is called Ambien), I do a sleep routine etc. It helps me a lot, even so it is a challenge for me to sleep 2 or 3 days in a row. Sometimes I have also taken Benzos, but they are really addictive, they make me dependent quickly and I get up very tired.

 

[Dead girl walking]

I am on day three with zero sleep. I have taken unison every-night as well and nothing has helped. I will be going into night four of no sleep tonight if this goes on. Brain won't switch off and anxiety is insane. I feel all messed up. What helps you guys get sleep?

I can't sleep either, especially since going off my antidepressants. I find sometimes self massage works. The tools for this can be bought on Amazon or use a tennis ball. It relaxes the muscles your anxiety tightens.. 2 painkillers help too. I found out removing all stimulation...TV, mobile, books, from my sight was helpful. The most important thing is don't beat yourself up if you can't sleep. Sleep will come when you learn to relax, and getting annoyed at yourself will make you more anxious.

 

[Mia Wallace]

I can't sleep either, especially since going off my antidepressants. I find sometimes self massage works. The tools for this can be bought on Amazon or use a tennis ball. It relaxes the muscles your anxiety tightens.. 2 painkillers help too. I found out removing all stimulation...TV, mobile, books, from my sight was helpful. The most important thing is don't beat yourself up if you can't sleep. Sleep will come when you learn to relax, and getting annoyed at yourself will make you more anxious.

I so relate to you and I'm so sorry you deal with this as well. I went on antidepressants back in April after my mom had passed and I hated how they made me feel so I went off like 6 weeks ago and tbh I thought they would be out of my system by now but I feel like I'm still dealing with withdrawals and such. I'm very apprehensive about taking pills like that now as I know they fucked with my mind pretty bad. I guess I'm just sensitive to that shit. Thanks so much for the tips!

 

[Eren]

The most important thing is don't beat yourself up if you can't sleep. Sleep will come when you learn to relax, and getting annoyed at yourself will make you more anxious.

This is what happens to me, when I am in bed for three hours without sleep, I get frustrated, I get anxious, my insomnia worsens and then I don't even sleep for 5 minutes.

 

[Deleted member 1465]

I have had six months with less than one hours sleep a night, many nights, zero sleep.
Yes, it really fucks you up.
Medication may help knock you out in the short term, but in the long term, not only will it not help, it will make things worse. You think a week without sleep is bad. It is. Wait until you've had six god damn months though.
Trouble is, it's so personal, it depends what is causing the insomnia as to how you can combat it in a genuine way. And I have no answers there, cus it's personal. I tried medication and it did the trick short term and seriously fucked me over long term.
Now I try and listen to my body and mind and what it needs. But that is no help. Listening is a personal and nebulous skill that most don't possess and it's hard to learn.
I'll say this...you will sleep eventually. It may not be much and lack of sleep will impact your health, but I guarantee you will sleep as much as you need to survive. Your body demands it and it will happen.
I wish I could be of more help, but the truth (as I see it from harsh experience) is usually not what you want to hear. Take the drugs by all means but don't expect it to help in the long term.

 

[mathieu]

The only thing that helps me sleep, other than N, is Seroquel. I try to use it infrequently as it makes me binge eat and I'm dieting. I take 200mg of the instant release.

Some others that helped in the past were Imovane (similar to Lunesta in the US), Remeron and Restoril.

 

[Deleted member 17949]

I've found my sleeping patterns are kinda disturbed lately and it does suck. Exhaustion makes my mental state even worse.

 

[WinterFaust]

Slept for one hour tonight. I get 5 hours on lucky days. Sleep used to be my refuge. Now I don't even have that. The insomnia is definitely fueling my depression, too. Sorry you all are struggling with this.

 

[Eren]

Same, I haven't slept tonight

 

[Eren]

I have tried different medications and I still have serious problems sleeping. My doctor has told me that she cannot do more for me, that I must get used to being like this, it is horrible.

 

[falloutcarter13]

I've struggled with insomnia for the past 20 years too. As others mentioned, benzos or z-drugs like ambien are a good route...but these aren't available to everybody, you have to be able to afford both a psych doctor and be able to convince them to prescribe, which is getting harder to do every day. Even if you managed to get a script, it would likely be short term, for a month or two (at least with the ambien.) Some effective, easily accessible stuff I've found works for *me* (as always, your mileage may vary - do your own research and be careful!):

Nutmeg. ~10g of ground nutmeg taken six hours before bedtime works wonders for me. It has the added benefit for me of producing a THC-like high, only without any paranoia or anxiety. A body high not so different from opiates occurs as well. I always drift off within about an hour and sleep deeply for 10-12 hours. Be aware though, some people have extremely bad reactions...my ex tried 3g and ended up in the ER with heart palpitations and was almost totally dissociated.

Ashwagandha powder. I used to take 5g of the powdered root an hour before bedtime, and it worked for a while. I quickly built a tolerance though and use it for emergency situations only now.

Magnesium with Calcium. For whatever reason, taking this before bed soothes my mind a little, enough to usually get at least a few hours of rest.

Biotin/vitamin B7. No idea why, but this will sometimes make me feel sedated enough to sleep.

Hope that helps!

 

[unloved]

I use Ambien for the insomnia. It helps me fall asleep.

I'm interested in this drug. How did you get prescribed to it?
Did you have to meet with your doctor or did you need to go to a 'special' doctor for this?

 

[Emily_Numb]

Spend 24 hours not looking at your computer or phone. So many people that struggle with 'insomnia' are simply addicted to their devices. The blue light from phones and laptops can seriously effect your body clock.

Be more active in the day and use your time to be productive. Anything that isn't screen time! It's relatively easy to get by on little to no sleep for a few days if you aren't actually using much energy.

Lastly, I find most Benzos are actually useless for sleep. Have you tried any of the following?

• Zolpiclone
• Zolpdem
• Amitriptyline
• Mirtazapine (Remeron)
• Trazodone
• Mitrazapine

People just assume benzos will knock your out but your tolerance will build so quickly it's not even worth messing around with them. The only decent OTC sleep aid I have ever had any success with is a double dose of Kirkland Sleep Aid. You can't take this every night though as it builds tolerance real quick, but if you've not slept for a couple of nights it's worth having a couple of those and the plus side is they are cheap too.

Also, *booooring* but practice good sleep hygiene. No caffeine, no alcohol or cigarettes, a cool, quiet, dark room and last but not least NO PHONE!

Good luck!

 

[Nymph]

I am on day three with zero sleep. I have taken unison every-night as well and nothing has helped. I will be going into night four of no sleep tonight if this goes on. Brain won't switch off and anxiety is insane. I feel all messed up. What helps you guys get sleep?

I haven't heard of unison but I take prescription meds Quetiapine and those help me a lot. Benzos or overdosing on kratom helps me fall asleep too. I have insomnia and my anxiety was keeping me awake till morning and I was non functional at school or anywhere really

(read some comments)
And yes prior to this I had good sleeping hygiene but even with that I had insomnia because of anxiety mainly but then the meds helped. But yeah waking up at the same time and going sleep at the same time is important.

 

[so tired or manic]

overdosing on kratom

overdosing on kratom only makes me puke. and puke a lot. figured a warning might help someone.

 

[Nymph]

overdosing on kratom only makes me puke. and puke a lot. figured a warning might help someone.

Yeah thanks, I only overdose a bit than my usual dose and then I'm sleepy. I have never thrown up after Kratom but I had felt nauseous

 

[essic.]

me too, i feel so tired and exhausted and also very sleepy but i can't sleep. My brain can't stop thinking when i close my eyes and it stressing me out..it brings my depression back and now i feel pain in my chest (physically)..

 

[Eren]

My psychiatrist has prescribed Trazodone, an antidepressant that can make me sleepy.

I have read that it can produce low sexual desire, I have no partner but it bothers me to have little sexual desire. I will try not to take the medicine and do a sleep routine. If I really still have such serious problems sleeping I will take it.

 

[pennylanefinaltake]

Severe insomniac here too. I've tried all kinds of tea, OTC pills, sleeping pills. I don't want to get addicted to pills even though those are the only things that work. Also, as long as potential weight gain is a side effect - it's out for me. I don't want that. Being physically exhausted helps but I don't have any space in my house to exercise. I sometimes manage to fall asleep only between morning to noon. It's exhausting.

 

[Passerby]

Just wanted to share my story albeit it will different to you're recovery,

I was a severe insomniac for a few years, came randomly out of nowhere when i was 24, i could go up to 5 days with no sleep, sat all night tossing and turning for years, was working delivering beer so driving for 9 hours a day with no sleep was hell on earth, felt like i was a walking zombie, 4-5 years later, i am now 29 and i sleep for 6-8 hours most nights.

What i now know resolved my situation,
I came out my driving job, stopped worrying about how much sleep i was getting, moved in with someone (I was living alone), something in you're life may be worrying you, giving you anxiety at night, please get a notebook and write what bothers you on a daily basis and make changes around them, even if you have to suffer for a while making these changes, please do because i promise you, it gets better, and there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Tips:
Talk to yourself, i used to convince my brain i didnt need sleep any more as i didn't need to get up a certain time.
Write notes.
Do not get into bed unless you are heavily tired.
Do not think about it in the day, i know it's the only thing you can think of right now, but just force it.

My advise is not listen to calming music because i feel that adds to the anxiety about falling asleep.

I am far from recovered i am on anti psychotics now but just wanted to share my story.

All the best