No Sleeping!

**Agony_Aunt** · 09-19-2010 01:41 AM

My sleeping problems started in July 2009.
I would be asleep for 4 hours then wake up and not be able to get back to sleep so I would be up for the rest of the night and day then.
It continued on and on.
And about 2 months ago I went to my doctor and just couldn't take it anymore, because it had got to the stage were i couldn't get to sleep til about 3 and 4 in the mornings.
He said I have insomnia and prescribed me sleeping tablets for 1 week, in the hope I would be able to get myself back in to a routine and get back to my normal sleeping pattern.
For the first 3 nights, I slept perfectly and was delighted to get a good nights sleep for the first time in months. Coming toward the end of the week it was taking me longer to fall asleep, at this stage I was still taking the tablets.
The week's supply of tablets were gone and I slept okay for 2 nights after that, then I was back to the same again.
Now since then, it has gotten completely worse. 3 to 4 nights out of a week, i don't sleep a tall until the next night.
I don't want to go back to my doctor because I don't want to be put back on sleeping tablets in case I get addicted to them

I've tried going for walks in the evening and doing exercise, and also reading because it was suggested to help slow down and relax my mind before sleep time.
But nothing seems to work anymore.
I didn't really mind not sleeping, because I still wouldn't be tired. But I think now it's catching up because lately, my whole mind can get mixed up with even which day it is. And if I don't sleep for 2 days, it can all just feel like 1 long blurry day.
Need help with this, because I nearly even forget what it's like now to have a good nights sleep

**CHANDLERS WISH** · 09-19-2010 02:22 AM

Sleeping tablets, I believe was as your Doctor stated, just to see if that worked, if you could sleep because, you may have insomnia, but there are other reasons for not being able to sleep, I think he was trying to diagnose you and you shouldn't rule out seeing him/her again and explaining exactly what you have here.

There are other methods as well, to help you sleep that aren't drug related.

Here's some information I found when googling insomnia.

Stimulus control therapy is a treatment for patients who have conditioned themselves to associate the bed, or sleep in general, with a negative response. As stimulus control therapy involves taking steps to control the sleep environment, it is sometimes referred interchangeably with the concept of sleep hygiene. Examples of such environmental modifications include using the bed for sleep or sex only, not for activities such as reading or watching television; waking up at the same time every morning, including on weekends; going to bed only when sleepy and when there is a high likelihood that sleep will occur; leaving the bed and beginning an activity in another location if sleep does not result in a reasonably brief period of time after getting into bed (commonly ~20 min); reducing the subjective effort and energy expended trying to fall asleep; avoiding exposure to bright light during nighttime hours, and eliminating daytime naps.

CW

**Agony_Aunt** · 09-19-2010 02:38 AM

Yes, I'd really like something that isn't drug re-lated.
I've tried all of those that you mentioned there.
Getting up early in the mornings was fine, but it's the same every time, that when it comes to night time, I'm wide awake?
Even if all through the day I'm maybe a little tired, I still don't sleep in the hope it will leave me tired that night, but it never does.

I'm worried now that if it starts to effect me anymore, that it might start effecting my work and college.
I've seen a councilor, who asked me had I got things on my mind or anything that was worrying me and causing me not to sleep, but there's not.
I've tried the relaxation cd's, lavender scented oils in the room and relaxing hot baths an hour or so before going to bed.

I've been recommended to see a psychologist, who can evaluate if there is anything going on sub-consciously in my mind, that I am not fully aware of.
But I'm not sure of this either.

**CHANDLERS WISH** · 09-19-2010 02:49 AM

Hun, the only way to "find out" what is causing it, is to do exactly that

Don't look at psychologists as if there is something wrong with you, it could be an imbalance, it could be a phsycological reason you are not aware of, it could be your brain won't switch off, it could be alot of things.

Don't rule things out, go with everything until you know....

I understand, "no drugs" why go on things that a Doctor says, this will do it.. It often does, but makes other matters occur...

Physcologist sounds like a good plan...

Google also insomnia and see what you find

**Little.Chuck** · 09-19-2010 07:29 AM

Its a long shot but have you trid having a milky horlicks 30-45 minutes before bedtime? I had sleeping problems and the first night I tried this I slept like a baby. Last night I didnt have one and wow, what a difference. Waking up regularly, not being able to get back to sleep, Ect. I will not be skipping it tonight

**Agony_Aunt** · 09-19-2010 12:58 PM

I googled it there because I have never heard of Horlicks beofre! And I'ts not available in Ireland

**LanaBear** · 09-19-2010 01:07 PM

I'm a HUGE fan of melatonin. I only take 1mg. But I go through cycles. I'll go a few months by getting 3-4 hours of sleep a night, then a few month of getting about 6-7, then go back to the 3-4.

Melatonin is already naturally produced within your body and I've been taking it on and off for about 15 years now.

**Agony_Aunt** · 09-19-2010 01:41 PM

I've recently done a little research on insomnia, because my doctor had "diagnosed" me with chronic insomnia, due to the lenght of time it has been going on.
I came across a syndrome called DSPS (delayed sleep phase syndrome), it is very commonly mis-diagnosed as insomnia.
When I read more in to insomnia, it said that it is a symptom that accompanies several sleep, medical and psychiatric disorders. And that it is typically followed by a functional impairment while awake. The main causes for insomnia are medical disorders, abuse of illegal drugs and mental disorders, which I believe I don't have any, and as for illegal drugs, they are a big NO for me!
DSPS, is a circadian rhythm sleep disorder. It usually develops in early childhood or adolescence.
An adolescent version disappers in adolescence or early adulthood, otherwise, DSPS is a life long disorder.
It also has been named as a sleep disorder that is mostly mis-diagnosed as a primary psychiatric disorder.
Melatonin is also part of the treatment for it.
Practitioners of sleep medicine point out the dismally low rate of accurate diagnosis of the disorder, and have often asked for better physician education on sleep disorders.
Should I consult my doctor about this?

**LanaBear** · 09-19-2010 01:52 PM

If it bothers you a lot, yeah, definitely. I've never been seen for it because I don't want anything to do with prescribed sleep meds. I've heard enough horror stories about them and Dr's hand them out like candy. After my research, that is when I opted to grab some melatonin from the health food store.

**Agony_Aunt** · 09-19-2010 02:04 PM

This is the treatment for DSPS. Basically your circadian rhythm (human clock) is all over the place.

Behavior therapy where the patient is told to avoid naps, caffeine and other stimulants. They are also told to not be in bed for anything besides sleep and sex.

Bright light therapy is used to advance or delay sleep depending on how the circadian rhythm is shifted. Patients are exposed to high intensity light (10,000 lux) for a duration of 30-60 minutes at a time, several times a day.

Medications such as melatonin, a naturally occurring sleep aid, or other wake promoting agents or short term sleep aids can be beneficial. Tasimelteon has been proven effective in Phase III trials.

Chronotherapy progressively advances or delays the sleep time by 1-2 hours per day.

I don't know if Melatonin is available in Ireland, but I will check.
I'd by far rather this kind of treatment than being stuck on and depending on sleeping tablets!
And I really believe that if anything my problem could be caused due to this rather than, insomnia or some kind of mental or psychiatric disorder.