Chronic Insomniac

Options
2»

Replies

  • sarah307
    sarah307 Posts: 1,363 Member
    Options
    oh yeah. also about 5 htp - i take that in the morning and since then have found no difference in sleep but a difference in hyperactivity throughout the day!

    - I am definitely going to look into acupuncture more - as in, look into where i can go to get it done!

    Since i am a college student, I don't have a health insurance plan through my work. But i am definitely going to be calling some places!
  • suzycreamcheese
    suzycreamcheese Posts: 1,766 Member
    Options
    Just want to say, are you guys sure you're suffering from insomnia?

    Most sleep phase disorders, especially delayed sleep phase are misdiagnosed as insomnia. If left to your own devices, and you can go to sleep when your body wants, do you sleep well and for 8 hours? IE your body wants to go to bed at 3 AM, if you're allowed to do that and sleep 7-8 hours fully would you do that easily without effort or medication?

    Its important to know the difference because you treat a sleep phase disorder differently then insomnia. You can often brute force through insomnia but a sleep phase disorder won't respond often to brute forcing it. No amount of routine or sleep hygiene will help it.

    As an example, I have a three hour delay, I can, with exercise, exhaust myself till I go to sleep, but my body doesn't actually start restful sleep until 3 hours after the average person, no matter what time I go to bed. So when I wake up at 8:00 its like a normal person waking up at 4 AM in the middle of REM.

    I tend to crash sleep occasionally on Saturday to make up for it.

    If you think it may be a sleep phase disorder see a doctor that specializes in it there are a couple things you can do and special medications for treating it.

    my other half has that, he thought he was insomniac for ages, but he just cant sleep till about 2 or 3am at the earliest, no matter what.
    I on the other hand have insomnia, and its not unusual for me to lie awake the whole night and never drift into sleep, no matter how exhausted i am
  • Boo67
    Boo67 Posts: 43 Member
    Options
    Bump. Hi,

    I've suffered with insomnia for over 10 years & trust me I've tried EVERYTHING. My problem is staying asleep, am able to drop off within hour of going to bed (warm,malt drink,no t.v etc just some light reading) however I CANNOT stay asleep for more than 45-60 mins. I recently read an article on concentrated cherries. Can't tell you brand name as I can't remember it (I buy cheaper generic formula from local health food store, also it would prob be branded differently in other countries, I live in UK. You can have juice drops which you add to water or herbal tabs. It's very widely used by celebrity athletes. It's benefits range from aiding muscle tissue through to stabilizing sleep patterns. All I cansay is that I've been using it for a month & sleeping like a baby for the first time in years.
  • sarah307
    sarah307 Posts: 1,363 Member
    Options
    hmmm concentrated cherries.

    in all my years of insomnia and research, doctors, research - I haven't heard of this natural remedy yet! (and i have heard some crazy things!)

    so i will try this also!

    *how do you fellow insomniacs deal with wanting crappy foods from lack of sleep???

    I have kind of accepted my insomnia and that (maybe) someday it will get better... but I am struggling with this healthy food thing right now.
  • joyfulthanks
    joyfulthanks Posts: 155
    Options
    Any light in the room (even from an alarm clock) throws me off. Light blocking curtains help a LOT!

    Also, caffeine messes with me no matter what time of day I have it.

    I hope and pray you find your solution!
  • suzycreamcheese
    suzycreamcheese Posts: 1,766 Member
    Options
    its just such a horrible thing. The desire to find the elusive sleep becomes all encompassing, and the fear as the evening approaches of what the night holds for you, is horrible, and just becomes a vicious circle
  • joyfulthanks
    joyfulthanks Posts: 155
    Options
    Also, when I can't get my brain to shut down, I use a background noise app on my phone. The sounds that seem to work best are those that have a sort of soothing repetitive rhythm to them. My current fave is a dishwasher sound.

    Something about giving my mind something else to latch onto (the rhythm of the sound) allows it to stop its spinning and wind down into sleep.

Categories