If I don't start sleeping I'm going to freak out!

I work graveyards so its hard for me to sleep sometimes. What works for me...Benadryl!!!!!!!!! It totally knocks me out. After 30 minutes of taking it and I start slurring my words and have fallen asleep in my car. :laugh: Not while driving. I got home an was sooo sleepy I couldnt get out of the car and just slept there. I've been able to sleep up to 14 hours with Benadryl.

I very deeply sympathise. I've had sleep issues in the past and they were painful to deal with and yours sound way worse. I sincerely hope you find something, anything, that works.

The only thing (other than medication) that worked for me was to literally knock myself out by doing physical activity. Unfortunately, it had to be at least 4-5 hours of solid physical activity, which wasn't possible on anything but a weekend. You might give that a shot.

I very deeply sympathise. I've had sleep issues in the past and they were painful to deal with and yours sound way worse. I sincerely hope you find something, anything, that works.

The only thing (other than medication) that worked for me was to literally knock myself out by doing physical activity. Unfortunately, it had to be at least 4-5 hours of solid physical activity, which wasn't possible on anything but a weekend. You might give that a shot.

When I trained for a marathon (wasn't dealing with insomnia at the time) but I could never sleep the nights of long run days. So, I am skeptical but hopeful...I will try this. Thanks!

I suspect you had heightened anxiety for the big day. That's the worst thing about insomnia, the bad effects esp. the anxiety builds on itself and your sleep gets worse and worse.

Good luck!

you may be lacking magnesium. about 80% of women are. it costs about $10 for a 30 day supply. Fred Meyer has the best one I have found. It is Nature's Made. Please if you try the magnesium buy that one. The cheaper brands and even some of the more expensive ones only have mag. oxide in it which our bodies does not absorb. You need a brand that had more than 1 type of magnesium in it. I used to be an insomniac and I have some central nervous issues and the magnesium truly has helped me. I know how frustrating it can be and I am sorry you are having trouble sleeping!

I wish I had solutions for you. I am in the exact same spot, except I don't think I naturally suffer from insomnia. I quit drinking completely last June, and since then I am unable to sleep until 6 or 7 am, EVERY day, and I can't even sleep at all without a combined 1-2 Unisom and 4-6 melatonin. Although alcohol does help to bring about sleepiness (and definitely intensifies the effects of sleep aids), I would advise you PLEASE not to start drinking for this reason, because if you suffer from depression and anxiety (as I also do), you also have more proclivity to become dependent on it. I am an alcoholic and alcohol was keeping me from achieving my goals on MFP, which was the one thing that got me to quit. Now, even after 8 months of sobriety, I still feel as if I am being "punished" for my frequent drinking. I cannot get back on a normal sleep pattern, no matter what I do. I feel like I am paying the price for getting better.
I too am unemployed except for my meager p/t job (which is mostly a couple hours a week at night) and this in turn fuels my insomnia, cause I feel like if I can't find "normal' (e.g. 9-5, not overnight, which I DO NOT want) work, what's the point of trying to get out of this horrible pattern?
Are you sure the Klonopin is the end-all, be-all solution?? My goal is to sleep *normally* again, like I once somehow did before alcohol. Klonopin will definitely knock you the **** out, but it is highly addictive and has gnarly side effects, like most benzos. I used to experiment with it, but coupled with the alcohol it just conked me out.

*kitten* -- helps to relax your body