Sleeping Turns Into the Worst Fight

[bbgirl011]

I have not been able to sleep at night. I haven't been dignosed with a sleep disorder to my knowledge. My sleeping medications do not work. It is the biggest battle at night. From a day at school when I am alone all day to the night when my mind just races. I'm on a medication that has slowed my brain down so much that it has affected my concentration and deffinately brings my marks down. I feel dumb cause I use to be smart. I just sit in my bed all night and think. Music and reading use to put me to sleep and now it keeps me awake. So I sit and think. I feel like there's nothing out there that can put me asleep unless I'm already tired then I can sleep - which is really rare. Thats the only time my sleeping medications work. I take my medications all the time when I remember which is usually.

Are there coping mechnaisms to sleep?

Or anyone else in this situation with the sleeping problem that is?

[joeboy235]

my mind races have to get up cant lie down have to leave the house and go for long walks i am on 40mg propranolol i am taking two at a time might work for a hour then i have to get up. if i drink a lot of whisky before i go to bed i sleep for 2 hours then all the problems start

[bbgirl011]

I just feel like this whole thing gone way down hill sometimes.

I read it - doesn't work. Sit and stare at a ceiling in complete boredom - nothing. Sleeping medications - worked in the beginning then I grew a resitance to them in two days.

New medication now adds to the insomina which makes it tens time worse. But makes the areas that I need help in effective - but other areas lacking. Its constant juggling. Sometimes I feel like were never going to get the right medications - but just staying strong is the key in this situation. I hope.

[adel_ezz]

the only advise i can say to you don't think of it as a battle, when you go to bed say to yourself it's not important if i sleep tonight.
i know it's easily said,
however i remember once as i went to sleep, i asked myself in bed do i usually sleep on my back, left side or right one. This night I didn't sleep at all because each time i choose an option i say perhaps it was not like this

sure there must be some excercises to do or natural herbs. Try to ask an old lady they know from experience

[adel_ezz]

Hi and welcome back
Good that you returned safely
It's been a long time since you posted here, we were missing your posts
ezz

[HEADROOM]

Sure enough I had the mug of hot chocolate made with milk last night, and again got a good 4 hours plus. Problems are a few less at the moment so that may also have something to do with it.

[HEADROOM]

I too have been having sleeping problems for about 6 months, now I can't seem to sleep with or without tablets. About a week ago I tried a hot milky chocolate and found that I got about 4 hours sleep in one hit, I have been doing this for about 6 nights and each night I had some sleep with dreams which was great. Last night I forgot the hot chocolate and had a tossing and turning night again. Not sure if it was coincidence or something on my mind - but I will be taking it again tonight to see. Good luck.

[ILADVOCATE]

Yes I know Tradazone is one option that has worked well for some people. I know that for myself I found Rozerem to be helpful. That is an FDA approved sleep aide that works like melatonin to adjust the sleep cycle and is safe and non addictive. You could ask your psychiatrist about that.

[bbgirl011]

I was on seroquel for a bit. It worked well but then I had to get off it because it was interfering with another drug. I'm having a hard time finding a sleeping medication that works well for me. I've bumped up this sleeping medication called Trazadone. But it still isnt working - which is why I'm not exactly sure if it's me or the drug? Or both?

[monkeyc]

Seroquel is a good sleeper but the question here is of  diagnosis - none of us can advise drugs because you don't have a diagnosis, this is the first thing you need to do, yoou sound like there may be racing thoughts and insommnia but this doesnt guarantee bipolar or anything.

You need to get your doctor to refer you to a psychiatrist to discuss the possibility of an illness, particularly as you dont sleep without aids.

Now for sleep.  Some suggestions.

Deep breathing exercises - there's plenty on the web to grab and start with, theyre superb for relaxing yourself prior to sleep
Stimulation - stop using the computer or watching TV 30 mins before going to bed and just sit quietly reading or doing something simple - this helps relax your brain
Get comfortable in bed, I lie a dark room but some people dont
Count - in bed when trying to sleep count backward from 100 - yes it sounds dumb but it works for me in strange rooms like hotels - you are distracting your mind.

Thats soe basic things and I use all of them myself even though I take Seroquel at bed time.

YMMV.

[Sonara]

I relate so much to you on this situation, especially how you refer to sleeping as a battle. Nobody understands why I get so depressed and anxious at the thought of going to bed, especially my boyfriend when he is ready to sleep for the night. He knows he will fall asleep in 10 minutes; for me it takes hours (if at all). It's the worst feeling when you just can't stop thinking enough to relax.

I don't know what meds you're on, but I was just put on Seroquel (half a 200mg pill to start) in addition to my Lamotrigine. Last night was my first night on it, and while I fell asleep much faster and slept like a log, I feel very groggy today. My dr. said that should go away within a week, though. I also used to take Melatonin as an easy OTC way of helping me sleep, and it worked at first, but quickly got to the point where it did nothing for me. Of course, it's different for everyone.

Good luck and I hope you find something that works for you.

[paranoid_cataclysm]

I have always had sleep problems with insomnia where I can't fall asleep unless I'm so dead tired I can't stay awake any longer and I'm trying to doze off every 5 seconds.  The only thing that mitigated it was Geodon but this was only because of it sedating me so much I couldn't stay awake or move hardly before it started becoming activating.  Only thing I can tell you is I stayed up until I couldn't stay awake any longer but this interferes with work if you work.

[ILADVOCATE]

I do know that before I started treatment and when it wasn't working when I was rapid cycling I couldn't sleep and could not focus on things either. I am not sure if what you are describing is just a sleep issue but you could ask your psychiatrist more about that.