Years of insomnia

[hey3]

I am a 36 y/o f. I was 13 when I started having problems sleeping. Someone walk through my room I was instantly woke up. From there I started having problems falling asleep, staying asleep, and waking up early. I have tried many sleep aids, natural and RX. I started taking ambien CR in december. I only filled the rx once because of the cost. I took my last one and only slept for about 4 hours. Regular ambien I get the same or less sleep time. I took restoril this morning at 9:30 and slept until 1:30 and just laid around until I finally got up, very groggy.I am currently a shift worker, which probably wasn't a good idea, but I find I have no problems staying up all night :) The only thing that has ever help is lexapro. I don't feel depressed but am sometimes anxious. I was told at one point that I was dysthymic. I really don't like taking an antidepressant or other medications on a regular basis. And I try to practice good sleep hygene. Is there anything else that you think would help? Would your CBT help if the problem is caused by dysthmyia?

Thank you

[hey3]

Thank you!

[Gregg D Jacobs, Ph.D.]

CBT improves sleep even when it co-exists with mild to moderate depression. However, CBT was not designed for shift work which also requires exposure to light and dark at various times to help the sleep rhythm. You should seek information at your library on managing shift work for there are several good books on the subject.

Dr. Jacobs