Why cant I sleep anymore?

[judithmhol]

I need some suggestions  about which way to go.   I am in my middle 60s I am a woman, I have  A hypo thyroid disorder, I am taking 75 mcg.  Daily. I cannot sleep I just finished for completely sleepless nights and finally slept last night about six hours. I also take Lexapro for depression, I don’t think I have any major medical disorders. I cannot sleep most of the time I am up all night and not because I have a lot on my mind although I find that soon as I get into bed I start thinking too much. I’ve known for quite a while but I have an anxiety issue but it is really hard to find a position that will treat you for anxiety beyond a depression medication. I don’t have insurance that would take me to a sleep disorder clinic.  I do not suffer from sleep apnea, And actually life is better these past two years and it’s been in a while. But my sleep is so irregular. I have read so many articles tried so many different things and I’m just wondering where I go from here?

[morpheus1514]

Key for better sleep is to find and treat the true underlying cause, which your description suggests depression and anxiety.  Both are common issues with insomnia.  So you might try continuing counseling or whatever it is you're doing to treat those issues.  In addition, check out CBT sleep training programs, they are the gold standard to treat nonmedical issues that disrupt sleep.  These typically include bad sleep habits and excessive worry about the idea of sleep --though not psychiatric disorders.  You might ask your doc or therapist about that, or if you're the self help type you'll find much good info online, including full CBT sleep training programs.  Good luck.

[specialmom]

Ugh, I feel for you.  I can have insomnia as well and it is a cycle of anxiety.  I do fall asleep fairly quickly but can wake up easily too.  And sometimes I'm then up all night.  I do all the tricks they write about---  keep lights low, don't drink that much liquid past say 8 pm, no blue light (tv, computer), watch what I eat, keep the room the right temperature, use white noise like a fan, etc.  

Are you doing all of those things? I also kept a little journal to see if there were triggers.  

Is this every night for you? Mine is fairly cyclic.  

I thought this article was really interesting and helpful. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/insomnia/content/insomnia-older-adults.  I didn't know our circadian rhythms can actually change as we age. My issues right now seem to be due to hormones and aging as I'm a bit younger than you. But I'm sure this is next for me.  (:-))

They mention things like asking if you are fatigued during the day.  I mean, isn't everyone who has insomnia?  But I guess they mean even when you sleep some, as then you may have sleep apnea.  They also talk about life style changes such as regular bed time and making sure to forego naps.  

And if you are stressed or have anxiety, what about addressing these. Especially anxiety which is treatable.