Stress Center Peer Support

I have not slept more than a couple hours/night for days on end now. I am so tired yet I can't sleep. I'm miserable this morning having to face another day like this. I need to call my doctor today and I'm wondering if anyone has any sleeping pills they liked to recommend. I just cannot continue on like this. I'm so lost. I fear even the night time rolling around now because I fear I will not sleep.

Diva, I have taken Ambien, but I don't like it at all. It makes me have horrible dreams. I don't know if anyone else has had this problem. My elderly father has also taken it and he had episodes of sleepwalking with it. He wouldn't remember getting out of bed the next day and was very groggy. I'm so sorry you're having such a hard time sleeping. I do too, I guess you can tell since it's 4:24 am, and I'm online, lol. I thought of getting some Unisom but I take Vicodin for chronic pain, as well as some stuff for blood pressure, so I was just scared to mix it up like that. I think you're very wise to talk to your doctor. I hope you get some relief very soon! Wish I could help!

Diva,
I know exactly where you are coming from. Not sleeping is the worst! I have quite a difficult time with that about a year ago and I ended up with taking ambien. It worked for me, but just like most people with anxiety, I hated to take meds. I would feel guilty in the morning that I had to resort to taking a pill. I was just like you. I would fall asleep and sleep for a limited amount of time, then wake up and be so upset! I also developed a fear of the night related to the insomnia.
I know that it sounds unbelievable right now, but it will pass. I bought some relaxation cds online at amazon and would play them all night long. They helped. I would make sure that no matter how tired I was during the day, I didn't allow myself to take a nap. Warm baths helped.
I know that it is so hard to do-but try not to worry about this. It will resolve itself in time. Worrying about it will just make it last longer. Believe me, you are not alone in this. So many people go through this-I wish you the best and I hope this helped you a little

Hello Diva, I totally understand your agony. I dont like to suggest medication at all but I take trazadone at night and this has helped me sleep, its also an antidepressant. I hope you are feeling better soon, not sleeping can make you feel very out of control I know that first hand.. Hang in there better days will come.
Gina

Whenever I become sleep deprived (i.e. 2-3 days or more) that's when I know I'll be having quick successions of moderate to extreme panic attacks. Just knowing they're coming prevents me from sleeping, compounding the problem. Ambien gave me very vivid and sometimes frightening dreams. I think it's because it made me very hungry right before I went to sleep. I had all the weird sleep walking, cooking, phone calls, eating, drove to Wendy's, etc. I switched to Lunesta. It has been great. No grogginess. I wake up very alert, but only when it's time to get up. I hated getting up to pee at night with the Ambien, because once you're up, you're up. I totally recommend the Lunesta. It does, however, leave a wicked nasty taste in your mouth. Like that Lunesta butterfly pooped in my mouth while I was sleeping!

I have difficulty with sleep, and one thing you might try if all the usual things-daily exercise,no caffeine, no eating close to bedtime, no scary or sad tv before bed, etc. don't work and you don't want to go with drugs is melatonin capsules (from health food store). I have been having good results with the relaxation cd at bedtime. Since I am in my first week on the program, I am encouraged by this. Hope sleep finds you soon!

I have heard that cognitive behavioral therapy (what this program is) works wonders for insomnia as well. Try googling it to see what you can find. Good luck!

If you like to take baths you should try to take a bath with Johnson and Johnson bedtime bath. That is what I use and it actually has something in it that relaxes you enough to sleep. Just a thought if you want to try it. And also I am a nurse and we give our patients melatonin to help them sleep and it works really well.

The best sleep aid I could mention is Rozerem. It works a different way than the Ambiens, Lunestas and so on. There are no after effects of this med and no vivid dreams. I'm not recommending it, but I think it is worth a mention to your doctor. Take care!

Hi Diva,

I'm sorry you're having so much trouble. Lately I've been experiencing sleep difficulties too (waking up early and can't get back to sleep). It's the most frustrating thing. I'm trying to develop a routine that will be condusive to sleep. I've been exercising during the day whenever possible. About a half hour before bedtime I drink some chamomille tea. Right before I go to bed I take 1/2 a Xanax. Then I read for a little while and my last step is to listen to the relaxation cd. It's been working pretty well, although I did wake up again this morning but it wasn't as early as it has been. I also wasn't able to exercise yesterday so that could have been a factor. I tried an Ambien last week and while it knocked me out I still woke up two hours before the alarm went off. However, last week was especially stressful for me. I had a sick cat that I was tending too and we had to put him down last Wednesday. It's getting better now but that lack of sleep is a killer.

Hang in there. Try to establish a routine that will ease you into a comfortable bedtime transation and hopefully sleep will come.

Stef