Serious sleeping problem

karaokeman

Hi all,

As the title suggests I have a lot of difficulties with sleeping, I can't stress it enough because it really causes problems.

I've made attempts to improve my sleeping patterns, but I still have problems. I have a cousin moved to Canada a few years ago, and whenever he gets back home for family occasions and things of that nature he brings some melatonin to help me out. I'm very grateful to him for that, and for my mother who provides me with anxiety tablets (which is another problem I have), I have the required supplements nightly but they only help in the short run.

Is there anything else I can do? I'm the type of person whose mind is always racing, whether it be unreleased grades for college assignments and exams I've completed, getting enough work and volunteering experience, how my friend circles are working out, and doing the right thing in social situations. Somehow I'm always conscious of a few of these topics, sometimes all, other times a select few or more. I feel better when I'm concerned about fewer rather than more of my concerns because I always want to do better in at least one area.

Anyway I didn't want to make this too much of a rant, but hopefully people can offer some advice on anything I've said.

Thanks!

miamee

Sorry to hear you are having such trouble sleeping, it's probably another thing you worry about as well as the actual lack of sleep affecting you. Taking supplements and meds from anyone other than a qualified GP is a bad idea. You need to speak to your doctor about the anxiety and how it affects your sleep patterns and every day life and see what he/she recommends for you.

karaokeman

miamee wrote: »

Sorry to hear you are having such trouble sleeping, it's probably another thing you worry about as well as the actual lack of sleep affecting you. Taking supplements and meds from anyone other than a qualified GP is a bad idea. You need to speak to your doctor about the anxiety and how it affects your sleep patterns and every day life and see what he/she recommends for you.

Thanks, I know the anxiety tablets my mam buys are from a qualified GP because she's my aunt. I'll double check with my cousin because I remember while I was in Canada I saw melatonin on the shelves of local pharmacies (not over the counter), then again he could have checked with the GP and known they were OK, but I'll ask him to be sure.

I haven't seen a doctor yet but I have talked to my college counsellor about problems I've had which I inadvertently reflect on while I'm sleeping. One was my relationship with my younger sister because as of lately we've been arguing a lot more, and that has concerned me seen as how we never fought much when we were growing up. I've taken the counsellor's advice over the last few weeks and it's helped slowly but surely.

However I still worry about other issues, like I said waiting on college marks, how outgoing I am, amongst other things. Perhaps I should foucs on one issue at a time, and hope more won't develop because I do sometimes worry about other issues from time to time.

I guess I should have specified, I am for 8 hours sleep, sometimes during the summer if I have long periods of free time I will try go for 9-10 hours, but generally I end up with 6-7 and I get tired at various points during the day.

blatantrereg

Anxiety medication is generally quite addictive. A responsible GP will be very cautious about prescribing them, especially to younger people. You absolutely should not be taking them regularly without a prescription.

6-7 hours sleep isn't that low. Perhaps your tiredness is from using the meds, or another factor. Definitely should talk to a doctor about the pills you've been taking.

Yurt2

Melatonin worked great for me but for some silly reason it's not over the counter in Ireland. Natural herbal formulas such as Melissa Dream also are very affective. I'd be cautious about prescribed sleeping tablets.

blatantrereg

Yurt! wrote: »

Melatonin worked great for me but for some silly reason it's not over the counter in Ireland. Natural herbal formulas such as Melissa Dream also are very affective. I'd be cautious about prescribed sleeping tablets.

"Silly reasons" for not selling a hormone OTC include side effects such as headache, short-term feelings of depression, daytime sleepiness, dizziness, stomach cramps, and irritability, never mind the fact it reduces testosterone levels.

Herbal formulations are junk. Prescribed sleeping tablets are addictive and have side effects and would be highly excessive in this context.

Emme

Dormeasan is another sleeping remedy you can get in health food shops. I would recommend that as much as melatonin.

Yurt2

blatantrereg wrote: »

"Silly reasons" for not selling a hormone OTC include side effects such as headache, short-term feelings of depression, daytime sleepiness, dizziness, stomach cramps, and irritability, never mind the fact it reduces testosterone levels.

Herbal formulations are junk. Prescribed sleeping tablets are addictive and have side effects and would be highly excessive in this context.

Wasn't aware of those side effects, fair enough. I was noting that it's prescription free in the States which is usually good enough for me.

The herbal formulation I mentioned anecdotally helped me get into a regular pattern of sleeping a number of months back.

daisybelle2008

karaokeman wrote: »

Thanks, I know the anxiety tablets my mam buys are from a qualified GP because she's my aunt.

OP, if the medicine wasn't prescribed for you, you should not be taking it. Your mother is being very irresponsible. Ant-anx's like Xanax are extremely addictive. Why do you say in your first post that 'this is another problem' How much are you taking?
I don't know what the hell is going on with you mother and your aunt. Your mother is being prescribed them and giving them to you, if she doesn't need them she shouldn't be getting a prescription. Have you gone to a GP for a consultation or referral?

kylith

6/7 hours is a fairly normal amount of sleep, OP. You may wish to talk to your GP or a counsellor if your thoughts are getting in the way of you dozing off at night, they may be able to help with that.

You should not be taking medication that is not prescribed to you. The dosage will have been worked out for your mother, not you. Your mother appears to be neither a GP nor a pharmacist so she should not be giving you medication. If you feel you need anti-anxiety meds please go see your GP yourself and get assessed and prescribed yourself.

iusedtoknow

Melatonin is not a long term solution and as noted can have some weird side effects (I took it once for jet lag...never again)

OP you and your mother are being irresponsible - and so is your aunt - out of all people she should know better. There are pretty strict ethical guidelines for doctors not to treat relatives for very clear reasons.

You need to get yourself to a doctor, talk to them about your issues and pursue all avenues to deal with your anxiety and issues with sleep - you may find that once one is bought under control - the others will calm as well.

daisybelle2008

iusedtoknow wrote: »

OP you and your mother are being irresponsible - and so is your aunt - out of all people she should know better. There are pretty strict ethical guidelines for doctors not to treat relatives for very clear reasons.

.

I didn't know that but it makes sense. Although maybe the Aunt is a sister-in-law, still might be inappropriate? Its all very weird, is the mum pretending the medication is for herself and passing it on to the OP?

iusedtoknow

daisybelle2008 wrote: »

I didn't know that but it makes sense. Although maybe the Aunt is a sister-in-law, still might be inappropriate? Its all very weird, is the mum pretending the medication is for herself and passing it on to the OP?

my wife is a doctor and might diagnose an issue for a family member but will prefer not to prescribe anything - she'll cart them off to another doctor for their assessment and diagnosis. Granted, if it was life or death and she had a pad with her - she'd do it, but only enough to stabalize until proper treatment could be administered. For example, my niece lost her epilepsy medicine (that she had the prescription for, but it was Canadian and not valid in the US) - so my wife phoned her pharmacy, confirmed the script and wrote a new one to cover her until she got back to Canada.

It makes sense. It stops people getting pills etc on demand and also clears the doctor's conscience should anything go wrong. It also ensures that emotions don't get the way of treatment or of stopping treatment.

The OP needs to start having a relationship with a doctor to help themselves, not rely on pills provided by other people. This can go very wrong, very quickly.

Saralee4

you might not be into it but there is a..well im not sure what you would call it but they are videos on youtube that are quite popular. They are videos made by youtubers to trigger a thing in the body known as ASMR (Autonomous sensory meridian response).

I don't know if there are many studies on it. Some people are 'triggered' by the strangest things like certain sounds for example tapping or watching someone read or draw. They also do role plays where they would pretend you were going in for a haircut. It probably sounds really odd but for a lot of people this causes a relaxed state and helps them fall asleep. Maybe its the tone of the person voices who knows but I have watched some of these videos and fallen asleep. I think there may have been a thread in AH once before on it. Maybe you could give it a try. No harm.

ford2600

http://www.aclai.ie/blog/680/sleep-deep-perform-better-13-steps-to-a-super-deep-sleep-2/

chillywilly

I also get anxiety which can affect my sleeping too.

Here are some things that helped be personally which i would recommend to anyone:

Exercise

Meditation (look up some videos on youtube and do it for 15-30 mins before going to bed). This can't be underestimated. After meditation i not only get a great, unbroken sleep but i also wake up feeling very positive!

Another thing that might sound silly but it helps me is making sure that your room is clean and tidy before you go to bed. I find that your head is clear if you have a clean and tidy room to wake up in! Also, being prepared for the next day in general whether it be your clothes clean, ironed and ready to wear or having a plan for the day written down.

These are things that helped me, hopefully some can help you!

Good luck!

bee06

OP, it might sound stupid but do you exercise? I often had problems sleeping but when I started going to the gym it got so much better. Nothing mad either, just 30 mins 3 or 4 times a week.