Extreme insomnia. Looking for non-medical advice!

M777

Hi, guys!
I’m in bad situation right now.
Hopefully someone has some answers to my questions.

I’m almost unable to sleep (3 hours tops, and I don’t stay in bed, so it’s not situation, where someone think he was not sleeping, while he was) for 5 nights in a row due to extreme anxiety. I suffer from depression, anxiety and insomnia for a long while, and time to time was getting extremely anxious, but it was never that bad! I also started unwoluntary shaking, thanks God it’s not all the time.

Can I get to see psychiatrist urgently? Can I make appointment from home? I can’t wait in public place, the only thing that helping with anxiety is non-stop-walkin(it affects my back, but anxiety level goes down). I can’t take people looking funny on me.

If it will not sort out, and I have to check into hospital – is there any place I can go for insomnia treatment, except for psychiatric hospital?

If only psychiatric hospital deal with this cases:
1. do I absolutely have to sign paper, to give them final decision on letting me out and on treatment as well?
2. If I’m no danger for myself and others – can they still keep me, if I want to leave? That part is really scaring me.

While in psychiatric hospital – can I use internet? I absolutely have to skype my relatives. There is no way I can tell them I’m in psychiatric hospital, it will kill them. And then guilt will kill me.

And the most complicated question: how to know for sure, when there is absolute time to go and check into psychiatric hospital?
I’m really afraid to miss a turn, after which there is no way back to any mental health for me at all!

Thanks for reading!
Any help is greatly appresiated.

I have no idea about your questions and Im not medically trained.

Have you been to see a GP lately?
They may be able to help you and will give you more accurate advice on these things than most folks on after hours.

Gremlinertia

OP have you ever had the doctor refer you to a sleep clinic?.

Malayalam

The adrenaline from the anxiety is affecting your sleep, the lack of sleep and anxiety is making you depressed. It is one big circle and feels horrific. Main thing is you can get better. I know it feels like mental hospital or meds is only way but its not. Number 1 get a hold of some of Dr Clare Weekes books on anxiety, number 2 go to doctor and get referral for a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist for as soon as possible. There are recordings of Dr Weekes giving a series of speaking advice which you could listen to while walking. I will see if I can find link. It doesn't feel like it now, I know, but your situation is very curable so stay hopeful.

Malayalam

It's Claire with an I and Self Help For Your Nerves is best book to get. Google her name with audio then to get some recordings. Make these investments even if its your last penny. It will come right, be assured and brave. Good luck.

GalwayGrrrrrl

Your first port of call is your GP (who might see you at home if you don’t feel able to go out) or A and E at the local hospital if you can’t wait long enough for the GP.
To answer a couple of your questions about the psychiatry department - most people who see a psychiatrist are outpatients, you might not need to be admitted. If you are admitted, most people are “voluntary” patients which means you can leave anytime you want (although if you need treatment it might be best to follow doctors advice). Lots of people in psychiatric hospitals can go on home leave - you can skype from home. Alternatively the nurses might let you Skype from a coffee shop etc in the hospital.
It might be hard to access your regular GP this weekend so look up the number of your local out-of-hours service. For Galway it’s called WestDoc, there are similar services countrywide. If you need someone to talk to urgently call

GalwayGrrrrrl

Sorry - phone going haywire. For urgent help call 116123 Samaritans Ireland. Take care.

listermint

Op you say walking we works for you.

Have you considered going for nighttime or evening runs or jogs to relax your thought process and tire you out.

This works for alot of people the activity and the concentration on just jogging frees up the other stresses or worries.

Graces7

Also OP get a very thorough physical check up please? I went through stuff like this am currently insomniac and anxious BUT I have a systemic illness that is causing this that went undiagnosed for many years

Just now I am in a bad phase so erratic sleep and exhausted so I knit half the night and read thrillers..

Get checked out and yes, see your GP ad yes.call the Samaritans .

Malayalam wrote: »

The adrenaline from the anxiety is affecting your sleep, the lack of sleep and anxiety is making you depressed. It is one big circle and feels horrific. Main thing is you can get better. I know it feels like mental hospital or meds is only way but its not. Number 1 get a hold of some of Dr Clare Weekes books on anxiety, number 2 go to doctor and get referral for a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist for as soon as possible. There are recordings of Dr Weekes giving a series of speaking advice which you could listen to while walking. I will see if I can find link. It doesn't feel like it now, I know, but your situation is very curable so stay hopeful.

NIMAN

Op, think you need to see your GP asap.

RacoonQueen

If you go to an A&E with psychiatric issues, they won't leave you waiting in the main waiting room and can siddle you off to a room alone. You can request this also. If you are going to your GP, explain what you explained here about not being able to wait in a public place when you are making your appointment and they will sort you out. Thats what they are for.

In a psychiatric hospital, if you are staying voluntarily, you can leave whenever you want. You can use the internet, have your laptop, phone etc. It depends on your condition, of course. Some patients would not be allowed them - or wouldn't be allowed them during initial assessment anyway.
If you are involuntary in a psychiatric unit, then they can keep you detained...but it sounds like if you were in one, you would be voluntary.

There are a number of organisations you can call. Shine, aware, samaritans are just three. Even if they're not entirely the correct way for you to go for support, they will be able to help point you in the right direction. Feel free to pm me (or I'm sure pretty much anyone on boards) if you ever need anything. I've had a close family member have stints in psychiatric units so I can try to help with the info I do know.

Most importantly, please please know that it will absolutely NOT 'kill' your family to know you are in a psychiatric unit. Please, please please tell them what is going on with you. They love you beyond words and will want to know that you are safe and well.

Taltos

Get to your GP, long term lack of sleep really messes you about and its a tough cycle to break.

As well as the above try to use breathing exercises whenever you feel your anxiety getting worse or even if you find your thoughts starting to spin off. I know it sounds corny but it really can help. In the meantime if you can’t see your GP there are quite a few support groups like above to ring and talk to if you’re up to it.

jpm4

In a very similar situation to you. Some good advice already, go to a gp who should prescribe a course of antidepressants to curb the aniexty. Your hormone levels are screwed up and the adrenaline produced is preventing you sleeping, antidepressants should curb that.

Am currently doing a cognitive behavioural therapy course which is helping me a lot (pricey though) and also I would recommend the headspace app for mindfulness and meditation techniques.

Best of luck.

Kuva

I was curious as for the reason/cause, why have you let a job from near 10 years ago do this to you?

Not being bad but cop the hell on!!

YOU can put yourself right, stop giving a damn what others think for a start.

Tell your relatives. Just fecking do it now. Their has to be at least 1 you could've told long ago, if you don't want to fine, you're doing a mighty job so far.

GPs love nothing better than handing out pills. Seems like you are/were on lots, can't comment on that here.

Make appointment to see therapist as mentioned, bring your drug chest with ya.

How much more time are you gonna waste like this, you've let this develop, put it back in its box.

Billy86

I'd go and see someone about it, but I've always had sleep issues since I was a kid - chamomile tea a good hour or two before bed helps a bit, joining a gym and going all out at it in the evenings can too.

Try to keep sleeping tablets off until a final, final option. They can help but they're the most addictive things I've ever come across in my life to the point I just try to avoid them, and they can really mess with your head the next day (not in a psychotic sense, more like not being able to shake that just-woke-up-and-can't-think-straight feeling until lunch time). Pretty sure they can have a long lasting deeper impact too.

Rodin

RacoonQueen wrote: »

If you go to an A&E with psychiatric issues, they won't leave you waiting in the main waiting room and can siddle you off to a room alone. You can request this also. If you are going to your GP, explain what you explained here about not being able to wait in a public place when you are making your appointment and they will sort you out. Thats what they are for.

In a psychiatric hospital, if you are staying voluntarily, you can leave whenever you want. You can use the internet, have your laptop, phone etc. It depends on your condition, of course. Some patients would not be allowed them - or wouldn't be allowed them during initial assessment anyway.
If you are involuntary in a psychiatric unit, then they can keep you detained...but it sounds like if you were in one, you would be voluntary.

There are a number of organisations you can call. Shine, aware, samaritans are just three. Even if they're not entirely the correct way for you to go for support, they will be able to help point you in the right direction. Feel free to pm me (or I'm sure pretty much anyone on boards) if you ever need anything. I've had a close family member have stints in psychiatric units so I can try to help with the info I do know.

Most importantly, please please know that it will absolutely NOT 'kill' your family to know you are in a psychiatric unit. Please, please please tell them what is going on with you. They love you beyond words and will want to know that you are safe and well.

GP first.
Don't be going to ED with anxiety/insomnia.

tuisginideach

Have you tried the buteyko method of breathing? Changes your life! (and mine - as my DH/bed partner/asthmatictook it up a few months ago.)

cantdecide

Agree that the OP needs to speak to experts but In the ordinary case of events for anxiety related insomnia which is something I know about, I find moving elsewhere works - I have no idea why. What often works is to move to a spare bed, to the couch or even the floor. Once I move, I usually get off to sleep quickly enough.

Billy86

Graces7 wrote: »

Wise words. and no "can be addictive" re benzos. Always IS addictive. And valium alters thought patterns alarmingly eg suicidal thoughts.

Also something I've seen in my job the last 18 months or so is that a lot of lives that go terribly wrong, began with dependence on benzo prescriptions. I work in admin so couldn't say much about the technical end of things, but 'benzo addiction' seems to set off red flags for social workers, psychologists, public health nurses, etc every bit as much as opiate addiction and the difference is often indistinguishable when you see these people come in (again, from an entirely untrained and unqualified perspective, so just talking about how they carry themselves etc). Often though this is because one addiction led to the other.

I don't mean to sound overly like Mrs. Lovejoy with sleeping pills or benzos, but they are extremely addictive and can have horrific long term consequences. If I take sleeping pills for two nights running I can be certain there will be 1-2 nights after feeling skittish and anxious in bed meaning no sleep... and what's the best cure for that? More sleeping pills! It's a dangerous cycle.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend marijuana as an alternative, but I do usually keep a small bit of indica heavy stuff locked away in a small smell-proof jar in case I'm having one of those "oh god, it's 1am and all of a sudden I feel as awake as I did at 1pm" nights. Guaranteed I'll have to down a litre of water and an absurdly strong coffee first thing the next morning and still be a little groggy for the first half hour or so in work. But compared to benzos, zimmos, etc I might as well have woken up bright and fresh from the greatest night's sleep the world has ever seen and while I don't agree with the opinion that 'weed isn't addictive' it's not a scratch on tablets on that front either.

Jayesdiem

A few things......firstly, of course you can get better.

Secondly, insomnia often occurs due to "sleep anxiety", i.e. you worry about not being able to sleep so you don't. The harder you fight that, the worse it can get, so just stop fighting. Stop caring about whether you sleep or not - you won't die if you don't sleep and the worst case scenario is tiredness.

Thirdly, don't assume that because you sleep less than the average person that that is not normal for YOU. 8 hrs is an average, some people need more, many people (including myself) need far less. You don't have to achieve a certain amount every night. Just accept what your body wants to do and don't fight.

Mam of 4

Mam of 4 wrote: »

Does L Tryptophan work in the same way in raising Serotonin levels ? Sorry if derailing the thread .

apparently 5htp is just the next step between l tryptophan and serotonin..
I haven't taken l tryptophan so can't really comment..

Teyla Emmagan

I was in a similar state about 6 weeks ago OP but my GP sorted me out. I was literally at the stage that I was afraid I would lose my job because I was such a mess and now I feel a million times better. So despair not! This too shall pass! The insomnia is a killer though and you can't cope with anything when you aren't sleeping so I know exactly where you are coming from.

I am also seeing a hypnotherapist who is doing a lot of positive thinking stuff with me. I had tried CBT and found it useless but this is really helping. The idea is that it reprograms a your subconscious so that instead of constantly repeating negative thoughts to yourself you do this positive affirmation stuff instead. It sounds a bit fairy but I think it is working. I just have to listen to a mp3 every night. PM me if you want her details.

And although you may feel totally crazy right now you are not going to end up in a psych unit, don't be worrying. Just go see your GP and keep an open mind about treatment.

Mrs OBumble

xfactorfan23 wrote: »

It might be hard to access your regular GP this weekend so look up the number of your local out-of-hours service. For Galway it’s called WestDoc, there are similar services countrywide.

For Galway there are actually two: westdoc and citydoc.

Wherever you are in the country, you phone your GP after hours and the message on their answerphone tells you how to contact the afterhours service they are part of.

If you aren't registered with a GP and need to see someone at the weekend then A&E is your only option. You'll be seen ( evetually) but I'd be pretty certain you won't get admitted .

OP, I used to suffer from regular insomnia. I'd highly recommend learning a combination of meditation and self-hypnosis. Also about 2 hours prior to sleeping, keep away from the monitor, TV, etc. I find the displays interfere with my ability to have a restful sleep.

Kuva

[Deleted User] wrote: »

OP, I used to suffer from regular insomnia. I'd highly recommend learning a combination of meditation and self-hypnosis. Also about 2 hours prior to sleeping, keep away from the monitor, TV, etc. I find the displays interfere with my ability to have a restful sleep.

Theirs apps for all screens now, twilight on Android, flux for Windows, cinema settings on TV, IOS has something but I'm not stupid enough to buy.

Kuva

What's the cause of all this insomnia on thread?

Outlaw Pete

I had severe insomnia (comes back if under pressure) and the best advice I got was to never sleep after whatever time it is I would like to wake up at each day. So if it's 9am, then even if you odd nod off at 8am, then get up anyway. Even if it just means propping yourself up and reading. As sleeping during the day just makes it even harder to sleep at night. Lighthearted podcasts are good for getting off to sleep also as it puts your attention on something calming and takes your mind off worrying about not sleeping. Best of luck.

NIMAN

Kuva wrote: »

Theirs apps for all screens now, twilight on Android, flux for Windows, cinema settings on TV, IOS has something but I'm not stupid enough to buy.

The last thing anyone needs to be doing if they have sleep issues is spending more time on screens.

I believe a lot of modern sleeping issues are screen related.

Graces7

Graces7 wrote: »

I used 5HTP a couple of winters for crippling SAD but the initial side effects were scary. Had to get it sent in from the states

Wary of most meds now. Piriton which I need for hay fever helps sleep. Best help is not worrying about it though.

Really?..what kind of side effects?..I've been taking it for ~8ish months maybe, only for sleep though, so before bed, and not every day..maybe twice or three times a week..haven't really taken it during the day, but I haven't had any ill effects at all..a good night's sleep, maybe not too eager to get up in the morning..that's it..

Billy86

I work full time and exercise/play sports quite regularly (as was the case at the time). I've had sleep issues since I was about 8 or 9 years old, if not earlier.

Colsin91

Hey, sorry to hear that you are going through a tough time! The first and most important thing is that with the right help from your healthcare practitioner, it will get better. Your GP is most certainly a good first-line. The only real reason that a GP ought to give a very short-course of Benzos is in the case of a bereavement, and in that case it should be limited to less than a week course. In short, benzos are not recommended in anxiety. They are highly addictive. The first-line treatment in anxiety is CBT. Basically, it centres around the Hot-Cross Bun model. It looks at a particular situation, and identifies the thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations and behaviours that a person experiences. The theory is that if you target and change one of the 4 domains, then it improves all the other domains. For example, imagine if somebody has social anxiety. They may be in a situation where they see a friend who fails to acknowledge them. They may panic and think what is wrong? Did I upset them? Are they ignoring me? Then you me feel upset and anxious. You may have a racing heart and “lump in your throat”. You may rush home because you feel upset. CBT aims to make you challenge your own thoughts. It is not because you think something that it is necessarily true. Maybe the person didn’t see you, maybe the person is preoccupied. For others, they might find it easier to challenge bodily sensations rather than thoughts (but if you challenge any one of the four, you influence all 4). CBT teaches you to become your own therapist. There is homework with CBT. The person needs a degree of self-motivation. When CBT fails to work or the anxiety is severe, then antidepressants can be used IN COMBINATION with a psychological intervention such as CBT.

Some general tips about the sleep: avoid caffeine after midday (tea contains quite a lot of caffeine). Routine is good: same time, same place, etc at night. No screens for at least an hour before you sleep. Alcohol can affect the sleep cycle. Finally, how about leaving a notebook by your bed. When something worries you, write it down and deal with it in the morning.

I really hope that you feel better soon! Your GP is there to help!

Billy86

Graces7 wrote: »

That can happen when you take too many

Ah yeah, a tolerance to anything can build up but that time I had not taken any in probably a few months beforehand. Can it happen if you take too much on a once off though (e.g. not building up any tolerance in the days/week beforehand)?

Graces7

Billy86 wrote: »

Ah yeah, a tolerance to anything can build up but that time I had not taken any in probably a few months beforehand. Can it happen if you take too much on a once off though (e.g. not building up any tolerance in the days/week beforehand)?

No idea. But sounds possible. Just do not do it again, please. OK? OK!

Billy86

Graces7 wrote: »

No idea. But sounds possible. Just do not do it again, please. OK? OK!

Ah there's no worries there, like I said it was once off years back and a ridiculously stupid decision that I regretted about 3 minutes after taking them.

WoolyJumper

I'm reluctant to give advice because everyone is different and I'm not a professional. But I did suffer from mild insomnia for about 10 years. The last 2 years I feel I have it mostly under control. What causes your insomnia could be different from mine. But I didn't want to go on sleeping pills because I've seen first hand what they can do.

I tried every herbal pill imaginable. After many years I came to the conclusion that the cause of my insomnia was melatonin production. Id get really tired around 10pm (which is just too early to go to sleep) but by 11pm id start to wake up. Id find myself lying in bed awake until about 4am when id finally fall asleep. I never took melatonin supplements because they were just too hard to get in Ireland. I tried that lullaby milk and surprisingly it helped a little but also gave me terrible acne from drinking so much dairy.

Another thing I tried was 5HTP. That also helped. The first time I took it was before sleeping and I honestly had on of the worst night sleeps of my life. I then read somewhere you are better to take them in the morning. This is where it helped. It was by no means a miracle worker but I was sleeping longer and I was taking them with doing a combination of other things.

The other things I was doing was every screen I had I used f.lux. An app that makes the screen go orange the later it gets. This is supposed to help with melatonin production. One of the big things that helped me, was really simple but depending on your sleep pattern might not help you. When I would go to bed. I would usually fall asleep after the first half hour for 30 mins. Then I would wake up and thats where I would start struggling to sleep. I was always in the weird state where I was half asleep but awake and could never sleep properly after that until about 4 am. I found forcing myself out of bed at that point and literally shaking it off so I can wake up fully and then go back into bed I will fall asleep fully for the rest of the night. I don't know why this works but it does. I think its something to do with my frame of mind in that weird state of not fully awake but not asleep.

Other really important things are going to sleep at roughly the same time every-night (the better your sleep gets the more flexibility you can have, but for awhile you need to be strict with it) Same goes for waking up. No matter how bad I sleep I will wake up at the same time every morning. For me thats 6am for work. 9 am on the weekends. If you are too tired to get up and do anything, fine but get up, open the curtains to let light in and then go back to bed and read a book or whatever.

Lastly and one of the most difficult things I changed was my frame of mind. Since I was a child I was never a great sleeper but I let that develop into an "I'm an insomniac" You have to go to bed with a different attitude. My bed is now my sanctuary not something I dread. Don't go to bed with the expectation that you have to sleep. That was a big hurdle to get over. If you go to bed with the attitude that its my place to relax, it doesn't matter if you sleep or not it is that time where you can lie down, get lost in your own thoughts. Stretch out, get comfortable. The irony is when your not so worried about falling asleep you are more likely to fall asleep. But thing its, if you go to your bed and think "im going to relax and not worry about sleeping..i hope this works to help me sleep" it won't work. You really have to let go of that "im doing this to try to sleep" and just accept that you might not sleep and that is okay. The other key to make this work is what I said above which only do this during your sleep routine. Don't sleep past your wake time, dont nap during the day. Avoid coffee too late.

I would now consider myself a relatively good sleeper. It took awhile to get here and I still have some bad nights. But if I do I remember to enjoy my time in bed anyway (not like that :pac:) remind myself of how comfortable and relaxing it is to just lie in my bed. I still get up for work in the morning (even if im exhausted) and chances are the next night im fine again. This is also very much my experience and what worked for me. I suffered from mild anxiety and depression from it too. But it wasn't so extreme that I needed to get help. If you are really bad don't be afraid to get help. A CBT is a great idea. I imagine he would teach you how to change your thinking about sleeping and help you put it into practice. Many nights of bad sleeping can affect your judgement and thinking. If you feel in any danger at all then you have to seek professional help

twill

First of all, go to your doctor or psychiatrist about your anxiety.

In the meantime, the main thing is to disassociate sleep from anxiety in your own mind. I would ignore normal bed time routines. Just accept what sleep you can rather than trying for your full complement. Don't lie in bed trying to sleep, it will increase the anxiety. Sit on the couch or go into another room and spend some time doing something you like until you really feel like sleeping, even if that takes a long time. Try and come to realise that the sleep issue is a symptom and should resolve itself eventually, but you will cope in the meantime.

Graces7

twill wrote: »

First of all, go to your doctor or psychiatrist about your anxiety.

In the meantime, the main thing is to disassociate sleep from anxiety in your own mind. I would ignore normal bed time routines. Just accept what sleep you can rather than trying for your full complement. Don't lie in bed trying to sleep, it will increase the anxiety. Sit on the couch or go into another room and spend some time doing something you like until you really feel like sleeping, even if that takes a long time. Try and come to realise that the sleep issue is a symptom and should resolve itself eventually, but you will cope in the meantime.

I stay abed for many reasons, but knit and read etc for a while. MY sleep issues are M.E linked so at least I know that and am less anxious about it. And rarely have to be anywhere anyways

SwimFin

Using Weighted Blankets for Insomnia

Weighted blankets are designed to relax you by stimulating pressure points on your body.

One study in Occupational Therapy in Mental Health found that 63% of the 32 adults studied reported lower anxiety after using a 30-pound blanket.

Australasian Psychiatry found that psychiatric patients who used weighted blankets were more likely to report reduced distress than those who didn't.

RacoonQueen

Rodin wrote: »

GP first.
Don't be going to ED with anxiety/insomnia.

Unless it is an emergency. Anxiety or psychiatric issues can be an emergency and GP will send you there with a GP letter if it is.

garbo speaks

WoolyJumper wrote: »

I'm reluctant to give advice because everyone is different and I'm not a professional. But I did suffer from mild insomnia for about 10 years. The last 2 years I feel I have it mostly under control. What causes your insomnia could be different from mine. But I didn't want to go on sleeping pills because I've seen first hand what they can do.

I tried every herbal pill imaginable. After many years I came to the conclusion that the cause of my insomnia was melatonin production. Id get really tired around 10pm (which is just too early to go to sleep) but by 11pm id start to wake up. Id find myself lying in bed awake until about 4am when id finally fall asleep. I never took melatonin supplements because they were just too hard to get in Ireland. I tried that lullaby milk and surprisingly it helped a little but also gave me terrible acne from drinking so much dairy.

Another thing I tried was 5HTP. That also helped. The first time I took it was before sleeping and I honestly had on of the worst night sleeps of my life. I then read somewhere you are better to take them in the morning. This is where it helped. It was by no means a miracle worker but I was sleeping longer and I was taking them with doing a combination of other things.

The other things I was doing was every screen I had I used f.lux. An app that makes the screen go orange the later it gets. This is supposed to help with melatonin production. One of the big things that helped me, was really simple but depending on your sleep pattern might not help you. When I would go to bed. I would usually fall asleep after the first half hour for 30 mins. Then I would wake up and thats where I would start struggling to sleep. I was always in the weird state where I was half asleep but awake and could never sleep properly after that until about 4 am. I found forcing myself out of bed at that point and literally shaking it off so I can wake up fully and then go back into bed I will fall asleep fully for the rest of the night. I don't know why this works but it does. I think its something to do with my frame of mind in that weird state of not fully awake but not asleep.

Other really important things are going to sleep at roughly the same time every-night (the better your sleep gets the more flexibility you can have, but for awhile you need to be strict with it) Same goes for waking up. No matter how bad I sleep I will wake up at the same time every morning. For me thats 6am for work. 9 am on the weekends. If you are too tired to get up and do anything, fine but get up, open the curtains to let light in and then go back to bed and read a book or whatever.

Lastly and one of the most difficult things I changed was my frame of mind. Since I was a child I was never a great sleeper but I let that develop into an "I'm an insomniac" You have to go to bed with a different attitude. My bed is now my sanctuary not something I dread. Don't go to bed with the expectation that you have to sleep. That was a big hurdle to get over. If you go to bed with the attitude that its my place to relax, it doesn't matter if you sleep or not it is that time where you can lie down, get lost in your own thoughts. Stretch out, get comfortable. The irony is when your not so worried about falling asleep you are more likely to fall asleep. But thing its, if you go to your bed and think "im going to relax and not worry about sleeping..i hope this works to help me sleep" it won't work. You really have to let go of that "im doing this to try to sleep" and just accept that you might not sleep and that is okay. The other key to make this work is what I said above which only do this during your sleep routine. Don't sleep past your wake time, dont nap during the day. Avoid coffee too late.

I would now consider myself a relatively good sleeper. It took awhile to get here and I still have some bad nights. But if I do I remember to enjoy my time in bed anyway (not like that :pac:) remind myself of how comfortable and relaxing it is to just lie in my bed. I still get up for work in the morning (even if im exhausted) and chances are the next night im fine again. This is also very much my experience and what worked for me. I suffered from mild anxiety and depression from it too. But it wasn't so extreme that I needed to get help. If you are really bad don't be afraid to get help. A CBT is a great idea. I imagine he would teach you how to change your thinking about sleeping and help you put it into practice. Many nights of bad sleeping can affect your judgement and thinking. If you feel in any danger at all then you have to seek professional help

^^^^ That would put anyone to sleep.

caff

Could try long runs to exhaust yourself, also helps to clear your head.
Insomnia can lead to some silly decisions as it impairs you as much as alcohol.

WoolyJumper

garbo speaks wrote: »

^^^^ That would put anyone to sleep.

I'm glad I could help

Specialun

well done after hours

people take the mick out of this gaff as a cesspit, however when people need genuine help the folk of after hours do help

M777

Thanks a lot for letting me PM. Hope it will not come to this, but still, you help is greately appressiated.

M777

Hi, everybody!
Thanks a lot for all your replies! i didn't expect so many really warm people answering me, thanks!

It't a mess in my head, so it took 2 hours to create my first post, and the whole day to read your answers.
Sorry, I can't answer everyone personally.

Exsersises to fall asleep not an option for me. I suffer from back pain also. Walking is hard, but I can't stop it, as I feel few times more anxious,if I stop.

Thanks again, everyone!

Stigura

" M777 ". You're not " McL... ", on a completely unassociated forum, are ye?

Forgive my curiosity. Just happened to notice a similar themed post. I'll happily point ye to it, in case it might contain any useful information for ye. Via PM, obviously.

artvanderlay

Some great advice here. I would also add to work on your sleep hygiene; ditch internet near bedtime, play some relaxing music in the background, keep the room relatively cool etc. I had a bad spell where I couldn't sleep for ages when I developed chronic tinnitus in both ears (still have it ). I was given anti-depressants, which really affected my libido so I ditched them pretty quick. Xanax did help short term, but I was very careful not to become addicted (usually half a tablet every few days). I think if you are lying in bed waiting for sleep, you will get anxious and that you have no control, so you have to take control back. Only go to bed when you are tired, no lounging around in the bedroom; for now, it is only for sleep. Read a book for a few minutes until you nod off; if you can't fall asleep then, get up and go to another room. Do something, some chore, or read a boring book, something unstimulating. Accept that you may not sleep well and even getting a couple of hours is better than nothing. Also try flipping it; try to stay awake instead of trying to sleep. This worked for me, because I am naturally lazy, so trying to stay awake made me switch off!

Try to relax as much as possible. Lose yourself in relaxing activities as much as possible and try not to focus to much on the insomnia. I find watching a few episodes of a guaranteed funny tv show relaxing before bed (thank you Peep Show!). Also don't eat too late at night either as that can have an effect on sleep. A cup of warm milk sometimes works too.

One last thing. My wife recommends this book

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Quiet-Your-Mind-Get-Sleep/dp/1572246278/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1522575617&sr=8-1&keywords=quiet+your+mind+and+get+to+sleep

Graces7

Billy86 wrote: »

Oh yeah, I don't intend to mean everyone on it is addicted (even infamously addictive substances like cocaine or methamphetamine have a good number than take them regularly without becoming addicted, and that's without regulation/expertise from a GP), I just reckon it's a very fair warning to give anyone going in.
Clearly you seem cautious as to how you take it and of the need to regulate, but a common one I've seen down the years with codeine is people using Solpadeine for hangovers (something I've done plenty of times myself), then slowly moving up to maybe taking another before bed. Then having one for a morning headache. Then another two for a stomach cramp. Next thing they're getting toothaches, headaches, any mystery pain every day (and it could well be mental, e.g. their brain telling them there is pain so Solpadeine is needed). Next thing they're finding any reason they can to get a Solpadol prescription (you probably know it due to your condition, it's basically Solpadeine but multiple times
stronger), and then when out of that taking multiple Solpadeine tablets to try
and 'make up the difference', doing huge damage to their insides in the process which does cause further and ongoing pain down the line, which leads to further dependence.

Don't get me wrong, codeine has many great uses when taken correctly - it just also has serious potential downsides and dangers that I think should be made very clear to the general public, as it's part of some very popular, casual hangover-killers or pain relievers.

The general public has far more sense than you credit them with.

And none of this is the a valid reason for the current "codeine paranoia" currently afoot

Any drug can be abused; that is no reason to bar genuine users for whom it can be the only viable pain relief. Living witt chronic pain is not a way to exist.

Solpadeine has 8 mg of codiene; and 500 of paracetamol . You would be dead of paracetamol overdoes acting as you suggest.
Soladol has 30/500

for me, it is the only drug that works as for many others.

Billy86

Graces7 wrote: »

As do all drugs. I have not found it addictive , but the way it is spoken of makes me feel.. dirty for using it.

Ah no and apologies if I gave that impression. So long as it's taken responsibly (and dosages will vary depending on circumstances) there's absolutely nothing wrong with using it for anything from a bad hangover/headache cure to needing it for serious conditions.

Skylinehead

I was going to delete a few posts because they're blatant medical advice, but the whole thread is full of it.

OP if you want this reopened, PM me, but we'll have to be much more careful.