Insomnia.

i can't sleep b/c i'm super anxious but it feels like weakness to pop a pill on top of my usual stuff. ridiculous. ugh.

still only getting 3-4 hrs a night . the trazodone knocks me out for 3 hrs and then i wake up and that's it, even splitting a dose didn't make a difference (the second dose didn't work at all). i'll eventually try doubling the dose, but i'm kinda hesitant to do that til the situation starts to get out of control.

surprisingly, i feel ok - i mean, it's relative, but i don't feel any more crazy or irritable than i normally do, and i haven't gotten more than 5 hrs a night in weeks and weeks.

Wondering if any of the sleepless of ILX have tried following a segmented sleep pattern. There's some historical evidence that a single nightly period consolidated sleep with no awakenings has only recently been considered normal, and that pattern may not be physiologically natural (at least for some people).

The wikipedia article outlines the idea -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Segmented_sleep

For the patients I see with sleep maintenance insomnia (able to get to sleep but waking after a few hours), I recommend trying (deliberately) to segment sleep: going to bed a few hours earlier than usual, expecting to sleep and then wake after a few hours, then planning to stay awake for 2-3 hours before even trying to go back to bed again.

This is sometimes helpful for those with sleep initiation insomnia too (trouble getting to sleep at all), especially for people who are super-tired in the evening but fight to stay awake until a "normal" bedtime with the idea that they'll be so sleepy this time, they'll fall asleep easier. Circadian rhythms being as they are, some people are much sleepier at 8:30pm than at 11:30pm, even when they feel exhausted.

started trying different mixes of medical marijuana edibles and didn't find it helpful at all. but it was fun getting stoned, more fun than i remembered (the last time i had weed was probably at least 8 years ago).

so after a little research on mixing with rx meds, i tried a little cbd brownie with gabapentin, and two nights in a row i've gotten a full night's sleep. still feeling cautious about whether or not this will keep working for me.

i had to take gabapentin for neck pain/headaches lately and it left me VERY dazed all the time. you don't have that issue?

i take it for sleep (off-label use) so i'm supposed to get that dazed feeling! but no, no day time effects. and i take the maximum dose (i've been on it 2 yrs tho).

What dose of gabapentin do yous all use? I've tried 400mgs a few times and it certainly didn't make me dazed, and inconclusive thus far whether it helps me fall asleep.

Ambien 10 or 12.5 works great for me until my body gets used to taking it frequently, and I occasionally have to stop taking it for awhile before it will become effective again (a hellish experience) so I'm trying to find something that will work during those times.

i take ambien about once every two weeks or so .... or three times a week and then not at all for two weeks. I'm pretty worried about building up resistance or dependence.
Gabapentin was a low dosage iirc but it left me dizzy and out of sorts pretty much 24-7
i'm on nortriptyline now which doesn't do much but it is getting me through the night

600mg

thx.

I had a neurologist once who put me on nortriptyline for a week (due to a misdiagnosis I'm still peeved about) which turned me into a walking zombie. A day didn't go by where I wouldn't do something like use an ATM machine, remember to take my card and receipt afterward but forget the $20 bill. No more nortriptyline for me.

see that's the opposite way for me! body chemistry is funny.

it's 9 am and i don't know if i should even try to sleep at this point, i have dinner with my family tmrw (today) and i don't want to be a huge rambling mess or crash the car but i have to wake up in a few hours anyway to drink coffee because if i don't give myself a few hours with super strong coffee on the weekends my crohn's gets crazy, and i'm sleeping on a pile of towels on the floor because the mattress makes me lose all feeling in my neck and i'm right outside the window with my shitty apartment's blinds (which we can't alter) that don't keep any of the sun out. meanwhile my s.o. is snoring like a motorboat because she took a klonopin (to get to sleep!) and i can't put in earplugs because then i'm liable to sleep TOO good and go right through my alarm (which won't wake her up either because klonopin sleep) and the cat's going to wake me up for food soon anyway

but i really don't want to be a horrible mess, i'm basically a stupid drunk when i don't get any sleep

i wish i could go back to like 2012 when i didn't have these problems (except the never sleeping)
i blame ilx

i've pulled 6 or 7 of these all nighters over the past few weeks, for no reason

i just don't get tired at all

even when i'm not on the pile of towels

fuck now i'm hungry

I woke up at 2:30 today when my alarm was set for 4:45. Couldn't get back to sleep. Tried taking melatonin and drinking chamomile tea (necessities before bed for me), but it didn't work. Now I'm just super dozy at work.

I'm really surprised I haven't posted on this thread before! I've had insomnia problems for years.

I went on a caffeine binge at the end of last week that kept me pretty wired through the weekend. I'm way too sensitive to the stuff and try to keep my consumption scaled back, but will overdo it sometimes if people expect me to be up past 9 pm for whatever reason. The buzz carried over from day to day. No good.

worst-ever night from the steroids i take w/ my myeloma treatment -- 40 minutes of sleep max, between 1:20 and 2:30 am. I got up and watched a Larry Sanders ep so the night wouldn't be a complete waste.

And i'm at work of course, bcz God fuck this shitty country.

Is there any rational reason why a magnesium oil/spray might help with poor sleep? (I often seem to twitch/jump in my sleep and I think the spray limits this).

there's lots of info about how the effects of insufficient magnesium levels - it's legit that it can cause insomnia, or the inability to stay asleep through the night. magnesium deficiency is related to restless leg syndrome, so that's prob why it's helping you sleep.

Apparently, I look like I am being electrocuted in my sleep.

Any ideas for treatment for twitching in sleep?

drugs

gabapentin (neurontin) might help? it works like a benzo, kind of (but not as good), is non-habit forming, and i think it's often prescribed for restless leg syndrome (it's an anti convulsant). depending on your insurance, the generic is pretty cheap too.

Thanks. I'm in the UK so insurance isn't an issue (yet).

Apparently dehydration can be a cause so I might try drinking something other than coffee/wine and see if that helps ...

oh if you haven't tried a magnesium supplement, that could help too.

bop, boze-de-boze-de-bop, se-de-bop

cut cut cut

Having one of those almost-reducing-me-to-tears spells of insomnia (for no obvious reason).

Melatonin worked for me until I read in Consumer goddam Reports how it's mostly a damn placebo and now I've psyched myself out of having it work for me.

Weed keeps me up. Benadryl and Nyquil work but basically annihilates me for the entirety of the next day

I've struggled with insomnia for years, and find it comes in waves: there will be weeks where I am up till 4 or 5am, and then weeks where I'm in bed by 10pm and wake up feeling rested and great. But no rhyme or reason as to why the change occurs.

No worse feeling than that "OK If I get to sleep riiiiiiight...NOW, I'll have a solid 3 hours. That's a sleep cycle, right??" thing

ask your dr for something like clonazepam (klonopin) or gabapentin (neurontin) - even it's just a small prescription, a sedative is good to have on hand. you build a tolerance to it quickly, but i find it helps in two ways: i take two kinds of sleep medication every night for insomnia, neither of which are great, but i save the klonopin for when i REALLY need to sleep, and also just knowing i have the option of klonopin reduces some of the stress that adds to the reasons why i can't sleep in the first place.

magnesium deficiency is also a cause of insomnia, so try a mag supplement, or rub mag oil on the soles of your feet. or even try soaking your feet in an epsom salt bath.

insomnia sucks and totally feeds on itself and makes you go crazy and also stupid.

gabapentin is a good suggestion

Those are very helpful suggestions, thanks! I have no experience with Klonopin other than that I've known people who've abused it.

I think my dad told me about magnesium, too. Can I just take it in pill form?

Yeah you can, but make sure you get the right one. I can't remember the explanation but there are two forms of it and one is better (lol that's vague but my memory is shit... bc of long term sleep deprivation!). It can cause stomach issues/diarrhea so beware of that too.

Other things to try: sleep phones - it's like a headband with flat speakers you can wear to bed. Try some podcasts designed for sleep, or rain sounds, etc. lavender can help - lavender candle, or linen spray on your bed and pillow, or a balm you rub on your temples. During summer a cold shower before bed helps me a lot.

One thing I really want to try is a weighted blanket but they're expensive.

Klonopin is very easy to abuse but for me it's like, if I abuse it it doesn't actually work. Taking it once a week or every couple weeks ensures that it stays effective. If you have issues with addiction I'd avoid it though. Gabapentin would be a better option as supposedly it's not habit forming.

Another thing: an old school white noise machine or even a fan can help if you live in a noisy neighborhood or near busy roads.

A sleep mask is the best thing I've found for signaling sleep to a non-sleep-inclined brain. My main issue was waking up in the middle of the night panicked, so breathing exercises and having my ipod by the bed helps to distract. Really the only thing that actually helps is learning to manage stress more effectively. My sympathies to anyone suffering from prolonged sleep deprivation. It really does ruin everything.

also just1n3 otm about using klonopin as a sleep aid -- only use it as a last resort or when you know you won't be able to sleep + need to sleep in order to perform xyz activity; it can be many times more useful as an emergency measure than if you overuse it and develop a tolerance.

I *think* this (Magnesium Oil) improves my sleep:

http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/betteryou-magnesium-oil-goodnight-spray-60085190

That said, I only have a couple of nights a year of completely uninterrupted sleep (after which I feel I can take on the world).

Weighted blanket: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1620645203/gravity-the-weighted-blanket-for-sleep-stress-and

This is really good manual white noise generator: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HD0ELFK/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Ridiculous twitching in sleep. Should I be worried? Any obvious remedies?

I'm in love with the sleep w/me podcast, don't know why it works on me but it does. I also use sleep phones (wear them round my eyes so it doubles as a mask). I still don't get great sleep as I always wake up & have trouble getting back to sleep.

I'm not great at limiting exposure to screens just before bed, as I expect is the case for many of us. Also the advise is usually not to have a tv in your bedroom, use the bedroom only for sleeping & other rooms for waking activities &c, which always makes me think "well that's me fucked then" since my bedroom is my sitting room

quiet, boring podcasts and longreading in bed worked for me, which i realise arent two of the big recommendations

Djh - whole body twitching or just legs?

Whole body.

If you're still using the magnesium oil and it's not helping the twitching, maybe give your dr a call

My brother-in-law had bad leg cramping in his sleep. It turned out their well water had high amounts of heavy metals. They installed an expensive filtration system and underwent a metals detoxification program for six months. I have no idea if this has any bearing on your twitching problem, but decided I ought to mention it to let you know that the source of physical problems it isn't always obvious without seeing a physician.

Thanks for the advice.

Has anybody ever tried melatonin in the morning? Apparently if you take it after the sun comes up it actually helps you wake up. I have not tried this because I am worried it would have the same effect it has at night. Or, if it seems to work, my brain will compute that all melatonin is bullshit placebo sugar pills and it will stop working when I need it to help me sleep.

What does a sleep study actually involve (in the UK)?

?

Anyone find white noise helps for insomnia? I use it for anxiety and it helps greatly. Some online suggest it works wonders for sleep as well