Insomnia.

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

Insomnia has been so bad over the last few nights I'm dreading even trying to go to sleep. Fucking fuck.

What have you tried so far?

Lots of things over the years. I'm kind of used to poor sleep but every now and then I'll have a spell that seems intolerable.

"Sleep hygiene", alcohol, no alcohol, sensible coffee drinking (helpful), magnesium spray (usually helpful), Z-drugs (waste me the next day to the point of ... pointlessness), silence, music, sounds. Not quite sure what is out of kilter.

i dont usually have full blown insomina but i do have trouble getting to sleep sometimes. a GABA supplement has really changed that. i actually fall asleep against my will sometimes. no idea how/if it's working or just a placebo but there's definitely been a change. worth a shot if you're desperate.

xps are you still suffering from the body-twitching?

have you tried weed? or a sedative prescription from your doc yet?

Twitching is bad at the moment.

Not a massive fan of sedatives (just feel groggy the next day); have occasionally found them useful to get back into a sleep pattern but resisting for the moment.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/sep/24/why-lack-of-sleep-health-worst-enemy-matthew-walker-why-we-sleep

rip ilx

I think I've lost the ability to sleep without drinking. I've twice taken a day off recently and been up all night. And my dog mocks me by loudly snoring by my side all night...