Check-In for Current and Recovering Insomnia Sufferers~2/23

[Deleted]

Here is this week's Insomnia check-in thread. It's a little overdue. We don't have a set day for this thread so any input on what would work best for everyone would be greatly appreciated.

Also if you would like to be tagged for weekly check-ins, please let me know.


1. Are you a current, recovering or recovered insomnia sufferer?


2. Did you develop insomnia only after having kids or have you always had sleep problems? What triggered it?


3. What are you doing to treat or cope? Is it working?


4. Any major break-through lately that has helped you sleep better?


5. GTKY---What is your favorite movie?<br/>

[Deleted]

1. Are you a current, recovering or recovered insomnia sufferer? Current insomnia sufferer. I have Narcolepsy but also have a Bipolar 1 diagnosis. This has created some very strange sleeping patterns. I'm currently experiencing a decreased ability to sleep. Definitely tired, just can't stay asleep.


2. Did you develop insomnia only after having kids or have you always had sleep problems? What triggered it?
I have had insomnia issues since I was very young. The use of Lamictal turned very mild Narcolepsy symptoms into very severe hypersomnia.

3. What are you doing to treat or cope? Is it working? Nothing yet. I'm not experiencing any other manic symptoms so I think it's just stress related.

4. Any major break-through lately that has helped you sleep better? None at the moment.

5. GTKY---What is your favorite movie? Matilda

[mama2a]

Feb 23, 2015 20:56:53 GMT -5 @wallflwr926 said:

1. Are you a current, recovering or recovered insomnia sufferer? Current and recovering...probably "current". Sigh. I have really good days in a row and then I go through rough patches and right now I'm on day 2 of a rough patch. I'm not falling asleep until after 2am and then getting up at 6am. Just 4-5 days ago I was getting 7-8 hours a night so yeah--it's just weird.


2. Did you develop insomnia only after having kids or have you always had sleep problems? What triggered it?   4 months PP about a month after I returned to work. I've never had sleep problems before this point. A myriad of reasons triggered it, but I was just in "mom mode" all day especially since I had been back to work pumping 3x/day and racing to or from daycare, trying to find time to exercise (which is really important to me). My whole world was centered around DD and it just got to be too much.


3. What are you doing to treat or cope? Is it working?    DH taught me mindfulness last night so I'm going to try to incorporate that into my days and maybe I'll try it at night if I can't sleep. My Sleep Psychologist wants me to start sleep restriction therapy so (gulp) I'm desperate and going to start that. Still reading "Sound Sleep, Sound Mind" and recommend it to anyone that feels like their mind is just thinking all day long.


4. Any major break-through lately that has helped you sleep better?   My Insomnia is quite simply a sleep phobia. I set poor precedents for myself at bedtime and then they come true. I go to bed and my heart immediately starts pounding and I can't think of anything but wondering if I'll sleep tonight. If it's been 20+ minutes and I'm still not asleep I have to actively get my brain to calm down otherwise my heart will start racing even more. However, trying to get my brain to calm down is also keeping my awake because I'm actively thinking.


5. GTKY---What is your favorite movie?   The Sound of Music

I was thinking about posting this today, thank you! I wanted to post it once every 2 weeks because it seems like this is a smaller group. What do you think?

[Deleted]

mama2a I think that could work. So maybe the next one could be March 9th or 10th.

- I have the same issue with my sleep. Even with taking Ambien I still will have multiple nights in a row where sleep seems impossible.

[mama2a]

Feb 24, 2015 10:30:51 GMT -5 @wallflwr926 said:

mama2a I think that could work. So maybe the next one could be March 9th or 10th.

- I have the same issue with my sleep. Even with taking Ambien I still will have multiple nights in a row where sleep seems impossible.

I'm trying to figure out how to do this....I don't want to fixate on it because I know that feeds the phobia because it teaches me that I have reason to think this is a rational fear (even though it isn't). However, I'm scared that if I just ignore this issue altogether I'm going to turn into a chronic insomniac forever. My biggest fear is that I'll have these problems for the rest of my life. I don't know how to get over this.

[Deleted]

Feb 24, 2015 12:18:06 GMT -5 mama2a said:

Feb 24, 2015 10:30:51 GMT -5 @wallflwr926 said:

mama2a I think that could work. So maybe the next one could be March 9th or 10th.

- I have the same issue with my sleep. Even with taking Ambien I still will have multiple nights in a row where sleep seems impossible.

I'm trying to figure out how to do this....I don't want to fixate on it because I know that feeds the phobia because it teaches me that I have reason to think this is a rational fear (even though it isn't). However, I'm scared that if I just ignore this issue altogether I'm going to turn into a chronic insomniac forever. My biggest fear is that I'll have these problems for the rest of my life. I don't know how to get over this.

The anxiety you're feeling is pretty common but knowing that doesnt make it any easier. You're taking the right approach by seeing a sleep specialist. Have you had a sleep study to see if you are hitting all the stages of sleep on the night? I'm a big proponent of ruling out medical before behavioral. (That's the terminology we use at work and I don't have a better one) Does your doctor have any suggestions about treatment for your anxiety? It is definitely important to address the source of your anxiety as it will greatly aid in regaining your ability to consistently sleep.

Having Narcolepsy often makes people question by my insomnia issues but I completely understand your issues. I've watched the sun rise so many times even when I was young. My prolonged use of Ambien is actually to help keep me asleep, not for falling asleep.

[mama2a]

Feb 24, 2015 13:48:02 GMT -5 @wallflwr926 said:

Feb 24, 2015 12:18:06 GMT -5 mama2a said:

I'm trying to figure out how to do this....I don't want to fixate on it because I know that feeds the phobia because it teaches me that I have reason to think this is a rational fear (even though it isn't). However, I'm scared that if I just ignore this issue altogether I'm going to turn into a chronic insomniac forever. My biggest fear is that I'll have these problems for the rest of my life. I don't know how to get over this.

The anxiety you're feeling is pretty common but knowing that doesnt make it any easier. You're taking the right approach by seeing a sleep specialist. Have you had a sleep study to see if you are hitting all the stages of sleep on the night? I'm a big proponent of ruling out medical before behavioral. (That's the terminology we use at work and I don't have a better one) Does your doctor have any suggestions about treatment for your anxiety? It is definitely important to address the source of your anxiety as it will greatly aid in regaining your ability to consistently sleep.

Having Narcolepsy often makes people question by my insomnia issues but I completely understand your issues. I've watched the sun rise so many times even when I was young. My prolonged use of Ambien is actually to help keep me asleep, not for falling asleep.

My sleep Psychologist is working on CBT-I with me. He diagnosed me with psychophysiological insomnia. I'm pretty certain it's all anxiety related because when I can't sleep my heart is pounding and racing. When I wind up building up positive thoughts about sleep or on nights where I have the day off work (like on holidays) I sleep well. Last summer I had a week off of work and I slept beautifully. I don't see him for another two weeks, but we mostly focus on my behaviors and shifting my attitudes about sleep. He keeps reinforcing that quality is more important than quantity and thus why he wants to do sleep restriction. I was reluctant because I don't know what I would do with myself to stay up even later, but I am so desperate right now and need to trust that he knows better than I do. We've talked briefly about my "negative sleep thoughts", but lately I've been wondering if I'm not drilling into him that what is ultimately keeping me up is that I'm unable to get myself to calm down when I'm worked up at bedtime. It seems so easy--don't be anxious at bedtime and set a positive sleep precedent, but it's soooo hard. I never in my life would've imagined that this would happen to me. I remember a few years ago telling a friend that my favorite part of the day was bedtime reading a book because it was finally time for myself. How I wish I could truly feel that way again :/   I just started seeing a counselor who is specialized in parenting adjustment. It's too soon to tell if it's going to help, but even though I feel like I'm always in "mom mode", I really can't pinpoint what's "wrong" during the day that is keeping me awake at night. Nor do I know how to fix it. Ultimately, the goal is that I would go to bed without giving any thought to wondering if I'm going to sleep OK that night. People with normal sleep never have those thoughts but now that I've struggled with sleep it is what I think about all day long and at bedtime and I can't simply tell myself to stop thinking about it.

Am I ever going to get over this? It's been going on 10 months and I'm feeling really hopeless that I'm ever going to figure this out.

[Deleted]

Feb 24, 2015 13:58:23 GMT -5 mama2a said:

Feb 24, 2015 13:48:02 GMT -5 @wallflwr926 said:

The anxiety you're feeling is pretty common but knowing that doesnt make it any easier. You're taking the right approach by seeing a sleep specialist. Have you had a sleep study to see if you are hitting all the stages of sleep on the night? I'm a big proponent of ruling out medical before behavioral. (That's the terminology we use at work and I don't have a better one) Does your doctor have any suggestions about treatment for your anxiety? It is definitely important to address the source of your anxiety as it will greatly aid in regaining your ability to consistently sleep.

Having Narcolepsy often makes people question by my insomnia issues but I completely understand your issues. I've watched the sun rise so many times even when I was young. My prolonged use of Ambien is actually to help keep me asleep, not for falling asleep.

My sleep Psychologist is working on CBT-I with me. He diagnosed me with psychophysiological insomnia. I'm pretty certain it's all anxiety related because when I can't sleep my heart is pounding and racing. When I wind up building up positive thoughts about sleep or on nights where I have the day off work (like on holidays) I sleep well. Last summer I had a week off of work and I slept beautifully. I don't see him for another two weeks, but we mostly focus on my behaviors and shifting my attitudes about sleep. He keeps reinforcing that quality is more important than quantity and thus why he wants to do sleep restriction. I was reluctant because I don't know what I would do with myself to stay up even later, but I am so desperate right now and need to trust that he knows better than I do. We've talked briefly about my "negative sleep thoughts", but lately I've been wondering if I'm not drilling into him that what is ultimately keeping me up is that I'm unable to get myself to calm down when I'm worked up at bedtime. It seems so easy--don't be anxious at bedtime and set a positive sleep precedent, but it's soooo hard. I never in my life would've imagined that this would happen to me. I remember a few years ago telling a friend that my favorite part of the day was bedtime reading a book because it was finally time for myself. How I wish I could truly feel that way again :/   I just started seeing a counselor who is specialized in parenting adjustment. It's too soon to tell if it's going to help, but even though I feel like I'm always in "mom mode", I really can't pinpoint what's "wrong" during the day that is keeping me awake at night. Nor do I know how to fix it. Ultimately, the goal is that I would go to bed without giving any thought to wondering if I'm going to sleep OK that night. People with normal sleep never have those thoughts but now that I've struggled with sleep it is what I think about all day long and at bedtime and I can't simply tell myself to stop thinking about it.

Am I ever going to get over this? It's been going on 10 months and I'm feeling really hopeless that I'm ever going to figure this out.

DO NOT EVER FEEL HOPELESS! !!
It took two years to diagnose my Narcolepsy. If I hadn't been in treatment for Bipolar disorder, it could have been much, much longer.
Keep working with your doctors and therapist. You will get through this.

[Deleted]

@sluttybigb00bz - of course you can come here! I'm so happy there you're here for support.

I know exactly what you are talking about with insomnia at such a young age. I suffered from night terrors and had so many nights where I just could not fall asleep.
Your sleep patterns sound alot like mine pre-Narcolepsy. Continue to cut down on the caffeine. Personally, I'm super lazy but I know regular exercise helps. It's important to exercise in the morning instead of night. I think it's so your body has more time to unwind at night. (Don't quote me on that)

Edit: Ive already taken Ambien so please excuse the poor grammar. I have to take so I can stay asleep. Stupid rapid cycling REM cycles.

[Deleted]

mama2a - should we do a check- in soon.

[mama2a]

Go for it

[Deleted]

ill post it this evening.