Insomnia

[montesace]

I have been either not sleeping at all, making me a zombie,or doing nothing but sleeping and getting nothing done. I feel so lethargic and useless. Even with the Rx sleeping pills I'm up all night. I can't stand the sound of the voices in my head. How do I turn it off? I want to learn self control, help!

[ckw1]

I also have experienced insomnia on a regular basis and it can be so difficult to function through the day. Anxiety and depression are hard enough to handle by themselves but when you add in sleep deprivation it really takes your will to fight out of you, it can be crushing. I find that when it happens to me I try meditation and breathing exercises. What also helps is when you've tried falling asleep and it seems like it's not going to happen, get up and read or do a puzzle, something relaxing. After about thirty minutes you can try to go to bed again and my have better luck.

Good luck and best wishes.

[Fineapple]

Hi, I'm brand new here but saw your post because I struggle with the same issue. And I find when my sleep pattern goes to hell it has a massive effect on my depression. I.e feeling worthless, guilty etc.

I had my second CBT session today and what my therapist said to me is to NOT argue with my inner voice because right now it's a losing battle.

So maybe that's something to try, say to your inner voice "ok, I accept that my sleep is crap and it affects how I could etc, but instead of just arguing with your inner life, try to think of anything you can do to improve?

I'm sorry for this is not helpful at all.

I really hope it gets better for you.

[montesace in reply to Fineapple]

Thanks for the encouraging words, it feels better that I'm not so misunderstood.

[beaumontony]

Perhaps your recent ECT treatment has caused your sleep disturbance. Is your doctor aware of your sleep problem. I did not do well on prescribed sleep medications. I have had a little success with using Melatonin and Magnesium but you would want to check with your pharmacist to see if they are okay to take with your prescribed medications. There is also Sleepy time teas, turkey and warm milk which also can help some people. I also saw an article on the web about good and bad habits regarding getting to sleep and imagine you can do a google search and find such articles. Hopefully you will find some help because it indeed is difficult to not get the proper sleep and deal with these illnesses.

[Justswimming]

I'm suffering with insomnia too added welbutrin and had problems sleeping since. But I've also been trying to drop some weight and been trying coconut oil capsules and just realized that it has green coffee means caffeinated and I was putting protein powder in my smoothie that has green tea caffeinated again So my point is watch your caffeine intake is coffee, tea, energy drinks don't have late in day or cut out completely.

[montesace]

I have been very diligent about healthy sleep habits. I've cut out caffeine, sugary foods, and all the other bad habits I could think off. I've tried every sleeping pill our there. My mind just goes in these streaks of over activity. It gets so bad, that I think about suicide. I can't plan my life, not even one day at a time. because I don't know what state of mind I will be in and how logically I'll be thinking. When I do finally crash. I'm completely useless for several days, I wish I could find a healthy routine. It's a living nightmare, both waking and sleeping.