hi all,
I suffer from severe insomnia and don’t sleep more than 4-5 hours with seroquel only otherwise won’t sleep at all.
I was recommended to go to a sleep specialist and was wondering if they were helpful to any of you? If yes what were the common treatment options given to u?
Yes, I found out I had sleep apnea and now use a CPAC machine which has been very helpful. Also, there are sleep medications they can prescribe to you that may help.
oh wow. I guess I have been avoiding going to one for years since I thought they can’t help me. How long do you sleep now?
Sleep apnea runs in my family, and I have this issue due to allergies because where I live, everything grows (Oregon, U.S.) Whereas I used to wake up several times an hour coughing, trying to catch my breath, now I sleep through 8 - 9 hours trouble-free. I adjusted to the CPAC device very easily, but I know some people do not.
And there is a new device that just came out several years ago called "Inspire" that works like a CPAC machine, but they implant it in your chest to do the same thing. So, you don't need to use a CPAC device with all the tubes and face masks. Pacific Sleep Program offers it here in my state, and I am considering it.
Anything you can learn by having a sleep study is to your benefit. Not only do we spend half our lives in bed, but many tricks work for some people and not others. I think the sleep hygiene suggestions that Perriex listed below are excellent! The more you know, the better! So go for it!👍🏼
oh wow. Thanks for sharing such helpful info!
Hi.🙂
There are so many issues that tie in to sleep. It can be kind of rabbit hole... as is most of our mental and physical ailments these days, I guess.😕
I have been recently cured of my sleep apnea, due to weight loss over the last few years. I had a cpap machine for many years, so I can speak on sleep apnea, if you suspect that.
Otherwise, our mental heath takes its toll on our sleep. My sleep was drastically affected by high stress for about a year and a half. More recently, my increased anxiety affected it.
Now that I'm on a med again (Gabapentin) my sleep has improved fairly significantly.
I would consider your sleep hygiene first.
Do you have a regular wake/bed routine? This is one of my biggest challenges. I stay up too late and can't get out of bed without serious effort.
Are you a caffeine user? It stays in your system for many, many hours.
Eating before bed causes your body to work hard digesting, interfering with sleep.
Then there's electronics. Watching tv & using the phone right before bed suppresses melatonin & other such nonsense. (lol -- just being silly 'cause I don't like that one!)
I used to have a pretty good wind-down routine of a shower, Qigong ("moving meditation"), journaling, light reading, etc. That went out the window lately.😒
Sleep is so important. It's great you are looking into it!👍
Hi Perriex, oh this is very helpful and informative. I don’t think I have sleep apnea but def high stress, lack of support, maybe too much bad food, overweight, mental illness worsening. I’ll def go to sleep specialist then. Maybe if I lose a lot of weight; it will help as well. I don’t have a regular bedtime routine. However now that I take seroquel I usually take it around same time and wake up with panic attacks around 2-4am ..Thank you
How long do u sleep now?
I sleep up to 6 hours on good nights. I'm a "bed bug"🐞 so I'm always lingering in bed, trying to get a few more hours, sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. I'm so sorry about the panic attacks. I'm lucky enough not to have those. Do you have any methods to cope?
💫💜💫
~P
oh so I guess it’s normal not to sleep more than 6 hours a night. I also like lingering in bed for longer. I hate starting my day lol honestly I cope by calling hotlines or watching tv. It takes hours for them to go away. Thanks for asking.
*hug*♡
Gabapentin & low dose Mirtazapine now have me sleeping 6 to 7 hours. I had horrible insomnia for the entire year of 2021. I went to a sleep specialist & did the overnight study & did not have apnea. He had me practice sleep hygiene & sleep restriction; the restriction only increased my anxiety & insomnia. It was my primary care doctor who had me try Gabapentin & Mirtazapine & they worked great.
hi thank you. In the gabapentin did nothing for me. I haven’t tried mirtazapine since it causes weight gain. Did it cause an increase in appetite and weight gain?
When I took Gabapentin the first time I had to go to 600 mg. before it helped my sleep. Mirtazapine did make me more hungry, but it also is an antidepressant that has the least amount of side effects. I did gain about 5 lbs. but eventually lost it when I stopped eating junk food in the evening & walking more. For insomnia you only use 7.5 mg of Mirtazapine & some people only use half of that, so it's a very small dosage. I'm taking 7.5 right now & my anxiety has disappeared.
oh wow thank you for breaking it down. I took 800 mg of gabapentin but not with Remron so maybe combination can help. I can’t imagine a life without anxiety. Will bring it up to my psychiatrist. Thank you
Gaba for insomnia should be taken 2 to 3 hours before bed; I had to play around with the time I take it & find that 9:15 works best as I go to bed at 11. I hope the Remeron/Gaba combo works for you. Try not to worry about weight gain as sleep & less anxiety are way more important. Once you start feeling better you can focus on losing anything that you might gain. Good luck!
thank you I will bring these up to my doc! Glad your sleeping better
I've had insomnia my whole life.... first as a kid from trauma....and then just do. I was told some people only need 5-6 hours of sleep, and others need 8-10 and naps. I just have to go with the flow of what ever my body is going to do...I'm usually up all night, I've always been a night owl...but sometimes... I get to sleep normally....that's rare though.
oh sorry to hear that. Maybe I should go with the flow too and get off meds
If the meds become an issue for you, then you might consider advice from your doctor, but not all meds are the great evil....some are just simply tools to help our bodies do what they lack. My SSRI is invaluable ...it took a lot of trial and error and patience to finally find the one that worked best for me, and at the right dosage. Some people who take drugs for anxiety may need to be careful if they have addiction issues....but again...under doctors supervision....we can get some benefit.
thank you! Hopefully one day I can find the right combo of meds like u did
Don't give up on what works best for you, natural and medical, and know you're always going to need to strive for the healthiest balance, as well as accepting what we cannot change. Best wishes on your journey.
your so kind! Thank you. Same to. U
Thank you, and I appreciate your saying that...some days you just don't feel like you have anything to say...and I'm glad to have talked to you, it helps me too.
Sometimes just even a hot cup of chamomile tea and Manuka honey can help, even if some believe natural remedies are just placebos....I believe our state of mind has a lot to do with our health in general...so tea is nice.
I love chamomile tea with organic honey. I haven’t used manuka honey in forever
Me too..... it's really magical stuff. The medical and veterinary medicine field actually use manuka honey wraps on wounds that are prone to infection and are resistant to antibiotics....it's always had healing properties, and now they are scientifically recognized...very cool.
I only remember one time I slept naturally like a baby. It was the first time I went to a hypnotherapist to stop drinking. Through all the sessions, that only happened once for some unknown reason. I’ve never slept normally due to a myriad of circumstances. High anxiety for one. Past alcohol use for another. I did have diagnosed sleep apnea when I gained weight. Couldn’t tolerate the cpap. I lost the weight and no longer have sleep apnea. Out of all the meds ive tried for sleep, low dose trazadone is the only one that makes any difference at all with least side effects. No cigar for sure, but it helps. Things have turned around a while back. Chronic fatigue now, but lousy sleep at night. Going to have a sleep test for narcolepsy. 🙄lol Nobody need worry, I don’t fall asleep at the wheel so the roads are still safe. And no, I don’t pass out at the dinner table as some friends like to joke about. 😉
Hang in there and keep trying. Everybody’s different and you’ll find your nirvana.
thank you for sharing your experiences. I can relate to some. Maybe this is my new normal and I need to accept it
It doesn’t mean it’s your new normal and you don’t have to accept it. If you think like that, you limit yourself from finding something that could help you. I think like that when I’m very tired. I catch myself thinking like that and tell myself to think about something else until I’m more rested. When I’m rested, I don’t think about it as much or as negatively.
your probably right! I’m exhausted and my only best friend has distanced herself from me. I never feel rested. I’ll try going to sleep doc. Thank you for your advice
It's hard to accept that people come and go in our lives, change in relationships is inevitable, and as we are learning and changing, so do the people in our lives.
so hard for me to accept. Even when she comes back into my life the friendship is diff and stranger each time. I have no other friends
As I'm writing this, I too am going through a difficult time of accepting how I've had to re-evaluate some of my friendships with people. Some I've had to pull back from and put them farther out on my trust boundaries because of situations I just feel are something I cannot come back from. When we see people change, we have to remember it's not always a bad thing, and we don't have to see ourselves as at fault, and accept other people's choices whether we want to or not, it just is what it is, and it's okay. We just have to keep our hearts safe from harm, and be kind to ourselves too.
how do you get past the feeling of grief and loss over a dear friendship ? Great advicd
Time..... just simply time. And I don't think you ever get over that bit of a sting, a little bit every now and then. But eventually we begin a new journey....find new interests...and have new experiences with people we find interesting. ...just be kind to yourself and do poss. stuff when you start ruminating on the loss....but definitely come to terms with it, and slowly it will lessen in pain...even just this simple sharing helps take some of the power out of it.
I agree time heals most of it but never all of it. It’s also hard when your narcissistic friend lives in same building and will always find a way to come back into my life only to then gaslight, pull away, criticize and at times up lift me.. I’m trying to connect with ppl but run into ppl who I can’t connect whom prob find me to selfish and sad to b around.
I’m glad you found a way to get thru it. Gives me hope
I, you, and so many other's here who have empathy and compassion, have become prey to these kinds of manipulative people. And it's what narcs. play on and crave, and they know exactly how to use it against us....they are emotional vampires....hitting every button, and draining you of every ounce of self from us they can with the gaslighting....
The best way to repay them.....no contact....don't feed the animals....walk away.
Hi. The antidepressant Mirtazapine is very good for insomnia as long as you don’t mind putting weight on
That’s what I’m most afraid of. I’m already overweight. Guess that drug is off the table now
Hi. I know how a lot of doctors don’t want to prescribe benzodiazepines anymore, but for me it’s been helpful to take a small amount of Klonopin for anxiety before getting to bed.
So true! I take like 3-4 mg a day and prob developed immunity to it, since I still experience severe panic attacks. I also maybe developed tingling in body due to high does but I’m addicted to it. It helps for a few hrs. Doesn’t help much for sleep.
Idk how to taper off of it since no other meds helps. Thank you
How many hrs do u sleep?
I have trouble with insomnia. I’m not working now, but last year when I was trying to work I was getting so anxious at night about the next day ahead of me. I tend to sleep off and on, very rarely do I fall in a deep sleep. I’d say on the average about 6 or 7 hours.
I can relate. I am always anxious of going to work the next day that I don’t sleep well. I prob sleep less than 6 hours on bay given day. What kills me most is the panic attacks
I understand. I’ve never had a full blown panic attack but I’ve come close a couple of times. What helped was purposely doing slow deep breathing.
doesn’t help me too much maybe I don’t do if for long enough. Thanks
Bupropion and insomnia
Anxiety, hopelessness and insomnia 
Insomnia due to medication increase
Insomnia sucks. 
