Anxiety vs Insomnia

[Aggie_Ama]

I have had insomnia for the first time in my life since early August. It started right when my Nanny got sick and has not lessened. Like you I can go to sleep but I wake up many times. At first my doctor and I really believed it was just the overwhelming grief and stress of Nanny, so I went on Ambien. It keeps me asleep but I feel like crud the next day. I am still fighting mine and going back to my doctor this week. I feel like my grief has lessened but my insomnia hasn't. I miss Nanny but I think my insomnia is my inability to relax my mind. Friday I went out for a margarita and slept like a baby which has been the case the other two times I have gone out for drinks in two months. So obviously taking the edge off works but I don't think it is a very health solution. My doctor has suggested therapy in the past but I am stubborn and not open to it - yet. My doctor also suggested working out right after work until you are exhausted. I haven't had enough energy to do it which is kind of his point.

[solobiker]

I have had insomnia for the first time in my life since early August. It started right when my Nanny got sick and has not lessened. Like you I can go to sleep but I wake up many times. At first my doctor and I really believed it was just the overwhelming grief and stress of Nanny, so I went on Ambien. It keeps me asleep but I feel like crud the next day. I am still fighting mine and going back to my doctor this week. I feel like my grief has lessened but my insomnia hasn't. I miss Nanny but I think my insomnia is my inability to relax my mind. Friday I went out for a margarita and slept like a baby which has been the case the other two times I have gone out for drinks in two months. So obviously taking the edge off works but I don't think it is a very health solution. My doctor has suggested therapy in the past but I am stubborn and not open to it - yet. My doctor also suggested working out right after work until you are exhausted. I haven't had enough energy to do it which is kind of his point.

Thanks for your post. I go to the Drs tomorrow so we will see what he says. Like you I have a hard time with relaxing my mind. I slept okay this weekend, although now my mind is starting to race. I will try to keep my mind focused on other things. Happy sleeping to everyone

[NbyNW]

I haven't experienced anything as severe as what you've described, but when I have racing thoughts I will get up and write them down. Could be something like a to-do list or an idea I have for a project I've been working on. I might write down questions related to a problem that I've been trying to work out. Sometimes I'll sketch whatever's in my head if that's appropriate.

When I was in grad school I kept a notebook handy on my nightstand, since I had trouble turning my brain off before going to sleep.

Somehow getting it out on paper put me at ease that I would be able to take care of all of these thoughts the next day or later in the week.

Good luck with the doctor, and I hope you are able to figure out a way to get some sleep!

[tulip]

I'll just chime in here for the general good: there is NOTHING wrong with seeking help through counseling. It does NOT mean you are crazy or weak. Quite the contrary, it is a courageous act of being proactive in your own health and happiness.

[Becky]

Like many of you, I sometimes deal with a racing mind and difficulty falling asleep. Writing things down or putting them in my Blackberry helps. I've also had some success with using a lavender oil based pillow spray. The scent is soothing, and concentrating on the aroma seems to help me fall (or fall back) asleep.

Good luck, everyone!

[Aggie_Ama]

I'll just chime in here for the general good: there is NOTHING wrong with seeking help through counseling. It does NOT mean you are crazy or weak. Quite the contrary, it is a courageous act of being proactive in your own health and happiness.

I definitely do not think there is anything wrong with it. My problem is I am not open to it right now and I think it is a waste of time if you won't believe in it. I did tons of peer counseling and mediation when I was younger both for me and others. I have encouraged others to seek help when going through a tough time. There are a lot of reason I know I am not open to it right now.

[lunacycles]

I have had insomnia on and off for about 10 years. I once went 8 nights without sleeping, which I am told can kill you...although I felt reasonably okay given the lack of rest. This bout also happened to coincide with a long meditation retreat, and I had a roommate who snored very loudly. I finally caught a few zzzz's by sneaking into the retreat center's lounge in the middle of night, and crashing on a couch.

While I think therapy is great, and I have done a lot of it, I think it is just one tool. Yes, there is underlying anxiety most of the time, but therapy cannot always address this, or "fix" it. I don't know if anxiety is/was the issue for me, as I often cannot sleep during periods of my life when I feel quite at ease.

For women in their 40's, insomnia is a common problem, and does not always point to some underlying psychological issue.

I really don't like sleeping meds, the prescription variety, and have found herbal options sometimes sort of help, sometimes make me feel awful, sometimes don't help at all. Lately, if I encounter sleeplessness for more than a couple of nights, I take some Tylenol P.M. I have a lot of arthritis developing in my back and neck, and the pain reliever really helps. In addition, Tylenol P.M., for whatever reason, really works for me. It helps train my body to sleep again. I am not suggesting it is a great cure--it is not--but it can help you to relax and sleep with less pain.

I guess my point is to suggest not freaking out, but be curious about it and treat yourself well. I find the more I think "how am I going to function tomorrow if I don't sleep tonight" that this thinking alone creates the kind of anxiety that continues to keep me awake. There is no shame in taking something to sleep, but I really don't like the idea of having to always take something (like some of my family members) to sleep.

Finally, if you have a partner or a good friend, I suggest getting a foot massage! My partner does this for me, sometimes repeatedly (I know, I am so blessed!), and it creates a full-body relaxation that almost always knocks me out.

Regardless, it is sometimes simple, sometimes not simple, but can be a great learning experience if you can try to see it that way.

[solobiker]

Thanks for all the suugestions. I have tried several of these in the past without luck. There have been times when I have tried taking a bath with lavender, then drinking sleeptime tea then taking 2 OTC Tylelnol PMs.. and still nothing. I kind of think it may be hormonal. I will be 40 in Feb. Who knows..Oh well, I guess it can't get any worse. Thanks again.

[solobiker]

Could you have an undiagnosed sleep disorder? Maybe your doctor should have you participate in a sleep study. When my husband did that he had to spend a night in the hospital and they studied the way he slept. He had to be woken up periodically and electrodes were stuck to him to measure certain patterns. They couldn't find anything at that time though.

My Dr wants me to do one of these. We will have to see how it works.

[shootingstar]

My Dr wants me to do one of these. We will have to see how it works.

Hey solo, just enjoy being pampered when you're at the sleep clinic session. Might be awkward with all the wiring, but you will be in good hands. An experience to talk of, years from now.

[VeloVT]

Sorry, brief threadjack...

Hey shootingstar, had your partner found anything that helps the tinnitus? My SO also suffers from tinnitus. It affects his sleep as well as being a constant, unpleasant distraction. I would love to be able to find something that helped him.

Thanks!

[OakLeaf]

I had good results with Tinnitus Tamer. You do have to devote a little time to it - but not a lot of time, and in my case it was well worth it.

[shootingstar]

Sorry, brief threadjack...

Hey shootingstar, had your partner found anything that helps the tinnitus? My SO also suffers from tinnitus. It affects his sleep as well as being a constant, unpleasant distraction. I would love to be able to find something that helped him.

Thanks!

He hasn't found anything substantive to help him. I'm not sure he'll be looking into Oakleaf's software suggestion. He does suffer ..and has endured this for past few ....decades.

For time being, if I am aware of problem if it's particularily bad at times, I provide some short-term harmless distraction. Has your SO had tinnitus for long and does he know possible causes?


As a side note, last weekend I walked by a bike spinning class at a community centre. I had to use their washroom in middle of my ride. Abit shocking how loud the music was. Rm. was only size of a living rm. Instructor really had to holler above the music ...for ..5-6 people spinning away.

[Laterider21958]

It's interesting to hear of the different things others have tried to overcome their sleeping problems. It appears that I'm not the only one to have the problem. I can kind of pin-point the beginning of my sleep problems to a particularly stressful period in my employment, During my sleep I began to dream about problems or relive difficult situations which occurred during my working day. My dreaming wakes me constantly during the night. Sometimes I can go back to sleep after 10 minutes or so, sometimes I'm awake for a few hours. Listening to talkback radio helps me - must be the constant drone of voices which distracts my thought processes. Other times I have to put the TV on and let that drown out my thoughts. Sometimes I have to get up and have a hot chocolate drink and then return to bed. Like others have mentioned - it's not the going to sleep that's the problem - it's being able to stay asleep. However, even the slightest noise or movement in the first 1/2 and hour of going to bed can mean a very difficult night. To overcome this I've moved rooms as my husband likes to go to bed later than I and then reads for a while and I found this made it almost impossible for me to continue to sleep. It would be wonderful to have a full night of sleep and wake up feeling revitalised.

It's strange how one particular period in a person's life can have such an impact even 7 or more years later. I have found that there can be triggers that begin a particularly bad sleep pattern. If you can identify the triggers I think that would be the answer. Keeping pen and paper on the bedside table to write down things that pop up in your mind and going to bed when you first begin to feel tired helps, as does a regular bed time. I've also identified being too hot seems to mean lots of dreaming, so I try to keep bedding light.

Recently I attended a sleep and hydration training session (for work) and I am trying to drink lots of water to see if that helps.

[tulip]

Re: hydration

I used to have horrible dreams about choking on bubblegum. Really terrifying, and they would wake me up, and I'd be choking. I figured out, somehow, that those bubblegum dreams meant that I was really thirsty. I've gotten better at drinking water throughout the day, but sometimes I still have those dreams. Interestingly, when a bubblegum dream starts, I somehow wake up and drink some water, and then the dream is gone and doesn't come back.