Search Results for 'acupuncture'

[ycipressi]

I looked into hypnosis for insomnia and was told it's success rate is poor. I did acupuncture for a pinched nerve and insomnia. The TX on the neck was great, the insomnia not so much, maybe 0.My physician has prescibed Trazadone. Wih the Marijuana and the Trazadone isleep very well, maybe too well, 10 hours is too much.

I don't know if this has helped anyone, I hope it has. Insomnia is a big problem and more should be done to find a Tx.

Yvonne

[Martin Reed]

Zing Magnets are hypoallergenic gold plated magnets and plasters (adhesive bandages). They are placed on traditional acupuncture points in an effort to relieve conditions such as insomnia.

The company has got in touch with me to offer Insomnia Land members a free sample of the Zing Magnets, in return for some feedback.

Here's a link to the Zing Magnets:

http://zingpainrelief.com/products-page/product-category/insomnia-relief/

If you're interested in a free set of these to try out (no obligation) in return for providing your honest feedback (regardless of whether they work for you or not), please let me know in this thread.

There are no geographical restrictions and I am not being compensated for this offer in any way.

—

If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.

The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.

[owl2020]

My understanding is that there will be an actual session to start (90 minutes for 1st session). Hope it helps. I tried 8 sessions of acupuncture to treat insomnia but it didn't help.

[owl2020]

I can sympathize with you as functioning on 2-3 hours sleep is not enough – it can make you withdrawn and limit you to going through the day by rote. What type of sleeping pill are you using and what dosage? To get off a pill is hard and some people try by gradually decreasing the dosage rather than totally stoping cold turkey all at once. I try to limit use of sleeping pills to when I see no other choice than being up all night. So far most of the time I don't use the sleeping pill and on “good” nights get 4 to 5 hours sleep, which I can live with. However, when I get just 2-3 hours sleep it is awful. You might want to talk to your doctor about how to get off the sleeping pill. CBT has helped me to some extent but not completely. I am currently trying acupuncture – too early to say if it is helping.

[Olivianeversleeps]

I have been suffering from insomnia for three years now. It started in university and it has been with me since. I am terribly addicted to sleeping pills. I feel like the sleeping pills made my insomnia 10 times worse. Eventually my body built up a tolerance to it, and even when I take them – I only get three hours a night.

I have a really cool job in a creative industry ( though I hate it – but it appears cool to others), and there are a lot of deadlines and long days, and I go in with three hours or sleep everyday. I always feel terrible and tired.

I feel like the pills made everything worse. I can't even nap or sleep at all without them. I tried to wean myself off of them, but I found I was only getting an hour of sleep for work – and this was too difficult.

I'm thinking of leaving my job soon and trying to quit the pills cold turkey, because I can't do that while I'm working.

I'm also seeing a CBT, but I'm not sure it's working. I don't earn that much at my job because I'm young and just starting out, and the expense of the therapy stresses me out.

But i would still like to try acupuncture, massage therapy, and seeing a chiropractor. I'm sick of feeling like I'm about to die when I wake up every day.

I used to be in love with the world and everyone in it. I used to light up a room with my laugh, and my smile. Now my eyes are dead and cold. I don't laugh as much. I've lost a lot of friends because the insomnia gives me great fatigue, and so I often don't want to go out on weekends, especially after a long week of work and sleepless nights.

I used to be a very happy girl. People used to say my vivaciousness made others happy. Now I'm a very sad, tired person. I used to be really funny too. I'm not anymore.

Everyone is telling me your early twenties is the time or your life. Well I am having a terrible time. lack sleep makes me feel like I'm 90 years old.

What's worse is my only form of moral support (my boyfriend) is leaving in a month for school in New York (we live in Canada)

Anyways, that's me. Sadly.

[owl2020]

I also have had insomnia for a little over 2 months and there is no easy solution. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has some techniques that can help improve your sleep environment and sleep techniques but it is not a cure all for insomnia (that is my experience). You might also want to look into foods, vitamins that help sleep,increase exercise, get adequate sunlight (melatonin cycle). I have started acupuncture but it is too early to tell if it will have an effect.

It is hard to give you more tips without knowing more about what you tried. As Martin asks, what sleeping pills have you used and how long did you take them? Have you tried other things to help sleep? Do you have any idea what may have caused your insomnia? People can provide more info for you when they have a better idea as to what your insomnia experience has been to date. Remember we know the awful exhaustion you feel from this malady like no one else – we have had to live with it.

[owl2020]

Good luck on your week sleep study. I did an overnight sleep study where I was told I had sleep apnea and I tried a CPAP device to treat it but quicky found I couldn't tolerrate the device. Other than that they didn't find anything wrong with me; in any event I think my sleep problem of not getting enough sleep is not sleep apnea caused. I know 2 people with sleep apnea who get plenty of sleep; sleep apnea mainly effects the quality of your sleep not whether you can sleep or not in my opinion.

After my first acupuncture session I didn't feel particularly sleepy like you. I signed up for 5 more sessions, so let's see if it increases my sleep time at night, which is what I really want. I hope for the best and that my “chi” gets in balance but I have my doubts.

The problem with antihistamines is that they leave me very groggy the next day until the early afternoon. That's why I don't like taking a Unisom unless I feel there is no other choice (you also can't take them frequently because they can cause constipation). I guess you don't have those kind of bad effects with Benadryl.

As your friend found CBT can help but is not a cure all for insomnia. For example, it is a good idea to get up and do something if you can't sleep, but what if you do something for a while but still can't sleep? CBT doesn't have an answer for that (at least that I've ever seen).

[sleeplessinchicago]

I have tried CBT to a certain extent but not as dutifully as I should have. I do know one friend who suffered horrible pregnancy induced insomnia and she did CBT with some success but her results were not consistent (she did not want to take meds while pregnant even though she was practically suicidal at one point).

I consider the wine as kind of like something that gets me over the hump a bit, aiding the Benadryl to induce sleepiness. If I am out with friends, I will have more than 1 glass but never more than 2. I have never been the type that likes to get wasted, just don't have an addictive personality.

I understand your desperation for help- I've been there. I am actually going to get a comprehensive sleep study done, my last resort. Not the one night kind- the one where you check into a sleep clinic for like a week. I told my husband that I cannot go on like this. So, my mother in law is coming to watch the baby and I am going to go. I am trying to work things out with insurance and once that's done, I'm going.

Have you considered this? They look at the architecture of your sleep, heart rate and monitor all kinds of stuff and then provide you with a report and recommendations.

By the way, I did acupuncture and it actually worked for me b/c I was like on a “high” and super sleepy afterwards. But basically I would need someone to come to my house and do it on a nightly basis I feel in order for this to be the right approah. Or maybe I should ahve gone several times and maybe it would have reconfigured me internally and I would have permanently been okay with sleep. I have no idea.

Hang in there. Hang in there and remember not to give it power. One thing that helped me too was not worrying about the fact that I did not sleep the night before the day after. If you focus on it, it gets worse.

[owl2020]

Thank you for sharing information about your sleep regimen- I think it helps greatly to see how others cope with insomnia. Since I use some CBT techniques, I hold off going to sleep to around 1AM even though I can start feeling very drowsy before that time (this is not easy). I go into a cool dark bedroom. I often fall asleep right away but can wake up after 2 or 3 hours and that's it for sleep on many nights. Yes I do get up and try to do something but it doesn't seem to help much in terms of getting to sleep again.

It is interesting that you use Benadryl since it is similar to OTC sleeping pill Unasom which I have used (Unasom is antihistamine based). I used Unasom about 14 times over 2 months (never 2 days in a row) but found it lost it's effectiveness pretty quickly (now only gives between 1 1/2 – 2 hours sleep compared to 4-6 hours at the start). Rarely use it now. I guess Benadryl is more effective for you.

I'm also surprised that the glass of wine doesn't interact negatively with some of your meds since we often hear don't drink and use sleeping meds. Maybe the fact that it is only one glass of wine limits the amount of dangerous interaction.

Don't know much about your other meds but they seem to work for you. Yet we are continually told pills are no good. So in your case you seem to have found a way with sleeping pills, at least so far.

Sleeptracks CDS haven't done much for me. I have tried “sleep friendly foods” as well as Tart Cherry capsules but it hasn't had much effect so far. I just started my first acupuncture session yesterday but so far it hasn't done much for me. Will continue sessions to see if it eventually helps but not optimistic. I am desperate for help. CBT has good aspects but is not a cure-all. You have found a way but I am still looking for a way to cope in the long term with insomnia.

Thanks again for sharing about coping with insomnia. I hope others will do so.

[Kaur]

I've suffered with insomnia over the last 3 years and its got to the stage I don't know where else to turn. I've tried acupuncture, hypnotherapy, reflexology, brain entrainment, changing my diet, introducing excerise, yoga etc. but nothing seems to work.

Over the past year I've been popping sleeping tablets like they are sweets. I travel to India china and Thailand often so I am able to get hold of them easily. However some nights I have no idea how many I've taken. The night before a function or work is the worst as I get restless legs and extremely fidgety.

The fact that some nights I don't remember how many sleeping pills I've taken is starting to scare me. As I know I could be on the verge of overdosing and not even realising. My stomach is suffering as sometime I'm vomiting due to the cocktail of pills.

However I know I have a massive problem and need help. The visit to my doctors was a waste of time. My doctor just assumed I was depressed and was quick to give me anti depressants. I have been depressed many years ago and I know for a fact I'm not depressed anymore. I'm just frustrated and helpless that I can't sleep!! I wish the health service would investigate more time and effort into insomnia rather then assuming we are all depressed people!

There has to be a cure??? Before one day I won't know how many sweets I've had and never wake up 🙁

[lily]

I havent tried it but I know people that have and swear by it. Mainly for pain rather than insomnia. I had never thought that acupuncture may help us sleep though. Interesting.

[rusty rake]

How long does acupuncture take in your experience before it starts to improve your sleep? I want to work out a budget in my head for how much it will cost me before I decide whether or not to try it.

[debraw100]

Hi Groggy and Stillawake -thanks for the advice. Yes the Sleep Clinic a bit useless, I think the CBT they suggested is the psychological approach, but

like I said I have tried that over the years, and it didnt work for me unfortunately. Having said that I have applied to the PCT to go to the Edinburgh Sleep Centre, but so far funding has been turned down. I do think it is more a pysical thing,I am now in remission with the Crohns and a sleep pattern never returned. I have also tried acupuncture years ago (thanks for suggesting) but this didnt work either! Oh my..With regards to the Zoplicone, it does worry me about taking it for so long, my new gp suggested I go cold turkey, but I didnt want to do that over Xmas! I am sure the GP will not prescribe for much longer though. I just seem to need stronger and stronger pills!

I have just started to try Magnesium again, to see if this helps? Has anyone tried Niacin or 5HTP? and has this helped at all?

[stillawake]

I would think acupuncture could help, as that will also treat the IBS as well. Homeopathy could also be useful for the same reasons. Both of these therapies can also help sleep, so maybe worth a try! Especially as the insomnia started with the Crohns disease, treating all of your symptoms holistically would be my advice. Good luck

[stillawake]

I have tried acupuncture and found it did help, but it took a few weeks. Sadly I really could not afford to continue treatment, but my sleep was much improved for quite a while. I will go back for more acupuncture, when I've cleared the pile of bills! I also think that the practitioner is important, some are better than others.