[BobH]

Hello,I am new to the forum and have had sleep problems for a few years but I was always able to get a decent night’s rest of 5 or 6 hours sleep. I had covid around August or September of 2022. As soon as I caught covid, I noticed that sleeping became more difficult, struggling to fall asleep and finally falling asleep at around 3AM if I went to bed at 10PM. Since catching covid, I have not been able to return to my previous sleep habits. There were cycles of improvement and then worsening–up’s and downs. I watch caffiene intake and try to watch anything or condition that may affect my sleep. I take naps only if I am dog tired and for no longer than an hour. I have tried various over the counter medications but have prostate problems so I limit myself to those meds that DO NOT contain Diphenhydramine. But for me the counter meds don’t work. I currently have prescriptions for Temazepam, Trazadone and Lunesta. Trazadone doesn’t do anything for me at 50 mg and lower dosages. I tried 75mg and it made urination difficult without making me sleepy so I don’t use it. I have used Temazepam from time to time. It works and puts me to sleep but if I awaken to go to the bathroom, sometimes I can’t get back to sleep. I have a prescription for Lunesta from Sept. 29 also that I have been using only if I feel I’m not going to fall asleep . I know, and my doctor has also recommended CBT-i but there is no one here that administers it. I have tried an online CBT-I session and for a while I thought it worked but then it seemingly reverts back to the previous condition. I have been careful about using Temazepam and Lunesta being aware of the warnings concerning dependancy, addiction and withdrawals. An interesting incident occured when I had to go for a colonoscopy on Dec. 5th. They anesthetized me for the procedure (15-20 minute?) and that night I fell asleep and slept normally…like someone had pressed a reset button. That lasted for about 10 days and since then, it seems that things have slowly worsened. Recently I have had to take temazepam or Lunesta as follows:
12/28 Lunesta12/31 and 1/1 Temazepam. 1/4, 1/5, 1/6 Lunesta. The last three days is becoming a point of concern and am wondering if this is a sign of developing dependancy. On the night of 1/5, I felt myself dozing off for a short period but I never got to sleep so I took Lunesta at 1:50 AM. Last night I took a CBD recommended for sleep. It calmed me down but I never fell asleep to took Lunest at 1:30AM: What do you think? Also, I probably should not be taking Temazepam AND Lunesta and have put the Temazepam away.

[BobH]

An update. Over the last 3 days, it seems that I have found that my difficulty getting to sleep is related to blue light from computers, TV, cell phone. I had previously read that I should stay away from such displays 2 hours before bed time. It seems I need more time… about 4 hours. Over the past 3 day with less exposure to blue light, I have been able to fall asleep in about 30 to 45 minutes. However getting back to sleep after awakening is still a problem. I have been taking some CBD gummies to help me get back to sleep. It works but not consistently.

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