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ive been struggling with staying asleep for almost 7 years now.
I have a chemical imbalance, anxiety and depression of which is being treated with SSRIs
I keep waking up every couple hours and am always tired.
Any tips on the sleeping peice??
Thanks!!!
Have you educated yourself on how sleep works and what to get your sleep back on track? What’s your nightly / sleep routine look like?
no, i don’t know much about it. Currently I try to get in bed or 9 hours of sleep because I keep waking up throughout the night, like 3 or 4 times. and am ALWAYS tired.
Have you yourself beat insomnia or experience something similar?
About 12 years ago, I had my first bout of chronic insomnia. It was pretty bad – I had terrible anxiety over it and even had one night of a huge panic attack.
I did all the usual stuff that people with insomnia (and unaware of how sleep works) would do. What they call “maladaptive” behavior. I started spending more and more time in bed. I would lay in bed frustrated, tossing and turning. I would try to nap during the day. I tried sleeping pills which worked a little at first but soon did not. I was freaked out.
Some segment of the population suffers from sleep apnea. I don’t know the numbers but some percentage. And a fraction of those who have sleep apnea have disturbed sleep which eventually lead to insomnia. My guess is that sleep experts like to screen for sleep apnea. They have minimally invasive therapies like CPAP that help. All that to say, no matter what advice you get on how to sleep better, it might be good to get your self checked for sleep apnea.
On to the business of sleeping better…
Trying to sleep for 9 hours is counter productive. Increasing your sleep opportunity won’t necessarily increase the amount of sleep you get. And whatever sleep you are getting is fragmented and likely not very deep. Wouldn’t it be better if you could sleep for a solid chunk of time (e.g. 6.5 hours) and most of it being restorative sleep?
Believe it or not, the way to get better sleep is not to spend more time, it is to spend less time in bed.
The guy who set up this web site put up really good information. Its all in the “Resources” link at the top of this page.
As I said, 12 years ago, I had my first bout of chronic insomnia. Using the techniques described in that resources link, I was able to not only sleep better but eventually, became a normal sleeper again. It took time (a few weeks for a better sleeping pattern to emerge, a few months for the sleep anxiety to die down, a few years to become a completely normal sleeper), it took work, there were plenty of set backs but my sleep got better and better.
Welcome to the forum, cranktime — and thank you, kobalap for sharing some great tips and your own personal experience. That’s the aim of this forum — we are all here to support each other.
Have you ever had an overnight sleep study or discussed CBT for insomnia with your doctor, cranktime?
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kobalap, thank you for posting that. In a perfect time, just as I am starting to get scared, your port calmed my nerves a bit. Thanks so much again! I could not have read that at a better time. I am currently trying to spend less time in bed… this is day 3 and like you said, I am getting fragmented not deep sleep.
My eyes are bloodshot and I am having trouble thinking… but I am going to stick with trying to spend less time in bed, and stick to a sleep schedule.
I will also check the link you mentioned. If you have any other tips, please drop me a line. THANK YOU!!!
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