[Ihatedreams]

These days I have been having difficulties in sleeping as in really difficult. I do have insomnia for 2/3 years. It is not everyday, but for every once in a while. Yet lately, it is getting worse. These past few days it took me hours to finally fell asleep even though my eyes already dead tired and sting.

Right now, it is almost midnight and I can’t sleep again. I feel so tired but whenever I close my eyes my mind won’t stop racing. I tried to listen to music but it wouldn’t help. My mind keeps on buzzing and would not stop. I try to make it stop, but the thought of having to stop it makes it even more occupied and full.

Even if I managed to fall asleep. Usually I’d jolted up awake after a few hours. Sometimes because of the dreams I have. Sometimes out of nothing.

Is it bad if by any chance I start to consume medicine? I tried to avoid using drugs/medicine up until now,  but now I am starting to get desperate for sleep. A nice dreamless sleep. It’s been a long time since I have a good sleep.

Any advice other than exercises before sleep or nice smells because I’ve tried them and they did not work 🙁

Thank you ?

[Martin Reed]

Welcome to the forum, and I am so sorry to hear about your ongoing issues with sleep. If you have chronic insomnia, medication is rarely (if ever) the answer. Certainly, medication is never a long-term solution for chronic insomnia.

What kinds of things do you think about when you can’t sleep? Are your racing thoughts only about sleep, or are other worries troubling you, too? Have you tried simply getting out of bed until you feel sleepy again, before going back to bed in order to prevent the endless tossing and turning throughout the night?

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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.

[Ihatedreams]

Thank you for reading my submission.

I agree that medication is not the best solution. That’s the reason why I don’t use any drugs because I’m afraid I’d get dependent on them. But, at this rate I am so desperate.

My mind thinks about a lot of things. Sometimes about my late sister. Sometimes about my mother and now that I’d just graduated from college I start to look for  a job. So, It might stressed me more. There were times when I didn’t think about anything yet my head felt full (if this made any sense).

I did try to read when I could not sleep. Some people say it helped, but it did not really work for me. My eyes did get more tired yet I still could not go to sleep. I ended up waiting for sleep to take over me with closed eyes which got tired because I closed them for too long.

So yeah, it’s really frustrating for me. I don’t know how long this will last. Is there anything I can do to overcome this problem? Does consuming sleeping pills has bad effects for my body?

 

[Christine]

I have had chronic insomnia for three years and I sought help from a specialized doctor. My insomnia got to be debilitating. For me, meds were the right choice. I believe CBT-I is the best choice long term, but in the short term meds are helpful. There are side effects, like daytime grogginess and various others. Sleep deprivation has side-effects too. You should weigh the pros and cons with your doctor. Good Luck!

[Martin Reed]

The problem with sleeping pills is this — when we take them (even for the short-term), every time we sleep we attribute that ‘success’ to the pills, rather than our own ability to sleep.

This can lead to an increasingly strong belief that we aren’t capable of sleeping without the pills, which can make it difficult to regain confidence in our ability to sleep and this often means sleep issues will return as soon as we try to stop taking the pills.

Have you looked into CBT-I, as suggested by @Christine?

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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.

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