[Robb]

Hi,
I have been dealing with insomnia for about 6 months, there are times where I do not sleep for days, have never dealt with before so it’s all new to me. It started after I lost my mother, father in-law in a five-week span but really kicked in after I also lost my job. I got a new job, but the insomnia stayed. After dealing with zero sleep for a while, I went to the doctor, and they put me on trazodone, which helps sometimes but I hate taking anything for sleep, when I never have before and maybe that’s part of my problem, is taking something when I never had to before, sleep came so easily for me. I get the racing thoughts; I feel like my mind is all over the place, just want to be back to the way I was before.
Thank You

[Chee2308]

Hi Robb!

I am sorry to hear about your recent struggles. I am sure you are doing something to address your sleep troubles already. You probably already know the importance of regular bedtimes so probably do not need reminding now. Other than that, I can only say to let nature run its course which usually settles down on its own. It is interesting when you say you have hopes for everything to be as it was before. And that’s really the key! So what did you use to do before? What were your bed time routines and your bed times? Try to regain your personality and identity as much as you can in this aspect. It also means if you are taking pills to sleep now when you never did before, you might need to work out a plan to taper off them. Take it easy and one step at a time. Be kind to yourself and try not to be easily discouraged because you are seeing results you want or fast enough. I also encourage you to explore what is it about poor sleep that you fear and dislike so much about. Your true chance of a real and lasting recovery will depend on how you change your mindset around that. Good luck!

[Robb]

Hi Chee,
I never really had a routine for sleep, just went to bed when I was tired and would sleep all night long. Never had to take anything and could just about sleep anywhere, then all this happened and now it’s like I can’t sleep. I worry too much about sleep and before I never even thought about it, I would just go to bed or fall asleep in a chair. Now in the evening, I clock watch, thinking that it’s almost time to go to bed, never did that before? So why I am doing it now? I had some success with taking something for sleep and then go to bed when I am tired, but it feels like a window that I can’t miss.

I really don’t like taking anything to help me sleep or pills in general but not sleeping for days on end, can really take a toll on you so I had to do something but that is just masking the symptom and not addressing the problem. That is why I ended up here, trying to find something other than taking a pill and hoping it works.

[Robb]

I have found a LOT of great information on this site, found about 7 or 8 things that I am doing wrong, the big one is thinking too much about sleep. Reading those stories about people getting over their insomnia, is very encouraging

[Chee2308]

Hi Robb

Great for you. The desire to improve is a common starting point. Although I might want to caution you about “right” or “wrong” things. When you are recovered, these things just don’t matter anymore. Because they really don’t affect your sleep in any significant way. Nothing you think or do really impacts your sleep, at least not permanently. The body will regulate itself if you just let it. You will find many different scenarios where you’ll be up for different reasons. If you find yourself sleepless because you were worried about some thing, including sleep itself, then it’s becomes quite unpleasant. Or if you are staying up because you really want to, like chasing a drama series or out partying, it’ll be pleasant. Ultimately, it’s up to you how you evolve your thinking about sleep thereby how you evolve your way out of insomnia. In simple terms, this boils down into a time management issue and how you prioritize sleep in each 24 hour day. When you are back to yourself like before, you will likely revert to your old sleeping habits and sleeping whenever you feel like it. And there’s really nothing wrong with that! Good luck.

[Chee2308]

I wanna add too that you slept well before because you were largely ignorant about it. Ignorance is bliss when it comes to sleep. Now that sleep has come under your radar, indifference becomes your cure. Try to ignore it and get on with your life. It’s really not a big deal, you must have had many bouts of insomnia in your life before this but they are all conveniently forgotten now. The point is nothing about your ability to sleep has changed, it’s still there and will stay with you for life. It’s just your thinking toward sleep that has.

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