[Deb]

Ok, I need to vent. It upsets me that people don’t understand insomnia. It reminds me of some other conditions like alcoholism and depression, which for years, people had no real understanding of. Nowadays people understand that alcoholism is a disease. But before that, they thought it was due to the lack of will or character of the alcoholic. With depression, people thought that the depressed person just needed to “pick themselves up” or “snap out of it.” Or maybe that the person was just completely self-absorbed. Now people finally understand that it is a legitimate condition and that the depressed person cannot easily overcome it without some kind of professional help.

I find the same thing with insomnia. It seems like most of my friends don’t really get it. They think I should be over with this by now and are tired of hearing about it. Maybe they think that if I would just chill out, it would go away. Some probably think I just need to be positive and do positive affirmations, “I WILL sleep tonight!!” Most don’t actually say any of these things, but this is the vibe I get from them. They’re wondering why I’m still struggling with this after five months. I must be “attracting it” to myself somehow. Sleep comes so easily to them so the solution must be something simple. Why don’t I just try blah, blah, blah or blah? I’m so tired of advice from people who have no idea of what insomnia is really like.

[Davy]

you sleep so many hours if i read your post i have again another sleepless night deb i would kill for the hours you sleep

[Edgar]

Well put, Deb.

In addition to that, I also don’t like to hear that insomnia is “just a symptom of something else” and that if you “treat the underlying condition (whatever that mysterious condition might be), your insomnia will go away.”

Some people, and sadly only SOME medical proffesionals now know that insomnia can be a disease in its own right, but most of them still believe that an insomniac is actually depressed, anxious or some third thing.

Let’s hope the future brings more understanding as it did to those other conditions.

[Deb]

Davy – what are you doing about your insomnia? Are you trying CBT or ACT? Have you studied these therapies and then put something into practice? The insomnia is not going to go away by itself.

[delv-x]

Almost everyone gets bouts of insomnia. Most of the time it is acute and goes away within a day or few days and is usually no big deal. When it is chronic, that’s when some people don’t understand because they don’t know how life is like dealing with it nor have they had it. If only I got a dollar every time I heard someone say to me “Have you tried melatonin?”. They are just trying to help much like we are trying to help each other here. I actually don’t mind too much when friends try to help. Often times I find out they struggle as well. Perhaps not to the same extent but similar enough with 4am awakenings or tossing and turning and not getting a restful sleep often enough. It makes me feel like yes some people do sleep well but others do have troubles just like me. It just seems like whatever they suggest (warm milk, yoga, tea, herbs, shot of vodka etc) works for them. For most of us here it’s been there and tried that and need more than a splash of lavender on the pillow to get a good night of sleep.

 

[Author]

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