[Lenochka]

Hi guys!

I’ve been reading through your posts for the last few days. I’m in the same bot with you. I have the same pain. But I additionally have a mental illness.

I have had my insomnia for more that 5 yrs now. Complete insomnia. Without sleeping aids I don’t sleep at all. I tried maximum to stay awake for 4 days and nights. I have a long story to tell about my fight with insomnia, especially as I became resistant to ALL relaxant meds, herbs and supplements. I tried tons of alternative stuff. I can tell endless story. But now about one particular approach.

One of the best psychiatrist in my country (I’m Russian) told me one possible approach which can fix chronic severe insomnia. The kind I have. This we call in russian “Sleep deprivation therapy”. The idea is simple. You should stay widely awake for 2.5 days. No horisontal position at all!!! You should be active during all this time. This approach is supposed to fix (if one’s lucky!) insomnia caused by neurotransmitter imbalance (which I have).

I don’t know about insomnias caused by other reasons.

I started my round of sleep depriv. therapy yesterday very early morning and plan to finish it tomorrow evening. I must admit this is not an easy approach. I have all possible mix of negative feelings. The most difficult part so far was this night. I thought I would go crazy. I was disturbing my friends who lives in another time zone (mine is Moscow’ time) and getting free psychological support on 7 cups (this is an app for android and apple where you can talk for free with trained listeners). I thought that night would never ended. With sunrise I felt a bit of relief. But still constantly asking everyone possible for a moral support.

I got approaval for this technique from my psychiatrist (a very bright guy, the best psy doc in my 1 mln town). His opinion was that it MIGHT help.

Feel free to talk with me 🙂 or maybe even support me 🙂 because I’m desperate…I’m already said goodbye to my life… 🙁

Elena (my real name)

 

 

 

 

 

 

[chiefboats]

Hi Elena,

I know firsthand what it is like to go for 4-5 days without sleep, been there done that multiple times. When I was going through those times it was just me and my daughter in the house. She was a first year college student and needed all the rest she could get so I could not, actually refused to, bother her with my condition. I think it was near three months before she asked why I looked so bad, the sleeplessness started showing in my face.

Pills, over the counter nor prescription helped at all. The only meds that worked were strong sedatives meant to knock one out, I would get the injections up the street at the Hospital ER and rush home before they took effect. I am in the Philippines, enough money will get whatever you feel you need. The last time I done that has been a couple of years past.

Interacting with the people in this forum went a long way to getting me to where I am today, although admittedly most of it was lurking and reading it helped. I now sleep 6 – 8 hrs per night, mostly towards the 7+ end of that. You can get here too, you just have to want it and work towards it. Every once in a great while I backslide and spend a couple days awake, it is what it is but I am in a better place today because of the good folks here.

[Lenochka]

Hi chiefboats!

Thank you for your letter. I don’t get support from my relatives at all. They simply don’t care about my condition. They care only about themselves. I tried all!!! possible pills with sedative effect (neuroleptics, antidepressants and benzos) and different their combinations, up to 10 pills at night. Nothing worked longer than a couple nights then stopped. I also tried the strongest ones. No results. The same is true with injections which I did myself at home.

I also have been reading A LOT about my condition and how to cure it. This is great that ppl in the forum had helped you! 6-8 hrs of sleep is fantastic! How did you manage to achieve that? Yes, I want the same result…and I have been working towards of it.

I have my first results from my sleep deprivation therapy. Firstly, I didn’t manage to stay active for 2.5 days. After 2 whole days my brain started to swith off when I was sitting in front of PC. I felt EXHAUSTED to say mildly. And I was terribly sleepy. I couldn’t resist it anymore. When I didn’t sleep for 4 days, I was mainly staying in bed in awful condition. During the therapy I wasn’t allow to get a horisontal position. So, it maid the difference. Since my brain started to switch off and I couldn’t resist it anymore, I decided to quit and get a horisontal position. To my big suprise, I immediately fall asleep and slept for six hrs. The quality of sleep was bad, but it was my own sleep without any sleep aids for the first time over the last five yrs! Today in the midday I was very tired and lay down on my bad. To my second surprise, I again fell asleep for one hr. It was not refreshing sleep whatsoever. But I managed to sleep.

Now I should see what will be the impact of this therapy on my sleep for a few days and then consult with my doc to repeat the procedure. And also should ask him if one allowed to dring stimulants when the brain switches off. I should also ask him about my sideeffects which I experience due to the therapy.

Let’s see it I manage to sleep this night.

[Lenochka]

I have the results from my sleep deprivation therapy. The mild effect was only for one night. Then it`s gone.

[Author]

Posts