[Lauriso]

Greetings,

I put a quote from this site’s “about” section as the title because it resonated with me so much. Becoming more and more lonely due to lack of energy to socialize, spending all my money on medical examinations and not being able to work is no fun at all. I’ve just stumbled upon this website and enrolled on the two week course, and I’ll try to briefly describe my situation.

For almost three years now I’ve been feeling chronically fatigued. However, only very recently sleep has become a suspect. For the first 2.5 years at least I checked loads of things that could cause fatigue, but my tests were perfect in every way. It never occurred to us to think about sleep because it seemed I was sleeping fine! Only in the last few months this has changed: I am more and more aware of awakening shortly many times a night, sometime spending half the night in a half-asleep/half-awake stupor and waking up not rested at all.

Now I am suspecting this was going on from the beginning, but I simply wasn’t aware of it. It’s important to mention I have not been and am not feeling anxious or depressed, apart from the growing desperation caused by the issue at hand.

Recently I visited a sleep specialist (by coincidence I was in an especially terrible state that day), and he prescribed me quetiapine. I started with the large dosage of 100mg and it did put me to sleep that night. Then I reduced it to 50, then 25. For the first couple of nights it seemed it’s making a difference, but it was very short-lived. When I felt 25 wasn’t doing the trick, I took 50 for two nights again – it does make me drowsier but doesn’t help with the underlying issue – I still remember waking up numerous times and being half-asleep, with the resulting fatigue the next morning. I’ve been using it for less than a week now, but sadly it’s not a solution.

I could do the brain wave measurement test but a) it’s expensive b) what new info will it give me? I already know my sleep is fragmented.

So I’m posting here in hopes of support and potential solutions :).

Oh, and I’m from Europe (helps to know if people want to recommend things).

• This topic was modified 4 years, 11 months ago by Lauriso.
• This topic was modified 4 years, 11 months ago by Lauriso.
• This topic was modified 4 years, 11 months ago by Lauriso.

[Lauriso]

Oh, and it seems that if I take a benzodiazepine before bed, I DO sleep better. So that points to some subliminal/somatic anxiety, right? Like my brain is on high alert when I sleep ALTHOUGH I don’t consciously feel anxious. Really looking forward to new information what this is and how to solve it!

[Lauriso]

Also, my doctor is recommending 100mg quetiapine to take early, at 9pm (so as not to feel so drowsy the next day). But I don’t think it addresses the issue! It might knock me out, but my sleep would probably still be fragmented! Sorry for the many comments, I just get new ideas all the time and want to share them to make a clearer picture of my situation :).

• This reply was modified 4 years, 11 months ago by Lauriso.

[Martin Reed]

What medical condition(s) did your doctor diagnose you with, Lauriso?

Short awakenings without any accompanying worry or anxiety are often associated with sleep apnea, but you will likely need an overnight sleep study before a diagnosis can be made.

Here’s an online test you can take to help assess sleep apnea risk: http://www.stopbang.ca/osa/screening.php

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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.

[Lauriso]

Hi Martin,

I don’t think I’ve gotten any diagnosis. I did the sleep apnea test and it came back negative.

This whole thing seems to have been kicked off with a crazy panic disorder episode I had for months. Clonazepman saved my life, I used for a month or so, then tapered off without any side effects.

But the whole process has done something to my sleep architecture. My brain just won’t sleep as it used to do.

My current plan is to either go see another sleep specialist or go straight for the hypnogram (brain wave measurement thing).

[Joyous56]

Lauriso, you seem to have a lot of self awareness, and are paying attention to your sleep and mood patterns.

For a long time now, It’s taken me 1-3 hours to fall asleep, and sometimes I felt I never did. Or, I’d wake up at oh-dark-thirty, and not be able to go back to sleep. I think early waking can be due to depression, and since I have a history of depression, I just tried to live with it.

I’ve heard anxiety can make it difficult to fall asleep, and I never thought I had a problem with anxiety, so figured it must be something else. While I knew I was sometimes anxious about things when I was awake, I wasn’t aware of any anxiety at bed time.

It took me awhile to consider that my daytime anxiety might be keeping me awake when I was trying to go to sleep. I’m still trying to figure that out.

[Martin Reed]

It sounds as though you have bog-standard chronic insomnia, Lauriso. I doubt a hypnogram will be helpful since sleep apnea has already been ruled out by your doctor.

Have you talked to your doctor about cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I)?

—

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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