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I was taking 10mg of Lexapro for 12 years and it worked great. I wanted off of it and thought there would be a natural cure. I was a fool.
I found sleep restriction made my insomnia *much* worse.
Stimulus control did absolutely nothing for me.
I’ve had bad insomnia for 12 years. I was on 10 mg of Lexapro for most of that time and it really helped. I was able to sleep well every night. But, I always wanted off of it and my doctor and I worked to taper me off of it. I thought CBT I, sleep restriction, or acceptance therapy would help.
My sleep has never been worse than it is now. I’m going back on Lexapro tomorrow. Despite what all the sleep experts say, I now believe some people are just broken and need medication to heal them.
Coming off of Lexapro was the greatest mistake I ever made in my life.
For anyone else with a similar issue where you feel incredibly sleepy but can't sleep, I've been having some luck with going to bed much earlier…before I'm sleepy…and then reading for a while before attempting to sleep. Something about being in bed while I get sleepy really helps.
'rjsf' wrote:I get it now! This was the last piece of the puzzle for me!
You will become sleepy at some point depending on your circadian clock. Insomnia happens when you “try” to sleep and your body is not ready yet. Then you become anxious and the anxiety makes you unable to sleep even when the time comes. Going to bed only when you are sleepy reduces the chance of anxiety setting in.
I've been doing well with Sleep restriction therapy, but I relapse every couple of weeks and now I think I know the reason why: there are times I try to initiate sleep when the body is far from ready to sleep and anxiety sets in.
I get mad at this kind of answer because it's a one-size-fits-all approach and assumes everyone is the same way.
For some of us, we get incredibly sleepy at night. For me, I can't keep my eyes open and can't stop yawning and could not be sleepier. But the second I lie down, I have an adrenaline surge and then my heartbeat goes up to 120 bpm and I'm not sleepy for the rest of the night.
Sleep restriction therapy assumes everyone tries to go to bed before their sleepy. It's a poor approach and leaves the rest of us feeling like outcasts.
Beta blockers? Hmm…I haven't heard of those before. I was dong great this week and tried my first night without sleep meds in 12 years and I had a massive panic attack. I'll try them out.
I have the same problem as the original poster. I don't fall asleep. They only way I fall asleep is by taking massive amounts of OTC sleep aids.
My mind doesn't race at night. My heart does start beating really quickly when I lie down and close my eyes.
'craig50' wrote:dont get in bed until you are sleepy and this does work
This absolutely does not work.
