Published on 12, July, 2020
I average about 3 hours sleep a night. The main blockage appears to be my inability to switch off. Tried: listening to music, watching telly, doing nothing for a couple of hours before bed, tried doing loads of exercise, I have been prescribed amitriptrline by the GP 2 years ago, nothing it has helped me at all.
Does anybody else struggle this way and does anybody have any ideas to help.
Yes I have a similar problem, often skipping nights of sleep entirely (tonight being one of them) as I am simply too ‘on edge’ to fall asleep no matter how tired I feel. I have also tried the things you have mentioned, along with more boring things such as cross stitch, colouring and sudoku in the early hours of the morning as I thought they’d be sure to send me to sleep, but no such luck!
What I have realised over time is that my insomnia is often anxiety related, so addressing outstanding worries before bed can help sometimes e.g. if I need to send a particular email, have certain things to be put away/got out for the next day, can’t remember if I locked the doors etc. these can all be done quickly before bed. The other things I turn to are:
1. I take long walks (2-3hrs) in the late night/early morning because I find it stops me becoming increasingly stressed at my inability to fall asleep, it burns off any adrenaline that is keeping me awake, it physically tires me and it makes me feel more sleepy due to the darkness.
2. I meditate, which I can use to help me fall asleep though this usually only gives you a short, deep sleep, so it’s no good if you want a whole nights sleep. It can be very useful however when you’re totally sleep deprived but have to be awake/alert for something regardless, because I find it can quickly refresh me and give me the energy I need in the short term.
3. I occasionally use sleeping tablets. Promethazine and temazepam/diazepam did nothing for me, but I’ve found that zopiclone or lorazepam can help me provided that I am tired/settled enough to truly try to sleep in the first instance. I also wouldn’t rely on these drugs frequently as they do have side effects and your body quickly becomes used to them, making them less effective. But if really desperate for sleep, they can be helpful.
4. This isn’t really such a healthy idea, but sometimes I deliberately force myself to stay awake all night and the following day, as opposed to sleeping a few hours as you describe, because I know that I will then get more sleep the following night and I try to use this to reset my sleep/wake times. Sometimes this works for a longer period and sometimes it doesn’t, but desperation can lead me to try anything at times!
The only other thing I’ve heard suggested for sleep other than the usual sleep hygiene advice is prescribed melatonin, but I don’t have any personal experience with that, so I don’t know how helpful it is/on what grounds it would be prescribed.