Sleep/medication

Sorry to hear that.
I know this might sound a bit silly, but it works..
If You exercise before You take medication, ( out of breath,sweat etc ) Your Metabolism
goes into " overdrive ". If You then take medication Your body will process it a light-speed.
What You take now will be processed x5 as quick and You will NOTICE.
Wishing You all the best.

One bit of advice I found during post diagnosis education sessions....

Only ever sleep in bed (with only one obvious other exception) . Don't watch TV in bed, don't read in bed, if you are in bed for more than twenty minutes and are awake , get up. Even if that's at night before sleeping or in the morning after sleep.

It sounds like good advice to me but I'm bad at following it!

I find I am very easily woken during the night too.

Isn't sleep hygene about having no distractions like pictures and books in your bedroom? I would find that freakily clinical and would wake up wondering if I was dead!

I think interupted sleep is something that happens as you get older too.

Hergé said:

I do breathing exercises and body scanning relaxation which enables me to go to sleep quite quickly but staying asleep is another matter entirely.

Due to stress induced seizures, I end up getting somewhat frazzled and cannot calm down for ages, and like you, when I do sleep, it is not long enough, so a friend recommend a supplement called L-Theanine which is an amino-acid, and it has seriously improved my sleep quality ~ although I have been taking it via Bach Rescue Remedy balance and positivity Capsules, which contains also Saffron that is a major mood stabiliser and helps with my seizures too, and it works a major treat for friends with Borderline Personality Disorder that were no longer getting any benefit from prescription medications. 

Another suggestion made to me was also another amino-acid called L -Glutamine, which has done nothing whatsoever for my sleep, but oh, my, whole, life . . . it so very much deals with the toxic build-ups that result from physical stress and lack of sleep to an absolutely astonishing degree, so it might be worth a try just for that maybe ~ if it does nothing for your sleep that is.

I'm encountering too many Autistic / ADHD individuals who are being prescribed things which make this worse rather than providing a low-dose benzo. One doesn't need much. 

You need help inducing GABA if this is the case. Stress related anxiety is essentially excitement. If you've found you cannot shut down an excited brain, this might be the issue. I get a small dose of GABA enhancing anti-anxiety meds for specifically this from a Private GP. While I personally wouldn't advise these daily, and to compensate I have amended my diet to include things which help address this issue. 

There is a lot of new medical reports on this with autistics and ADHD'rs. It's the reason for the Gamma knife (which I feel is cruel and attacking a response rather than the issue).

Hi, yes I practice sleep hygiene and have a set routine of going to sleep. I've tried various herbal teas and warm milk etc. my bedding is cotton and my bedroom has blackout blinds and we don't get much traffic going by.

It's so frustrating when you do all the things that are supposed to help and they just don't.

I do breathing exercises and body scanning relaxation which enables me to go to sleep quite quickly but staying asleep is another matter entirely.

Thanks 

Stay away from screens before bed, spend a few minutes just thinking, letting your mind go where it wants. Turn onto one side and let the events of the day wash over you, then turn over and think of nice and relaxing things.

Are you the right temperature in bed, neither to hot nor to cold? I always use 100% cotton sheets pillow cases and duvet covers, I find these regulate heat better than polycotton. Make sure the room is aired. I use sheets and blankets as I find it easier to take them ooff and one when I'm too hot or too cold.

Have you tried herbal teas, such as chamomile or a sleep mix?

Hi, I don't drink caffeine after 3pm and I rarely drink alcohol. When my mind is occupied with something external (music/TV etc) I seem to get drowsy, once I'm alone in my own head that's when I seem you waken up.

Hi, I've not had that one but I've had other SNRI and SSNRI up to really high doses.

I think it's stress related, my brain just doesn't quieten down for long.

Hi, I've had zopiclone in the past and it didn't work for me. Thanks 

The best sleep I have is when I

• swim 4 - 6 times a week
• cut out all carbs, except those that come naturally in veg and fruit
• cut out all processed food
• only have alcohol once a week
• have a balance between socialising and alone time
• regular sleep routine, bed time, alarm etc.

At the moment my sleep is poor but I am not swimming and am back on the carbs. My current challenge is getting to sleep, it takes hours, and I just doze all night.

Zopiclone 7.5mg.
Just exactly what You need.
On prescription if You can see Your G.P.
Quetiapine is anxiety.
Zopiclone is the real deal.
Have been on it 9 Years and it has never let  Me down.
Worth following this up Hegre.

I cut out gluten that was causing me all kinds of issues, including issues with sleeping. Some foods and drinks that you wouldn't even think of, could cause gut issues and ill health. I think that after a month of cutting out gluten, my body could get that natural sleepiness, before falling asleep. I've never had that since I was a very young child.

But when I was still consuming gluten on a regular basis, caffeine had no effect on me, because I was always already that awake to that degree, that I couldn't even feel the effects of caffeine at all. At night my mind would still be racing, and my heart rate would also be racing and I'll feel anxiety, and I couldn't do anything to fall asleep. I'd be up till sunrise, and that'll mess up my entire sleeping schedule. Sometimes I'd try to work out till I'm exhausted, but then I'd wake up with sore muscles and that's no fun.

Now I can fall asleep naturally, around the same time every day. I'll just start yawning, getting drowsy, and my eyes start closing. I mean it sounds normal, but it feels like a miracle to me. On the rare occasions that I drink caffeine, I can actually feel the effects, like that alertness and heart racing, compared to before, where I'd just be stuck in that state by default, and wouldn't notice a difference. 

Anyways, I hope you get things sorted out, so that you can get proper sleep, and feel better.

Apologies to edit my original post. 

Hello, mirtazapine is wonderful for sleep. It’s an SSRI anti depressant, comes in 15, 30 and 45mg strengths. It really helps make you sleepy, about an hour after taking it, I’m starting to nod off. I’m on Risperidone as well as mirtzapine, and like you, the anti psychotic makes me tired a lot. If you haven’t tried Mirtzapine I would definitely look into it

I read a book, listening to music and watch something funny. Also have no caffeine.