1. < Depression & Anxiety

Insomnia, depression, anxiety

Posted by azkidney57 @azkidney57, Jan 11, 2020

So here I am it’s 4 am I have been awake since 3 am I often wake up. I can’t go back to sleep. I can’t text my friends I could be they would ask why I was texting so early. I tried my usual sleepy time tea, Clonazepam, deep breathing etc etc and I still wake up! I remember when I was I in the hospital I would call the nurse and I would have morphine injected into my IV port and that would help me sleep. I can’t have morphine. OxyContin also made me sleepy. Can’t have that anymore I ran out. It would be so nice if I could get 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Maybe someday.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Depression & Anxiety Support Group.

Mentor
Ginger, Volunteer Mentor | @gingerw | Sep 9, 2021
In reply to @annie2 "Thank you Ginger. I have not tried journaling. I believe that I am having these attacks..." + (show)
@annie2

Thank you Ginger. I have not tried journaling. I believe that I am having these attacks when I sleep and are caused by these dreams. Some make sense, others are crazy and not all are bad. I am only getting about 5 hours a night along with other physical ailments. I am already on anti-anxiety meds and have a good psychiatric APN that does his best to help. I hate that meds keep getting added. I have had no quality of life for nine months now and am terrified that this will never end. I think my last hope may be counseling although I never believed that someone could talk you out of being sick. I'd hate to think
this is my new norm.

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@annie2 Let your medical providers know about your dreams, and the way you feel. There are times that a medication needs to be changed to continue effectiveness. We can develop negative side effects months after starting a medication. Or a medication may need to be eliminated, or it is reacting with something else.

You are wise to be keeping on top of all this! Not getting good, restful sleep can be a real source of fatigue.
Ginger

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help4meandu | @help4meandu | Sep 13, 2021
In reply to @elwooodsdad "Another way to induce sleep comes from Dr. Andrew Weil, who I believe calls this the..." + (show)
@elwooodsdad

Another way to induce sleep comes from Dr. Andrew Weil, who I believe calls this the 4-7-8 method. Place the tip of your tongue on the back of your lower front teeth. Inhale for four seconds. Hold that breath for seven seconds, then exhale for eight seconds. Took me a bit to believe it could work, but I have found success. No idea as to the physiology of this method, and it could just redirect mental activity. Just tossing it out. Give it some time if you wish to try it.

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I’m having consistent trouble sleeping despite taking lunesta, clonazepam and Benadryl and Gabapentin. Just a couple of hours them up for 2-3 try meditation app and maybe another 2 hrs. Have a lot on my mind and cats who insist on sleeping with me. What to do? Most debilitating and frustrating.

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3 replies
Mentor
Ginger, Volunteer Mentor | @gingerw | Sep 13, 2021
In reply to @help4meandu "I’m having consistent trouble sleeping despite taking lunesta, clonazepam and Benadryl and Gabapentin. Just a couple..." + (show)
@help4meandu

I’m having consistent trouble sleeping despite taking lunesta, clonazepam and Benadryl and Gabapentin. Just a couple of hours them up for 2-3 try meditation app and maybe another 2 hrs. Have a lot on my mind and cats who insist on sleeping with me. What to do? Most debilitating and frustrating.

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@help4meandu I have to wonder if the medications are working against each other? Three of the four of these are prescription drugs; is your dr aware of the combination?

When I go through periods of interrupted sleep, if I cannot return to restful sleep within 30 minutes, I get up to read a boring book, or start crocheting, which will relax me. If your bedroom is too warm/too light that may also make a difference. Having a lot on your mind, you need to be able to restore and refresh your brain with good sleep in order to carry on. Have you tried journaling at night before bed, to clear your mind out? Write out the issues running through your mind, tell them you'll deal with them later.

Can you try the journaling and contacting your dr about drug interactions, and let me know what you find out?
Ginger

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1 reply
happy2bhere | @happy2bhear | Sep 13, 2021
In reply to @help4meandu "I’m having consistent trouble sleeping despite taking lunesta, clonazepam and Benadryl and Gabapentin. Just a couple..." + (show)
@help4meandu

I’m having consistent trouble sleeping despite taking lunesta, clonazepam and Benadryl and Gabapentin. Just a couple of hours them up for 2-3 try meditation app and maybe another 2 hrs. Have a lot on my mind and cats who insist on sleeping with me. What to do? Most debilitating and frustrating.

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1mg melatonin might help

REPLY
help4meandu | @help4meandu | Sep 13, 2021
In reply to @gingerw "@help4meandu I have to wonder if the medications are working against each other? Three of the..." + (show)
@gingerw

@help4meandu I have to wonder if the medications are working against each other? Three of the four of these are prescription drugs; is your dr aware of the combination?

When I go through periods of interrupted sleep, if I cannot return to restful sleep within 30 minutes, I get up to read a boring book, or start crocheting, which will relax me. If your bedroom is too warm/too light that may also make a difference. Having a lot on your mind, you need to be able to restore and refresh your brain with good sleep in order to carry on. Have you tried journaling at night before bed, to clear your mind out? Write out the issues running through your mind, tell them you'll deal with them later.

Can you try the journaling and contacting your dr about drug interactions, and let me know what you find out?
Ginger

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Thank you, Ginger. My dr is aware as he prescribes them. He would like me to stop Benadryl but I have an itchy skin condition Grovers and feel I need it at night. I will try journaling. I think having my cat sleep with me is interfering but she is insistent and will meow at door. I do enjoy reading before I initially fall asleep. Also keep room very cool (even with exorbitant electric bills) and quite dark. I’m afraid to turn light on to read in middle of night. Sometimes the FitOn meditations help. Also, I get hungry in the night and need to eat a banana or yogurt which sometimes helps me fall asleep.

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3 replies
Mentor
Chris Trout, Volunteer Mentor | @artscaping | Sep 13, 2021
In reply to @help4meandu "Thank you, Ginger. My dr is aware as he prescribes them. He would like me to..." + (show)
@help4meandu

Thank you, Ginger. My dr is aware as he prescribes them. He would like me to stop Benadryl but I have an itchy skin condition Grovers and feel I need it at night. I will try journaling. I think having my cat sleep with me is interfering but she is insistent and will meow at door. I do enjoy reading before I initially fall asleep. Also keep room very cool (even with exorbitant electric bills) and quite dark. I’m afraid to turn light on to read in middle of night. Sometimes the FitOn meditations help. Also, I get hungry in the night and need to eat a banana or yogurt which sometimes helps me fall asleep.

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Maybe your kitty kat just wants to be with you to help you feel better. After one of my surgeries, my Jazzie just stayed at the head of the bed. Tank the Crank, her sibling didn't get it. I had two Cavaliers at the time and they stayed on the bed also. Every once in a while they would give me a look that said, "Are we ever getting up today?"
Good luck with the itching. It can sure be annoying.

May you have ease and contentment.
Chris

REPLY
1 reply
help4meandu | @help4meandu | Sep 13, 2021
In reply to @artscaping "Maybe your kitty kat just wants to be with you to help you feel better. After..." + (show)
@artscaping

Maybe your kitty kat just wants to be with you to help you feel better. After one of my surgeries, my Jazzie just stayed at the head of the bed. Tank the Crank, her sibling didn't get it. I had two Cavaliers at the time and they stayed on the bed also. Every once in a while they would give me a look that said, "Are we ever getting up today?"
Good luck with the itching. It can sure be annoying.

May you have ease and contentment.
Chris

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Thank you, Chris. Soon I’ll be in my other location where I have total 4 cats and bed can get crowded.

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Mentor
Becky, Volunteer Mentor | @becsbuddy | Sep 13, 2021
In reply to @help4meandu "Thank you, Ginger. My dr is aware as he prescribes them. He would like me to..." + (show)
@help4meandu

Thank you, Ginger. My dr is aware as he prescribes them. He would like me to stop Benadryl but I have an itchy skin condition Grovers and feel I need it at night. I will try journaling. I think having my cat sleep with me is interfering but she is insistent and will meow at door. I do enjoy reading before I initially fall asleep. Also keep room very cool (even with exorbitant electric bills) and quite dark. I’m afraid to turn light on to read in middle of night. Sometimes the FitOn meditations help. Also, I get hungry in the night and need to eat a banana or yogurt which sometimes helps me fall asleep.

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@help4meandu Sleep problems are the worst! I , too, hate to turn on a light at night, so my husband got me one of his headlamps that the used when he goes out to stargaze. I just lights up a very narrow area focused on the book. Works well for me!. says Energizer
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1 reply
help4meandu | @help4meandu | Sep 14, 2021

Another bad night and getting more anxious. Just have to keep moving as I prepare to travel to my other location 4hrs away and lot responsibilities weighing on me. I try to write things down. Don’t want to overdo the meds. Maybe I’m going to bed too early in effort to catch up and works against me as I’m awake hrs in middle of night. Thank you all for your advice.

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obx1982 | @obx1982 | Sep 14, 2021
In reply to @help4meandu "I’m having consistent trouble sleeping despite taking lunesta, clonazepam and Benadryl and Gabapentin. Just a couple..." + (show)
@help4meandu

I’m having consistent trouble sleeping despite taking lunesta, clonazepam and Benadryl and Gabapentin. Just a couple of hours them up for 2-3 try meditation app and maybe another 2 hrs. Have a lot on my mind and cats who insist on sleeping with me. What to do? Most debilitating and frustrating.

Jump to this post

I can only tell you what works for me and I’m on some of the same meds. My dietitian, and therapist suggested suggested a couple of things to me:
*take night pills regularly by 5:00 which is one hour before dinner!
*eat dinner no later than 6:00
have your evening snack no later than 8:00 and nothing heavy. I like air popcorn with nothing on it. That is a GREAT snack. Carrots raw or broccoli or celery with No Peanut Butter. LIGHT.
*EVERYTHING OFF BY 8:30 that includes phone, tv, tablet, game console…EVERYTHING!!!
*just lay back by by 9:00 if you do this nightly you should be ok
*generally it takes the body 2/3 weeks to fall into a routine if you follow this. I have no choice and I get between 7/8 hrs a night.
Give it a whirl!! It can’t hurt…

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