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Lost my ability to sleep and other serious issues
Sleep Health | Last Active: Mar 10 9:32pm | Replies (92)Comment receiving replies
Insomnia is awful; and I can appreciate your circumstances as I share it. I’m 10 months in from a cold turkey withdrawal from many years ethical use of benzodiazepines, i.e. prescribed. That’s 10 months only sleeping from 2 to 5 hours (if lucky), often stitched together in 3 sessions. I have seen neurologist, psychiatrist and psychologist; all confirm sleep problem - no solution,
only discovering severe anxiety, also affecting my gut.
Rather than reinstate benzos, last month I bought a bottle of vodka and tequila and began taking a shot or sipping, i.e. self medicating ~1.5 hours before bed. It has helped to calm the racing thoughts and serious IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and subsequently increased sleep so I am more functional now.
As for dealing with anxiety, there are a number of videos on YouTube by professionals and amateurs sharing insights. While drinking alcohol and engaging videos are not panaceas they have been pragmatic in getting some relief from the debilitating effects of sleep deprivation; also cheaper than doctors visits of no consequence. I feel it’s just a matter of some more endurance time until my baseline sleep gets much better. BTW, I otherwise don’t drink.
Replies to "Insomnia is awful; and I can appreciate your circumstances as I share it. I’m 10 months..."
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Suggest dropping the alcohol. Perhaps try meditation and you may want to review your pre-bedtime habits, such as watching TV, looking at a computer screen. These actions have been known to make falling to sleep difficult. My own experience is I don't get too concern over the amount of time I sleep. For the most part, I am not always aware I have fallen asleep until I wake up. Some nights I sleep 4 or 5 hours and other nights I sleep longer. I just get up and start my day. Maybe even catch a short nap later on. In any case, my mental and physical health are just fine for person of my age. I just don't concern myself with the amount of time I am sleeping. The body usually takes care of that for me.