Anyone affected with chronic insomnia

Hello @mariogusa, Welcome to Connect. I see that you have posted earlier in a couple of other sleep related discussions about medications used for insomnia. I've had some bouts with insomnia but they didn't last long. One thing that has helped me improve my sleep is setting a regular schedule for sleeping and sticking to it as best I can. There is another discussion that might be helpful in the Sleep Health group:
-- I need Help with Insomnia: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/i-need-help-with-insomnia/

There's also an older article from 2019 that might be helpful:
-- Top 10 tips for healthy sleep: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/living-with-mild-cognitive-impairment-mci/newsfeed-post/top-10-tip-for-healthy-sleep/

Have you heard of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia? CBTI might be another option to explore.
There is an app for mobile devices that you might find helpful.

Thank you John. I will follow up..

Hi, I'm interested in discussions about insomnia, I am plagued with it as well. Its not nice! It greatly affects our quality of life! Although there are many worse ailments 'out there'!
I have tried many things! all types of magnesium, calcium and organic progesterone cream, I believe all those things help, I slept well every night for 2 months this spring! my energy was returning! now all of a sudden I'm back in the same boat I was before! The boat of 'No Rest".... I studied hard about what changed!? I realized that I quit using progesterone creme! You know how it is, when things go well you forget to use those things, I probably thought oh well, maybe it really doesn't help? so ya quit! I'm reordering my favorite kind ASAP! The phone number to order is 800 677-7694 from company called Eternally fit. They have been around for MANY years, so its a proven company! I first knew about this product when I had hormone issues in my 20's
You need a holistic Dr to guide you, or, maybe this company could also guide you, you may use it every day after menopause, but if you are still cycling, you stay off the week of your cycle or something like that....even my 81 year old dad liked it to help him sleep better! You may need to use it awhile before you notice a difference.

In the fall of 2024, I had a long bout of insomnia. I tried several different medications including Alprazolam.
To cut a long story short, I saw a sleep specialist who recommended Dr. Ryan Wetzler a Sleep Psychologist in Louisville KY. Dr. Wetzler treats in-person or via video conference. I can tell you that his approach does work. In the past 7 months I have slept between 7 to 9 hours every night. The basis of his treatment is to "Never" go to bed until you are really, really sleepy. I also used an app called "Calm." I found it really got me sleepy, with various relaxing stories read by, well known people, and sleepy music. I was desperate to get a good night's sleep and Dr. Wexler gave it to me. I hope this helps you.

I struggle with this monster as well. I try using self hypnotics, breathing techniques, an Alpha-Stim unit and nothing seems to help. When I get so exhausted, I sleep for 12-18 hours then go right back to not sleeping at all or for a couple hours at a time. I don't want to take and more meds so I have turned all of them down the Doctors suggest.

And what if you’re never sleepy? I’ve always been a night owl and the longer I’m up the better I feel. Never feel great the first half of the day. When I was young I couldn’t go to sleep easily and then couldn’t wake up. Now that I’m older I can’t go to sleep or stay asleep. Up and down constantly. Cancer meds have made it all worse rarely being sleepy. If I do get sleepy it’s gone before I can transfer to bed. I feel for all of you. It’s miserable and bad for your health. I average 4-5 hours a night of constantly interrupted sleep.

I have been using Xanax for years to initiate sleep. However, my problem is that I will wake up after 4-5 hours and cannot go back to sleep. I am exhausted........Interesting that all health professionals will tell you that the elderly should get exercise, good nutrition and sleep to stay healthy, yet Big Pharma cannot seem to develop a suitable hypnotic medication that will allow you a 7-8 hour sleep with no side effects of drowsiness the next day. Then the Government steps in and makes them Scheduled Drugs so you have to see the physician every three months for renewal!

I have tried EVERYTHING. herbal remedies and teas, alternative medicine, cognitive behavioral therapy, pharmaceuticals. There are 2 new meds on the market for long term use. Most meds are only for short term use. They are both expensive. The cheaper one is belsomra, though I still don’t sleep through the night it’s a bit better. I also use valerian root, melatonin, and magnesium glycinate

My lifetime of insomnia due to complex PTSD suddenly disappeared Christmas Eve of 2023. I was overjoyed. Instead of 3-4 full nights of sleep a month, now I have 20-25 nights of full sleep a month!! IT is fabulous.

I do have "flares" though:
-when days start getting shorter or longer or a full moon;
-when I have a decision to make;
-when I have pending problem to solve;
-if I forget to set the thermostat on 70 at night;
-if I do not exercise an hour each day.

That's great news, hopefully one of these days my insomnia would just go away, but I doubt it. Mine seems to be chronic, some type of brain chemical unbalance that no Dr, can figure out. I do everything what you said you do. This week I am trying acupuncture, 3 treatments but no change so far. All the best Slarson14.