sleep progress, how are you doing?

[[te...]]

I wanted to share my current pattern and how things have changed over the past month. I am curious to know how everyone else is doing too, what has helped you, and how you feel about your progress.

 

Hopefully my patterns seem like progress. I feel like perhaps it is, but I don't want to "jinx" myself. This certainly does not just change "overnight" or go in any meaningful pattern!

 

I went from taking hours to sleep if I slept at all and occasional nights of 0-2 hours of sleep in mid-late August, to taking hours to sleep and waking up frequently, to falling asleep within an hour and waking up every hour after dreaming, to this:

 

Last week, rotated between melatonin/herbal blend and unisom mon through thursday. Picked up new mirtazapine prescription friday but did not use it because i fell asleep without it on the couch.

friday 9/30: fell asleep without taking any meds or supplements, slept 7ish hours

sat 10/1: fell asleep without taking any meds or supplements, slept 6.5-7 hours

sun 10/2: difficulty falling asleep, took herbal blend and didn't work, around 11:30pm took 7.5mg mirtazapine, slept 6.5 hours

mon 10/3: fell asleep without meds or supplements, 7ish hours

tues 10/4: fell asleep without meds or supplements, 7.5 hours

Last night wed 10/5: tried sleeping without meds, couldn't get past the "resting" stage, took 7.5mg mirtazapine and slept between 7.5-8hours

 

I know this might sounds really positive to some folks, and I have to acknowledge the quantity of sleep is improving, not sure about quality because I do often wake up a lot (usually several short wake ups and one to get up and pee). I just wish I could sleep med free more than 2 days in a row! Also, I wish the herbal stuff would work more frequently. It seems to be a shot in the dark about what will work and when. My anxiety about this has generally decreased, not sure if that's because I'm getting more needed sleep or because I've realized I can be okay on little sleep. I also don't let myself go too long without taking something if it takes more than an hour to fall asleep so I don't get too worked up. Through the collaboration between my new PCP and my naturopathic doctor, I have also started the following regimen:

 

Tapering off zoloft. ALMOST there! this is my last week of every other day 12.5mg.

Taking multivitamin + theanine supplements in morning, moving turmeric supplements to at night. supposed to start taking 5htp at night too but haven't started yet, worried about serotonin syndrome...also started on really amazing probiotic every day, too.

Will be tapering off at least one blood pressure med soon, too. I have been on Losartan for almost a year and metoprolol for a month or so. My cardiologist (i'm actually not heart diseased, long story about why I have one but he is wonderful) is confused as to why, as a 34 year old distance runner in excellent shape, I am on so many meds. He's ordering some more tests but thinks I can come off these meds! And my PCP is willing to help me, unlike my old PCP who told me I would have to be on anti-depressants and other meds for my whole life "to be stable" (his words).

 

I have to get a kidney ultrasound to check for some weird thing that could cause hypertension, and I'm waiting to do an at home sleep study. I am looking forward to that for sure. I had many tests for adrenals and neurotransmitters through naturopath, and the tests showed several imbalances and that I'm low on several neurotransmitters (not a surprise) hence the supplementation. Hoping it helps.

 

I hope my post doesn't offend anyone or make anyone feel bad. This is meant as a tracking post, and we all have different progress. Also, supplements and herbal things aren't for everyone. I am not encouraging or telling anyone else to take these just because I am. I am working closely with doctors who recommended these. And they seem to be helping me. We need to all find what helps us. I would love to hear from others and what is working for them!

 

Oh, I am also going to yoga classes more, going to once a week hypnotherapy sessions, trying to run when I have time, using a sleep tracker, and keeping a journal of everything to track what I am taking and how I am feeling and eating a lot more chocolate 

[[Ti...]]

Congrats on the progress.  Thanks for sharing.

 

I've been mostly silent on these boards for a while, but I've had to come back.  I had a really good summer.  Some nice long stretches of good natural sleep.  But as my insomnia is stress related (stressful thing happens, I can't sleep, then the stress becomes not sleeping), there were 2 very stressful family events in Aug-Sept that caused me to spiral back down the Ambien road.  Instead of maybe taking 1 a week, I was probably only off Ambien once or twice a week.  Struggling to fall asleep in my bed for 2 hours (after zoning out on the couch).  I've been mostly sleeping 5 hours a night for the past month.

 

Both my PCP and the sleep dr I saw said sleep meds are ok, for short term.  They offered no long term quitting plans.  I'm not thrilled with either of them, especially the $350 fee the sleep dr charged me, and he told me he couldn't do anything, as I basically had my S together.

 

I've recorded my sleep in a spreadsheet since March.  That has helped recognize patterns. 

 

Meditation has helped my sleep anxiety.  Though I tend to not do it when I'm in a good stretch. 

 

Last night I tried warm milk, honey, nutmeg.  I was amazed at how relaxed it did make me feel.  Though I didn't fall asleep in my bed, it was the first time in a while where I actually felt comfortable.

 

I recently decided that it's ok if I don't sleep in the bed, and the couch is fine.  I'll still attempt to fall asleep normally, but if I end up on the couch, 4 hours on and off feels better than 4 hours of medicated sleep. 

 

Just wanted to get that all down, as sometimes putting it out there in the ether helps.

[[Be...]]

Im tapering slowly..and getting 8-10 hrs of sleep my body is always tired!

[[te...]]

Congrats on the progress.  Thanks for sharing.

 

I've been mostly silent on these boards for a while, but I've had to come back.  I had a really good summer.  Some nice long stretches of good natural sleep.  But as my insomnia is stress related (stressful thing happens, I can't sleep, then the stress becomes not sleeping), there were 2 very stressful family events in Aug-Sept that caused me to spiral back down the Ambien road.  Instead of maybe taking 1 a week, I was probably only off Ambien once or twice a week.  Struggling to fall asleep in my bed for 2 hours (after zoning out on the couch).  I've been mostly sleeping 5 hours a night for the past month.

 

Both my PCP and the sleep dr I saw said sleep meds are ok, for short term.  They offered no long term quitting plans.  I'm not thrilled with either of them, especially the $350 fee the sleep dr charged me, and he told me he couldn't do anything, as I basically had my S together.

 

I've recorded my sleep in a spreadsheet since March.  That has helped recognize patterns. 

 

Meditation has helped my sleep anxiety.  Though I tend to not do it when I'm in a good stretch. 

 

Last night I tried warm milk, honey, nutmeg.  I was amazed at how relaxed it did make me feel.  Though I didn't fall asleep in my bed, it was the first time in a while where I actually felt comfortable.

 

I recently decided that it's ok if I don't sleep in the bed, and the couch is fine.  I'll still attempt to fall asleep normally, but if I end up on the couch, 4 hours on and off feels better than 4 hours of medicated sleep. 

 

Just wanted to get that all down, as sometimes putting it out there in the ether helps.

 

I totally agree, getting words out helps a lot! Sometimes it takes me writing it down to really process it and understand it.

 

Sometimes I fall asleep on the couch, too. I think it's all about going with the flow. Sometimes I'll be in situations where I'm not home and I start to feel legitimate sleepiness coming on, and I think "crap! I'm wasting this opportunity!" LOL.

 

Thanks for sharing, too! I like to hear how others are doing and tracking progress. It certainly helps to cheer each other on.

[[te...]]

Im tapering slowly..and getting 8-10 hrs of sleep my body is always tired!

 

8-10 hours is superb! Your body must need it.

[[te...]]

Newest update, so I took mirtazapine wed night... and had a bad day yesterday so told myself i would just take it and not even think about trying to sleep just because i knew i was already wound up. well, guess what, I fell asleep without it. it was not a restful night, i woke up at least 5x, once i got up to use the bathroom, but i mostly fell back to sleep after each wakeup, even a pretty active one at 3:30am where my brain wouldn't shut down. I don't feel too terrible today, so hopefully its a good sign. i always feel relief when the weekends come because i take the pressure off myself to sleep.

[[Ni...]]

What probiotic are you taking?  I've been searching for a good one.  Do you feel groggy the next day after using mirtzapine?  I sometimes take a 1/2 of a doxylamine succinate OTC, and wake up groggy and the sleep isn't very good.

[[te...]]

What probiotic are you taking?  I've been searching for a good one.  Do you feel groggy the next day after using mirtzapine?  I sometimes take a 1/2 of a doxylamine succinate OTC, and wake up groggy and the sleep isn't very good.

 

Hi there!

It is called probiotic 225. They come in little packets, its a powder. I do half a packet in a drink or my cereal. The first day I had a stomach issue (TMI) but it's been fine since! Supposedly this helps us absorb vitamins better, keeps digestion on point, AND helps our neurotransmitters because most of them are in the gut! I hope you find one you like. I *do* feel groggy after mirtazapine. It's weird, I wake up and feel like getting up but all day feel like I could go back to sleep at any second. It wears off by lunchtime or so. I actually love doxylamine (the unisom brand). I don't take it every day, but the times I've taken it it's worked well and I haven't been too drowsy. I think our bodies are all different and respond in different ways. For me, the best things that don't make me drowsy are anything herbal or supplement form. I had been using these things called melatonin ultra, they were pretty cool and didn't make me tired the next day. I wish an acupuncturist could come to my house every night and give me a treatment and then sneak the needles out without waking me up. That seriously helps so much!