Some thoughts about managing Insomnia

[[Bu...]]

 

Hello Buddies,

 

Oh Insomnia! Whether it’s the reason for us starting benzo’s to begin with or a curse from quitting them, insomnia can be debilitating and often exacerbates other withdrawal symptoms. Eventually the insomnia from a taper does subside and even sometimes goes away completely.  It will get easier, we learn to cope and settle with less, acceptance and lowering expectations. For many the original insomnia that led them to benzos to begin with is long gone and sleep returns to normal but not always, we still may need to find other non-benzo products and methods for sleep.

 

Many have sent me PM’s over the last few months asking what I have learned or could recommend as a result of my long time benzo use, taper and jump as it relates to sleep issues. I thought that I would put together a few things that I learned about sleep, healing GABA receptors and what worked or didn’t. Of course I am not a doctor and everything here should be independently researched and discussed with your physician. I will not riddle this post with IMHO’s, of course all of this is just my opinion based upon personal experience and research.

 

I think that to help diagnose specific sleep stressors that getting cortisol levels checked and a complete blood workup is helpful. We all know that withdrawal is the main cause of insomnia but finding out if cortisol surges or low vitamin levels are exacerbating the problem can only help. Why not treat those deficiencies as well? It can’t hurt. You can order a simple cortisol test and they will email you a very comprehensive analysis of what they find. Similarly, a complete blood workup properly analyzed can point to potential problems. I feel that we really need to know when our cortisol spikes throughout the day and then deal with that if it is out of whack, mine was. After about 10 days of Adrenal Support I could feel the difference, I did not get that second wind cortisol/adrenaline rush right before bedtime. Nor did I crash and need to nap in the afternoon, Sleep got better. At home cortisol test kits can be purchase on Amazon for around $100. Also vitamin D and B levels need to be in balance to support good sleep.

 

From my experience I believe that there are a few stages of Benzo related insomnia. First there is the stage while tapering, the stage right after jumping and then the stage that eventually settles in and becomes the new normal. Different things work at different times, some of those variables will be addressed below.

Having said that, much of what I have learned has led me to understand that good sleep is a result of many different things coming together and not just one magic bullet, benzos excluded, yikes. Basic things that we’ve all heard before always apply like a consistent waking and bedtime schedule, proper diet, alcohol moderation, caffeine limits, sugar limits, daytime sunlight, exercise, breathing therapy, prayer and release, comfy bed, cool temperature while sleeping, even breathe-rite strips. A synergy of things all add up to the optimal conditions that allow sleep to come on naturally and last until the gentle morning alarm.

 

Along those lines I have learned that preparing for sleep begins the moment we open our eyes in the morning. Simple things like having your day planned out the night before, clothes laid out, coffee set and ready, all add up and reduce stress and bedtime anxiety. Getting enough daylight early and as much as possible right away starts the brain and helps to reset the circadian clock.

Specifically, here’s what a good day plan designed for sleep might look like:

 

• Wake up at the same time every day to a nice sounding alarm clock, nothing to harsh, maybe even one of those increasing light alarms. First impressions!

• Lay in bed a while, welcome and greet the new day, say your prayers and thank God for whatever sleep or rest that you did get. Visualize and plan your new day.

• Get some bright light or sunshine right away. You may need to add vitamin D3-K2 to your regimen if you can’t get enough light.

• Eat a high protein breakfast.

• Take your morning vitamins. Supplements to help the brain heal like B vitamins and Omega3 among others are good.

• Try to get at least 20 minutes of exercise every day, but not too close to bedtime. Even just a brisk walk, something!

• Throughout the day limit caffeine, limit or stop nicotine and all other stimulants, limit sugar intake.

• Also throughout the day, say to yourself, tonight I will sleep so well. Just a few times a day repeat the phrase “tonight I will sleep easily and soundly, my sleep is getting better and better and will return to normal soon.” It is a post hypnotic suggestion for self-hypnosis, it works! If you do get sleepy during the day try to hold it off and try to recapture that feeling later at bedtime.  If you need to take a nap that’s okay, a 20-30 minute nap is wonderful. When you wake up remind yourself that you do know how to sleep and that tonight you will also sleep well.

• Have a nice healthy dinner. Eat good real food, lots of veggies. Stay away from hormones that have been added to food and milk.

• Take evening vitamins, Niacinamide, Omega3, magnesium, whatever works.

• Take a brisk walk or exercise.

• Within a couple of hours before bedtime, try not to watch, read or engage in any activity that gets you fired up, be boring, No excitatory movies, books or TV shows that might make you excited or angry. Anything that creates a fight or flight response should be strictly avoided. I know that this is not always possible but try to get your family members to help with all of this, shape their routines to limit your stress and help you unwind. 

• If taking supplements for sleep start your dosing schedule 2-3 hours before bedtime.

• Seriously create a good well planned nighttime ritual. Reverse the light form the morning... Slowly reduce the light that comes into contact with your body and eyes. The pituitary gland creates melatonin and other sleep hormones as light is reduced. 2 hours before bedtime no more TV or computer at all, turn down or off lights, find a small book light or candle and go someplace quiet and read a book, a boring book!

• An evening snack of carbs before bed is good, just not too heavy. Oatmeal, rice, cereal or cookies with milk 30-60 minutes before bed works well for me. Maybe some advil and 81mg aspirin.

• A warm magnesium lavender bath? Spoil yourself. Foot and hand acupressure points for sleep.

• 30 minutes before bed do some slow stretches, deep breathing exercises, yoga, acupressure, try to induce yawning.

• At some point say your prayers. Release all anger, sadness and fear, give it all to God, you don’t have to worry any more, FORGIVE! Then ask God to heal you and thank him for what he has given you and for getting you on the path to healing. Ask for healing. Humble yourself before the creator, there is nothing to prove, no ego to promote or defend before God, he knows it all already.

• Maybe start a white noise sound machine that induces sleep, they do work! And go to Bed!

• As you lay in bed let your inner voice be calm and soft like a mother might soothe a restless child. Don’t berate yourself or stress over sleep. Try to clear all thoughts. As thoughts and troubles enter your mind, quietly thank them for trying to protect you but dismiss them and say “I will deal with this tomorrow, now I will rest.”

• Try to visualize complete blackness or any other calming vision, maybe recite a gentle mantra, countdown backwards. Let your inner voice get quieter and quieter as you do this.

• There are a few Binaural beat recordings that worked well for me to induce sleep, they can be found on YouTube and converted to MP3 files and listened to in bed.

• Visualize yourself in a room with a bunch of family and friends, no one is talking they are all just smiling and then they start to yawn one at a time and then they all are yawning, then see yourself yawning too. Then everyone starts to doze off and fall asleep... see yourself falling asleep too... Yawning is contagious and releases brain chemical that helps with sleep, try to fake yawn and induce real yawning.

• Try to remember times in your life when you were so very sleepy and you slept easily; maybe one time on a plane or in a boring class or something. Just try to remember when you were sleepy and slept easily. Then bring back that feeling to the present.

• Think of times in your life when sleep was not an issue, try to absorb that energy and vibration and bring it back to now.

• If you wake up at night, don’t fight it… sometimes cool fresh air for a few minutes is helpful. Having .5mg of sublingual melatonin by your night stand will help put you back out. In my case a single puff of CBN puts me back out fast.

 

So, that’s what a daily cycle to help promote sleep might look like, everyone’s routine will be slightly different and may change as the taper progresses and then ends. But the principal withstands; everything that we do from the moment we awaken until bedtime will have some effect on our sleep processes and rhythms.

 

A little about supplements. Of course, everyone is different, many people cannot tolerate vitamins or supplements at all, too bad really, they can be very effective in treating wd symptoms. I have noticed that different things act differently during the stages of tapering and cessation, so trying various things at different times may be worth a try. For instance, cortisol spikes during early wd can make magnesium and B vitamins too revving for some but later as things settle down they can be super calming.

 

There are a few effective supplements and even prescription medications that are reasonably safe to take during taper to combat insomnia that will not slow down or confuse the healing GABA and Glutamate receptors, (too much).

 

A few prescription medications such as Flexeril 10mg, Phenergan 25mg and even Gabapentin 200-300mg can bring on the needed sedation. But do not take these more than one or two days in a row and no more than twice a week, mix them in with other supplement recipes. Similarly, diphenhydramine and doxylamine succinate can induce sleepiness and can be cycled on and off without too much trouble. Many people also use SSRI’s during and after taper to help with sleep, but I feel that since they predominately work “in the brain” they are best avoided during and after taper lest they confuse the healing. 

 

Supplements like GABA, Bacopa Monneiri, Relora, Theanine, magnesium, cannabis, CBN and even Taurine and KAVA can also help with sleep during and after taper. It’s true that Taurine is a mild GABA agonist and may slightly slow down healing but it works well and may be worth the trade off in moderation. Kava Kava Tea is probably okay on occasion 1-2 hours before bed, its action as a GABA agonist needs more research, but again the trade-off is worth it if it works as an anxiolytic and helps with sedation for sleep. Things like Valerian, Passion Flower and other mild GABA agonists may work well in treating wd symptoms for some and may be safe after taper if really needed but they should be avoided during taper.  Here is a list of other various supplements below and if they affect healing or not.

 

Cannabis – Many people cannot handle any cannabis products during taper. Most THC strains can cause anxiety spikes and cannot be tolerated during taper. CBD is good for anxiety and if it can be added to or found in a low THC strain and then consumed cannabis may be effective for sleep. But generally speaking while CBD is good at fighting anxiety and other WD symptoms it is not necessarily good for sleep all by itself. If consuming cannabis in an edible, be careful and take a small dose of 2-3mg at first and see how it treats you, consume the edible 2 hours before bedtime. If smoked or vaped, titrate slowly with 1 or 2 puffs at first and again see how it treats you. Smoking or vaping THC for sleep should be done 30-45 minutes before bedtime. By far the most effective cannabinoid for sleep is CBN. It is the byproduct of THC as it degrades and can cause sedation at doses between 2-10mg. interestingly that is a similar mg dose as valium for sleep. Consuming CBN in an edible 1-2 hours before bedtime can be a very powerful sedative and can help with both sleep initiation and maintenance. If smoking or vaping CBN a few puffs 20 minutes before bedtime will usually work well for most, titrate slowly as needed. CBN is hard to find but it can be made very easily from any available marijuana. I have attached a link below on how to make CBN and mix it in to edibles, or one can just smoke/vape it.

 

Melatonin – Less is more. Too many people take too much melatonin; doses of 5-10mg are too much and can actually cause excitation. Smaller doses of .5-1mg works well when taken sublingually. An all-natural dissolvable brand placed under tongue right when you lay down works good and fast. Leaving a small .5mg dose by the nightstand for early awakenings can help you fall back asleep. The small dose will not leave a heavy hangover for most people.

 

Tryptophan/5htp/serotonin/melatonin. It is worth noting that the body makes the sleep hormone melatonin from serotonin naturally by action of the pituitary gland as night time comes and light is reduced. So again reducing lights towards bedtime and making sure that the body has enough serotonin from a good diet and or tryptophan or 5htp supplementation is very important. For sleep Tryptophan can be very helpful at 250-1000mg. Or even 5htp at 50-200mg will also convert to serotonin and then eventually melatonin as the body needs it. Taken at least 1 hour before bed time gives them time to convert and take effect. Many suffering from benzo wd symptoms also have other issues related to low serotonin. Doctors prescribe SSRI’s which just basically recycle the bodies existing supplies of serotonin in the brain. Adding to the serotonin supply can be just as effective for many people as SSRI’s. It is important to be very careful if already taking an SSRI as adding serotonin from tryptophan or 5htp can cause too much serotonin in the brain possibly leading to a potentially serious condition called “serotonin syndrome.” Like everything else tryptophan and melatonin should be cycled on and off to maintain its effectiveness.

 

Bacopa Monneiri – 200-300mg (Containing 20% bacosides) Taken 1 hour before bedtime can help bring on mild sedation. It also may be helpful during taper in other ways. It has been shown in studies firstly to not be a GABA Receptor agonist, but has in fact been shown to upregulate down-regulated GABA receptors, which means it could prove highly useful in helping to treat Benzo withdrawal side effects.

 

Rhodiola Rosea – Is an anxiolytic and can help with sleep. It increases levels of endorphins and can inhibit the release of cortisol. 200mg taken 2 hours before bedtime may help reduce nighttime cortisol surges. Less Rhodiola works better than too much.

 

Relora – Is also an anxiolytic. It too reduces cortisol levels. It also causes sedation which can be helpful for sleep initiation. 250mg taken 1 hour before bedtime works well.

 

Theanine is my absolute favorite natural anxiolytic. It is a unique amino acid found almost exclusively in the tea plant. It possesses neuroprotective, mood-enhancing, and relaxation properties.  It does not function as a GABA agonist, yet it upregulates the production of GABA within the brain. It is a glutamate receptor antagonist and also enhances alpha wave production within the brain. This can be taken 1-2 hours before bedtime or throughout the day for anxiety.

 

The effective use of supplements and various blends can be a process of trial and error but once a good mix is found they can be very helpful at mitigating the effects of benzo wd insomnia. The key is to not take any one recipe or mix too many days in a row, rotate them. Adding in Tylenol, Advil or low dose aspirin can potentiate supplement doses also, hopefully bringing on the needed relaxation and sedation for sleep to come.

 

So there are a few of things that I have learned to get the needed sleep during my Benzo taper and post jump. This list is by no means exhaustive, there are other things that work. But before I got a handle on this there were nights when I only got 1-2 hours of sleep and some days zero. As I started to use supplements, over the counter and even some prescription sleep aids my taper became much easier. I received enough sleep to function well and that of course lessened the other daytime wd effects such as anxiety. But without a doubt learning to live with less sleep and managing my expectations were among the most valuable tools as I tapered. We got spoiled taking a benzo and getting knocked out for sleep now we have to re-learn the normal and sometimes methodical process of getting healthy natural sleep.

 

I hope that this was helpful and not too long. By all means please add your “secrets” and other contributions to this post, we're all in this together... All the best of healing and sleep to all of my friends here at BB.

 

 

Wilson 

 

Making CBN

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=168380.0

 

[[MT...]]

Helpful post. Thanks BB. I'm glad you're doing so much better

 

MT

[[Ch...]]

I very much enjoyed reading your well written comprehensive post...it will be helpful for anyone who reads it...even though I am 90% recovered, you spoke my truth so many times.

Thank you...

[[Bl...]]

Wilson:

 

That's a great post, full of very helpful info for us sleep deprived souls. I do have very high cortisol and do have been treating it with a few adaptogen herbs but it still feels like it's chugging through me at night. Could you please tell me what adrenal support you used?  Also I recently tried a CBN oil with very little thc but it rev'd me up so much that sleep was impossible, have you heard of these reactions?

 

 

 

Thank you,

Blue

[[Bu...]]

Hi Blue,

 

I used "Adrenal Support by Gaia", morning and afternoon, It had Ashwaghanda and a few other things in it... My cortisol was a little high at night. Relora and Rhodiola helped with the spikes for me. Also look in to L-Glutamine for lowering cortisol levels at night. (I often wonder if this stuff really worked or I was just getting better anyhow... I think it worked.) 

 

Yes I have heard of people getting revved from CBN, CBD and THC. I recommend taking cannabinoids at least 2 hours before sleep, after the rev, the crash... I too can get a little revved if I take too much CBN.

 

FWIW, Supplements can be tricky when symptoms are bad during taper; what would be calming for a non-benzo user might be the exact opposite for us in wd. It is almost as if the brake and the gas pedals have been switched in our brains. And that's what down-regulated GABA and up-regulated Glutamate receptors act like. Early in my taper, strong coffee would make me super sleepy in the daytime, everything seems flipped at times.

 

Hope this helped,

 

Wilson 

 

 

[[Bl...]]

Wilson:

 

Thank you for that detailed reply, I do appreciate all your explanations and suggestions. I think I will try the adrenal support that you mentioned. That's a very interesting observation re our neuro transmitters being all topsy turvy during w/d..it's true , we just never know how we will react .

 

Glad to hear you have healed nicely and sleep is much better now, it gives me so much hope 

 

Blue

[[be...]]

Hi everyone,

    This is my first post, after doing lots of reading. I am about 1 1/2 months into what I expect will be about 16 months of tapering. Thanks Wilson for the extensive recap of what helped you!

 

    I've found that for me theanine only works during the day, as it has no drowsiness effect, and is also only supposed to work on an empty stomach, so when my tummy is full, I use tart cherry extract instead and find it helps a lot.

 

    I could not sleep more than two hours a night, if that, before I found Seriphos. I could not afford the cost of an alternative clinic to get an ASI read for me, so I experimented and it was obvious that cortisol spikes were a problem, despite my previous ASI tests having shown slightly low cortisol at the 4 standard times. I would have needed a 5th tube around 4 am to show the spike. I take Seriphos 1 1/2 hrs. before bedtime. When I wake up in about 2 hours, I take it's weaker cousin, PhosphatidylSerine, combined with 500 mgs. to 1 gram of L-tryptophan (alternating nights with tart cherry extract). The reason I do not take a second dose of Seriphos is that it is so strong, I stagger like a drunk in the morning and have trouble getting myself going. It lasts several hours.

 

    Even Seriphos does not always work, despite my feeling so relaxed I can't move a muscle,  so I lie there and try to rest and create my own dream in my mind, as that sometimes works. If that does not work after half an hour, I get up, always making sure I wear my orange glasses, (about $9 at Amazon), and go answer emails for awhile. In addition to wearing the orange glasses whenever I get up at night and for an hour before bedtime, all night lights in our house have been changed to red bulbs, and clocks with red numbers have replaced blue ones.

 

    Still, I am down to an average of a very broken 3-4 hrs. per night, despite my doctor adding 10 mgs. valium at bedtime to smooth over the drops in blood level that come from cutting directly from xanax. He refused to change me over to valium completely.

 

    This is my 5th time completely withdrawing from benzos and I had zero problems the other times, on a lower dose and after a maximum of 12 yrs. on the drug. I believe I have so much trouble now due to kindling from previous withdrawals, being on them for 33 yrs. now, having other serious illnesses, and from already being in tolerance withdrawal before starting, since my sleep had already been pushed back from 8 to 5-6 hours. I thought that meant I needed another raise in dose, and decided it was time to get off, against my doctor's protests that the stress might kill me and the time required to withdraw safely might take up what time I had left.

 

However, I'd read about PAWS by then, which made me furious, and my brain was acting as if I were coming down with early dementia and the research scared the hell out of me. Then I saw Dr. Amen's PBS special on SPECT scanning of the brain in which he showed a brain on benzos with ditched out areas all over it, and slowed down by 92%, and that did it.

 

      The first 4 times I got off benzos were over 20 yrs. ago and I thought my worsening symptoms  after withdrawal was over for weeks meant I needed the drug for muscle spasms from my fibromyalgia, which was why I'd been put on it, so I went back on.  (Beating fists with hindsight frustration).

 

    I cannot take Phenergan due to a heart rhythm problem, but for those who can, I think that would be a great short term solution, since it is used to make people sleepy and calm before surgery and is not addictive.

 

      Sorry this got so long. If anyone else has used Seriphos and knows what to do once you are required to go off it in 3 months, please let me know. I can't seem to find out why, but am guessing that the manufacturer is afraid that if your cortisol remains too high for that long, you may crash into low cortisol, in which case the supplement would make you worse, not better. They do not want to get sued if you develop Addison's Disease. Just a guess. At this point, Seriphos is my savior and nothing else comes close.

 

    I was in such awful shape without it, that my doctor is requiring me to see a therapist, so I picked a holistic one, since I do not want to exchange one addictive drug for another. I have not seen her yet and am praying she won't try to force me onto an anti-dep, since I am convinced my depression is at least partly caused by xanax, along with a lot of the other symptoms of the disease I am supposed to have.

 

    Thanx to anyone who read this far. 

 

   

 

[[So...]]

Very insightful and well written suggestions. I am one of those persons that believe in supplementation, amino acids, healthy diet, exercise, prayer, meditation, acupuncture, CBT, and others, never tried the Cannabis (which I believe it is now legal to buy it online, in the form of gummies???). When I decided to change Pdoc, I decided this time that I was going to try a holistic Pdoc. Well she tested me to see if my cortisol levels were high at night contributing to my insomnia (my main symptom), and there were. No other doctor did this for me before, and I was labeled bipolar and put in an array of meds that made me more sick than better. Well I am off of them on my own account. I never used psych meds in my life and was able to sleep okay with any aids either until I say this psychiatrist two years ago that told me I had bipolar II. I was very skeptical and questioned her diagnosis because she did not do any testing or scans; but I was so desperately wanting to sleep normally that I fell into the trap of benzos for the first time. After eight months I told her I wanted out because I was sicker than when I started. Never suffered from bad anxiety, but the meds I was on were giving me panic attacks. I told her that and of course added one more layer to my history, GAD. This is when I decided to switch doc and learned for the first time about cortisol levels; I felt so naive and stupid that I didn't know any better before. Anyway, this new doc recommended me a supplement called Calm CP (a phosphotadylserine) by Neuroscience. It really has helped me a lot. I have taken it on and off for the last months. My sleep is better, but not quite yet like it used to be. I am still in the process of tapering, and I am lucky that is going fairly well; however, I am upset now because this supplement has doubled its price since I started taking it; now it costs a mere $57 for 60 capsules. It is robbery. I buy this supplement at Amazon, and it offers the cheapest price at $52...still very pricey. I cannot afford it. This whole pharma/supplement business is also so corrupt, especially when there are no guidelines/rules to monitor their business activities. It is sad, and now I have to try other more affordable supplements. I am thinking Rhodiola, Relora, Seriphos, but I will consult this with my holistic doc as well. I have also tried Calms forte which is homeopathic supplement, and sometimes it works as well. Melatonin and theanine are my favorites though. But I just wish I didn't have to rely on these either. I know my body knows how to sleep, but as I have aged I have noticed some changes in my sleep pattern. Old those good life changing habits that you mention are essential as well. My doc also believes that I need to cut the Wifi in my home(anything magnetic which affects the brain waves)...but that is a little too much. I have to have Wifi at home. Well, thanks for posting this and giving hope to all who struggle with sleep, which I assume is most of us. I will definitely use your 'mantra' of self-hypnosis.

[[Bu...]]

Awesome Sun and Moon...

 

I agree checking cortisol is easy to do and could quickly identify a central issue, which can be easily addressed. Yep Naturopathic Doctors are awesome, they have a whole different set of tools and are not beholden to Big Pharma and quick fixes. I spent 2 hours with mine at my first visit, 2 HOURS! Most Docs 5-10 minutes... 

 

Your sleep will return... As we age our bodies produce less and less melatonin, sometimes zero. Low dose melatonin supplementation, even long term, may be a good thing for us, even better if it comes from our diets... Web MD also has a few good articles about its benefits as an anti-oxidant.

 

Thanks for your thoughtful comments,

 

Wilson 

 

Wilson

 

PS: Are you making plans for the "sun and moon" dance on August 21st? (google)

[[Bu...]]

Hi BBG,

 

How cool that your first post was on one of mine!

 

First of all, it is interesting that Theanine does not help you for sleep, me either... I recommend it for anxiety. Theanine produces Alpha brain waves, Alpha waves are found in pre and early sleep. Maybe it keeps us in alpha and doesn't let us drop off to delta and theta wave sleep.

 

Nice write up on Seriphos and PhosphatidylSerine, I too had some successes with that.

 

Good luck with your taper, prayers sent... 

 

Wilson

 

 

 

 

[[So...]]

Well, since I quit alcohol I will not be attending any festivals of the Sun & Moon in which mainly will serve alcohol; but since I am a yoga practicioner I will go to the Yoga Fest in my town to practice and sun salutation, moon poses, breathing techniques and relaxation. Yoga is also helping me with anxiety, digestion, concentration, balance, and strength. I truly recommended it, but I understand it is not for everyone. There is another form practice Qi Qong that is smoother than Tai Chi that is also very good for the mind, body, and spirit. But then again, each person should find what works for them and stick with it, that is the key. Can I ask you, are pretty much recovered? Hos is your life now?

 

http://www.sunandmoonhealing.org/

[[Bu...]]

Well, since I quit alcohol I will not be attending any festivals of the Sun & Moon in which mainly will serve alcohol; but since I am a yoga practicioner I will go to the Yoga Fest in my town to practice and sun salutation, moon poses, breathing techniques and relaxation. Yoga is also helping me with anxiety, digestion, concentration, balance, and strength. I truly recommended it, but I understand it is not for everyone. There is another form practice Qi Qong that is smoother than Tai Chi that is also very good for the mind, body, and spirit. But then again, each person should find what works for them and stick with it, that is the key. Can I ask you, are pretty much recovered? Hos is your life now?

 

http://www.sunandmoonhealing.org/

 

Very Cool,

 

Yoga is amazing and has helped me in many ways. Deep breathing which in my opinion is the core of Yoga, is so helpful. Breathing is the primary way that the body de-toxes, 300 million dead cells a day!

 

My Moon Sun reference missed, I guess... I was referring to the total eclipse of the sun on August 21st. A swath from the northwest to the southeast of the US. Eclipses are incredible events, even spiritual in some ways.

 

I am doing very well thanks for asking. The only symptom that persists is poor sleep from time to time, but that's also getting better. I have several go-to "stacks" of supplements that I can use if needed, but for the most part I take nothing and sleep is okay.  I have come to understand that when it comes to sleep that what I want and what I need are two different things; I manage my expectations accordingly, it's all good. When I look back at my days before I got this all figured out and was experiencing many horrible symptoms, I count my blessings and am so very grateful to be where I am. I have re-learned to trust the process of healing and have un-learned having unrealistic expectations.

 

I am a huge proponent in the power of the mind and have learned to use it to "program" the body to heal in specific ways. This skill was helpful to me during and after taper. Visualizations of desired healing manifests that healing. For too many the opposite also has power.

 

Fondly,

 

Wilson 

 

[[So...]]

Good morning: It is a beautiful, sunny day in my city today. I am ready for Spring and will try to go for a walk before going to work. Have a question about the Seriphos and Phosphatidylserine, what brand do you recommend (if you tried any)? Like I said, I have been using Calm CP on and off, but it is so pricey now. Last night, I took two capsules because I felt a spike  on my cortisol levels (for the most part the supplement has worked); but then around one am a huge thunder and lightning woke me up and was not able to sleep for anything; I had to resort to Benadryl unfortunately, but it helped me sleep another 4 hours. I rarely have to resort to this, but if I don't get any sleep I am not able to work. I am still trying to find a good combination and routine that will help me with my sleep. It is a struggle for me.  I am afraid as I am going down with my tapering I may have more trouble with sleeping. Also, sorry for not understanding your reference about the eclipse. Yes, indeed, they are amazing events; and I will be looking forward it on August. However, in my case, I used the symbol as to how my state of mind was when I joined BB. I was in total darkness not knowing how to taper. I am glad I found a good buddie here that helped me with it. And, now you are also helping me understand more about 'insomnia'. Hope that my eclipse will clear out more and more once I finish this taper. Thank you. Also,  I would like to apologize for my spelling or if don't make sense in my sentences. English is not my first language. Hope you have a good day! Namase!

[[So...]]

This question is for benzosbegone: If you don't mind me asking,  What kind of Seriphos and Phosphotadylserine do you take and how much? I read your post and I wish much healing and success with your tapering. I am also in the midst of a slow, liquid tapering. My main sxs is poor sleep. It may be due to my high cortisol levels; however, I am thinking about rechecking them again. 

[[Bu...]]

Good morning: It is a beautiful, sunny day in my city today. I am ready for Spring and will try to go for a walk before going to work. Have a question about the Seriphos and Phosphatidylserine, what brand do you recommend (if you tried any)? Like I said, I have been using Calm CP on and off, but it is so pricey now. Last night, I took two capsules because I felt a spike  on my cortisol levels (for the most part the supplement has worked); but then around one am a huge thunder and lightning woke me up and was not able to sleep for anything; I had to resort to Benadryl unfortunately, but it helped me sleep another 4 hours. I rarely have to resort to this, but if I don't get any sleep I am not able to work. I am still trying to find a good combination and routine that will help me with my sleep. It is a struggle for me.  I am afraid as I am going down with my tapering I may have more trouble with sleeping. Also, sorry for not understanding your reference about the eclipse. Yes, indeed, they are amazing events; and I will be looking forward it on August. However, in my case, I used the symbol as to how my state of mind was when I joined BB. I was in total darkness not knowing how to taper. I am glad I found a good buddie here that helped me with it. And, now you are also helping me understand more about 'insomnia'. Hope that my eclipse will clear out more and more once I finish this taper. Thank you. Also,  I would like to apologize for my spelling or if don't make sense in my sentences. English is not my first language. Hope you have a good day! Namase!

 

Hello SunMoon...

 

Your attitude is awesome! isn't spring time magical? The glorious rebirth and promise of our creator, amazing. We as Benzo survivors have a spring time of our lives and so much to look forward to and be grateful of.

 

For nigh time awakenings try this melatonin, it is very good, works fast and super low dose. It works for me within a few minutes and puts me back out every time...

 

I used this Seriphos with good results. Once I got my adrenal glands s back in shape I no longer needed it.

 

Seriphos

https://www.amazon.com/Seriphos-Adaptogen-Adrenal-InterPlexus-capsules/dp/B00747NHTI/ref=sr_1_2_s_it?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1490196753&sr=1-2&keywords=seriphos

 

Excellent melatonin!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C3Q5JVE/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

By the way your English is excellent!

 

Namaste!

 

Wilson 

[[So...]]

Good morning: How are you this lovely day? Here is so beautiful and sunny; definitely a great day to get some sun, light and produce some melatonin I posted an interesting article on the post about 'melatonin hygiene'; I am still getting educated about this since I would like to wean off this as well. By the way, how did you know when your adrenals were okay and you did not need the Seriphos anymore?

 

 

[[Bu...]]

Good morning: How are you this lovely day? Here is so beautiful and sunny; definitely a great day to get some sun, light and produce some melatonin I posted an interesting article on the post about 'melatonin hygiene'; I am still getting educated about this since I would like to wean off this as well. By the way, how did you know when your adrenals were okay and you did not need the Seriphos anymore?

 

Good morning Sunshine!

 

Yes it is a beautiful spring day here as well, going to  be almost 70 degrees! I will read the article that you posted from Dr Oz...

 

So good question... I was supporting/treating my adrenals with "adrenal support" during the day as well as taking the Seriphos at night for sleep... Once I noticed that the night-time surges had abated after  6 or 8 weeks I felt that I didn't need the Seriphos any longer, but I continued on the Adrenal support for a while longer. As a rule I do not like taking anything so I stopped as soon as I saw good progress.

 

Seriphos dealt with the symptoms of high night time cortisol and the Adrenal support treated the adrenal glands and the overall cortisol imbalance, make sense?

 

All the best,

 

 

Wilson 

 

 

[[Bu...]]

{Linked} for Ydman

[[Al...]]

There are a lot of good behavioral tips, but wouldn't all these powerful GABAA modulators slow down or eliminate healing and make insomnia worse in the long run?

[[ni...]]

Buhbyebenzos, I just noticed that sleepytime tea has Valerian in it.  :tickedoff:I've been drinking it at bedtime for a month or so.  Should I taper off or just stop? Thanks for your well written suggestions!

[[ci...]]

 

Hello Buddies,

 

Oh Insomnia! Whether it’s the reason for us starting benzo’s to begin with or a curse from quitting them, insomnia can be debilitating and often exacerbates other withdrawal symptoms. Eventually the insomnia from a taper does subside and even sometimes goes away completely.  It will get easier, we learn to cope and settle with less, acceptance and lowering expectations. For many the original insomnia that led them to benzos to begin with is long gone and sleep returns to normal but not always, we still may need to find other non-benzo products and methods for sleep.

 

Many have sent me PM’s over the last few months asking what I have learned or could recommend as a result of my long time benzo use, taper and jump as it relates to sleep issues. I thought that I would put together a few things that I learned about sleep, healing GABA receptors and what worked or didn’t. Of course I am not a doctor and everything here should be independently researched and discussed with your physician. I will not riddle this post with IMHO’s, of course all of this is just my opinion based upon personal experience and research.

 

I think that to help diagnose specific sleep stressors that getting cortisol levels checked and a complete blood workup is helpful. We all know that withdrawal is the main cause of insomnia but finding out if cortisol surges or low vitamin levels are exacerbating the problem can only help. Why not treat those deficiencies as well? It can’t hurt. You can order a simple cortisol test and they will email you a very comprehensive analysis of what they find. Similarly, a complete blood workup properly analyzed can point to potential problems. I feel that we really need to know when our cortisol spikes throughout the day and then deal with that if it is out of whack, mine was. After about 10 days of Adrenal Support I could feel the difference, I did not get that second wind cortisol/adrenaline rush right before bedtime. Nor did I crash and need to nap in the afternoon, Sleep got better. At home cortisol test kits can be purchase on Amazon for around $100. Also vitamin D and B levels need to be in balance to support good sleep.

 

From my experience I believe that there are a few stages of Benzo related insomnia. First there is the stage while tapering, the stage right after jumping and then the stage that eventually settles in and becomes the new normal. Different things work at different times, some of those variables will be addressed below.

Having said that, much of what I have learned has led me to understand that good sleep is a result of many different things coming together and not just one magic bullet, benzos excluded, yikes. Basic things that we’ve all heard before always apply like a consistent waking and bedtime schedule, proper diet, alcohol moderation, caffeine limits, sugar limits, daytime sunlight, exercise, breathing therapy, prayer and release, comfy bed, cool temperature while sleeping, even breathe-rite strips. A synergy of things all add up to the optimal conditions that allow sleep to come on naturally and last until the gentle morning alarm.

 

Along those lines I have learned that preparing for sleep begins the moment we open our eyes in the morning. Simple things like having your day planned out the night before, clothes laid out, coffee set and ready, all add up and reduce stress and bedtime anxiety. Getting enough daylight early and as much as possible right away starts the brain and helps to reset the circadian clock.

Specifically, here’s what a good day plan designed for sleep might look like:

 

• Wake up at the same time every day to a nice sounding alarm clock, nothing to harsh, maybe even one of those increasing light alarms. First impressions!

• Lay in bed a while, welcome and greet the new day, say your prayers and thank God for whatever sleep or rest that you did get. Visualize and plan your new day.

• Get some bright light or sunshine right away. You may need to add vitamin D3-K2 to your regimen if you can’t get enough light.

• Eat a high protein breakfast.

• Take your morning vitamins. Supplements to help the brain heal like B vitamins and Omega3 among others are good.

• Try to get at least 20 minutes of exercise every day, but not too close to bedtime. Even just a brisk walk, something!

• Throughout the day limit caffeine, limit or stop nicotine and all other stimulants, limit sugar intake.

• Also throughout the day, say to yourself, tonight I will sleep so well. Just a few times a day repeat the phrase “tonight I will sleep easily and soundly, my sleep is getting better and better and will return to normal soon.” It is a post hypnotic suggestion for self-hypnosis, it works! If you do get sleepy during the day try to hold it off and try to recapture that feeling later at bedtime.  If you need to take a nap that’s okay, a 20-30 minute nap is wonderful. When you wake up remind yourself that you do know how to sleep and that tonight you will also sleep well.

• Have a nice healthy dinner. Eat good real food, lots of veggies. Stay away from hormones that have been added to food and milk.

• Take evening vitamins, Niacinamide, Omega3, magnesium, whatever works.

• Take a brisk walk or exercise.

• Within a couple of hours before bedtime, try not to watch, read or engage in any activity that gets you fired up, be boring, No excitatory movies, books or TV shows that might make you excited or angry. Anything that creates a fight or flight response should be strictly avoided. I know that this is not always possible but try to get your family members to help with all of this, shape their routines to limit your stress and help you unwind. 

• If taking supplements for sleep start your dosing schedule 2-3 hours before bedtime.

• Seriously create a good well planned nighttime ritual. Reverse the light form the morning... Slowly reduce the light that comes into contact with your body and eyes. The pituitary gland creates melatonin and other sleep hormones as light is reduced. 2 hours before bedtime no more TV or computer at all, turn down or off lights, find a small book light or candle and go someplace quiet and read a book, a boring book!

• An evening snack of carbs before bed is good, just not too heavy. Oatmeal, rice, cereal or cookies with milk 30-60 minutes before bed works well for me. Maybe some advil and 81mg aspirin.

• A warm magnesium lavender bath? Spoil yourself. Foot and hand acupressure points for sleep.

• 30 minutes before bed do some slow stretches, deep breathing exercises, yoga, acupressure, try to induce yawning.

• At some point say your prayers. Release all anger, sadness and fear, give it all to God, you don’t have to worry any more, FORGIVE! Then ask God to heal you and thank him for what he has given you and for getting you on the path to healing. Ask for healing. Humble yourself before the creator, there is nothing to prove, no ego to promote or defend before God, he knows it all already.

• Maybe start a white noise sound machine that induces sleep, they do work! And go to Bed!

• As you lay in bed let your inner voice be calm and soft like a mother might soothe a restless child. Don’t berate yourself or stress over sleep. Try to clear all thoughts. As thoughts and troubles enter your mind, quietly thank them for trying to protect you but dismiss them and say “I will deal with this tomorrow, now I will rest.”

• Try to visualize complete blackness or any other calming vision, maybe recite a gentle mantra, countdown backwards. Let your inner voice get quieter and quieter as you do this.

• There are a few Binaural beat recordings that worked well for me to induce sleep, they can be found on YouTube and converted to MP3 files and listened to in bed.

• Visualize yourself in a room with a bunch of family and friends, no one is talking they are all just smiling and then they start to yawn one at a time and then they all are yawning, then see yourself yawning too. Then everyone starts to doze off and fall asleep... see yourself falling asleep too... Yawning is contagious and releases brain chemical that helps with sleep, try to fake yawn and induce real yawning.

• Try to remember times in your life when you were so very sleepy and you slept easily; maybe one time on a plane or in a boring class or something. Just try to remember when you were sleepy and slept easily. Then bring back that feeling to the present.

• Think of times in your life when sleep was not an issue, try to absorb that energy and vibration and bring it back to now.

• If you wake up at night, don’t fight it… sometimes cool fresh air for a few minutes is helpful. Having .5mg of sublingual melatonin by your night stand will help put you back out. In my case a single puff of CBN puts me back out fast.

 

So, that’s what a daily cycle to help promote sleep might look like, everyone’s routine will be slightly different and may change as the taper progresses and then ends. But the principal withstands; everything that we do from the moment we awaken until bedtime will have some effect on our sleep processes and rhythms.

 

A little about supplements. Of course, everyone is different, many people cannot tolerate vitamins or supplements at all, too bad really, they can be very effective in treating wd symptoms. I have noticed that different things act differently during the stages of tapering and cessation, so trying various things at different times may be worth a try. For instance, cortisol spikes during early wd can make magnesium and B vitamins too revving for some but later as things settle down they can be super calming.

 

There are a few effective supplements and even prescription medications that are reasonably safe to take during taper to combat insomnia that will not slow down or confuse the healing GABA and Glutamate receptors, (too much).

 

A few prescription medications such as Flexeril 10mg, Phenergan 25mg and even Gabapentin 200-300mg can bring on the needed sedation. But do not take these more than one or two days in a row and no more than twice a week, mix them in with other supplement recipes. Similarly, diphenhydramine and doxylamine succinate can induce sleepiness and can be cycled on and off without too much trouble. Many people also use SSRI’s during and after taper to help with sleep, but I feel that since they predominately work “in the brain” they are best avoided during and after taper lest they confuse the healing. 

 

Supplements like GABA, Bacopa Monneiri, Relora, Theanine, magnesium, cannabis, CBN and even Taurine and KAVA can also help with sleep during and after taper. It’s true that Taurine is a mild GABA agonist and may slightly slow down healing but it works well and may be worth the trade off in moderation. Kava Kava Tea is probably okay on occasion 1-2 hours before bed, its action as a GABA agonist needs more research, but again the trade-off is worth it if it works as an anxiolytic and helps with sedation for sleep. Things like Valerian, Passion Flower and other mild GABA agonists may work well in treating wd symptoms for some and may be safe after taper if really needed but they should be avoided during taper.  Here is a list of other various supplements below and if they affect healing or not.

 

Cannabis – Many people cannot handle any cannabis products during taper. Most THC strains can cause anxiety spikes and cannot be tolerated during taper. CBD is good for anxiety and if it can be added to or found in a low THC strain and then consumed cannabis may be effective for sleep. But generally speaking while CBD is good at fighting anxiety and other WD symptoms it is not necessarily good for sleep all by itself. If consuming cannabis in an edible, be careful and take a small dose of 2-3mg at first and see how it treats you, consume the edible 2 hours before bedtime. If smoked or vaped, titrate slowly with 1 or 2 puffs at first and again see how it treats you. Smoking or vaping THC for sleep should be done 30-45 minutes before bedtime. By far the most effective cannabinoid for sleep is CBN. It is the byproduct of THC as it degrades and can cause sedation at doses between 2-10mg. interestingly that is a similar mg dose as valium for sleep. Consuming CBN in an edible 1-2 hours before bedtime can be a very powerful sedative and can help with both sleep initiation and maintenance. If smoking or vaping CBN a few puffs 20 minutes before bedtime will usually work well for most, titrate slowly as needed. CBN is hard to find but it can be made very easily from any available marijuana. I have attached a link below on how to make CBN and mix it in to edibles, or one can just smoke/vape it.

 

Melatonin – Less is more. Too many people take too much melatonin; doses of 5-10mg are too much and can actually cause excitation. Smaller doses of .5-1mg works well when taken sublingually. An all-natural dissolvable brand placed under tongue right when you lay down works good and fast. Leaving a small .5mg dose by the nightstand for early awakenings can help you fall back asleep. The small dose will not leave a heavy hangover for most people.

 

Tryptophan/5htp/serotonin/melatonin. It is worth noting that the body makes the sleep hormone melatonin from serotonin naturally by action of the pituitary gland as night time comes and light is reduced. So again reducing lights towards bedtime and making sure that the body has enough serotonin from a good diet and or tryptophan or 5htp supplementation is very important. For sleep Tryptophan can be very helpful at 250-1000mg. Or even 5htp at 50-200mg will also convert to serotonin and then eventually melatonin as the body needs it. Taken at least 1 hour before bed time gives them time to convert and take effect. Many suffering from benzo wd symptoms also have other issues related to low serotonin. Doctors prescribe SSRI’s which just basically recycle the bodies existing supplies of serotonin in the brain. Adding to the serotonin supply can be just as effective for many people as SSRI’s. It is important to be very careful if already taking an SSRI as adding serotonin from tryptophan or 5htp can cause too much serotonin in the brain possibly leading to a potentially serious condition called “serotonin syndrome.” Like everything else tryptophan and melatonin should be cycled on and off to maintain its effectiveness.

 

Bacopa Monneiri – 200-300mg (Containing 20% bacosides) Taken 1 hour before bedtime can help bring on mild sedation. It also may be helpful during taper in other ways. It has been shown in studies firstly to not be a GABA Receptor agonist, but has in fact been shown to upregulate down-regulated GABA receptors, which means it could prove highly useful in helping to treat Benzo withdrawal side effects.

 

Rhodiola Rosea – Is an anxiolytic and can help with sleep. It increases levels of endorphins and can inhibit the release of cortisol. 200mg taken 2 hours before bedtime may help reduce nighttime cortisol surges. Less Rhodiola works better than too much.

 

Relora – Is also an anxiolytic. It too reduces cortisol levels. It also causes sedation which can be helpful for sleep initiation. 250mg taken 1 hour before bedtime works well.

 

Theanine is my absolute favorite natural anxiolytic. It is a unique amino acid found almost exclusively in the tea plant. It possesses neuroprotective, mood-enhancing, and relaxation properties.  It does not function as a GABA agonist, yet it upregulates the production of GABA within the brain. It is a glutamate receptor antagonist and also enhances alpha wave production within the brain. This can be taken 1-2 hours before bedtime or throughout the day for anxiety.

 

The effective use of supplements and various blends can be a process of trial and error but once a good mix is found they can be very helpful at mitigating the effects of benzo wd insomnia. The key is to not take any one recipe or mix too many days in a row, rotate them. Adding in Tylenol, Advil or low dose aspirin can potentiate supplement doses also, hopefully bringing on the needed relaxation and sedation for sleep to come.

 

So there are a few of things that I have learned to get the needed sleep during my Benzo taper and post jump. This list is by no means exhaustive, there are other things that work. But before I got a handle on this there were nights when I only got 1-2 hours of sleep and some days zero. As I started to use supplements, over the counter and even some prescription sleep aids my taper became much easier. I received enough sleep to function well and that of course lessened the other daytime wd effects such as anxiety. But without a doubt learning to live with less sleep and managing my expectations were among the most valuable tools as I tapered. We got spoiled taking a benzo and getting knocked out for sleep now we have to re-learn the normal and sometimes methodical process of getting healthy natural sleep.

 

I hope that this was helpful and not too long. By all means please add your “secrets” and other contributions to this post, we're all in this together... All the best of healing and sleep to all of my friends here at BB.

 

 

Wilson 

 

Making CBN

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=168380.0

 

Lots of good information.  I thought I would bump it up

[[Li...]]

Indeed lots of good information here. Some of us suffer from early morning insomnia whereby getting to sleep isn't much of an issue, but waking up after 4-5 hours and then not being able to go back to sleep is the main pattern. A lot of the advice here seems to focus mostly on addressing sleep onset insomnia (getting to sleep when first going to bed). It's all still very applicable, but for example, bright light therapy is more useful in the evening for early morning awakening folks than first thing in the morning.

[[fr...]]

Lilac001

  may I ask how you are doing? I am also tapering ativan. Im afraid of going too slow!

[[Li...]]

Lilac001

  may I ask how you are doing? I am also tapering ativan. Im afraid of going too slow!

 

Hi fridaygirl, Thanks for asking. I am doing fairly well. As you can see, I jumped a couple months ago. My sleep is still far from perfect, but it has gradually improved with ups and downs throughout. I'm probably getting around 5-6 hours most nights lately, but I know that can wax and wane. Half the battle is just not making it such a big deal anymore and learning to live with it. I wish you the best of luck in your taper. Everything I have read and learned on here is that going slow is absolutely fine, ideal in fact. I went relatively quickly, but keep in mind I was on Ativan for 11 months vs. many years.

[[fr...]]

thank you I appreciate your advice andwillcontinue slowly. Best of luck.