Which keeps you asleep with no middle of the night insomnia?

[[th...]]

Does restoril or ambien keep you asleep? Have awful middle of night insomnia?

[[Th...]]

Ambien is a Z class drug that works similar to a Benzo.  I would avoid that the same way you avoid rat poison.  It can cause the same horrible withdrawal experience that Benzos cause.

 

Restoril is the BENZO Temazepam.  That was one of the Benzos I took for sleep.  Like all Benzos, they work at first, then stop working.  Again, avoid ALL Benzos and Z class drugs like you would avoid rat poison.

 

CBT-I  (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - Insomnia) has a much better success rate than reaching for a pill. 

[[MT...]]

After decades of believing I had to have a certain kind, and length, of sleep, I learned that it's not a catastrophe if I wake up at night. Most of the time now I can fall back asleep but if I can't I can read, meditate, or do stuff in my imagination to get some relaxation/rest.

 

If I could go back to my younger self, I would advise her, no, I would beg her, "Don't take all of those sleeping pills and benzos. You're ultimately going to have so much more suffering by trying to avoid some relatively minor suffering now."

[[Ma...]]

My physical therapist lately said "Ugh! sleeping all night is overrated!". I can now laugh with her, because I understand what she means. Today it does not bother me any more, the interruption of my sleep is not what makes me feel bad the next day and I can have great days after a night of zero sleep.

If you want your sleep to become natural, its logical you cannot do that with a chemical.

If you have "in the middle of the night insomnia" that means you can sleep before that, so that's good, and maybe even after that, which is also good. read a book, do some homework, clean, whatever... go for a walk, why not. Get rid of the panic, as MTfan said. That will only let your cortisol and adrenaline rise, and going back to sleep becomes difficult. The brain gets rest even if you just PRETEND to nap. Thats what I did in withdrawal, eyes closed and pretending, faking the nap. I still do that, when my body overreacts on something or I have much stress at work, seems my body responses quickly.

You will adopt to your sleep pattern first, and then it might change for the better.

[[tr...]]

Its true you need to shake off what missing sleep "means" to you ...it only creates more anxiety.

 

90% of the time I am sleeping again. this is after a year of horrible broken sleep with horrific nightmares (thank you polydrugging and ativan...).

 

I can go to sleep without meds/supplements. For the most part I stay asleep. If I wake I say, " this is stupid..just go back to sleep". And now I usually do. If I don't, I now know after having compete insomnia that I can in fact function the next day; its not awesome, but I can do it.

 

My dreams are still a bit vivid for my liking, but no where near what I went through earlier in the year.

 

I do have a sleep hygiene ritual that helps: technology off an hour before bed, I read/pray, sprinkle some aromatherapy on my pillow, and do 4/7/8 breathing to slow down the body/mind.

 

hope this helps:)