Where's the insomnia buddies? no action on the threads.

[[He...]]

Sage,

 

I am so happy you had a 7 hour night! I hate the unpredictability too. I went 51 years of my life feeling confident I would sleep every night for 8 hours and now I don't have that.

 

Here's to hoping we get a full night tonight.

 

HM

[[Ac...]]

It sounds like a lot of us on the thread are having more up and downs now, when early in the thread things were more consistently worse.  That's good, right? 

 

Sage, I hope the virus has passed and your system is just calming down over time from the fight.

 

HM, I'm glad your non-insomnia scary sx passed.  The bladder/bowel issue is scary, and hope that's not something I experience.  I also had the inability to orgasm early on, but fortunately it only lasted a few weeks.  I have chronic prostatitis so I'm supposed to ejaculate every other day, and was worried I'd have issues from not being able to clear out the prostate. 

 

JBen, how did your day turn out?

 

I'm having a bad night tonight.  I'm at 3 hours.  I woke up at 2 with a 110 bpm heart rate.  I finally took my fist propanolol after that.  I went back to sleep and thought it worked, but an hour later I was up again with tachycardia.  I'm not going to take more tonight since it's my first time, and have been up since.  Frustrating! 

[[...]]

Oh man.  Sorry you are having such a bad night.  A racing heart in the middle of the night has to be pretty scary! 

 

The are rumors on this forum that it gets better haha.  But seriously I do think the ups and downs mean we are healing.

 

Tonight I got 7 hours of very broken sleep.  Night before it was just a few hours.  I still feel like I got no sleep at all so not really sure the quality of it.  I am too scared to put on a sleep tracker.  It will just ramp up my anxiety and who needs more of that! 

 

My insomnia comes from the cortisol/adrenaline surges - I think.  The surges used to start at 4/5 in the morning which was fine.  Then they started at 2/3.  Then any time I woke up from sleep or saw light or heard a noise.  This month it is all the time.  I can feel the cortisol or adrenaline or whatever being dumped into my bloodstream and my body ramps up into a sort of severe crisis/anxiety.  It is all physical for me.  Air hunger nearing feelings of suffocation are my main symptom.  That crisis lasts a good eight hours before my body calms down enough to be able to sit down and rest.

[[Ac...]]

It gets worse.  I just had the first panic attack in a month.  I wonder if it was the propanolol and my med sensitivity.  Ugh. 

 

I'm glad you got 7 tonight, but sorry it wasn't refreshing.  I don't think a sleep tracker would be a good idea for us - I would obsess over it and it would totally cause more anxiety. 

 

I'd echo exactly what you said about the cortisol surges causing the insomnia, even the timing for me lately too- used to be 4/5, but now much earlier.  That's why I thought maybe the propanolol would help since I thought my issue was mostly physical.  It's supposed to help with the adrenaline too.

[[...]]

I used to take propranolol for migraines.  It worked so well until one day it cause a panic attack during sleep.  Sigh.  I have not found anything that works on these cortisol surges.  The body is going to do what its going to do.  I just accept it and get sleep when I can.

 

I have found that a weighted blanket helps.  I seem to get deeper sleep when I use it.

[[Ac...]]

I appreciate you sharing your experience with propanolol.  I'm revved up now, so probably won't take ever again. I just hope this doesn't last too long. 

 

I do use a weighted blanket.  I use it every day and not sure if that's the best strategy, but I do like it.

[[He...]]

Hey guys,

 

Speaking of ups and downs, I am back down to 3.5 hours of sleep after an 8 hour night. Bummer

Don't know when my next 7 to 8+ hour night is coming but at least I slept last night. I am always grateful that I slept a little bit.

 

HM

[[Ac...]]

HM, that is a bummer.  I'm sure another 8 will happen soon. 

 

I'd continue to maintain that up and down is improvement and better than consistent bad sleep in the 2-4 range, or worse.  The 8s always feel like such a blessing and refresh. 

 

I had a string of 5-6s and it was nice to have consistency, but frustrating not to get that 7-8 hour refresh sleep at all.

[[He...]]

If I get a 5 or 6, I still feel successful! I had months of 0 to 2, with the occasional 3, so I feel good with anything over 4.

 

HM

[[Ac...]]

4 is my threshold, for whatever reason, between feeling ok the next day and feeling crappy.  4 - not great, but fine.  Under 4 - ugh.

[[Ac...]]

 

I'm better than yesterday.  Not much sleep, though I did hit my 4 hour threshold, but no anxiety or panic.  Yesterday I had a bit of self pity wishing I'd never touched benzos, but it helps knowing everyone here feels that way and I'm not alone.  I'm grateful for those of you I've met on this thread.

 

JBen, How are you this morning?

[[...]]

Migraine all day yesterday, all night, and this morning.  Triptans not working.  Life is not good right now.  I did manage to sleep tho I just dreamed (nightmares) of having head pain.  My body will pay dearly for all the triptans I took trying to get rid of it.  Sigh.

 

I know that feeling of self pity.  Wishing I could go back in time.  Wishing I never touched benzos.  No one ever warned me to be careful, that this was an extreme drug, that it would take years away.  It sucks.

 

You are not alone, we are not alone.  I do thank the universe for this site and for all the folks on it.  I could not imagine a life not knowing what was happening to me; a life without the support I get here.  No one doctor or therapist or friend could replace the support we get here.

 

 

[[sa...]]

Migraine all day yesterday, all night, and this morning.  Triptans not working.  Life is not good right now.  I did manage to sleep tho I just dreamed (nightmares) of having head pain.  My body will pay dearly for all the triptans I took trying to get rid of it.  Sigh.

 

I know that feeling of self pity.  Wishing I could go back in time.  Wishing I never touched benzos.  No one ever warned me to be careful, that this was an extreme drug, that it would take years away.  It sucks.

 

You are not alone, we are not alone.  I do thank the universe for this site and for all the folks on it.  I could not imagine a life not knowing what was happening to me; a life without the support I get here.  No one doctor or therapist or friend could replace the support we get here.

 

I feel the same way!  That's why I came back here after my Covid setback.  I prefer it here to any LH Covid support group. 

 

Sorry you're having a bad day!  I know what you mean about the suffering invading your dreams.  Yours is migraine pain, mine is the idea I won't recover.  I seem to dream that every night.  It's horrible and makes me wake up so cranky. 

 

I hope your pain eases during the day!

[[Ac...]]

I think I'm going for a zero night.  Horrific anxiety.  Oh God, please help me. Please help me.

[[...]]

I think I'm going for a zero night.  Horrific anxiety.  Oh God, please help me. Please help me.

 

Oh man I am so sorry A.  I know that dreadful feeling of severe anxiety right before sleep.  How did it go?

 

Sage.  The migraine finally lifted for me and I got barely enough sleep.  I will function today.

[[Ac...]]

A zero night, no perceived sleep.  One of the worst nights of my life.  I even made calls to psych hospitals and woke up my wife to talk me out of going. 

[[...]]

A zero night, no perceived sleep.  One of the worst nights of my life.  I even made calls to psych hospitals and woke up my wife to talk me out of going.

 

Oh no.  I am so sorry.  That sounds like hell.  I’ve had those nights.  Your mind plays tricks on you.  It is only when you finally get a little sleep that you gain more clarity.  I truly hope you can find some peace today.

[[sa...]]

A zero night, no perceived sleep.  One of the worst nights of my life.  I even made calls to psych hospitals and woke up my wife to talk me out of going.

 

Oh no!  I'm so sorry!  That sounds unbelievably miserable. You knew last night it was likely to be nasty.  Well, the night is done.  Hopefully you'll be able to find ways to calm today and maybe out of sheer exhaustion get some sleep tonight. 

 

My night was not great.  I did sleep until 3:45 when hubby woke me getting up to go to the loo.  Been awake since and this morning is a very anxious and depressed time.  Hoping I improve through the day. 

[[...]]

A zero night, no perceived sleep.  One of the worst nights of my life.  I even made calls to psych hospitals and woke up my wife to talk me out of going.

 

Hey Accidentaldependant.  How did you sleep?

 

[[Ac...]]

So after that miserable Saturday night and miserable Sunday, I calmed down Sunday evening when the pain disappeared, and slept without waking for 9 hours. 

 

Such a bizarre 36 hours, and scary how bad things got in a short amount of time, only to get quickly better again. 

[[He...]]

Hey AD,

 

I just responded to your PM. I had the same thing happen in reverse. I slept 8 hours Saturday night and then 2 hours Sunday night. I need more consistency.

 

So hard having such unpredictability. What is going on with my brain?

 

Have a great day

 

HM

[[Re...]]

really sorry to hear yal are going through this... ive been doing well mostly except for last nighti ended up taking around 3mg melatonin, an advil, the bach rescue, nothing put me to sleep.. at around 2 am i went for the sleep aid doxylnate succinate which finally put me, but i feel like shit to be honest..

 

coincidentally I noticed the last time it happened this bad for me it was on a full moon, just like last night... i wonder if theres any coincidence but we'll probably never find out...

[[Ac...]]

A full moon!  Maybe keep track of full moons and your bad nights of sleep and see if they line up.  That would be interesting findings if so. 

 

I've felt like shit any time I take more than one supplement for sleep.  If I do melatonin and an antihistamine, for example.  I can get away with just one, but usually not two or more.

[[He...]]

I take melatonin, diphenhydramine and hemp every night. I am not sure if it is helping or not. I used to take melatonin every night years ago and it worked beautifully to knock me out for 8 hours. It would work within 15 minutes. I hope I can get back to that.

 

Have a great night.

[[...]]

Looks like everyone is getting at least some rest.  AD glad to see you got so many hours!  How did yall do last night.

 

I am up this morning at 4am.  Slight surge but nothing like the past month.  I guess I can call this a window.  This is my second night of 8 hours but my 3rd day of a moderately intense migraine.  Migraines are not part of my benzo symptoms - always had them.

 

HM - I take melatonin every night too and have since this started.  It does put me to sleep withing 15 min.  Too bad it doesnt keep me there for more than a few hours.