Cause of insomnia?

[[Go...]]

Why do BB members have insomnia?  Is it b/c of the racing thoughts and fear, or is there another medical reason?

[[gr...]]

Personally, I believe my insomnia is caused by CT WD from a drug I took to help with sleep and anxiety. Problem is, my insomnia and anxiety have been far worse then when I was originally prescribed it. Thankfully, as I travel through this WD, some sleep has returned and each day my anxiety levels are ok. As time passes, I hope to maybe return to the woman I was before the nightmare of pills.

[[Ti...]]

Likely it's because our GABA-A receptors are downregulated. GABA and glutamate should be in balance as GABA is the calm neurotransmitter and glutamate is the excitatory one. Due to loss of GABA and GABA receptors not working as well, we can get insomnia. We also can get histamine issues which can make it hard to sleep. A low histamine diet would be helpful in that case. And sometimes it may just be depression, or amped up anxiety, stuck in flight or fight, cortisol and adrenaline are likely raised. There can be a number of reasons for insomnia but those are prob the top ones in regards to WD.

[[Th...]]

What timebomb11 said is spot on.  It's because GABA receptors, or what I like to call our body's "brake pedal" are damaged or destroyed from Benzos.  They are what keep us calm and relaxed so we can sleep.  Glutamate is our body's "gas pedal" or what makes us active and alert even fight or flight.  Normally they are in balance with each other.  However, the Benzos take GABA off line, temporarily, for some time.  During that time Glutamate rules the day and night.  That's why we can go for days with no sleep and feel exhausted, but our brains can feel "wired."  That's what happened to me at least a dozen times where I went 3 and sometimes 4 nights in  a row with no perceived sleep, but the next day I never yawned or felt sleepy or tired, but my body felt exhausted as if I had just run for 10 miles.  

The great thing is your body knows exactly how to repair or regrow damaged or destroyed GABA receptors.  Unfortunately it takes a lot longer than we would like it to.  Ashton says insomnia resolves on average in 6-12 months.  Some people take less time, many take a bit more time.  

Edited September 21, 2023 by [Th...]

[[An...]]

Many things can cause insomnia. Many ppl are prescribed benzos for insomnia. If you did not have insomnia prior to benzos being prescribed for a different problem, insomnia can be a result of the benzo detox. The primary cause of insomnia IMO is stress and anxiety. Anxiety disorders (like GAD and PD) are actually the most common mental health disorders. I was put on benzos initially for PD. Prior to PD, I used to sleep like a baby each night. After PD, I was unable to sleep even prior to benzos and benzo detox due to tolerance.

[[Th...]]

I was put on Benzos because I had a few "off nights" of sleep.  The Benzos worked great for about a month, then my sleep slowly declined until even 4mg of Xanax or Klonopin was only giving me an hour or two of sleep.  Had I know what was in store for me for the next 10 months, I would have gladly dealt with the pre-Benzo insomnia that was nothing but a "gust of wind" compared to the "Category 5" Hurricane insomnia that came around after my Cold Turkey.

[[Go...]]

@[An...] You were put on benzos for Panic disorder?  Has your panic been subsided at all since w/d started? How far along are you?

[[An...]]

Hi @[Go...]

I very seldom have panic attacks anymore. 🙏Yes, I was 1st put on benzos for panic disorder. I am almost at 2.5 mgs of valium. My taper rate is 10% every 3 weeks. I also started 10 mgs of Lexapro. It is helping a lot IMO. When I started the Lexapro, my anxiety increased really bad for about a week, then things got gradually better with less and less anxiety and depression as I taper down the valium. After I am off the Valium, I will stay on the Lexapro for 6 months to one year and then I will slowly start to taper off the Lexapro. Things have been going pretty good thus far. The Lexapro also had a positive impact on my sleep. It took about 6 weeks for the Lexapro to fully kick in. I am now sleeping on average 6-7 hours per night.