Sign Sleep is Returning?

[[El...]]

Last weekend, I quit all my sleeping aids: Hydroxyzine, valerian root, magnesium, melatonin, and Unisom. I did it because I was in despair; I was going through a rough patch of insomnia, for which the pills only gave a few scant hours of sleep each night. The morning after I quit the sleep aids, I was surprised that I had slept hours, with lots of vivid dreams. The next 2 nights, the same success. Then, on Sunday night, hardly any sleep. Does anyone have an explanation why I was able to sleep well for 3 days and then not? I followed my same routine of taking a warm shower, reading a hard cover book, and relaxing before lights out. Were the three days of good sleep a possible sign my natural sleep is returning? I had been taking the magnesium, valerian root, and melatonin for at least 3 years. I had been taking Hydroxyzine for 2 1/2 months. I completed a taper off Flurazepam over 6 months ago and a separate taper from Ambien 3 months ago. I am thankful to be off all these medicines and realize it will take time for my body and mind to heal. Any thoughts on this erratic sleep pattern? Did anyone else experience a few days of good sleep before their natural sleep returned?

[[Th...]]

Looking at your history it seems that you've tapered off way to fast and that basically equals a cold turkey? You're only about 3 months off according to your history?  Sleep usually takes a lot longer to completely even out.  The fact that you slept well for 3 nights this early after your taper ended is a good sign.  Sleep returns in fits and starts.  I know that I went on a "cycle" where I'd get some sleep one night (maybe 2-5 hours) and then zero the next night.  That lasted for a few months.  Eventually I started to get sleep for 2, 3 and then 4 nights in a row. It was always broken sleep and typically between 3-5 hours.  Around month 9 after my CT, I was getting sleep about 5-6 nights in a row, but I always seemed to get at least one zero night per week.  Eventually the zero nights faded into one every few weeks, then one every month, then one every few months. 

At 3 months off, you are doing very well IMO.  My worst insomnia started at 3 months off and lasted until I was about 10 months off.  IMO, you are taking too much for sleep.  Unisom and Hydroxyzine are both antihistamines.  Melatonin really isn't sedative and is used to set your circadian rhythm. You can build a tolerance to Unisom (Doxylamine) or Hydroxyzine so maybe use those sparingly or a few times max per week.  In some studies it has been shown that Valerian root binds to and acts on GABA receptors?  This is not medical advice, just my opinion that since all of these combined OTC or herbal supplements were not giving you much sleep anyway, I'd only use one at a time and then only if you need to take something and see what sort of result you get.  It's almost impossible to avoid poor sleep after coming off of Benzos and Ambien (Z-drug) or what I like to call a "Benzo in disguise." 

The erratic sleep pattern is completely "normal" especially at 3 months off.  Sleep returns like a roller coaster ride that feels like 1 step forward some nights then 3 steps back the next night.  You might sleep well for days or weeks only to get thrown back into poor sleep  again for days or weeks.  That's how it plays out for most people.  Please do your best to accept the insomnia and your situation as being temporary.  The more I worried about sleep and the harder I "tried to sleep" the less sleep I received.  

I'd also read the post below and if you read it, read it again.  It should answer most of your questions?  Peace!

https://benzobuddies.org/topic/270442-2400-days-off-my-insomniabenzo-advice/page/3/#comment-3484584

 

Edited January 20 by [Th...]

[[Bu...]]

@[El...]

This is my experience as well.  When my sleep started to return it went pretty much how it's going for you.  It was, and sometimes still is, erratic.  Mine started returning in mid October and is considerably better now.  Most nights I tend to get at least five hours now, sometimes as much as 9, although it is still broken up.  But yesterday was a very stressful day, so last night I only slept for 2 hours and then a 1 hour nap this morning.  I'll probably be better tonight.

I would take it as a good sign that things are beginning to even out.

[[El...]]

On 20/01/2024 at 05:41, [[T...] said:

Looking at your history it seems that you've tapered off way to fast and that basically equals a cold turkey? You're only about 3 months off according to your history?  Sleep usually takes a lot longer to completely even out.  The fact that you slept well for 3 nights this early after your taper ended is a good sign.  Sleep returns in fits and starts.  I know that I went on a "cycle" where I'd get some sleep one night (maybe 2-5 hours) and then zero the next night.  That lasted for a few months.  Eventually I started to get sleep for 2, 3 and then 4 nights in a row. It was always broken sleep and typically between 3-5 hours.  Around month 9 after my CT, I was getting sleep about 5-6 nights in a row, but I always seemed to get at least one zero night per week.  Eventually the zero nights faded into one every few weeks, then one every month, then one every few months. 

At 3 months off, you are doing very well IMO.  My worst insomnia started at 3 months off and lasted until I was about 10 months off.  IMO, you are taking too much for sleep.  Unisom and Hydroxyzine are both antihistamines.  Melatonin really isn't sedative and is used to set your circadian rhythm. You can build a tolerance to Unisom (Doxylamine) or Hydroxyzine so maybe use those sparingly or a few times max per week.  In some studies it has been shown that Valerian root binds to and acts on GABA receptors?  This is not medical advice, just my opinion that since all of these combined OTC or herbal supplements were not giving you much sleep anyway, I'd only use one at a time and then only if you need to take something and see what sort of result you get.  It's almost impossible to avoid poor sleep after coming off of Benzos and Ambien (Z-drug) or what I like to call a "Benzo in disguise." 

The erratic sleep pattern is completely "normal" especially at 3 months off.  Sleep returns like a roller coaster ride that feels like 1 step forward some nights then 3 steps back the next night.  You might sleep well for days or weeks only to get thrown back into poor sleep  again for days or weeks.  That's how it plays out for most people.  Please do your best to accept the insomnia and your situation as being temporary.  The more I worried about sleep and the harder I "tried to sleep" the less sleep I received.  

I'd also read the post below and if you read it, read it again.  It should answer most of your questions?  Peace!

https://benzobuddies.org/topic/270442-2400-days-off-my-insomniabenzo-advice/page/3/#comment-3484584

@[Th...]

Thank you for your response! I actually completed a 14-month taper off Flurazepam in July 2023 and a quick taper off Ambien in October 2023. Given that clarification, does that change anything in your response?

Edited January 23 by [El...]

[[Th...]]

That would not change anything in my original response.  You are still only on either side of 3 months from your Ambien taper that was close to a CT IMO.