janiebluebird

44, I have been having trouble sleeping also, because I was overanalyzing situations that I am better off not thinking about - easier said than done, idk if this affects you or if its just the adjustment to not drinking anymore.

Regardless, I have a few tricks. First, I see you are in PA - Its cold this time of year. Take a LONG walk in the cold (still bundle up and all) and it takes the energy out of ya like no other. I could have just drank 4 cups of coffee and after a long walk in this cold, it will knock me out for at least a little while when I get under some warm covers.
Second, no more caffeine. Another thing I do sometimes is listen to soothing sounds if I can't get my mind to shut off. I use a free app called "Relax Melodies" - you can choose natural sounds like rain, a river, a thunderstorm, wind, and you can combine as many as you want.

Make sure you're in the dark and preferable a cool room.

If all else fails, get some unisom. Its over the counter. One or two should do the trick.

44milk

Now officially 7 days off of Ambien. No desire to take it.

Still uneven sleep though. Seeing a specialist tomorrow, will keep everyone updated.

Get your sleep last night Az? I got 7 hours, but it took FOREVER to get to sleep.

Azraehl

Yeah it took me awhile too.. but when I finally slept, I slept 7 hours. It was broken sleep but mine always has been thanks to sleep apnea.
Then i ran around and did errands for about 6 hours.. came home and fell asleep on the couch and slept another 2 hours.
Gone from insomniac to narcoleptic.. yay? lol
I can't wait to be my usual abnormal self instead of this unusually abnormal abnormal self. Gotta be honest, this whole "It's gonna take a year thing has got me pretty bummed. But I guess I don't really have anything better to do than live right =)


-Az

44milk

An update. A GREAT nights sleep last night, with 10 mgs melatonin, followed by one Advil PM. Oh, I had a piece of chocolate cake and a cheese burger about 3 hours before bed, lol.

Azraehl

I can measure the sleep I got last night in minutes.. and they would be ZERO. Last night was the worst night emotionally i have had yet. I came close to not seeing the sun come up this morning, but in the end I ended up back here lurking trying to find.. SOMETHING , seeking in hopes of finding.
I have come to realize my depression isn't a result of me using, my using is a symptom of my depression, so I am going to start attacking that with all the enthusiasm I can muster.
Stumbled across a post here and for some reason, something grabbed my atn and I ended up downloading an ebook "Feeling Good". Apparently the number one recommended self help book on depression using cognitive therapy. Read it until I had to go to work early this morning. Hopefully this will be the key.

Glad your getting some sleep man =) *jealous* lol
-Az

Oz11

Thanks for
The help but my nerves are shot from insomnia !,!,

44milk

Now using Advil PM, with mixed results...

Lyoness

Are you still using the MidNite formula? How did that work for you? I just looked it up and it does look interesting. Most herbal formulas contain valerian which causes me to have a paradoxical stimulant reaction so it was nice to see a fomula without it.

I've had bouts of insomnia all of my life and know how frustrating it is. I'm currently taking suboxone and use benadryl a lot for sleep which mostly helps.

One thing that helped me get through a wicked bout of insomnia years ago was to switch where I slept. By that time I associated my bedroom with the torture of insomnia so I moved to the floor of my living area and put on tv and told myself that I wasn't going to sleep, just watching tv. Taking away the pressure of being in my usual sleeping area and having to sleep finally cracked it. Don't know if that would help but thought I'd suggest it.

44milk

Lioness, great post. The mid night does not work for me, and neither does the Benadryl...However the trazadone and the advil pm both work for me, they take longer to kick in though, I need to take the advil at 7 pm and the Trazadone at 8pm, then they kick in about 11:30 pm. That part about changing location is great. I'm gonna try it. Also, I'm going to get a headboard for my bed, and change the location of the bed within the bedroom, that might help too! Stay golden Lionness.

pinstripe81

You might also want to try Valerian Root and Melatonin I have used both of those before and they help.

deeker

Ha ha I thought you said Advil PM with mixed nuts! lol I thought that's a new one.

44milk

Listen, if somebody told me that Advil PM, with mixed nuts, produced 11 hours of uninterrupted sleep, I'd be taking them both tonight! LOL.

Lyoness

Hey, I hope it helps, be interested to hear how it does for you. I think just taking the pressure off of ourselves can really make a difference. I know, easier said than done, but it's definitely possible.

I tried the trazodone and it hit me like amitriptyline did all those years ago--like a mack truck. It knocked me into next week and gave me a thick, fuzzy headache to boot. But I'm glad it works for some folks because it's not addictive, etc. Wish I could come up with a great sleep formula that works for everyone since so many of us struggle with sleep issues, especially when we're kicking.

44milk

can't sleep again, night one... Haven't taken anything yet, basically don't want to, but if i need to, then I'm going to, that kind of thing.

Tiredofdrugs

Hi 44milk:

May I suggest trying "Somnapure"! It's a Natural Sleep Aid. You can get it OTC at wal-mart beside the other sleep aid's on the shelf. It says to take two tablets before bedtime, but I only need a 1/2 of a tablet. It has "Lemon Balm", "Chamomile Flower", "Passion Flower", "L-Theanine", "Hops", "3 mg's of Melatonin" and "Valerian" herbs in it. All of the listed are for helping you to go to sleep and others are a calming affect. It's a new product and wal-mart has just now started stocking it.

I hope this will give you something new to try!

TOD

llastchance8

Please do not take this as a discouraging reply. In the long run, no medicines are effective.

From my experience, it really takes time to get back the sleep pattern once we quit.

After few months of quitting alcohol, I can get natural sleep of 8-9 hours without any medicine except one ( Swimming and regular Physical workouts ).

Swimming is considered to be best because of both cardio and strength benefits. It helped me to get natural sleep. Try it out.

Tiredofdrugs

llastchance8: None taken! There are lots of ppl that need to take something to get to sleep. There are others, like my husband, that falls asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow.

I was in the Army for 22 years. So I know all about that physical workout stuff. I still needed a sleepaid to get to sleep every night. So that method of exercise doesn't work for everyone.

Thanks for your concern and input though!

TOD

Dee74

For anyone who finds that waiting the insomnia out isn't working, or that the usual common place things things like exercise don't work either, I think it's really important to see your Dr to talk about it, especially before you start yourself off on supplements.

whats worked for others may not work, or may not even be suitable, for you.

D

Tiredofdrugs

I totally agree Dee! Well written!

TOD

Sickandtired3

Hey I'm in the same boat. I'm 4 days kicking oxy's and hydro's can't sleep at all I hope you find a solution. I will be reading your post to see what you find out from responses. Good luck with all