Originally Posted by
IfGodWillsIt 
Day 37. Thank God I've made it this far. My anxiety has gone down a lot. Im not anxious during the day anymore, like i used to be. But, insomnia is kicking my ass. I sleep for a few hours and wake up feeling anxious, like im trapped by life, but i dont let it phase me and i just wait it out until i fall back asleep. This sleep pattern, only being able to sleep in spurts of 3-4 hours, is really weighing me down during my day.
I run about a mile every night because i read that exercise helps against insomnia. At this point, it feels like i'll never be able to sleep normally ever again. Do i need to wait a little more until my sleep goes back to normal? Do i need to exercise more? If you have experience with insomnia please share your story. Im trying to get through this without taking any sleep aids, like melatonin, benadryl, etc. Thanks in advance!
Hey man,
I was toking heavily for 23yrs and also had insomnia for about 18yrs due to sleep paralysis and anxiety. It took me about 8 weeks to fully settle down and get proper sleep again after I quit toking and something I found extremely useful was Valerian root (natural), which doesn't make me feel groggy the next day like the chemical aids.
The thing that's important to remember about the chemicals in cannabis is that they're still present in the body up to 3 months after stopping using and that's relative to its quality and the amount used, so 5 weeks is still in the red zone for most people who were heavy users and attempt sleep unaided or use chemical sleep aids.
Your body needs time to readjust to sleeping without a major depressant in it so give it some more time, and also if you can try not to focus on this too much as that'll add to the cycle of anxiety which will keep you awake, which will mean you're tired, which = more anxiety and so on.
Running at night is a pretty risky idea because the body's metabolism will continue to be high for about 8hrs after aerobics, so either do it in the morning or cut it out for now. Running in the AM is always the best option as by the time the body's metabolism is slowing down 8hrs later you'll be coming home from work and be thinking about food and sleep.
Basically, although your body may feel tired because its depleted, your inner system will still be awake and burning calories. That's why aerobics are the best way to sustain a low body weight.
One final thing, if you can get to a sauna midday (not evening) that'll really help. Just keep yourself hydrated as dehydration can also affect natural sleep.
I'm rooting for ya. I know what you're going through and there are ways to deal with it. It took me a very long time and lots of reading to figure out how to get back to sleep with or without weed!!
