Help me Sleep..

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Hello fellow Wrongplanet members. I'm Wes and I introduced myself some time ago here. I have Aspergers, ocd, and rather 'extreme' anxiety, especially social anxiety towards peers. I'm 30 years old, very fit and healthy. I do not smoke, drink, or do non-prescription drugs. I eat very healthy and drink plenty of water. I do not consume much in the way of caffeine. I exercise by way of weight lifting, walking and skateboarding. And I make sure not to do these activities late at night if I can help it. I have had a staph infection I got from an MMA training class I was taking which reoccured for a 3rd time recently, needing to go on antibiotics yet again. It caused a pilonida cyst on my tailbone that has caused a lot of pain and stress. So I'm dealing with that too.

Here is my BIG issue. I've been having much trouble sleeping the last few weeks. I had so little sleep (going on 7 days) at one point I went to the ER and had a whole slew of tests performed but they all came back clear. I have been to a few doctors around here at walk in clinics as I don't have health insurance. I was stressing to them that this was probably stress related due to not having but a couple friends, never having a g/f, having been unemployed since early this year, bills to pay, and just generally having high anxiety. I was living off of my savings but ran out about a month ago.

I was prescribed Vistaril at first which allowed 2-3 hours of sleep. I then took 2 more upon waking, then 2 more as the doctored ordered but still did not sleep but I was kind of 'wired' at that point from staying up so long. I was able to get Valium from another doctor which helped me get my life back on track when I had this issue in 2009 where I didn't sleep for around 7 days also. It did not work this time. I don't believe I slept at all. This doctor also prescribed Celexa which I started off for a week at 20mg of, but have weaned down to 15mg over a weeks time due to fuzzy head and reading (darn internet) that Celexa can cause sleep issues. When I went to the ER this time around I was given Restoril (temazepam) which again only allowed a few hours sleep before waking. And to think that it cost $38 for 5 pills . The final try has been regular Ambien which has on a few nights resulted in 3-4 hours sleep, which I then follow up with half a pill for maybe a couple hours more but it does not leave me feeling rested. Maybe it's because my sleep is so backlogged, I need to sleep like a full day..?

Some of the things I'm doing to change are reading every self book I can including "Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway" and "You Can't Afford the Luxury of a Negative Thought". I'm doing deep breathing during the day and before bed. Like I said above, I'm eating very healthy to overcome what the antibiotics do to the immune system and just for general health, including taking a probiotic supplement and daily multivitamin (taking for years). I'm getting out when I can (meaning when I feel it's 'safe' to drive). I'm trying to keep busy, do chores, help mom, play with niece + nephew, walk dog, listen to soothing music, repeating positive self affirmations, going to bed before midnight and up by 10 at latest. Mind you sleep is sporadic enough many of the hours are more relaxation than sleep and with the Ambien it's fairly easy to relax I just don't want to get in that trap, and get addicted. In addition I have a very loving family that wants the best for me and my mom Irene has been nothing short of spectacular in helping me through this, taking me to appointments when I felt I couldn't drive, give positive encouragement, helping with bills. As has the rest of my family and friends.

As to my mental state, this is by far the HARDEST thing I've ever had to deal with. It's very mentally and physically draining. It's also a huge wake up call to get my life in order which just a few months ago consisted of staying on computer watching youtube vids and eating candy and going to bed at 8am. Literally, I had been off track so long, this may have needed to happen. But I've learned from it and I'm ready to move on. I am truly changed. Please show your support and I will try to support this community back from now on. I'm very moved to help others now when I do get back on track.

Thank you for reading. I did not realize I was going to write so in depth but maybe it's good to get it out in some form.

Try over the counter Unisom. Try half a tablet first, as it can leave you groggy.

I do sympathize with you greatly. A year ago September, I had a really rotten cold that kept me coughing a lot. I got almost zero sleep for 3 weeks straight--just a couple of hours a couple of times and nothing else! I was a basket case by the end of that period and still haven't fully recovered. I hate going to docs, so I didn't go. Should have gone. If I get a cold or flu again, I'm going to get a drowsy making antihistamine, so I can get some sleep.

During that bad cold I got the worst case of laryngitis I've ever had, and it has permanently affected my voice. My father kept driving me crazy every day I had the cold. He would call me up to check on me, and kept demanding that I speak up, as he is hard of hearing. I had no voice to speak up with, and could only do air whispers, which he couldn't really hear, but he kept doing this everyday. I wanted to scream at him to cut it out, but no voice equals no scream. I should have had my step mom get on the line to listen to my whispers, so she could tell my father what I was saying.

I also have sleep apnea, and something I call "short sleep", so I don't get enough sleep. Because of "short sleep", I almost never get 7 or 8 hours sleep. I usually get 4 or 5 hours, and sometimes just 2 or 3, so I have to go back to sleep after a little while. Because of all of my health problems I can't work any more, so I am able to do this, but I still have trouble getting enough sleep. I recently started taking Unisom again to help me get more sleep, after not using it for about 10 years. The tablets I have are old, and not as effective, so I need to buy more.

Hope you get some relief from your sleeping problem.

Aaahh!! Yeah I've had sleeping problems my whole life! And it's nice to see someone on here who isn't a completely self-hating dweeb!

Well let's go down the list...

If your having any stress at all, then treat life like a game. It's a lot easier when your failure boils down to "game over; try again" or just a challenge you have to hit over and over just so you can make it work! I mean, we'd all do great in a "Daily life" video game, simply because we get to try again. People don't get that it's the same way in real life. In real life, we even get to bend the rules, of course it shouldn't become a habit, it saved me plenty of times in high school.

Anxiety... erm... yeah same thing. Life is a game. Think that to yourself, if it's out of your control then don't worry about it, you can probably handle the rain anyway. if it is in your control then do the best job you can, and have fun doin it.

Now, I would suggest to completely stop taking any pills. Your body can get used to that stuff veerrrryy easily, and hence, you get used to it and won't be able to sleep without it. I used to take melatonin, I was having mild sleep problems, took it for a week. I stopped taking it one day, and couln't sleep the whole night, and for another week afterwards, and eventually I could sleep again. It was dreadful!! !! I was feeling a little restless another night, I then tried to take another melatonin, fell asleep that night, day afterwards, could... not.. sleep.. at all. And of course for a week afterwards. When I stopped taking it for months I was fine. Took it again and the same thing happened. I eventually chucked em, but the point is that melatonin is medication won't help you, it will pretend to help you. My suggestion is to not take anything, and bite the bullet for a while. You'll be tired as shmell, but eventually you'll fall over in a coma and suck all that sleep in you always needed. If your sleepy during the day, then sleep during the day. From there you can work your 8 hours back to nighttime, but you can only push your hours by waking up early, and wearing the heck out of yourself before bed time. Do like you said, to avoid working out at night, because going to sleep with a fast hear rate can work not-wonders.

Oh, AAND try to go to bed at 4 or 5 or so, when your at the peak of falling over, but you need to wait till bedtime. Just go to bed. I don't know why this used to help me. I think it's because after five, your body decided you want to stay away, so you get all your energy back when night comes around.

All of that, and trrryyyy to go to bed even if you don't want to. That's what kicks me in the butt, is not going to bed when I should!

Beer makes me sleepy. A couple of cans per night and I'm out like a light. I also take Risperdal. That's really for depression but it has a sleep effect also.

Yes beer or a good exhausting book. The trick is not to have to much stimulation before falling asleep so make sure TV and computer is off an hour before you plan to sleep.

But the downside with beer is that if you have a addictive personality it might become a habit + you'll gain weight and acquire a beer-belly. So I say book. Read The Collector by John Fowles it will tire you out good.

I've had acouple of beers myself tonight (but not something I do every night) and will be reading a little Flowers for Algernon before crashing.

Hi, you are not alone on having reoccuring sleep issues. It is something that has been better and worse off and on my whole life, so I have tried a long list of various "tips" for getting to sleep.


My problem these days seems to be that while my medications have straightened me out to the point that I am not a prisoner of my brain or having racing thoughts, I still have extreme difficulty relaxing and being able to fall asleep. So annoying.

So here are some things I've tried and consistently try to use to various degrees of success:

take a warm or hot shower and your body temperature lowering after helps
lavendar essential oil or Badger night night or sleep balms with that scent
Magnesium oil that you put in hot water in a bucket and put your feet in it for 20 min
an accupressure mat (13$ on ebay heavenly mat) that you lay on in bed to relax
weighted blanket (I am making one, it does feel very cozy underneath the weight
nature noise machine that plays white noise or ocean waves
hypnosis cd of theta waves (no words, so its not annoying at all)
forget what its called, but its a heartbeat pillow from thinkgeek, it is very calming
a mug of chamomile tea
homeopathic bach flower "rescue remedy"


Those are my favorites anyway, and sometimes it works and sometimes I try almost all of them and end up laying there. Sometimes I find if I give up and move my pillows to the bottom of the bed and sleep "upsidedown" to the direction I usually sleep, weirdly enough it helps. I also sleep in total darkness, no blue lights or night lights on at night. I dont know how people sleep in sunlit rooms.

Hope you find some relief or at least consolation that there are many of us with these issues.

All good ideas I currently am taking Lorazepam It helps but I know it will be short lived for effectiveness. I have my best sleep rustic camping. Lights out at dark no technology to distract no books or any thing but the camp fire and the stars. I really know what you're saying as I get 2-4 hour a night I consider it a good nights sleep. When I hit the fourth to the sixth day with no sleep I start getting giddy and goofy, seven to ten days start cracking. Id recommended using a scrip drug just to get back on a reasonable schedule if you don't find any thing natural that works for you. Melotonen works for a lot of people you can If I'm not mistaken take up to 40mg short term.

Wow. Thank you all so much for your responses thus far.

I have taken melatonin many times in the past and it was very helpful and I have also tried benadryl recently which has the same active ingredient as Unisom sleep tabs. I took enough for my body weight and while I felt very relaxed, I did not sleep.

Like many of you, my mind is always very active and it feels almost like my eyes move as I think. I also seem to have little control over self defeating thoughts. It's like if I feel as though I'm about to fall asleep, a little voice in my head says "no you won't" and I have to tell it to shut up, but it seems to always win out lately