Chronic Insomnia

Does anyone else suffer from some sorta insomnia?
this has been going close to three weeks,sleeping problems!ive tried OTC drugs,like sleepezzd and zzzquil,they did work,but i feel after a bit,they didnt!so then i started melatonin 5mg,it worked,then seemed not to.then went to valerian root,it worked a wee bit,then seemed to q uit.i find at times,i can fall asleep around 9ish pm,wake at midnight,or 1ish am,but sometimes can not go back to sleep until 4ish am or later,and sometimes just cant.this began nearly two years ago,but was never this terrible,until lately!
anyone have any advice for me?i could really use help!ive done breathing techniques,that sometimes hlep to calm me,and a mantra like" i am at peace",sometimes it works,sometimes it doesnt!
i am wondering if i need to go on prescription sleeping pills!

There are some good videos on You Tube, deep relaxation, progressive muscle relaxation and ones specifically for insomnia. They are from 5 minutes to 8 or more hours long. I like the guided relaxation or meditation ones, but there are also videos with sleep white noise and music.

Most prescription sleep aids are controlled substances, Trazadone is supposed to work for sleep and is not controlled. Lunesta tastes terrible.

You can tell I have issues with sleep as well!

I like the "Honest Guys" who have videos and a channel.

Do you think you might have sleep apnea? With bad sleep apnea your body can wake you up after you stop breathing and you have an extreme stress response that will thrust into a fully awake state. It is your body trying to save you but the end result is a sleepless night.

I have sleep apnea, it is very common with those of us who have diabetes.

back in march,i shattered my tibia in my left knee,i only started walking in aug with a walker,which i am still using.the therapist gave me a ton of strengthening exercised that i am doing.i used tow walk years ago,45min a day up to two miles a day,sleep really good!i do deep breathing relaxation exercises,mantras,that sometimes work,and sometimes not.some nights,im lucky if i get 5hours at the most of sleep.sometimes a noise will arouse me fr sleep,cats fighting.tyvm for your advice.i feel so hopeless...

i did think of that too.i have back issues though,lower upper,shoulders,neck pain.since i shattered my tibia in my left knee,i am using all the upper and lower muscles to do all the straining of lifting my body weight to climb in and out of truck,or walk,or other things too.i use deep heat relief to wear i can reach.peppermint oil also to help the muscle pain.i do see a bone cracker,but not as frequent as i should.for me to go to a sleep clinic,i have to drive 8 hours south to the city to go there,so right now,thats not an idea i can easily toy with.i worry bout sleeping aids,since i have heard they can cause alszheimers disease.

A long commute to a doctor who can appropriately diagnose and treat sleep problems may be the best investment you ever make, though… Your your local doctor can probably get you pointed in right direction too…

Considering you posted on a diabetes site, I'm going to ask an obvious question no one else brought up.
Are you checking your BG when you wake up at night? I had insomnia issues on Lantus, when I switched to a pump they went away immediately. It turns out I was going semi-low overnight and was just too stubborn to check my BG.

Why don't you see if your regular doctor will prescribe an at-home sleep test rather than having you go through all the trouble to travel so far.

I know rhe feeling…but now I download Audiobooks from my library and listen to them as soon as I go to bed…quiets thoughts, anxieties, and soothes. I use non violent stories and find that my mind focuses on one thing…then as I set it up I set the timer to shut off in 60 to 90 minutes. I have usually drifted off by than and just roll over to find sleep comes. I even got a speaker pad to lie upon instead of earphones. Hope this works for you and abundant sleep come your way.

I suffer insomnia when:

- my bg's are running too high for too long a period of time.
-I run low during the night...it wakes me up and then even when I correct the low I can't get back to sleep.
-I'm too stressed or anxious
- I ate too much too close to bed time.
- I have aches and pains.
- I have been too inactive.

I usually am able to fall asleep if I drink some water and do some exercise, correct my BG whether it is high or low, breathe deeply and consciously and make my body relax and mind stop worrying...and I make sure the house is very quiet (no TV, no internet, no music)!

The only time this routine may not work is when I've had too severe a low, or my body just hurts too much.

I am sorry you feel hopeless, but it sounds like you have been confined after once being so much more active. I took almost every sleeping pill imaginable for chronic pain and other things for the pain itself. It might be the whole reason why you developed insomnia, pain and less activity due to your accident.
If you keep moving you will get better. I had surgery and got all the way better from bed to walking, but I got another tumor and now I am slowly building back up for the second time. I had a hard time walking but now I go to classes from 9 to 2, but I am still getting better so when I get home I can't do much except get in bed by 6pm and now I sleep all strange kind of times. Tell your doctor how you feel. Sleep is necessary for healing. I hope you feel better. I went off controlled substances several times. I did not have problems with withdrawal from all of them, just a few. Are you still in pain a lot?

that is an issue to consider.

no pain,jst restlessness,anxious.i guess something like cabinfever.i know when i did get hurt,had this major surgery,they had three ivs in me,this pain med,hydramorphne,i was sleeping around the clock!i think that very drug,screwed me up!

yeah i could ask him!tonight,i nearly was asleep,but then a cat started playing with something,woke me.i tried to fall back,i couldnt!some nights i sleep 3hrs at a time,wake,then cant go back.i am lucky if i get 5hours in.

sometimes i do.i am taking,humalog,humulin n,lopressor,coversyle ,lasix for blood pressure,swelling in legs to help rid me of fluid.idk,maybe one of those are interrupting my sleep?

Tablets also cause sleep issues. Do you happen to use iPad at night ?
I am sleeping much better without it.
I had a sleep pattern like you and I used to wake at night to pee and and browse a little afterwards.

This is an example of what is called bad sleep hygiene. My wife has a terrible time sleeping soundly through the night and part of her problem is clearly bad sleep hygiene. She wakes up and then instead of waiting to fall back asleep she starts reading. I believe that an activity like using an iPad or reading can actually keep your mind active and prevents you from falling asleep.

Sandy, your ideas sound helpful. But what is this speaker pad you use instead of earphones?

Thanks!

Howdy! i believe you asked me about the pillow speaker…if you are able, please search Amazon for " pillow speaker" and a lot of choices will give you an idea…please read the reviews and please buy from a shipper rated highly. Blessings…

I'll add my own two cents in here, though you've already gotten so much great input.

I am another lover of podcasts/audio... I really like progressive muscles relaxation. The Meditation Podcast (with Jesse and Jean Stern) and Meditation Oasis are two podcasts that have lots of different tracks that I find helpful.

That said, I still fight with insomnia quite often! One thing I've had some success with is not fighting it so much. Especially for those 3am wakenings, the more I start to ruminate on being awake, the more I feel agitated and worked up and the less I sleep. If I can, I'm now trying to just relax and acknowledge that I'm awake and give myself over to just being calm and relaxed. I listen to the sounds in my apartment, I follow my breath and I accept that I am awake and I will just do my best to relax into being awake. When I'm not trying so hard, I often drift off! And if not, I at least feel relaxed :)