Waking up in the middle of the night

[Frew]

I went through a bad period of insomnia last year. It's better now, in the sense I can fall asleep, but now my problem is I often wake up around 4am, and can't get back to sleep for a while (sometimes I don't get back to sleep). I wake up a bit anxious/panicky. I know this doesn't seem too bad but I can barely function the next day as I'm so tired, and I'm afraid I will lose my job. Plus I feel so frustrated that insomnia is not taken seriously at all, when it has such a serious affect on your life. Mentioning it to doctors or whoever usually results in a lecture about sleep hygiene. Has anyone dealt with this issue?

 

[TheGoodGuy]

Insomnia IS a serious issue and it´s horrible at times when it happens over several days you can even develope almost a phobia when the time comes when you´re about to sleep because you know you will be lying there for hours.

Just last night I was up till 6am because I knew if I went to bed earlier I would be lying there for hours trying to sleep and I got no TV so I can´t just turn it on once in a while so despite I have to taper off benzos I said fuck it and took 2mg of clonazepam and feel asleep relatively quickly.

I HATE going to sleep because it take ages to fall alsleep but I love when sleeping and dreaming especially recently since I have had very vivid dreams the other day I was so disappointed when waking up to reality because I only live in my dreams even it´s something as trivial as to hang out with previous friends and then wake up to nothing is horrible I´d rather be in a coma than concious at least I would dream i.e. live more than I do now.

 

[timf]

My wife uses GABA before bed to help deal with insomnia.

 

[GoBack]

This started for me a few years ago, it was a combination of fucky meds and massive life changes. If I could go back now I would have gone to a counsellor sooner. Apart from the meds bring a disaster I really needed help to sort through all the stuff going on. I've no doubt I'd have got my normal sleeping back abd got my life back together. Instead I just let it all get on top of me

 

[Soulless_Angel]

I will have one ok nights sleep a week then the rest i struggle, i normally wake around 2/230am and i cant go back to sleep. Ive taken to forcing myself to stay awake until 3 or 4 am now in the hope of sleeping. Its so frustrating as early hours is when my mood can be so low and anxiety kicks in. Be interested to know how or if some people are able to over come this

 

[LivideLamb]

My mental health (or illnesses, should I say ?) have completely messed up my sleep schedule. I don't have insomnia, at least I don't think I do(?) but I wake up a lot around 3 or 4 in the morning. Nothing seems to get me back to sleep.
When I was younger, it was always strange to me that when I used to talk about waking up in the middle of the night and my incapacity to fall back asleep to my friend, they could never relate. And they would always tell me, how they just loved looking at the alarm clock and just go back to sleep for three more hours.
Usually it's in the middle of the night that I start to dissociate a lot, so panic attack, so that doesn't help with me calming myself back to sleep.
I also want to add that, like people above me said, insomnia is very serious. Maybe if your doctor always lecture you about sleep hygiene, or even lecture you in general, instead of actually helping, you could try another doctor ? Sometimes changes can be good.

 

[BPD Barbie]

Have they ever tried you on sleeping medication? You can even buy some over the counter stuff. I take it nightly and it worked wonders for my insomnia. I was sleeping between 1 - 3 hours a night then being awake for 36 hours, then sleeping 1 - 3 hours. Now, after I started meds, I sleep for anything from 8 - 12 hours, it is hard to wake up though, have to set several alarms if I need to be awake at a a set time.

 

[Arrow]

I sleep for anything from 8 - 12 hours

damn that sounds nice. give me 12 hours of sleep just once.

 

[pete_x]

I went through a bad period of insomnia last year. It's better now, in the sense I can fall asleep, but now my problem is I often wake up around 4am, and can't get back to sleep for a while (sometimes I don't get back to sleep). I wake up a bit anxious/panicky. I know this doesn't seem too bad but I can barely function the next day as I'm so tired, and I'm afraid I will lose my job. Plus I feel so frustrated that insomnia is not taken seriously at all, when it has such a serious affect on your life. Mentioning it to doctors or whoever usually results in a lecture about sleep hygiene. Has anyone dealt with this issue?

Insomnia does damage. The last time I passed out from it's cumulative effects I ended up in the emergency room with a bloody eye and unable to move my limbs. I've been awake for very nearly 24 hours now. When I'm in the way your currently in, I quietly putter around the house doing what chores the hour will allow.
Point being once you're awake, accept it and let that stress go if you can. It may only take doing one chore/task to ease you and allow return to a restive state.
That's usually how it pans out for me.

 

[iknowwhatyouredoing]

i usually cant sleep until the point of absolute fatigue. recently ive been taking nyquil a lot but i wouldn't recommend it

 

[Myforevercharlie]

damn that sounds nice. give me 12 hours of sleep just once.

+1

 

[Frew]

Have they ever tried you on sleeping medication? You can even buy some over the counter stuff. I take it nightly and it worked wonders for my insomnia. I was sleeping between 1 - 3 hours a night then being awake for 36 hours, then sleeping 1 - 3 hours. Now, after I started meds, I sleep for anything from 8 - 12 hours, it is hard to wake up though, have to set several alarms if I need to be awake at a a set time.

They actually don't prescribe sleeping pills in my country any more :( they prescribed me an anti histamine but it makes me way too tired and I can't function the next day.