Sleep Issues

I’ve been using for 2 weeks. My joints are def still inflamed, but a positive result has been my HRV increasing during sleep, anxiety levels down, and…sex drive increase?!? I’m also taking TB-500. I’m also doing the lowest effective dose.

I’ve used BPC and TB and no results at all. However I have also used CJC1295 and I’ve struggled with sleep for as long as I can remember. Ever since I started CJC I’ve been sleeping so much better and cutting weight like crazy. I feel so much more rested

I use both. Tried injecting both but I'm actually getting a better gut repair and sleep improvement using time delayed capsules before bed.

I LOVE that I found your channel! Don't make any apologies for your passion to help others. I'm just slightly older than you, and have always been told to, and have the attitude, to suck it up when I'm in tired or in pain. I started peptides less than a week ago and I'm not only sleeping better, I'm remembering what I dream! Oh, and I know who Lee Majors is, lol! 😃

I have used both BPC157 and TB500 (as injectable for both and TB-500 additionally as a fragmented oral supplement) and they both work well for healing injuries. I'm using it to rehab from a partial torn pec muscle and rotator cuff tedinopathy. I am happy to report that this combination is also highly effective at rebuilding damaged muscle tissues related to general gym activities and overall joint healing support and at least from my experience; is an excellent aid in overall wound healing. I take it prior to sleeping where it also improved my sleep quality (healing happens mostly as you sleep and recover)

the Sermorelin from gomitrox is the most effective sleep and recovery peptide I have used

I am not having any bad reactions, my gut health is fantastic which is a bonus, my feet omg they feel great snd i work as warehouse manager during the day ( 8hrs) and ups at night ( loading trailers) so i work a ton! I had torn rotator cuffs ( both sides) which i treated with PrP injections and the sports medicine place i went to said the only thing that could improve the results would be Testosterone to which i qualified for TrT as my levels were @180 as a 40 yr old . I stsrted with pelleting but my levels would go up to 1400 and then drop dramatically so i switched to weekly shots which keep me between 700-900. I was feeling great but beat up from constant wear and tear and the TrT dr. i go to recommended bpc157 but tried selling me the oral which was like 150$ a month which i cannot afford. I did research online and all the " bigger guys " im 6"5 210 pounds recommended do stomach injections. And 250ml a day or x2 a day ,but to also do a full 5mg bottle on 1 shot and then micro doae the 250 -500ml a day? I thought that was crazy not knowing if i would have side effects so i started the 250 and increased to 500ml. I didn't know it effected your mood and i have 💯 been way more mellow on the trt then i was before the bpc which is another unintentional good side effect but im waiting on the knee pain which is getting horrible again with cold weather as i have bruisitis and tendonitis in my arms in which the one arm its gone down to my thumb , actually in both but the one feels better. Ive been on for a solid month now , im glad I saw the videos saying it does not matter if you shoot into the spot of pain as i didnt want to look like a heroin addict with track marks on my arms!!! But im wondering if i need to increase the dose, try new source ( peotide tech is where i ordered but they had good reviews) of if i need to just keep going with it. Or if i just work too much!!! But not working is NOT AN OPTION. I see people recommend the bpc157 combo with that 500 stuff? Should i press on? Is that massive monthly shot just a horrible idea? Please 🙏 help me out. As i said im definitely getting results , i get my blood work done every 2-3 months and my kidney function/ blood flow and all that is fantastic since starting. I just need recovery! I only can sleep 4-5 hours a night though but i have option to nap for an hour or two during the day but another thing i noticed is im not napping or wanting to as much the past week or so which is about the 1 month mark? Any information or advice eould be great im so worried about the winter coming with the brusitus as im in northern Illinois and the swings in temp for below freezing to above literally make me wanna cry in the morning Thanks

THE CJC-1295 FROM GOMITROX IS PROPERLY SYNTHESIZED, THE SLEEP QUALITY AND RECOVERY IMPROVEMENT IS OBVIOUS

Yep go for it, get the deca too, hell go get 2 online clinics at once. After ur intial few months on with blood tests. Look up the peptide cycles and I started with the main 5 as well sermoreline, ipa, cjc, bpc/tb and now it’s up to like 11 diffent ones I take. Like dsip for better sleep, selanl/semax to calm my flight/fight nerve issue, NAD, amino injections and so on As that way you can get extra test and get both steroids at once OR get enough deca to run high than 100mg a week or run it for longer than 10 weeks “That might not be healthy” Well ur gonna have blood tests that would show if ur doing bad and 2 are we living now? Hell no we arnt So get used to it, hit it hard, get healthy, drop back down to therapeutic levels.

30yo male here. Had pretty bad insomnia since I was 18. Here's a TLDR; for those that don't want to read the wall of text below: 10 years of life disrupting insomnia, 2 years of life ending insomnia. Have taken nearly all available prescriptions to try to sleep. Few worked, all came with side effects eventually that worsened my health. While trying to repair the damage that chronic multi-day long sleeplessness created, I stumbled upon a cheap and readily available cure for all of my issues including my insomnia. A peptide called GHRP6. I would put it under my tongue at night, eat a huge meal, and then become intensely tired. First time in my adult life I slept like a fucking rock. It has been 4 months and it has been only consistent success. Totally safe to take for as long as you want. And comes with the added benefit of increase healing, anti-aging, etc. --------- I have two main causes of my insomnia, basically. First is, I have racing thoughts. Will replay the day, the past week, year, decade, etc in my head. Can't clear my mind and fall asleep. Second, I have a crazy adrenaline response. If I hear a noise, my adrenaline spikes and my heart pounds. If I am having trouble falling asleep, then I get nervous that I am going to have a shitty day the next day, so then my heart start racing and then I don't sleep because of it... etc. at 22yo I took trazodone and it definitely made me sleep if I stayed with an ever increasing dose. It gave me brain fog, short term memory issues, a few other side effects which were serious enough to where I had to get off of it. I started taking vyvanse for work after I graduated college, and it did not worsen my insomnia from what it was until about age 26. At age 26, I would go atleast 1 night a week without sleeping at all, and then a few days with 4-5 hours of sleep. The vyvanse made it to where it wasn't really an issue to deal with though. At 27 I got on Ambien, then lunesta, hydroxizine, a few other benzos, amitriptyline, and a few others. Lunesta was the only one that did anything, and I slept well for a while. It eventually stopped working, and about 16 months ago, I went into a serious dark bottomless pit of insomnia. At 29, roughly 16mo ago, I went through a period of time, while on lunesta, where I wouldnt sleep for up to 5 days. Not your typically, rolling around, falling in and out of a shallow sleep and then telling people you didnt sleep at all ... I mean stare at the fucking ceiling for 5 hours and then get up and go to work, for 5 days in a row. This lasted for about 4 months until my body and brain gave out on me. I developed an anxiety disorder. I had lost like 20lbs. I had circulation issues. Stomach ulcers. gastritis. IBS. I couldn't focus at all. I couldn't work. I focus first on the anxiety issues, which lead to SSRIs and SNRIs which made everything 1000 times worse. My sleeping became worse. etc. So then I switched to trying to treat the gastro issues. After diagnosing stomach ulcers and gastritis and IBS, they put me on PPIs and a few other things, none of which helped. Only made it worse. So I did a bit of my own research and came across a few medical studies on peptides, which led me to BPC 157 which is a peptide for healing. This helped briefly, but wierdly enough, it made me sleep very well for about a week then it went away. So after that semi successful run of a peptide I bought off the internet. I looked into others. I read another medical journal about GHRP 6, which is a mimic of a peptide your body creates that tells your body when its hungry and ready to eat. It also helps release your own human growth hormone. I started taking that in order to help stimulate my appetite and bring blood flow to my GI tract and initiate healing. And it worked like a fucking charm. I was eating more than I had in forever, and my stomach issues were rapidly improving. But the one thing that increased more than anything else..... MY SLEEP. Before I started these peptides, I got off sleep medicine, because any pill was hurting my gastritis. I obviously struggled with that and dealt with worsening insomnia, but I pushed through it. I upgraded the course of GHRP6 that I was taking to include another peptide that further increases your own human growth hormone production, called CJC1295 (no dac), and have been taking those two 1-2 times a day for the past 3-4 months. I am back on my vyvanse, I also drink caffeine again (which I quit for 7 years due to insomnia), and I am sleeping better than I have in my whole life. I actually get tired at night, I lay down, and I am out. I may wake up to piss or eat a snack, but back to bed until proper rise-n-shine time. I have been working out for the past 4 months, which is something I havent done consistently in 7 years due to no having the energy and not being able to drink caffeine. I have gain ~30lbs back that I lost from my rock-bottom era 16 months ago. The best part is, this peptide is something that you can take for as long as you want. It does not downregulate your own ghrelin or GH production and you do not develop a tolerance for it. And the cherry on top is, your growth hormone blood levels are increase to 3-4x their normal levels, so your skin is younger, hair is longer and thicker, nails are more healthy, your body heals faster, and your muscles in theory repair faster. It basically makes you feel younger. - Would also like to give a shout out to Clonidine and Guanfacine. Those are 2 medicines that are called alpha-2 adrenergic receptors. They are technically blood pressure medicines, but they are also prescribed for ADHD. They also happen to boost your own natural human growth hormone. I started taking them a few months back, and they tone down my adrenaline response. At the beginning of this post, I mentioned that my adrenaline response was too strong and it kept me up at night with a beating heart. This eliminates that and calms my mind. Really helps with the whole insomnia thing. Feel free to message me about any questions.

I have to exercise every single day or I don't sleep well. People are always trying to stop me from exercising also but that is because Society has conditioned them to think that we are not supposed to move or lift things. But that's exactly what I need to do everyday to feel relaxed. I'm sorry that you can't sleep. Sometimes I can't sleep even after I exercise. Today I did my usual walk. It doesn't matter if it is freezing cold like the tundra out, I must get out and walk. If we have severe weather I'm so irritated cuz I have to resort to yoga only and it doesn't really work. I belong to a gym not this year but the prior, and that also helped me stay asleep. Another weird thing I find is digestion. If I eat anything that's too fatty, can't sleep. If I don't poop like six times a day can't sleep.. I feel your pain. Try those things and see if you can sleep. Oh and I also do yoga. Try to learn meditative breathing if you can. I am very bad at meditating but I know it's something that works when I actually succeed at doing it. You have to get your body out of attack mode and into rest and Digest. Go look that up. Good luck man.

There is no magic bullet for sleep, but I have improved my sleep A LOT. I don't use medications. They sedate you which is not the same thing as getting good, restorative sleep (they suppress REM and heart rate variability, and the suppression of those aspects of sleep are terrible for your long term health). They also just don't work very well, for me. Here is what has worked for me: \--First and foremost, don't expect instant results. Do all of the following, or any of the following, for a couple of weeks before you decide whether it did or didn't work. \--Don't ever drink alcohol, ever. It affects your sleep for at least two nights and possibly longer. \--Exercise regularly. \--Check the CO2 levels in your bedroom -- buy a CO2 meter for this and don't cheap out (Aranet is a good brand). If CO2 is above 800 ppm, start sleeping with a window open to get the levels down. \--Don't eat anything for at least three hours before you go to bed. \--You need to relax during the evening to get your body out of action mode and into sleep mode. Watch a movie or do something relaxing on your phone. (There aren't RCT trials to support the idea that looking at a screen causes insomnia, and a Harvard study from 2010 found that using an iPad for an hour before sleep had no adverse effect on sleep except that it added 10 minutes to the time it took people to get to sleep.) Don't watch anything suspenseful or full of action. Don't look at social media or go doom scrolling. Everything you do needs to be gentle, calming, and soothing. \--Several times during the evening, practice 5.5 breathing for five or ten minutes (a relaxed breath in for 5.5 seconds, a relaxed breath out for 5.5 seconds). This helps put you into sleep mode. There are apps to help you do this. The app I use is The Breathing App set on 5.5. 5.5 has been magic for me but there are other breathing patterns as well that you can try. 4-7-8 works pretty well for me as well. \--Take magnesium glycinate (NOT oxide or citrate) before going to bed. Try adding glycine as well. If you get up often because you need to pee, drink some saltwater or an electrolyte drink before bed. \--When your mind is racing, do the 5.5 breathing and then listen to a sleep story. These are stories in which not much happens, told in a very soothing voice. The stories I listen to are on Spotify and the channel is Michelle's Sanctuary. \-- If you have a fitness tracker with good sleep metrics, use Google Gemini or ChatGPT to educate yourself on what the metrics mean. Tell the AI tool everything about your health. Upload screenshots of your fitness tracker sleep metrics to your AI tool and your environmental metrics from your CO2 meter (both CO2 and temperature) and ask it to analyze them. It can give you ideas specific to you and your health about how to improve. I have spent many hours doing this and the payoff has been very good. There is no quick fix, and it's a lot to manage. But I get to sleep in 10 minutes or less now, a huge improvement from staring at the ceiling for an hour. I wake up often, but go right back to sleep easily, except around 2 or 3 am when I need a sleep story to get back to sleep. I used to wake up every hour, but now I get 2 and even three hour blocks of solid sleep.

Insomnia is a living hell - IYKYK. I want to share a positive story of how I have recovered from severe chronic insomnia. It was a slow process taking years, but I can confidently say I am 90% better and have my life back. The onset of my insomnia occurred with a 6 month steady decline when I was around 25, and went on for years. I had always been a good sleeper before that. It's hard to be exactly sure what caused it, but I am quite confident it was mould from the house I was living in when my sleep problems (initially waking early, then also unable to fall asleep) appeared. I also had some work-related stress which compounded this. At one point I was barely sleeping 3hrs per night for weeks on end, and over the following 3-4 years I hardly ever had a good night, and I felt ill all the time. I tried everything to get better so you don't have to. **What didn't help:** most standard advice e.g. sleep hygiene made no difference to me. Most supplements were also useless (and i spent a lot of money on supplements...). There are thousands of companies out there trying to sell you their miracle cure - I've never found or even heard of any that really work consistently. Anyway in order of effectiveness, **here's what did help**. None of these are quick fixes but I believe all of the following helped my body and mind heal over the months and years. 1. Sauna: I started going to a local sauna (traditional, not infra-red) doing 60 minute sessions once or twice a week (I do 3 cycles of 15mins in the sauna followed by 2mins cold plunge or cold shower each time). I felt the biggest improvements once I started going regularly, but could feel from the first time that it was beneficial. I believe this works due to sweating being an effective detox pathway, plus the heat and cold cycles giving stress resilience alongside immune and vascular system benefits. 2. Diet: Eat as healthy as you possibly can - it's fundamental to being healthy and helping your body work right. I cut out almost all added sugars and junk food, and started blending frozen veg and fruit for my breakfast smoothies to ensure I was getting enough nutrients in an easy/cheap way. I cut out all processed foods and started making most of my food from scratch. I also went gluten and dairy free, but I already knew I was sensitive to these foods and don't think others necessarily need to do the same. 3. Exercise: As above, you need to make your body as healthy as possible and let it do its own healing over time. Do whatever moderate intensity cardio and strength you can manage, as often as you can (up to 3x per week). A healthy cardiovascular system improves everything, including your body's ability to flush out metabolites and recover after a bad night. 4. Melatonin supplement: The only supplement that made any noticeable difference. This does not address the root cause but it was definitely helpful for falling (back) asleep. You really only need a tiny dose (0.3mg worked for me, which was 10% of the suggested dose on the bottle) and the science backs this up. I took a couple of drops before bed on nights where I really needed the sleep. I recommend not to rely on this every night. As mentioned, this took years, and healing was very slow but noticeable over several months. I now sleep well most nights in spite of heavy family and work responsibilities. Finally, living with insomnia is so hard, and healing is two steps forward, one step back. I had many regressions and many times wished I was dead. You will need a reason to keep going. For me, as a Christian I trusted that God had my life in his hands. I hope my post helps some of you.

I went through something kinda similar a few years back, not as extreme but still bad. Like waking up at 3am every night for months. What helped me weirdly was just fixing my diet and forcing myself to go outside more. Took forever though, like you said, no quick fixes. People really underestimate how long recovery takes.

The fact that you’ve had chronic stress in your life is the key. My sleep started getting bad around your age after having years of on and off chronic stress. Sounds to me like your nervous system is just taxed and you could be perimenopausal. Trust me. This is a nervous system dysfunction and the worry about it is just making everything worse. I had this exact thing and it took me a few years to get it resolved because I kept searching for so many solutions but wasn’t addressing my body stress. When is the last time you’ve worked out for 30 minutes per day? I say that because that is a wonderful solution for chronic stress. It will tire out your body and help you sleep a little better. I started working out more regularly last year and my sleep has improved so much and soul has my chronic anxiety. Try not to overthink it. You already know you have an anxiety problem. This is the reason you are not sleeping well. Stress gets pent up into the body and when you don’t sleep, it starts to compound and then you get to a point where you just can’t heal and you start spiraling. I got to the spiraling point where I was getting 0 to 2 hours per sleep per night and I was a mess. I’m back to sleeping 6 to 8 hours again, but I have to exercise. For the next week, try to stop taking so many different things and trying so many different solutions because that can drive you mad. Just changed one thing such as working out moderately for 30 minutes per day and see if that makes any sort of difference. It doesn’t have to be intense. In fact, it should not be intense if you are not sleeping well but maybe a 30 minute moderate walking video with some added arm movements. Do that for three days in a row and see if that makes any sort of difference. If you notice that gives you an extra hour or two, then that’s a sign. This is a nervous system problem. Trust me when you have an anxiety issue the last thing you want to do is try 100 different things because you will never know what truly works and that just makes your anxious system worse. I have been there.

I have had a really similar journey in my mis 20s! I wanted to add that when I had my baby it retriggered it again (not a good time) because I'd lie awake wondering if I'd fall asleep before the baby would wake again which eventually led, in combination with post partum hormones, to very close to psychosis for a few nights. My point is (now being back to stable and similar to youraelf) is that EMDR really helped me as the trauma of my previous two insomnia episodes kept triggering the new one. EMDR was designed for serious PTSD so I felt like a wanker doing it for "oh no i can't sleep" but it was amazing

Having had insomnia for years and being tired of doctors lecturing me about *sleep hygiene* and making me practically beg for sleeping pills, I finally took things into my own hands. After realizing alcohol helped me sleep by enhancing **GABA**, I focused on supplements that act on that same calming pathway. **What is GABA and Why It Matters for Insomnia:** **GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid)** is the brain’s primary inhibitory neurotransmitter. It acts like a natural “brake” for the nervous system, reducing overactive neural signaling and promoting calm, relaxation, and sleep. When GABA levels are low or GABA signaling is impaired, the brain can stay in a hyperactive state — racing thoughts, tension, or difficulty falling asleep — which is exactly what happens in many forms of insomnia. **How this stack works:** All the supplements in this stack either **boost GABA levels**, **enhance its activity**, or **reduce excitatory signals (like glutamate)** that compete with GABA’s calming effects. By enhancing the GABAergic system, the brain can transition from a “fight-or-flight” mode to a rest-and-recovery state, making it easier to fall asleep, stay asleep, and wake up feeling calmer. **The Alcohol Connection:** Alcohol also acts on GABA-A receptors, which is why it can initially make people sleepy or relaxed. However, alcohol is **short-acting and disruptive**, often fragmenting sleep later in the night and leading to poor quality rest. By using GABA-targeted supplements instead, you can achieve similar calming effects **without the downsides of alcohol** — smoother sleep, less disruption to REM cycles, and reduced next-day grogginess. **In short:** This stack mimics alcohol’s calming effect on GABA but in a **controlled, safer, and more sustainable way**, letting your nervous system relax naturally and restore healthy sleep patterns. # Warning: Use This Stack Wisely!!! **I HAD ENOUGH** and took *all eight* at once—my choice, not a rec for everyone. This stack *can’t kill you* at standard doses. You’d have to take extremely large, unrealistic amounts far beyond label directions to approach dangerous territory Here’s what I used (in this order) and what they actually do: * **L-Theanine** – Reduces glutamate excitotoxicity, promotes alpha brain waves, calms racing thoughts, and smooths the transition into rest. Ideal for insomnia caused by mental overactivity. * **Magnesium L-Threonate** – Crosses the blood–brain barrier, modulates NMDA receptors, supports GABA synthesis, and relaxes muscles. Helps extend total sleep duration and lessen early waking. * **Chamomile** – Contains apigenin, a mild GABA-A receptor modulator that eases anxiety and shortens sleep onset latency. Gentle but reliable. * **Lemon Balm** – Inhibits GABA transaminase (the enzyme that breaks down GABA), effectively increasing GABA levels. Calms overactive neurons and improves sleep quality. * **Passion Flower** – Boosts extracellular GABA and slows its reuptake. Produces noticeable tranquility, anxiety suppression, and faster sleep onset. * **Valerian Root** – Acts as a partial GABA-A agonist and adenosine modulator. Induces sedation, reduces nocturnal awakenings, and may intensify REM cycles (sometimes vivid dreams). * **Magnolia Bark** – Active compounds honokiol and magnolol bind to GABA-A receptors and lower cortisol. Promotes deep calm, reduces nighttime stress spikes, and smooths next-morning mood. * **California Poppy** – Contains mild alkaloids that act on GABA and opioid receptors. Creates a gentle, grounding sedation that pairs well with THC or other relaxants. **How it works:** All of these target the **GABAergic system**, which regulates neural inhibition and relaxation. By enhancing GABA signaling and reducing excitatory activity (mainly through glutamate suppression and GABA-A modulation) **Potency (Strongest → Weakest):** **Strong:** **Valerian Root** – The strongest overall. Works directly on GABA-A receptors, producing full-body relaxation and sedation. **Passion Flower** – Nearly as strong, but smoother. Raises GABA levels and quiets anxious or racing thoughts within an hour. Brings deep mental stillness without heavy drowsiness **Magnolia Bark** – Strong anti-stress effect. Lowers cortisol while binding to GABA-A receptors for a calm, grounded feeling **California Poppy** – Physical relaxation with mild sedation. Acts on both GABA and opioid receptors, easing muscle tension and restlessness **Moderate:** **Lemon Balm** – Increases GABA levels by inhibiting its breakdown. Promotes gentle relaxation, reduces mental noise, and steadies mood before bed **Chamomile** – Contains apigenin, a natural GABA-A modulator. Helps you unwind and shortens sleep onset, great for layering with stronger herbs **Mild:** **Magnesium L-Threonate** – Supports neural calm and muscle relaxation. Improves sleep depth and quality but not sedating by itself **L-Theanine** – Light GABA support that smooths out excitatory activity. Reduces racing thoughts and creates a balanced, clear calm **Standard Dosages:** **- L-Theanine:** 100-200mg (1 capsule) **- Magnesium L-Threonate:** 144-288mg elemental Mg (2-3 capsules, \~2000mg Magtein) **- Chamomile:** 200-400mg 4:1 extract (\~800-1600mg flower, 1-2 capsules) **- Lemon Balm:** 300-600mg 10:1 extract (\~3000-6000mg herb, 2 capsules) **- Passionflower:** 250-550mg 4:1 extract (\~1000-2200mg herb, 1-2 capsules) **- Valerian Root:** 200-400mg 10:1 extract (\~2000-4000mg root, 2 capsules) **- Magnolia Bark:** 200-400mg (1-2 capsules) **- California Poppy:** 200-300mg 4:1 extract (\~800-1200mg herb, 1 capsule) **Stack-Wide Risks:** **- Heavy Sedation:** Combining all eight (like I did) is a sledgehammer—expect drowsiness, groggy morning \- **GI Upset:** Chamomile, lemon balm, and magnesium can cause nausea or diarrhea, especially if overdone. \- **Drug Interactions:** These can amplify sedatives (e.g., benzos, z-drugs) or mess with meds like antidepressants or blood thinners **- Avoid Alcohol/Kava/Rx Pills:** **- Health Conditions:** If you have liver/kidney issues, be extra cautious—high doses could strain them, though no fatalities are reported at normal levels \- **No Death Risk:** You’d need *insane* doses (think handfuls of pills and tea) to approach danger. Standard doses are safe, even combined **The next day:** Shocked it worked! \- Heavy Calmness \- Mild grogginess: Completely manageable be careful driving though. \- Significantly lowered anxiety \- These effects persisted until mid day \- The stronger sedatives (**Valerian, Passion Flower, Magnolia, California Poppy**) likely contributed to lingering morning calm and mild grogginess, **Tolerance:** Some of these supplements, especially the stronger GABAergic ones like **Valerian Root, Passion Flower, Magnolia Bark, and California Poppy**, can lead to **tolerance over time** if used every night at the same dose. This means your body may adapt, and the effects might become less pronounced after prolonged use. The milder supplements (**L-Theanine, Magnesium L-Threonate, Chamomile, Lemon Balm**) generally don’t cause tolerance and can be used more consistently without losing effectiveness. Stacking all of them every night isn’t necessary, using only what works for your situation or a right combination; And rotating or staggering can help **maintain effectiveness and reduce tolerance**. **Final thoughts:** The stack I took was extreme — it produced strong sedation and lingering calm into the next day — but most people won’t need that much. Mixing or staggering the ones that target your specific insomnia issues is enough. The goal isn’t to hit every pathway at once; it’s to find the combination that helps you sleep and feel rested without unnecessary grogginess or side effects. Everyone’s body reacts differently, so using **enough to work for your situation** is all that’s needed. The strongest herbs provide heavy sedation, the moderate ones smooth mental tension, and the mild ones stabilize neural activity. By focusing only on what’s effective for you, you get the benefits without overloading your system.

He is in a better place now. I also lost my cat 2 years ago to a car accident . He was adventurous and loved going outside to explore, one night he didn't come back I feared the worst , started looking around and found his body , I took his body and gave him a proper burial. I still miss him he used to make me laugh with his weird goofy behavior when I was feeling down. I also struggled with insomnia several months ago and it was tough very tough. Insomnia wrecks you mentally and physically and make you depressed and lonely . You will get thru this as I did and many others did just hang on in there

**History** I've had sleep issues for over a decade now and here are my tips that helped over this time. While they might not work for everyone, I've wanted to share what helped me for a while. **Environment/Bedroom** Use blackout curtains, get it as dark as possible. Cover any standby LEDs with electrical tape Ensure the room is cooler than most of the other rooms in your house, typically mine is around 2-3degC cooler (\~17-18degC). I used a cheap Bluetooth thermometer that monitors the temperature and charts it over time. Use this to find when you sleep a bit better and use that temperature. Make sure it's quiet or there is no change in noise levels. If you  sleep with a partner that snores etc invest in a white noise machine.  This has single handily been my biggest benefit. Invest in a good bed AND bed linen. There's no point buying an expensive bed and putting cheap uncomfortable sheets on it. **Process** NOT SLEEPING DOESN'T MEAN YOU ARE NOT RESTING!!! So don't stress. Personally I'm against getting up or reading a book as for me this stimulates the brain and sets you back further. Routine, routine, routine!! When the lights go out, start a routine you will repeat every night. Some people pray, some meditate, sing a song to yourself, even if it's being thankful for who/what you have - not something like a list of tasks you need to do. I.e. something pretty repetitive. Stop looking at the clock, trust in the alarm if you have/need one. If you get distracted and your mind wanders, that's fine, again no stress. Just try again. Do you feel a sense of responsibility to protect friends or family at night which means you always sleep with one ear open? If yes, possibly follow a pre-bed routine checking doors are locked, install mitigating items (CCTV etc) **Food/Drinks** Watch caffeine intake after lunch Avoid artificial sweeteners, aspartame etc Artificial coloring can sometimes act as a stimulant, be aware. Don't drink too much water before bed Try and avoid too much salty food as you'll be thirsty and drink water which means you need to wake up to go to the toilet. Try and avoid a big heavy meal before bed as the stomach will be working overtime. Make sure you're also not hungry too. Avoid acidic foods/drinks before bed as lying down can worsen heartburn. Do you feel hot when you lie down in bed against the sheets? Maybe you're allergic to biological washing powder (try non-bio) Honestly a little alcohol helps my brain switch off and not feeling like a pinball machine, but obviously this isn't a good solution long term. **Drugs** Melatonin - used for years and in hindsight don't believe it helped me hugely Zoplicone/Stronger - Maybe once in a while, but I was on them for months and coming off them was one of the worst experiences of my life. Low testosterone, I feel this is also an impact on sleep and sleep quality. If you have other symptoms, probably worth getting this checked  **Body** Close your eyes, I mean it, are they actually fully closed. I've found them drifting open a little while trying to fall asleep. My child also occasionally sleeps with their eyes open - yes it looks as creepy as it sounds. Personally I squeeze them close then relax them. Get into a comfortable position that doesn't fell like any muscle is working or under tension supporting. Try and feel your pulse in different parts of the body. Feel the bed pushing back against your body. Relax your jaw, make sure you're not clenching. Relax your shoulders, make sure they're not scrunched up. In your head, work your way head to toe checking each body part feels relaxed and isn't under tension. HTH someone!

For almost a year I was getting 3.5-4hrs if I was LUCKY because back then I was on Lunesta 1mg and was using CVS (big mistake) so I got the Dr. Reddy’s brand which did very little. There was another issue I had, everything had to be like..perfect for me to sleep. I came to the realization that things happen in life and nothing can be perfect. Every night my brain would anticipate and expect awful sleep but I COULD NOT help it. It was the compounding anxiety. I remember my face getting red and hot, my eyelids twitching ughh. Now I take 2mg Lunesta and improved tenfold on the “Sleep OCD”. I’m not bent about needing a controlled substance to sleep. Me and my doctor tried multiple different things before this including Ambien. Ambien’s half life was way too short for me. This is just SUCH a big win for me and also another success story for anyone going through it. You WILL sleep. Your body has a built in mechanism that will cause you to sleep without knowing (hyper sleep). If you need a medication to sleep that’s FINE. Just see your doctor and keep trying different things. Know that your sleep anxiety and hyperarousal will pass. Daniel Erichsen on YouTube was a big help for me. Another thing that helps are these YouTube Channels like Sleepless Historian and Historian Sleepy (I like this one better because he talks the whole time). They make history videos with crackling fire noises in the background and a soothing voice. Medication too of course can help. Just wanted to share my big win and turn it into another success story for anyone struggling out there 😌

Hello to whoever is reading this! On top of the awesome advice given above, I’d like to add mine. I consulted a psychologist because I was experiencing the same issues as OP (sleep anxiety). My problem was as follows: one night, I was trying to sleep, and I started telling myself, "I hope I get a good night’s sleep because I really need to be productive tomorrow." This made me nervous, and I became even more stressed when I wasn’t sleeping 1-2 hours later. I spent almost the entire night trying to sleep. The following day, I spent the day hoping I would sleep well and thinking about sleep. I didn’t sleep that night either, or barely. This lasted for almost two months. I took medication to help me sleep, but my doctor said that it was only a temporary solution. I needed to address my anxiety related to sleep and recommended that I see a psychologist. After multiple attempts, I finally found a psychologist with expertise in sleep (I had seen 8-9 psychologists over a period of 6-7 weeks before that). I can honestly say this psychologist saved my life. Here is a summary of the advice I received: • First priority: You don’t need to sleep; you need to relax, specifically to relax your nervous system. • When going through nights filled with negative and obsessive thoughts about sleep and your need to sleep, you must relax. Accept that you may not sleep for a while. • Your body is amazing and will recover more quickly—even from brief sleep periods when you’re sleep-deprived—so stop aiming for 7-8 hours of sleep. • You’ll feel much less tired if you stay relaxed, even if you don’t sleep, versus being stressed and not sleeping. • When your nervous system is highly activated, you cannot sleep. It’s just the way it is. Your brain thinks there’s a danger, so it keeps you alert. When it’s highly activated, even small stimuli will trigger it more than usual. For example, you might have been fine using your phone right before bed before you had sleep anxiety, but now, this simple stimulus triggers your nervous system more than before. This is why proper sleep hygiene is essential (more than usual). So, to summarize: You don’t have a mental problem or insomnia; your nervous system is highly activated, and you keep activated, which is why you can’t sleep. Something triggered it and you have made a wrong inference/causality relation : you think it's you but in reality, the environment triggered it. Now, how to relax your system: • The best exercise is slow breathing for 2-3 minutes followed by full-body progressive muscle relaxation. • For slow breathing: inhale slowly for 4-5 seconds and exhale slowly for 6-8 seconds. It’s very important that the exhale is longer than the inhale, and that it’s done slowly. In just 2-3 minutes, this sends a signal to your brain that everything is fine (since it thinks there’s a danger and has activated the nervous system). • As for progressive muscle relaxation, there are plenty of videos online, but here’s the fundamental approach: inhale slowly and, during the inhale, contract one specific muscle. Pause for 2-3 seconds, feeling the muscle. Then, slowly relax by exhaling for 6-8 seconds. Feel the muscle release. Do this for your entire body. It should take 5-10 minutes. Now you’re relaxed. • You can do this multiple times a day, but it’s especially important before sleeping and when you’re having trouble sleeping or dealing with obsessive/negative thoughts. • If you’re having negative thoughts or trouble sleeping, don’t stay in bed. Get out of the room, do your relaxation exercises, and then do something interesting or fun, but not stimulating. I personally read a book with very dim lights. You can also listen to a podcast. TV and phones are not recommended because they will stimulate your very sensitive nervous system. When you feel a little tired or drowsy, try going back to sleep. If the anxiety comes back, repeat the relaxation process. This may seem counterintuitive, but getting out of bed and relaxing will make you less tired than staying in bed with your negative thoughts. You may not sleep in the first 1-2 days, even when following the process above. Your nervous system has been so activated that it may take more time to return to normal. Again, your goal is not to sleep—it’s to relax. Sleep is a symptom of relaxation; it will come when you’re relaxed. Lastly, don’t obsess over the relaxation exercises. Don’t do them with the intense purpose of going to sleep. Do them to relax and enjoy that moment. Eventually, you’ll find them enjoyable, and you might even do them when you don’t have any issues. Sleep issues may come back after a few weeks/months: repeat the same process. You may feel like it's not working because it's a "new problem" or something more severe, it's just your anxiety talking. Bonus tips: • During the day, if you have obsessive or negative thoughts related to sleep (e.g., “I’ll have to live with this,” “I’ll lose my job,” “I won’t be able to do this,” “I’ll have to be medicated for my entire life”), don’t try to bury the thoughts if they feel overwhelming—write them down. Try to identify what triggered the "fear" response in you initially or what recently activated or stimulated you. What made you feel like “This is too much for me?” Finding the cause may help you realize the real issue. Your nervous system has likely been activated for a while, and you might not have even realized it. • Seek professional help from a psychologist specialized in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and, ideally, with expertise in sleep anxiety. This is very important. I’ve realized that most psychologists, when not specialized, may say things that actually make the situation worse. It took me some time to find the right one. • Learn to manage your stress and anxiety. I thought I was someone who was pretty “stoic” and unaffected by stress, but I was actually just avoiding stress most of the time. When I was cornered and had to face stress, I realized I was pretty bad at managing it. This might be the case for you as well, which is why it’s important to see a professional who can help you develop better ways to cope with stress. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions!

So true. Had a similar thing, but for me it took 2 years to get back to normal. I kept waiting for somone or something to fix my insomnia. I only got better when I really decided to stop being an insomniac. Had to fake it for a long time, but gradually I got better. Its rooted way down in the subconcious mind. Takes time to heal when you have had it for a long time. Mindset needs to be changed.

Putting TLDR before, so you wouldn't waste any time. 1. Eat at the time you want to wake up. Do not snack at night, start eating only at the time you want to be waking up. 2. Get red sunglasses or blue light protection glasses (preferably yellow/red/orange). No need for anything fancy, I just got sunglasses with red tinted lenses. Go for red/orange or yellow, anything that can filter out blue light. Red seems to be the best. Start wearing them two hours before bedtime and turn off all overhead lights, use just monitors and flashlights, the weaker, the better. If you look at any screen at all 2 hours before bedtime, phone or tablet, anything, use these sunglasses/light protection glasses. 3. Do not get clear glasses that filter out blue light, they seem to be less effective. 4. Preferably use sunglasses to watch or play something not that exciting, calming. If you start a new game or something like that, your heartbeat can keep you up for some time (in my case, about an hour or two). Don't try to play action games or do something like that before bedtime, turn on some tv show, not necessarily relaxing, but something that will not get your blood pumping. Naturally, I am still talking about period two hours before bedtime. My story I have trouble sleeping. I put cardboard over my windows (ghetto, I know, but better than getting no sleep), I use wax earplugs for going to sleep, but about 6 months ago I started to have REAL trouble falling asleep. I think every 3rd or 4th day I got insomnia. I go to bed, I turn off the lights, I wait for sleep, and it doesn't come. I could spend a whole night just staring at the ceiling, counting, trying to relax the body step by step, like this technique that supposedly helps you to fall asleep, and meditate, and then looking at the tablet, and looking at the phone, when you get exhausted from waiting. Nothing helped. I think the last part is what killed my sleep. No screens with blue light for 2 hours before bedtime - we hear this advice all the time. Except there is no fucking way anybody follows it. What, you lay there for two hours, and you don't check the time? Open Youtube? Play some games? I think one of the leading reasons of insomnia is blue screen light screens and people's inability to accept that they can't put them down for 2 hours straight. But, it is my logic now, back then I just stumbled unto another reddit post, that wanted to use red lamp for reading (I got it but almost never used it, so I can't speak for it). I think that's when I started reading about blue light and how to filter it. I wanted to get clear glasses with blue light protection, but stumbled upon a youtube video, that tests them and red and yellow sunglasses and found red and yellow sunglasses much more effective. I think it was this video - Which blue light blocking glasses actually work? ( no link posting). I really wanted to get red/yellow glasses with blue light protection, but I live in a small town of developing country, so I would have to wait two weeks for this. At first, I looked at some clear blue uv light protection glasses, but they were so expensive that I've said "fuck this", went to the marker and bought some red sunglasses with plastic frames. It helped. Don't try to play action games or do something like that before bedtime, turn on some tv show, not necessarily relaxing, but something that will not get your blood pumping. Theoretically, all this means that you can use green light screens to play games before bedtime, or whatever you call them. I never had a gameboy, but I thought about getting an old nokia to play games. With that said, I never tested it without my red sunglasses, so if you decide to do it, be careful. It is actually very easy to get used to the tint, so I don't think it's worth experimenting. Unless you use them together, glasses and gameboy, in which case - go ahead. The food lifehack I got much earlier before that from another reddit post, but it worked only in a way that made me wake up at a certain time. It helped my body to know when to wake, but it didn't help it to fall asleep. Got the red lamp too, used it about two weeks, with gauze covering it to soften the light. Wanted to send a photo of the glasses and the lamp, but I can't. Oh, well.

So several times over 2024 and 2025 I experienced extreme insomnia. It was several days in a row of no sleep then a sleep and back at it again. It was like a sustained panic attack over weeks at a time. I thought I might die which is laughable now because the body is made for hard things but extremely real when you’re going through it. I spent nights awake shaking and walking around reading this Reddit. I finally have the root cause I think of most insomnia and I feel extremely privileged to come back and try to help the people that gave me some comfort. It’s a multi pronged approach and you have to make changes to your diet but you will feel amazing. You won’t have to treat sleep like a sport and prepare for bed like preparing for war. Your body will go back to knowing how to do it because it was designed for sleep at night. 1. Supplements. - a lot of people who have insomnia take magnesium which is helpful but not the whole picture. To be absorbed, vitamins need a gut lining that actually absorbs nutrients and also the co-factors that lead to absorption. Also high quality vitamins that are made with real ingredients. I don’t know all the science but I know magnesium needs vitamin d3 and k2 and calcium and b vitamins and zinc and potassium and they all need each other. To fix this, I take Dr Bergs vitamins. He’s a YouTube dr that uses actual nutrition to fix so many problems. He’s a great place to start with finding peace in your body again. I take Dr Berg’s magnesium glycinate, d3 and k2 and vitamin b1+. I also take his electrolytes which have vitamins like magnesium and potassium in them themselves that are essential for absorption and hydration. This combination gives me enough zinc in the cofactors that I don’t take a separate supplement but some people that have been getting no nutrition for so long find that it helps so that’s up to you. If you felt like I felt in your insomnia where you literally could not relax if someone paid you a million dollars, you might have adrenals that are overworked with stress and bad diet so they don’t actually regulate your stress anymore. The supplements and electrolytes are the easiest first step to regulate stress and anxiety and I find them essential for sleep and every day functioning. 2. Blood sugar balance - this is the ingredient that I think most people miss in sleep health. For some reason I’m very susceptible to blood sugar changes and, looking back on my life, I realize I’ve always been sensitive. If you find you get hangry and can’t control yourself, that’s blood sugar issue. If you fall asleep but then wake up in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep, that’s a blood sugar issue. If you’ve ever had night terrors, that’s a blood sugar issue. - So put simply, when you eat most anything, your body has a blood sugar response and raises your blood sugar for digestion. It’s not safe for your blood sugar to be high so to protect you, your body sends out insulin to bring the blood sugar back down. It’s natural and perfect. Where the problem comes in is when you eat mostly carbs and sugar, your body’s blood sugar rockets sky high. If your body continued to go high without anything to bring it back down that could be death so To save you, your body pumps out lots of insulin to bring it back down. But the high insulin makes your blood sugar crash down really low. That also sends danger signals to your body so it saves you by pumping out cortisol and adrenaline because if your blood sugar continued to drop low without stopping, that would also be death. So it’s really amazing that our body is working all the time to keep us safe! So we need to work with it not against it. Protein and fat are the brakes to blood sugar. They make it drop slower but don’t raise it. For a while I did keto/carnivore because I thought that was the answer and I did lose weight and feel very healthy. But my main goal was sleep and my sleep was still rocky at times. Carbs are the only thing that is the gas to blood sugar. Ideally, to balance blood sugar you would eat meals that raised it in a gentle hill and then had a long, gentle down hill. I used to fast because I thought that was healthy but I found out that that was just raising my cortisol and making my body feel unsafe right away even though I didn’t feel unsafe. The goal is to eat lots of good protein and fat. Eggs and beef and steaks are my favorite. And then pairing that protein and fat with complex carbs that are gentle on your blood sugar. My favorite is sweet potatoes or white potatoes cooked, cooled, then reheated. Fruit is also good. It’s really important to eat all your meals and snacks balanced but it’s most important for sleep to keep your dinner balanced. My favorite sleep inducing meal is steak (I like ribeye the best. You can do pork to save money or even just ground beef patties) then pair that with a sweet potato filled with butter (you can also do cinnamon if that’s to your taste but no sugar) and then finish up with a kiwi or two. Then an hour later I’ll have my dose of Dr bergs electrolytes. This meal is so healthy and makes me sleep like a baby! Kiwis are proven to help sleep and they definitely do in my experience and they’re also really delicious desert. Try to balance all of your meals like this because your day can definitely effect your night. No skipping meals and just drinking coffee!! A perfect menu would be waking up and eating eggs and some fruit (maybe a little sweet potatoes or cooled and reheated potatoes, you don’t need a lot) if you have coffee have it after your meal and no yucky creamers. Really try to get away from that stuff. Lunch would be some sort of meat and maybe cooked vegetables (cooked vegetables are much better for your gut than raw vegetables like a salad. But salads are healthy so it’s up to what makes you feel the best) and then a small complex carb again. And dinner what I said before. - fish is also amazing with the omega 3s and sardines have a great amount of vitamin d but tinned fish can sometimes trigger histamine which I talk about under gut health so it’s all about what your body can tolerate. - also I wanted to say something about caffeine. I cut out caffeine for a while but now I drink one cup of coffee in the morning but some can’t handle any caffeine if your body doesn’t know how to metabolize it. Having it with protein and fat and carbs is essential but if you still don’t do well, Try switching to green tea/matcha. Those have l theanine that is a calming element that you need for sleep anyway. Also stop caffeine at 11 am. 2.5 snacks - If you happen to not eat a good dinner, your body can experience the roller coaster of blood sugar and leave you wired but tired. Sometimes it’s possible to bring it back with a snack that rebalances blood sugar. It goes by the same rules as dinner but just small enough to balance without giving you the energy of a meal. A small amount of almonds or almond butter with a small amount of sweet potato or 2 or 3 simple mills almond crackers is my favorite snacks. However sometimes if you are extra sensitive your snack can balance you but you still have the Adrenalin of low blood sugar that you just have to ride the wave until it leaves the body. Getting out of bed and walking slowly can also help get it out. I add this to say that everything is still working fine even if you experience an Adrenalin wave even after a balancing snack. 3. Gut health - your gut is essential for sleep and for anxiety and mood. Your gut talks to your brain every moment of the day and it is what makes you feel unsafe and stressed or safe and nourished. For sleep specifically, your gut is what tells your brain to release sleep hormones that naturally make you tired and fall asleep. If your gut is inflamed and not working correctly, it won’t absorb any nutrients and won’t tell your brain anything good. I find this portion the most complex and also the one that has the most noise out on the internet. For me, I decided to not worry too much about it besides for a protocol to eat whole real foods only and take my supplements. I try to cut out the seed oils, sugars, and gluten that irritate your gut and cause your whole system to go haywire. Real foods are what is going to feed your gut naturally and have it fix itself. Stressing about all the other stuff that people say about gut health just made me confused and overwhelmed. It’s really hard to cut out those things forever because sometimes you just need some Taco Bell but try to make it sparingly and actually give your system a chance to calm down and work correctly for the first time in your life. If your having sleep issues that just won’t go away, try this protocol for a month really strict with no gluten, preservatives, and seed oils and see if it helps. If you’re going to do it, try to make it earlier in the day and make dinner the nourishing meal. Cooled and reheated potatoes are great for gut health as well as certain teas. I really like celestial seasonings sleepy time throat coat because it has calming chamomile as well as slippery elm and licorice root. Those two throat coat ingredients also coat the gut and help it heal. Chia seed water also coats the gut and helps with gut health. Also insomnia can sometimes be histamine intolerance which is at its core a gut issue so you can also research that. A lot of gut health and sleeping videos will tell you to eat a lot of fermented foods but if your gut is already messed up or you’re dealing with any level of histamine issue, sometimes this can just do the opposite and fill your body with histamine you can’t break down and lead to even more wakefulness and wired feelings. - also make sure to research the ingredients in food. Even in healthy salad dressing and sauces like mayonnaise and ketchup, seed oils and preservatives can hide. This is important because when your gut is inflamed, it won’t make the sleep hormones or send signals to your brain. I recommend the brand Primal for sauces. Also stay away from most things in the center isles of the grocery store. Keep it simple and fresh. 4. Hormones - hormones control everything. They can literally change your personality. If you are a woman and have irregular periods, the more irregular they are, the more they are not working as they are supposed to. Hormones can make you even more sensitive to blood sugar changes so if you experience a period, sometimes you’ll just have bad sleep even if you don’t eat terrible because your progesterone is dropping. Don’t let that discourage you, just know your body is working hard uphill at those times and be gentle with yourself. If you have PCOS, you may need even more help than my protocol but it is an amazing starting point because it calms the inflammation in our body naturally. 5. Nervous system - I’ve seen people talk about yoga nidra on this Reddit and that is such a good starting point. Your gut and brain talk through your nervous system, limbic system, lymphatic system, so many systems!! I don’t understand it fully but I do understand that they all work together. Doing meditations, yoga nidra, visualizations, and somatic exercises all help the body know that it is safe. It can help those systems release tension so the body can work better. I think the above points are more immediate but I do all these things as well. 6. Breathing - I was going to just put this into the above category but I think it’s important enough to put its own. Learn how to breathe using your full diaphragm. “Belly breathing” is spoken about a lot for calming the nervous system but it’s not right. Look up people doing full 360 breathing or diaphragmatic breathing. It’s often people who are showing you how to activate your deep core or even rehabilitate after pregnancy. This is the most calming thing for me for sleep. After I’ve eaten my nourishing dinner, I practice this breathing and my whole body relaxes. Taking this further and finding out how to strengthen your core and pelvic floor is even a step further. You wouldn’t think this even matters for sleep but like I’ve stated before, everything in your body is tied together so intricately. Don’t worry about this until you’re stable but researching primitive movement and core stability from when you were a chid and how that can affect your nervous system is fascinating. 7. Exercise - this is helpful for your whole health and also for sleep. You would think the harder you worked your body, the harder you would rest right? Sometimes this can be the opposite if you already struggle with cortisol issues, you can stress your body out when it already doesn’t know how to shut down. Walking is the most helpful because it doesn’t activate the cortisol response. Short weight lifting sessions are also helpful because the more muscle you have, the more efficiently your whole body works. Stretching is also fun and great for relaxation. Research how to stretch the whole pelvic floor to send safety signals to your body. Happy sleeping. I know it’s a struggle and I know the tears you’ve cried and the hopelessness you’ve felt. I thought God was punishing me or hating me. But coming through it, He was at my side the whole time. I pray that you feel the peace and acceptance of Jesus Christ. But sometimes all we need is rest first. I pray you feel the peace that passes all understanding.

So several times over 2024 and 2025 I experienced extreme insomnia. It was several days in a row of no sleep then a sleep and back at it again. It was like a sustained panic attack over weeks at a time. I thought I might die which is laughable now because the body is made for hard things but extremely real when you’re going through it. I spent nights awake shaking and walking around reading this Reddit. I finally have the root cause I think of most insomnia and I feel extremely privileged to come back and try to help the people that gave me some comfort. It’s a multi pronged approach and you have to make changes to your diet but you will feel amazing. You won’t have to treat sleep like a sport and prepare for bed like preparing for war. Your body will go back to knowing how to do it because it was designed for sleep at night. 1. Supplements. - a lot of people who have insomnia take magnesium which is helpful but not the whole picture. To be absorbed, vitamins need a gut lining that actually absorbs nutrients and also the co-factors that lead to absorption. Also high quality vitamins that are made with real ingredients. I don’t know all the science but I know magnesium needs vitamin d3 and k2 and calcium and b vitamins and zinc and potassium and they all need each other. To fix this, I take Dr Bergs vitamins. He’s a YouTube dr that uses actual nutrition to fix so many problems. He’s a great place to start with finding peace in your body again. I take Dr Berg’s magnesium glycinate, d3 and k2 and vitamin b1+. I also take his electrolytes which have vitamins like magnesium and potassium in them themselves that are essential for absorption and hydration. This combination gives me enough zinc in the cofactors that I don’t take a separate supplement but some people that have been getting no nutrition for so long find that it helps so that’s up to you. If you felt like I felt in your insomnia where you literally could not relax if someone paid you a million dollars, you might have adrenals that are overworked with stress and bad diet so they don’t actually regulate your stress anymore. The supplements and electrolytes are the easiest first step to regulate stress and anxiety and I find them essential for sleep and every day functioning. 2. Blood sugar balance - this is the ingredient that I think most people miss in sleep health. For some reason I’m very susceptible to blood sugar changes and, looking back on my life, I realize I’ve always been sensitive. If you find you get hangry and can’t control yourself, that’s blood sugar issue. If you fall asleep but then wake up in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep, that’s a blood sugar issue. If you’ve ever had night terrors, that’s a blood sugar issue. - So put simply, when you eat most anything, your body has a blood sugar response and raises your blood sugar for digestion. It’s not safe for your blood sugar to be high so to protect you, your body sends out insulin to bring the blood sugar back down. It’s natural and perfect. Where the problem comes in is when you eat mostly carbs and sugar, your body’s blood sugar rockets sky high. If your body continued to go high without anything to bring it back down that could be death so To save you, your body pumps out lots of insulin to bring it back down. But the high insulin makes your blood sugar crash down really low. That also sends danger signals to your body so it saves you by pumping out cortisol and adrenaline because if your blood sugar continued to drop low without stopping, that would also be death. So it’s really amazing that our body is working all the time to keep us safe! So we need to work with it not against it. Protein and fat are the brakes to blood sugar. They make it drop slower but don’t raise it. For a while I did keto/carnivore because I thought that was the answer and I did lose weight and feel very healthy. But my main goal was sleep and my sleep was still rocky at times. Carbs are the only thing that is the gas to blood sugar. Ideally, to balance blood sugar you would eat meals that raised it in a gentle hill and then had a long, gentle down hill. I used to fast because I thought that was healthy but I found out that that was just raising my cortisol and making my body feel unsafe right away even though I didn’t feel unsafe. The goal is to eat lots of good protein and fat. Eggs and beef and steaks are my favorite. And then pairing that protein and fat with complex carbs that are gentle on your blood sugar. My favorite is sweet potatoes or white potatoes cooked, cooled, then reheated. Fruit is also good. It’s really important to eat all your meals and snacks balanced but it’s most important for sleep to keep your dinner balanced. My favorite sleep inducing meal is steak (I like ribeye the best. You can do pork to save money or even just ground beef patties) then pair that with a sweet potato filled with butter (you can also do cinnamon if that’s to your taste but no sugar) and then finish up with a kiwi or two. Then an hour later I’ll have my dose of Dr bergs electrolytes. This meal is so healthy and makes me sleep like a baby! Kiwis are proven to help sleep and they definitely do in my experience and they’re also really delicious desert. Try to balance all of your meals like this because your day can definitely effect your night. No skipping meals and just drinking coffee!! A perfect menu would be waking up and eating eggs and some fruit (maybe a little sweet potatoes or cooled and reheated potatoes, you don’t need a lot) if you have coffee have it after your meal and no yucky creamers. Really try to get away from that stuff. Lunch would be some sort of meat and maybe cooked vegetables (cooked vegetables are much better for your gut than raw vegetables like a salad. But salads are healthy so it’s up to what makes you feel the best) and then a small complex carb again. And dinner what I said before. - fish is also amazing with the omega 3s and sardines have a great amount of vitamin d but tinned fish can sometimes trigger histamine which I talk about under gut health so it’s all about what your body can tolerate. - also I wanted to say something about caffeine. I cut out caffeine for a while but now I drink one cup of coffee in the morning but some can’t handle any caffeine if your body doesn’t know how to metabolize it. Having it with protein and fat and carbs is essential but if you still don’t do well, Try switching to green tea/matcha. Those have l theanine that is a calming element that you need for sleep anyway. Also stop caffeine at 11 am. 2.5 snacks - If you happen to not eat a good dinner, your body can experience the roller coaster of blood sugar and leave you wired but tired. Sometimes it’s possible to bring it back with a snack that rebalances blood sugar. It goes by the same rules as dinner but just small enough to balance without giving you the energy of a meal. A small amount of almonds or almond butter with a small amount of sweet potato or 2 or 3 simple mills almond crackers is my favorite snacks. However sometimes if you are extra sensitive your snack can balance you but you still have the Adrenalin of low blood sugar that you just have to ride the wave until it leaves the body. Getting out of bed and walking slowly can also help get it out. I add this to say that everything is still working fine even if you experience an Adrenalin wave even after a balancing snack. 3. Gut health - your gut is essential for sleep and for anxiety and mood. Your gut talks to your brain every moment of the day and it is what makes you feel unsafe and stressed or safe and nourished. For sleep specifically, your gut is what tells your brain to release sleep hormones that naturally make you tired and fall asleep. If your gut is inflamed and not working correctly, it won’t absorb any nutrients and won’t tell your brain anything good. I find this portion the most complex and also the one that has the most noise out on the internet. For me, I decided to not worry too much about it besides for a protocol to eat whole real foods only and take my supplements. I try to cut out the seed oils, sugars, and gluten that irritate your gut and cause your whole system to go haywire. Real foods are what is going to feed your gut naturally and have it fix itself. Stressing about all the other stuff that people say about gut health just made me confused and overwhelmed. It’s really hard to cut out those things forever because sometimes you just need some Taco Bell but try to make it sparingly and actually give your system a chance to calm down and work correctly for the first time in your life. If your having sleep issues that just won’t go away, try this protocol for a month really strict with no gluten, preservatives, and seed oils and see if it helps. If you’re going to do it, try to make it earlier in the day and make dinner the nourishing meal. Cooled and reheated potatoes are great for gut health as well as certain teas. I really like celestial seasonings sleepy time throat coat because it has calming chamomile as well as slippery elm and licorice root. Those two throat coat ingredients also coat the gut and help it heal. Chia seed water also coats the gut and helps with gut health. Also insomnia can sometimes be histamine intolerance which is at its core a gut issue so you can also research that. A lot of gut health and sleeping videos will tell you to eat a lot of fermented foods but if your gut is already messed up or you’re dealing with any level of histamine issue, sometimes this can just do the opposite and fill your body with histamine you can’t break down and lead to even more wakefulness and wired feelings. - also make sure to research the ingredients in food. Even in healthy salad dressing and sauces like mayonnaise and ketchup, seed oils and preservatives can hide. This is important because when your gut is inflamed, it won’t make the sleep hormones or send signals to your brain. I recommend the brand Primal for sauces. Also stay away from most things in the center isles of the grocery store. Keep it simple and fresh. 4. Hormones - hormones control everything. They can literally change your personality. If you are a woman and have irregular periods, the more irregular they are, the more they are not working as they are supposed to. Hormones can make you even more sensitive to blood sugar changes so if you experience a period, sometimes you’ll just have bad sleep even if you don’t eat terrible because your progesterone is dropping. Don’t let that discourage you, just know your body is working hard uphill at those times and be gentle with yourself. If you have PCOS, you may need even more help than my protocol but it is an amazing starting point because it calms the inflammation in our body naturally. 5. Nervous system - I’ve seen people talk about yoga nidra on this Reddit and that is such a good starting point. Your gut and brain talk through your nervous system, limbic system, lymphatic system, so many systems!! I don’t understand it fully but I do understand that they all work together. Doing meditations, yoga nidra, visualizations, and somatic exercises all help the body know that it is safe. It can help those systems release tension so the body can work better. I think the above points are more immediate but I do all these things as well. 6. Breathing - I was going to just put this into the above category but I think it’s important enough to put its own. Learn how to breathe using your full diaphragm. “Belly breathing” is spoken about a lot for calming the nervous system but it’s not right. Look up people doing full 360 breathing or diaphragmatic breathing. It’s often people who are showing you how to activate your deep core or even rehabilitate after pregnancy. This is the most calming thing for me for sleep. After I’ve eaten my nourishing dinner, I practice this breathing and my whole body relaxes. Taking this further and finding out how to strengthen your core and pelvic floor is even a step further. You wouldn’t think this even matters for sleep but like I’ve stated before, everything in your body is tied together so intricately. Don’t worry about this until you’re stable but researching primitive movement and core stability from when you were a chid and how that can affect your nervous system is fascinating. 7. Exercise - this is helpful for your whole health and also for sleep. You would think the harder you worked your body, the harder you would rest right? Sometimes this can be the opposite if you already struggle with cortisol issues, you can stress your body out when it already doesn’t know how to shut down. Walking is the most helpful because it doesn’t activate the cortisol response. Short weight lifting sessions are also helpful because the more muscle you have, the more efficiently your whole body works. Stretching is also fun and great for relaxation. Research how to stretch the whole pelvic floor to send safety signals to your body. Happy sleeping. I know it’s a struggle and I know the tears you’ve cried and the hopelessness you’ve felt. I thought God was punishing me or hating me. But coming through it, He was at my side the whole time. I pray that you feel the peace and acceptance of Jesus Christ. But sometimes all we need is rest first. I pray you feel the peace that passes all understanding.

Below is all my advice. Not super organized but whatever. If it helps you realize things, then it will have made my entire experience and suffering worth it to help others have this knowledge. Sending you all my best wishes- you can do this! My quick story: 25M. Highly educated scientist and lecturer. Historically a 9.5 hour per night sleeper, My whole life I DESPISED being tired more than ANY feeling on earth, so this was about as bad of a genetic hand as you could have been dealt. Very anxious natural personality/worrier, but in adulthood I was very very calm so this was super terrifying/unsettling. Recent traumatic experience from death in family. Was not immediately related to insomnia, sleep was fine for a year, but general anxiety resulted. Randomly didn’t sleep one night on a ski trip where it was cold. Couldn’t sleep the next night cuz I was curious/scared if it could happen again. Instantly spiraled out of control. Turns out I was actually sleeping a decent bit, was just not aware (“paradoxical insomnia/sleep state misperception,” super super common when you’re tired but ultra stressed). Tried CBTi, didn’t work. Tried ACT for insomnia, was okay. Over time I learned things that helped me get back on track. Completely normal relationship with sleep again, honestly I sleep better than I ever have before. Total time elapsed was about 6-9 months (nice!). The below story is VERY loosely based on ACT and CBTi, but with some important things I learned along the way from guys like Daniel Erichsen and Martin the Sleep Coach on youtube, as well as many books and scientific studies and guides (linked below). Basics/general: * You can recover no matter what/where you are. MANY people have a similar situation. * You *likely* have an anxiety problem, not an insomnia problem- you are scared of not sleeping for whatever reason, be it physical discomfort, work performance, etc. There are also other kinds of insomnia caused by pure biologics, but that's usually a lifelong since the day you were born sort of thing. But my guess is many people on here are of the anxious, high-performer type, where it set in after some random event, and it's perpetuated by worrying; and it’s exactly this sort of personality that is most vulnerable to overthinking it. That’s who this is for. See this thread too: [https://www.reddit.com/r/insomnia/comments/wqulvt/you\_dont\_have\_a\_sleep\_problem\_you\_have\_an\_anxiety/?rdt=40818](https://www.reddit.com/r/insomnia/comments/wqulvt/you_dont_have_a_sleep_problem_you_have_an_anxiety/?rdt=40818)  * Many of the things you try to do to sleep are probably highly counterproductive- trying to do physical things to fix it can make you obsessibely problem solve and stay alert trying to fix something which is not directly controllable. * Sleep works very differently than you might think, and in many senses is past what we can even understand, and in many ways is actually strange and borderline illogical. Lots of highly counterintuitive things I did not know. * It may look like since you aren’t doing anything wrong/can’t fix it by doing anything, this is bound to just continue forever. That is not the case.  * Once you restore your understanding of how it works and gain some momentum, you can get back to normal. I am back to having the same relationship with sleep as I did before this started. **What to do when you go to bed** * **Nothing. Enjoy the feeling of laying down on something soft, not having to have your eyes open or hold yourself up, and not having to do anything. That's it. You do not need to do anything else. That's how we sleep. The only thing I advise people not to do is try to actively problem solve questions relating to sleep, instead opting to just leave them in your awareness and not pay direct problem-solving attention to them.** * If you want to meditate or count sheep cause it makes resting more enjoyable, then you can still do it. * Very important point for me personally: The idea of “Watching thoughts” being hard for people- It can be helpful to recognize that thoughts don’t cause you immediate physical threat, even if the image they paint is very unpleasant- it helps your brain turn off its fight or flight, which is designed for physical threats. It’ll calm down a lil if you help it realize there’s no physical thing about to immediately stab you. A lot of people love it. Do it if it makes you relaxed. I felt it was too stressful. So I learned to be aware of them without paying attention. It’s like there’s a math problem in front of you, and someone asks you to not solve it. You just don’t solve it or talk to it. You don’t keep your focus on it consciously, but you don’t care if it’s there. You just let it be in your awareness without paying attention. It’s pretty relaxed and a non-exact process, it helps you understand you DO NOT need to do ANYTHING when you have intrusive sleep related thoughts at all. There are no responsibilities or things you “have to” do in response to them, that would be exhausting! Additionally, when you merely let something be in your awareness but don’t direct attention towards it, this reduces anxiety SIGNIFICANTLY. I learned this from a therapist. People with severe germophobia can actually contaminate stuff with <2/10 anxiety by simply not directing conscious attention to what they’re doing, and this actually heals their brain’s natural responses to be less anxious. It sounds super fake but it is very real. So yeah, this helps anxiety a lot directly, while also letting you relax more. If you wake up/can’t sleep in beginning/middle of the night/should you leave bed? * No need to get up if you’re comfy. But sometimes when I was really panicking or super in my head, getting up and watching something or doing some light light stretches or deep breathing helped though. In the same spirit of above, you won’t have to do this all the time---since your brain diverts your attention less each time you have something happen to you. * I would read or watch netflix or stretch or do something I enjoyed. Maybe do some art or music exploration. * "Aren't I robbing my precious sleep time?!?" Nah not really. Relaxing at night is actually pretty good for your brain still (see below comment about N2). One night where I had to get up 4-5 times (I was still experimenting at this time lol) and only was in bed (not even asleep, just in bed for!) for 5 hours, I actually woke up feeling awesome and ran a PR 5k, then napped once in the day but felt totally alive. * Isn't literally anything I do pointless cause I'll have to do this again in 30 minutes repeatedly til the night is done? Very common question- No! Your brain is designed to MOVE your attention to things that enter your awareness- not keep it there! Attention works sort of like a wave, where subsequent waves evoke a weaker response. CBT-i and ACT for Insomnia- and why they may not work (it’s okay), and how they can also work * CBTi was torture for me. It actively hurt my sleep, and my emotions/was a constant obsession/headache causer. * Too many rules- you think if you violate one, you’re toast. * However it can cause people to stress cause there are too many rules to be followed (esp if you’re a perfectionist like me!). * I also felt like I’d never regain my old relationship with sleep again, and vacations etc would annihilate me. * The HIGHLY restricted sleep window was insanely stressful for me. Also the hours were too short for me to feel rested. * No naps was an even worse part. A cursed regulation IMO. * ACT is similar but acceptance is a bad word, since no one can actually fully accept feeling bad- your brain isn't designed to accept never-ending pain even if it's mild. NO one's brain is, even if they're "tough". That's very normal. Acceptance is a weird word, I think it's a mislabel. Maybe like "understanding what is happening and how this situation is highly complicated, part real but largely imagined future projections of yourself being hurt, and not everything at play is visible to you." * As Daniel Erichsen said, CBT/ACT can indirectly work for many people because through repeated exposure it reminds you that while in bed, you don’t need to do anything to sleep, by putting focus on other things. And once you figure that out, ideally you could stop following the less important rules like no TV etc. * General CBT therapy was great for improving my interpersonal relationships though! I feel more empowered to choose non-extreme conclusions for any unfortunate things that happen to me like traffic, etc. Naps and why they rock * CBTi says no naps. That was one of the SINGLE WORST things I did for my sleep. Insomnia feels bad primarily cuz you feel sleepy mid-day. By saying no naps you remove your STRONGEST tool against being sleepy. They’re like pit stops! Use them to great effect! I took 1-3 20 min naps depending on the night. I’ve heard of 90 min naps being great too if you have a ton of trouble at night. Don’t worry about not being tired, if you were already sleep deprived. This is a tool that helps you mitigate bad days! Learn to use it and be flexible with deploying it as needed. * It’s normal to doze! Just like the morning grizzly bear thing below, consider it a temporary part of your identity! I have friends that snooze a little during the day and I think it’s kind of cool that they have this middle of the day intermission phase. * You do NOT need to fall asleep during a nap to have substantial recovery benefits, physical and mental. I almost never fall asleep during my naps. I consider lying down a nap. A couch or recliner or head on your desk (use a pillow maybe though lol) is enough to help you recover. Think about this- when you’re overworked or something and want to recover, do you need to fall asleep to recover? No! You just need to close your eyes and let your brain slow down a little. * Don’t take naps past like 3pm ish since that can start to disturb your sleep schedule at night, but before that is fine. * I tried with a sleep therapist for like 4 months but it wasn’t helpful. However her willingness to allow naps was a godsend for me. Also she helped with general anxiety. Timeless sleep window * SUPER helpful tip I learned from Daniel Erichsen. * Basically, set yourself up a window where you can do anything, including sleep, each night. But you can do whatever you feel like. But you DO NOT look at the clock! This removes a lot of pressure. My personal flavor is to set from 11pm-8am as my window. I’ll not consciously look at the clock anymore, and just read or watch some low-stakes TV til I feel sleepy, then go to bed. I might wake up or not feel like I’m resting nicely, so I might get up and do other stuff like watch Netflix etc., and then my alarm is set for 7:30, and then I’ll snooze a couple times before getting out of bed. This kept the “bedtime is NOW” nerves out of my brain- forcing a deadline can cause you to feel anxious, even if you’re not an insomniac lmao. After getting up in the morning- what to do? * I snooze my alarm twice for 15-20 mins each. Helps my brain start to power on. I consider this essential. Forcing myself out of bed immediately was torture. * Don’t focus on your tiredness in the morning- I had a HUGE breakthrough when I was on vacation and saw my buddy yawning, moseying around the rental with his coffee, and sitting outside on a lawn chair basking in the sun as he woke up. It’s normal, even if you sleep WELL, to be drowsy in the morning. Embrace it, be the slow-start grizzly bear that’s coming out of hibernation as you power on for the day! Embracing this as part of your temporary identity can actually be fun! * Even if you sleep well, solid chance you’ll feel tired still. All too common to write off a day as “about to be awful” just cuz you feel tired in the morning. If you buy into this, you will likely feel AWFUL and SUPER tired-- this is because Pain is amplified A TON by the brain. Like A TON. The stress response gets blended with the triggering feeling, and therefore being sleepy can feel like severe pain rather than some discomfort. Your brain has no way to distinguish what is actually causing its distress, so if you think mindlessly, it will always assume physical damage is occurring. Daytime * You might be sleepy, that’s ok- you can still put out intellectual power. Maybe not 100% but you never would have 100% or other things would get in the way too. * Naps as above * Avoid engaging too too much with thoughts about sleep. Not an exact science, but just generally don’t spend time negotiating with them or assuring yourself, just allow them to be in your awareness without devoting direct attention/problem solving them! Sleeping with a partner * I have more fun/am more happy to be just in bed cuddling when my girlfriend is near me. I sleep better when she’s around- she naturally pushes me to just enjoy being in bed, which is the “correct” thing to do, nothing- just enjoy the relaxation. * Maybe get another twin mattress or a topper if your movements disturb each other, or earplugs for snoring etc. What people say you should/shouldn’t do * Eat chocolate, watch TV, use your phone for a little, whatever! That stuff might affect your sleep by like 5ish mins. Avoid like coffee or watching a hyper intense film or staring 5 inches from your max brightness screen, beyond that it doesn’t really matter too much. That’s optimization. None of those things can make you not sleep all night. They might make you sleep a couple minutes less, but I promise you I eat chocolate and play video games til the minute I go to bed sometimes and do not have trouble. * Journaling was largely unhelpful for me, besides maybe one attempt per night to get some thoughts out, but it was largely just performative beyond SOMETIMES helping thoughts not swirl only in my head. A lot of people find it really helpful so your brain feels “heard” rather than just continually alerting you to something which it thinks you haven’t noticed yet. The science of sleep- some quick facts I found most helpful to learn, all were from below, lots from the UMass Chan resources * Tl;dr: Your body protects you in MANY, MANY ways. Sleep is SUPER weird, so you might not even be able to verbalize how it’s working to help you. * Sleep perception is super weird. You can sleep and not know you’re asleep, especially at the beginning/end of the night. Sometimes you can tell because you’ll remember a dream, other times not. So if you’re awake and enjoying yourself, just stay there- you literally might be asleep. * 5.5 hours (ish) of core sleep is more or less all you need to actually be unconscious for for pretty solid functioning, beyond that much time, the sleep is LIGHT. In fact, the levels of sleep in N2 can be reached while *awake* by experienced meditators. So as long as you’re lying down in bed, you can probably scrape up a pretty large percentage of this! * Sleep comes in cycles and can go in any order. It’s highly flexible. Our ancestors didn’t have regular sleep schedules when predators were around. * Sleep QUALITY matters as much as quantity- and this is handled by your neurons. It will randomly be great or bad, you have little control over it and it’s basically random each night. So don’t ever write off a night as bad cuz of your hours- it could actually be quite good. Resources * UMass Chan CBT-i facts sheet- [https://www.umassmed.edu/globalassets/psychiatry/cbti/overcoming\_insomnia\_session\_3.pdf](https://www.umassmed.edu/globalassets/psychiatry/cbti/overcoming_insomnia_session_3.pdf)  * Corrects misunderstandings about sleep * Stories of Courage by Daniel Erichsen- stories of recovered insomniacs. Great book. Super helpful for not feeling alone. * Daniel Erichsen’s youtube channel. He uses some non-scientific words and it may appear childish, but this stuff was really helpful. Also interviews of recoverers. * Alina from slovakia, fearless sleep letters. Very similar to Daniel Erichsen. * Martin the sleep coach or something like that on youtube. * The Sleep Book by Guy Meadows- golden! Other tips: * I removed my alarm clock, and still don’t have one. (I was a time-checker.) I use my phone alarm instead. You don’t need to do this, but I liked to. * **There’s no thought or thing that would prevent you from seriously not sleeping**, even if your heart jumps a bit when you first think it. * Your brain is designed to get your attention to shift, not to keep it there. So just because you “keep having a thought or feeling”, this initial effect/jump will almost certainly not continue and will decay, as long as you're not directing your problem solving attention there and trying to do stuff to it. * **A huge portion of the tiredness you feel when you wake up is actually stress/you being upset**\- there is basically no way to discern the two unless you know this. * I was a 9.5-hour-per-night sleeper my whole life. 8.5 hours was the “danger zone”, and getting 8 hours meant I felt DEAD the next morning. Now I only sleep 7.75-8.5 hours per night and feel JUST as rested, plus my sleep quality is better. I am not quite sure how this happened- likely a mix of physical acclimation, but ALSO mental acclimation and understanding that time spent “unconscious” vs. resting doesn’t matter nearly as much. I probably stressed in the past when I was awake since I was irritated. * All-nighters might happen, or they might never. No matter how stressed or angry or terrified I was, my body always gave up at some point. Even at the beginning when I was mortified as to what was happening to me. * Medications/sleeping pills: I never used mine (clonodine). I did go on a tiny dose (10mg) of Celexa/Citalopram for my severe PTSD/anxiety and that made me sleep even better, but it was already largely fixed before that point. Again I’m not a doctor but I would think getting a gentle medication like an SSRI is probably the way to go if this is really uprooting your life and you really need medication help. They’re non-addictive and don’t change your personality at all (small % might have adverse response but whatever, give it a shot), and might help your body re-organize its natural defenses. I dont know about actual sleeping pills, what they're like, etc. I imagine you can taper off them slowly over many weeks. Maybe cut pills in 90%, then 80%, etc. * Melatonin: its primary use is for getting your sleepy time cues to come at the RIGHT TIME, NOT to make you feel sleepy. Your body only emits 300 MILLIGRAMS (.3 grams) naturally. If I’m traveling, I’ll take a THIRD of a 1mg kid’s gummy and it helps my clock adjust to jet lag. There’s no point in chugging these during normal nights- it can actually hurt your sleep quality overall! * It may feel like you’ve discovered “cursed knowledge” that “if you think about not sleeping hard enough, you won’t sleep which will then make you think about it more blah blah blah” or something like that. Not the case. This is something that always existed in the world that you could have always heard from a friend etc. **Thoughts CANNOT make you not sleep. I have thoughts of "what if I don't sleep how awful would that be" ALL the time.** And I have always slept fine after (at least now--- in the past, not so much hahaha.). Once you fall asleep having this thought ONCE, it starts to **unravel**. Same with eating chocolate and stuff. Once you realize you can sleep after it, your brain realizes it got pranked and that wasn't hurting your sleep at all haha. * Do you have past or recent trauma? Can affect sleep INDIRECTLY through changed perceptions of security---if you haven’t gone to therapy, do that! * You will never reach perfect confidence that you will sleep on any night, and you never have had it to begin with. You would randomly sleep bad some nights beforehand, too. You will never, but more importantly HAVE never, had a guarantee of sleep on any night.  The thing to understand is that you now view this long-existing truth with disdain instead of neutrality, since you think that knowing it is hurting you. That’s not the case. * You might be wondering, "So, you tell me to do less and just lie there and not address your own negative thoughts in favor of directing your attention elsewhere. Isn't this just running/hiding from the problem?" The answer is a resounding NO. The questions will instead be addressed (perhaps not answered, but addressed in some way, such as soothed) by your intuition and passive attention. The reality is that **thinking is an ineffective coping method for many things**, and us anxious types use it a lot. Trying to make future you safe from all possible outcomes is a very tiring task, and it is in fact impossible. Instead, coping by grounding in the present moment by enjoying your surroundings and the lack of need to problem solve anything can help you find relief without impossible answers. The parts of this post about attention focus and the importance of not directing attention are from my anxiety/PTSD therapist and they are well-tested as keys to unlocking obsessive anxiety cycles. * **DO NOT READ NEGATIVE FORUMS**. THEY WILL CONTAIN SCARY STORIES from all over the world. While TECHNICALLY it can happen to any human, your brain is likely already very close to “full alarm” mode- it’s likely to hover near your current level at worst, and then improve (on average). Only look up success stories! Especially Daniel Erichsen has a lot of successes. * I also severely limited the amount of sleep related searching I was doing in general. Obsession leads to more anxiety. Be tasteful with it, your call since it's not an exact science! * **Very LITTLE of this is about “toughening up” or “accepting your pain”.** That can make it sound like manning up is the only solution. Completely untrue. Those words are very subtle and in my opinion absolutely not true. This can affect and make anyone feel terrible. Recovery is about understanding, mitigation of distress, and flexibility and adaptability (among other good words I can’t think of right now). I will not be monitoring this post for replies- I understand how stressful and painful this can feel, but I also cannot afford to be looking back here to address anyone’s individual situations. Hopefully in the above the solution lies! Sending you all my BEST wishes! This is a thing that a lot of people go through, and you will make it through too!!!

Yeah this is why people say that OCD and insomnia can sometimes be sort of the same thing. I've had horrible insomnia for 2-3 years now (with a few periods where I fully buy into therapy and it's better for awhile before I let my mental health get bad again). I've gotten over covid while not sleeping at all, become a better runner, etc. I'm not going to tell you that it's not debilitating but I will say that your health is going to be fine. Not sleeping makes you feel like you're dying but you are not. The wired thing is super normal. Your parents are right that sleep will come back but I also just want to tell you that you have permission to just be anxious for a bit, it's okay! If you would like to take something unisom is a very gentle over the counter sleep aid that I like a lot. No reason not to try magnesium and melatonin, sometimes just a little push is enough to get you to sleep, sometimes not (and that's okay too). Daniel Erichsen is a great resource on youtube for dealing with this issue.

For most people, what causes Insomnia is anxiety, specifically, fear about not sleeping. For me, the initial insomnia that is caused by anxiety morphed into hyperarousal once its gets to be bedtime. The problem is, you can't really think your way out of this state. So, once the nighttime fear sets in, you can't fight it. You have to roll with it. Now, this doesn't mean that you will fall asleep. But you have to redirect those thoughts to something active, In my opinion. So, that's turning the light back on and reading something, writing about how your feeling, get up, walk around, stretch, etc, instead of laying there and trying to think through an unsolvable problem. What your trying to do is think your way to sleep. You cannot. When we fall asleep quickly, it's not because we think a specific thought or do a good job at it, we just close our eyes and drift away because we are relaxed and not worried about whether we sleep or not. The best way to get back into a state that is optimal for sleep is through practicing acceptance during the day and the night. **Doing it at night is very difficult**. Because you know you should be sleeping, because everyone else is sleeping and you used to sleep fine. Then once you fail to fall asleep initially, you start to monitor your brain state. The longer you lay there the more anxious you get and the more hyperarousal you have. Once you accept that your going to have trouble sleeping occasionally (most people with obligations and life stress don't sleep 8 hours every night!!), that you can't think your way to sleep, and that **in the moment** there is no threat to being awake, you slowly start to sleep better. I have had insomnia for about 8 months, and after a brutal period initially, I have been doing much better without taking meds or a sleep aid every night. A couple days a week, If it's 2 or 3 AM and I really can't sleep I will take a sleeping pill. But I try to be as passive as possible about it. You have to understand that getting out of insomnia is a process that will have ups and downs. You will not just start sleeping normally. And that's okay! It's about how you react to a bad night of sleep. Do the same things you would have and your brain will stop putting sleep on a pedestal! Just remember, people that sleep well don't even think about it. They get tired, close their eyes, and wake up. That's it!

I just want to share my story here incase it can help anyone. Not sure how common this type of insomnia is, but i couldn’t find much when it first started happening to me. I did want to shout out to user/sleepanxiety for giving me a reading list that helped me get started on the path of healing - read his posts as well. \--- One year ago, my life changed in a way I never thought possible. One year ago I could never have imagined that something I considered a detail in life would turn into a monster and nearly swallow me whole. *Sleep anxiety is a vicious loop of fear that keeps a person from needed rest -- in my case -- to the point of insanity.* When this first started to happen to me, I was so bad I couldn’t even close my eyes - my body would sense me relaxing and cause a panic attack. My stomach was so torn up from stress I would vomit or dry heave. After a couple weeks, I went to a mental ward after I completely broke down. How could it get so bad? **Months of stress** It all started in 2019 when one day out of the blue I couldn’t breathe and my chest hurt, and so I started exploring reasons - I started reading about acid reflux, and though i didn’t have all the symptoms of it, i felt like it was possible. After reading tons about it, i started getting all the symptoms, and got put on medication. At the same time i had been TTC, so I really didn’t want to be on medication, and felt alot of pressure to get off the meds. I kept a spreadsheet of my nasal (breathing issues) and acid reflux symptoms on an hourly basis to try and find patterns from something I might have been doing, or eating that was causing it. After months of recording data, and seeing all kinds of doctors without answers, I happened to take xanax one night and noticed my chest didn’t hurt for the first time when i woke up. A gastro doc told me that it could be stress manifesting itself in different ways. I decided to test this out by taking a small dose of the xanax for a week and see if the pain clears up. Sure enough it did: i quit the PPI pills and I was just fine - this was incredible! I could just stop taking the xanax and manage the stress on my own from here on out. ← this was the biggest mistake i could have made. I was only taking .5mg per night for a little over a week, so i thought it was safe to just stop taking it. The first nite I didn’t take it, i couldn’t fall asleep. This freaked me out, as it was probably the first nite of my life that i didn’t get a wink of sleep. But i figured it was just normal since I built up a tolerance to it in a short time. By the second night, I still couldn’t sleep at all, i felt a little bit tired but when i would start to approach the fringes of sleep, my body jolt me awake (hypnic jerk) - at this point i’m freaking out even more - in just 2 days, my body starts associating trying to sleep with panic. I had no idea what was happening to me, I just started researching insomnia and that made everything even worse. I tried taking more xanax which i had to take quite a bit more of, only to wake up the next day in a panic that i wouldn’t be able to sleep again this night. My mind quickly started to turn on me, thinking the worst of what would happen to me if i was stuck like this - i couldn’t focus on anything but sleep, i just wanted it. My work was piling up, I was afraid i would lose my job from not only the brain fog that fear creates, but pissing away the hours reading every forum, comment, pill review, anything to give my mood a boost that something i’m taking or want to try will help. All the stress was causing me constant nausea making it impossible to keep food down which was compounding everything. Was I dying of insomnia? which by the way isn’t “not getting a full night's sleep” - I’m talking about ZERO SLEEP - the one with waves of anxiety, alternating hot and cold sweats, heart racing, obsessive thoughts, hallucinating, just giving anything for even one hour of sweet relief, but instead sore all over from laying so long, watching the room get shades brighter each hour until it’s time to get up and be with normal people who yawn from completing their sleep cycles. **Mental help** After two weeks of this, combing the internet for solutions, taking pills that work only temporarily, i gave in and went to the ER. I told them how i’d been suffering and spending too much time fantasising about death, the seemingly only escape. I thought i could only go up from here.. But when they put me in the mental ward where people were either screaming or zombified, I thought i was only adding PTSD into my mix. I saw the psychiatrist that night, and he gave me zyprexa which cleaned me up real quick. I remember taking it, going to sleep, waking up 12 hours later and having the pleasurable sensation of hunger for the first time. I was still scared that this was another one time fix, and it wouldn’t keep working for me but it did! That same week I was back to work like nothing even happened. I was so filled with joy and just bliss that this pill was magic. I didn’t want to research it in case it had bad side effects down the road that would just stress me and snowball again. It had been two months, the holidays were here and despite gaining about 20 pounds, I was feeling better than great. I had tapered all the way down from zyprexa with my doctor, and was about to leave town for christmas. I didn’t take any pills with me because I thought i was back to normal, but that first night away, i had felt slight stress from traveling, and as soon as my head hit the pillow BAM! It all came racing back, panic attacks, hot/cold… everything hit me again. I was not only devastated because I thought I was cured, but I was miles from home and would have to wait a few days to get a new prescription. So i again went almost 96 hours without a wink of sleep - in a place i was supposed to be at least okay and not ruin a holiday which was basically impossible. Not to mention that no one else could understand what was happening to me. They meant well, but kept offering me teas, oils, vitamins, and my MIL actually put sliced onions in a bowl by my bed to "help me get sleepy". They didn't know that I was perfectly tired, i had no problem with that part but my body would automatically jolt me awake just as i crossed the threshold into sleep then start up all my fight or flight responses. What torture! All i could do was lay staring at the ceiling watching hell play out. Since I didn’t read about zyprexa being an antipsychotic, I didn’t know about all the side effects that comes with those which include hyperprolactinemia and movement disorders. The former causing anovulation which is a death sentence for someone TTC. And the latter a scary condition where the muscles in your face convulse randomly after taking this class of drugs long (or sometimes short) term. I got the script and started taking it again but this time weary about what would happen if i didn’t get off of it at some point... The months rolled on, and I kept trying to get off it but everytime i was a few days off, the fear and panic slammed me again. Without zyprexa, at night, i would generally have thoughts about not getting sleep, and those would escalate into a panic attack, and thats how the whole cycle would start. Sometimes my thoughts would start earlier in the day, and just simmer until nighttime would tend to be worse. And other times I would get fixated on other thoughts, just random terrible things to sabotage myself. I sought help from sleep specialists, general psychologists, and did CBT-I therapy, but none of it really helped me. I was surprised that these professionals hadn't seen a case like mine. **Facing the monster** I knew i had to try to face that fear or else i’d have to live with too many regrets. So when the pandemic hit in march, and I found myself working from home - it would be a good opportunity to experiment with coming off my meds again but this time, try some new tactics. So i again tapered off zyprexa, and by this time my psych had me on a high dose of zoloft, gabapentin, propranolol, and trazadone. I also got serious about getting a regular meditation practice started. This was the first turning point for me. During the day I learned the theory of meditation, and at night, i applied it to sleep. *Reading list (suggested by /user/sleepanxiety thank you so much) and started Sam harris’ Waking up course … it was mind boggling* *Books-* * *The sleep book - Guy meadows* * *10% happier - Dan Harris* * *Meditation for fidgety skeptics - Dan harris* *Meditation apps-* * *Waking up - Sam harris* * *10% Happier - Dan harris* In bed, I would start meditating (at first just counting breaths) and it would keep my mind occupied enough to fall asleep. It was the beginning of May, I had been off zyprexa for 2 weeks which is longer than I ever went before, and as I learned more about meditating, I was starting to fall asleep faster and i wasn’t having panic attacks! The problem was I still thought that a single bad thought could trigger a panic attack, and i was so afraid of thinking, that i tried to fill my meditation with counting or anything that would keep my mind from wandering. But my next breakthrough came when I realized **the true power of meditation was not to push thoughts away, but to embrace them**. As soon as I started my night meditation with the premise of “any thought i have is welcome”, it instantly started to lift my fear. I grouped my thoughts into two categories: 1. naturally occuring thoughts (good) 2. forced thoughts (bad) Naturally occurring thoughts are the ones that come by themselves. Seemingly random. Forced thoughts are the ones that you “try not to think” - bad ones i would concoct during the day that would feast on me at night. Forced thought example: "what if I don't sleep at all tonight?" I can think this thought all I want. What if I instead of try and push this thought out, I just keep thinking it? What happens to it? Don't follow a chain of thoughts that it creates, just stay with this single thought. What is it? It's just a sentence made of words and letters that will scatter. Am I done with it yet? Ok, put it in the background, and go back to focusing on the breath. I would sort of filter all of my thoughts that came into somewhat of a game: Let’s do breath meditation waiting for a natural thought. If a forced thought comes thru, think the thought itself, and when you're done with it - just let it sit in the background, and go back to focusing on the breath and wait for a natural thought. Be curious as to what your mind comes up with! This is actually pretty tricky to do because a natural thought can't be forced, but you also can't wander while you're focusing - so the point is to try and see how quickly you can kind of get to that sweet spot, and catch yourself. Thats the magic moment meditators talk about, it's what begins to train your focusing abilities. If you do this and it doesn’t work, just keep practicing! You get better at this ... This game was incredibly effective for me. I would go until i got to 2 natural thoughts, then 3, then 4. and they were always so wacky and random, like a dream. The time I spent doing this would melt away, I could easily do this for an hour annd it seemed like 10 minutes. I was like a machine - my breath was clean and dependable. I almost never had forced thoughts again - and if i did i had a place waiting for them, a little slot where i could account for everything that could come at me. Another big breakthrough was the physical sensations - I was starting to become inthralld with the feeling of breathing to where just tuning into my diaphragm relaxing during an exhale gives off a sense of almost euphoria. It was so relaxing i could just start meditating to the feeling of my breath while doing just about anything and almost fall asleep! **How to be awake** I had to keep my mind occupied during the day or it would fall back on fear and just spiral downward. I threw myself into work, which before this all happened was the passion of my life. Before my depression hit, i enjoyed waking up and going to work. So trying to get that back was slow but sure. I just blasted through projects and not long after, I was back to designing in my spare time too, and by 7/8pm i’d eat dinner, sit on the couch with my head buzzing from a full day of productivity good-tired and ready for sleep. By mid-pandemic when our company was taking pay cuts, i actually got a raise! I weaned down off of everything and went 3 months without a panic episode. But i knew i was not cured. I would have to see how i’d react to one in order to assess my progress. And it was about to come.. In July, randomly one night going to sleep i had a small jolt, and my body just slammed me with an adrenaline rush which gave me a wave of nausea and hot and cold flashes again, it stirred up some old familiar feelings so i was startled, and of course scared again. I tried to apply the meditation techniques i’d been preparing for when this happens, and try to use the bodily sensations i was experiencing as my object of meditation and get curious about them, instead of fearful. I had a couple smaller waves of fear, but then i was able to get to sleep. I woke up amazed that for the first time, I was getting closer to the monster, I was getting through it. **Now** It’s currently the end of august, i planned a trip with my man, I really wanted to test how i’d do under pressure - and the first nite was not great, and i was a little bit down about it, but the next night and each after was fine, and ended up enjoying the rest of my trip, getting good sleep with a full appetite. To say i’m a new person is an understatement, I practice meditation every day, for about one hour. I do a hard stop work at 4pm, and no matter how crazy of a day, i let it all go and sit for an hour. I use the stress level i’m at when i go into the meditation as a test to see how fast i can put it down and just let my mind rest. It’s training for if my emotions get out of control at night, so i can do the same - watch my thoughts come and go, filing each away in their place. If you are suffering, please know that it does get better, with time and some insight. Experiment with the things you learn about your mind, and you will find something that works for you. Please post here or message me and i’ll go into detail about anything in my story. TLDR; Developed sleep anxiety induced insomnia which caused me to break all the way down until i learned the power of meditation is to be okay with any thoughts you have, and that they don’t have to control you. ----- **Update 12/28/2021** So it turns out this isn’t the most practical advice for this condition. I did well for a year under these principles, but where this direction fails is in “sleep efforts”. Meditation (or anything I do) for the direct purpose of achieving sleep can add more pressure to sleep, and thus, prolong sleeplessness. I found Daniel’s program to be the real solution to my insomnia. The premise is - as soon as you stop trying to fix it, that’s when peace and acceptance comes. In theory, we all do that, but in practice is where the magic happens. As soon as I did that, my fear subsided, and sleep came. I still have bad nights where it takes a while to sleep, but I don’t ruminate on it anymore because I know that it has little to do with actual lack of sleep, and more to do with my perception of lack of sleep: I can’t control if i sleep, but i can control how I perceive it. I cannot recommend his channel and program enough to anyone struggling with insomnia, and it certainly applies to other mental health conditions, and phobias as well. YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_tdQDMQon0CfD0xAbZPNDg School https://www.thesleepcoachschool.com/ His book, Natto, really is the first book I read that felt insightful, and touched on so many things that other methods lack. Reach out to me if you like, my DM is always open :)

I want to start off by saying this post is for people who have anxiety-related insomnia. I know these tips won't help everyone, but if you are fairly new to insomnia as I was (I struggled for about a year), and have hyperarousal (adrenaline, elevated heart rate, mind-racing due to anxiety, etc.) So just wanted to offer some hope and suggestions. After struggling with this type of insomnia for a year now, I finally got 8 hours of SOLID sleep last night. I didn't remember waking up once, and that was the first time that has happened since Spring 2021. And even then, the only way I could get 8 hours is if I got zero sleep the previous night. For the past week, I've averaged 7 hours of sleep compared to 2-4 hours just a couple of months before. No meds. My ongoing insomnia started in May 2021. I started waking up faithfully after 3-4 hours of sleep. Sometimes I'd go back to sleep, but other times I'd remain awake. After about a month, my anxiety about NOT sleeping started kicking in, which made my insomnia worse. So the problem just kept compounding. Many nights I would get 0 to 1 hour of sleep. That just made me more irritable and anxious. It was like a never-ending cycle. In the past, I had never had so little sleep in my life. Even on bad nights, I would get at least 4. But this was a first. Zero hours of sleep???? It was scary. I could feel my heart racing more and more the less I slept. Went to the doctor to rule out anything major, and chalked it up to anxiety. The biggest mistake I kept making was looking for a quick fix. I frantically searched for the right kind of magnesium, missing supplement, dietary changes, etc. And while these things have helped, I had to come to terms with the fact it was a lifestyle change I had to make. My insomnia was not just due to ONE thing. It was a build-up of several things that had snowballed. I've struggled with anxiety my entire life, and I believe with the pandemic and long-time anxiety, my body was just too stressed to sleep. My adrenaline and cortisol was high and my heart rate was always too high in bed (upper 80s) to rest well. (Yes, I have had my heart evaluated and tests were normal.) What worked..... In the last month, I've worked hard to make lifestyle changes to help my anxiety. 1) **Stopping a few times per day to do diaphragm breathing**. I know...I know... if you're like me, you're tired of seeing these same ole breathing tips. I would always see these tips and try them for a day and forget about them. I didn't really believe they'd help that much. But my body was so stressed, it took more than just one day of practice to calm my body down. I've had years of shallow breathing that had my whole sympathetic nervous system out of whack. Even just taking 5 minutes out of the day to breath properly has a great effect over time. I started to notice a difference by day 3. Sometimes I would listen to guided meditation or just sit on my bed and breath properly for a few minutes. Honestly, I think this was the biggest help since my issue was hyperarousal, feeling anxious and heart rate. 2) **Yoga.** This goes along with number one. Yoga encourages better breathing. The more you do it, the more it helps. I would always stop after one or two days. You have to keep at it. 3) **Magnesium.** I've been taking magnesium for a long time, but found a particular kind of Glycinate on Amazon that has better absorption (500mg but only 70 elemental mag). I take it one hour before bed. 4) **I got a little more social.** I'm an introvert who lives alone, and have always said how much I don't like people. But the truth is, I need people. It just needs to be the RIGHT kind of people. I notice when I'm around the RIGHT people, I am happier and sleep better. My ongoing issue is the people I enjoy being around the most don't live in my city, and I have no interest in moving. So improving my social life where I live is a MUST. Isolation makes anxiety worse because you have nothing but your thoughts to drive you crazy. This is going to be my biggest hurdle because I don't have a great social network continuously. 5) **I MUST have a wind down routine**. This was another tip I ignored, but I realize it's so important. I tend to go to sleep around 11-12. So that means by 8-9, I need to start winding down. That means getting off the computer/phone, watching something fun or relaxing on TV, etc. I didn't realize how much scrolling through social media and comparing my life to others was keeping me anxious....especially doing that at night before bed. 6) **I stopped caring so much if I slept very little.** This was the hardest thing to do because this all started with anxiety about not sleeping enough. But what I noticed is that my body will eventually sleep....no matter how anxious I got. So I kept telling myself. "Don't worry about only getting a couple hours, you'll sleep better tonight." And usually I did. So I went back and forth sleeping every other night for a long time. Then slowly but surely I started to get more sleep on my "off" night. 7) **I stayed super busy on the days I didn't sleep**. Rather than obsessing over how little sleep I got the night before (like I did in the beginning), I force myself to stay busy. So busy that I am literally exhausted by the time 10pm rolls around. And I mean PHYSICAL activity. Chores, yardwork, earrands whatever. 8) **I stopped googling worst case scenarios**. My biggest hurdle was obsessing over what would happen to me if I didn't sleep. This just feeds anxiety and keeps you more alert/aroused. People go YEARS with poor sleep and they live. I just tried to counteract my poor sleep with good nutrition and light exercise. Stay off Google and stop obsessing over what may happen! You'll be fine. 9) **I opened up to someone about my anxiety struggles**. I am a person who keeps to myself, and the day I opened up to someone about my anxiety, it was like a weight was lifted off me. It helped me relax. I wasn't expecting it to feel that good. Once again, we do need people. It doesn't mean you need hundreds of friends or family members, but you need one or two people you can confide in. I t really helps a lot. So the bottom line is, there hasn't been one, quick fix. I've had to make several lifestyle changes, and these things can take time. Just take baby steps and realize it's a journey, but you will get through this!

For the past 3 weeks going on 1 month, I've had the worst sleeping issues of my life. This is ruining my entire life and I'm close to offing myself. I can't interact with my friends anymore, I can't see my family, I can't function at work, I'm mentally ruined, and it's not due to anything external, it is precisely and solely due to my lack of sleep--I know this because during the few nights where I have been able to actually sleep (all medication induced), I've felt relieved and proper and have been able to do everything as I normally would--but then I dread the loss of that, and can't sleep successively. I haven't had more than 1 good night at a time in this entire period--I just need sleep, and I know that's my only problem. It's all I need to return to the relative enough normalcy that will give me my life back. I fell down a steep flight of stairs about 2 months ago, landing on my spine and also cushioning the fall with my foot. I'm concerned I've somehow instigated some kind of serious underlying disorder or neurological/nerves related problem. For the first month I was just very sore and couldn't walk well, but I took it easy and that kind of just went away. But then, belatedly, this onset of other symptoms happened, and I don't technically know if it's related or not... I'm consulting with my doctor as best I can but it's a very slow and busy process and I need sleep in the meantime, I'm at an intolerable impasse knowing how long this could take to even get diagnosed--I also don't know if this is all just compounding anxiety/in my head, but it's so hard to make that delineation/distinction because in the past I've had random bouts of anxiety and insomnia which got quite severe but they would always either eventually subside into rebound sleep or medication would consistently work long enough for me to recover mentally. Here, that hasn't been the case in either regard and there's persistent physical symptoms, which, again, I don't know if they are truly neurophysiological or if they're due to a somehow unprecedented level of anxiety. It started with me randomly waking up to invisible muscle spasms, strains, and pain, and I tried to write it off as nothing but all of a sudden couldn't fall asleep for more than 1 hour at a time and when I did it felt like I was lucid/lightly dreaming/half-awake. The next day I developed this spontaneous sense of being randomly itchy all over and having heart palpitations. This sleeping trouble persisted for 4 days, during which I probably got about 3 total hrs across those entire 4 days of this half-sleep. The feelings were initially localized to my legs/feet, but within a week they spread to my arms/hands, and I also developed facial twitches. After these first 4 days I caved and took some benadryl--with 4 of them ingested I was able to sleep for about 6 broken hours, but finally more than 1 hour at a time and finally in a non-light state, so I distinctly felt a bit better. I kept taking benadryl at 2 a night (50mg total) for about 5 successive days, and each night I could get around 2-3 hrs of sleep on them before waking up and being unable to fall back asleep. Then I developed a tolerance and couldn't sleep at all (0 hrs), went 3 successive days without taking them, tried melatonin at various doses throughout all of this, and I went to the urgent care clinic because I couldn't see my doctor in time. It had been almost 2 weeks total now, and so there I was prescribed flexeril--it worked the first night I took it in terms of being able to put me to sleep for 4 hrs at a time (woke up for a few minutes then fell back asleep for another 4 hrs), so I got 8 hrs of sleep total for once in 2 weeks and it was the best feeling. However, it didn't actually alleviate my muscle/nerve feeling-issues. More alarmingly, the next night I took it, it did nothing, I was only able to sleep for an hour and it had no effect immediately somehow. Another full week of trying a few things a few nights and then trying to be natural for the remainder, throughout the entire week I could only sleep 1 hr or not at all, not even enough to hit a full cycle of anything, but I was still having vivid dreams--I know it was just 1 hr total due to the clock and how I physically felt. **Throughout all of this I've been trying to exercise properly every day, I've been not eating anything 3 hrs before bed, I've been going to bed at a consistent schedule in concert with daytime/nighttime, I've tried melatonin, I've tried various mentalities and mental exercises, I've tried sleep restriction, I've tried not staring at a screen an hour before bed, I never touch caffeine, alcohol, or recreational drugs period. I've tried magnesium supplements at a lower dose. Also, I am physically weaker. When I go for hikes, I'm not doing well. I know this isn't, for example, fibromyalgia, because with the few times I have properly slept, I have felt refreshed.** So after all this, within about what would be 5 days ago now, I was able to talk to my doctor and I was given zopiclone--all of my physical symptoms that I have listed have remained the same throughout all of this, whereas I've had some inconsistent indigestion. The problem is I naturally cannot seem to sleep more than 1 hr, that I have these weird physical symptoms and not even medical attention being done in time (bloodwork has been checked and came back within the normal range but that says pretty much nothing as far as more serious possibilities might be concerned i.e. autoimmune, neurological, but I don't even know if they're possible idfk idfk I'm stressed that they could be), and that during the few days where medicinal usage has managed to help me out, when I wake up feeling good the next day, that seems to have no relation to these symptoms, like anxiety itself doesn't seem to matter, the same problems persist anyways, which leads me to fear something more serious, because even when I'm not afraid this shit keeps happening. What I'm most confused about is how instantly things stop working, but also the contradiction in that they do seem to work at first but literally for like 1 day only--like the flexeril worked...once. Then it instantly stopped. I took zopiclone, it worked the first night, put me to sleep fast and for 6 hours straight, tried it the next night, didn't work and made me hallucinate, tried it the next night, didn't work, took a 1 day break, slept maybe 30 minutes on 'natural' sleep, tried it the night after that, slept for 5 hours (so it worked twice but inconsistently), tried it just last night (and now here we are, up to date) and it didn't seem to work, I slept for 2 hours total, broken up. Shouldn't it be impossible to build up a tolerance this quickly? Why does something work initially but I can't get 2 proper nights in a row even with medication? I'm so scared and close to being suicidal; I can't figure anything out, I just want my life back and I feel doomed because not even heavy meds are working as they should, again my issues with what I'm mentally thinking about myself are just because of this--it's like, if this went away, I would not have any fear for my life or any will to harm myself. I don't want to die, I just want to be able to live and sleep, even if I could just get a few consistent hours a night like 3 at once or something for god's sake... even if I had to take a medication for the entirety of my life, if it could just work, I would be okay with that, but no, none of that seems to apply and I don't fucking understand what's going on with my body, I've voiced my concerns to my doctor but again nobody knows what's happening, I just need to know that I don't have something fucked like morvan's syndrome or something but idfk--I know that I feel refreshed when I do properly sleep, but that has only been three times or so in almost a full month and it all due to meds which immediately stopped working, I don't understand how it's possible for stuff to work at first and then stop working that quickly (i.e. in 2 fucking days), like isn't tolerance supposed to take longer to accumulate even if you're generally sensitive to something? I know I'm repeating myself, I can't think properly anymore...I'm not hallucinating other than that one time I've mentioned, my body is literally torturing me, it's giving me just enough sleep to survive but not enough to function. Has anyone else had the problems with meds like this? Where they work once then somehow just instantly stop working? What meds have worked for you consistently? I'm also concerned over the fact that flexeril didn't help with my muscle problems because of the implications this might have... I just need something to help with sleep above all else for a bit, I just need 2 nights in a row of functional sleep even if it's medicated...

are you anxious? it sounds like me when i was in your shoes, hyper aroused, hyper sensitive and internally focused. your anxiety can overpower even some of the drugs. I got a bit manic / crazy after a few days of bad sleep and thought i had neurological (MS/parkinson) symptoms. My issue was constant urination and buzzing in my arms, upper back. still have some of that but i believe it's stress/emotional distress trapped in the muscles. def try sleep hygiene and find something that works. if anxiety is there you need to get that under control first then work on the insomnia. on days when I don't sleep well, i feel the fluttering, tightness and mild buzzing in my arms/shoulder blades much more than on days when i'm rested and less stressed. check out tension release. google 'tension release exercise' if you feel your limbic system is partially responsible for getting you in this state. good luck and keep optimistic. i'm 9 months removed and started seeing significant progress at 6 months with SSRIs. when i calmed down enough, melatonin started working and now supplements like l-theonine help.

**TLDR; I'm making a list of all the options you have in order to facilitate sleep, starting with the most obvious ones. Scroll down for the list!** **Mods: if you like the idea of this list, please consider pinning it so everyone can get see some positivity when they open the sub.** I've been dealing with insomnia for 2-3 years now. I've experienced the infuriating feeling of fighting against your own body. For me, it's never been bad enough to consider suicide, but I know a lot of you are on the brink and I can empathize with you. Having insomnia is one of the hardest experiences I've been through; it can take a toll on every aspect of your life. I'm one of the lucky ones. After a lot of research, I've figured out what works for me and I've gotten to a place where I sleep well 9/10 nights. I still have occasional insomnia, but even when I do I can function well enough that it doesn't mess up my life. I want to make a comprehensive list of everything that has helped me and everything that could possibly help you. From my understanding of insomnia, there are a multitude of factors that can cause you to be unable to sleep. An insomniac likely has a variety of unaddressed problems that each make sleeping more difficult and eventually cause sleep anxiety. Sleep isn't something you can force. What you can do is eliminate every possible factor that is contributing to your insomnia. I think the best way to think about this is that you're trying to create an environment where it is most likely that you will fall asleep. This is a list of things you can do to **facilitate** the achievement of sleep. I believe that there are some people who for whatever reason cannot sleep despite trying absolutely everything. I totally believe that there is a genetic component to insomnia, and if you try everything on this list and everything your psychologist and doctor suggests, all I can give you is my empathy. Life is ridiculously unfair. My degree is in philosophy (lmao), so I can't give you any medical advice outside of what I have read and experienced, but if you need to talk feel free to dm me. I am no doubt going to miss a host of reasons why people can't sleep, so if anyone has something they can think of that could possibly help, comment about it and I'll edit this post to add it. I'm planning on adding everything from the painfully obvious to the unusual because you never know what combination of factors is hurting someone. I've tried to put these in an order where the easiest fixes that apply to more people are at the top. That being said, everyone is different. If you decide to use this list, you should start with what seems most likely given your personal situation. I am not going to add drugs to this list. I haven't come across a sleeping pill that allows you to sleep without compromising on quality of sleep. From the studies I've seen, drugs like Xanax do help you get to sleep faster, but disrupt your sleep cycles and are not a sustainable fix. Marijuana has the same problem. If there were a magic pill I don't think any of us would be here. By all means try melatonin, but it's never worked for me and from what I've read on this sub it doesn't work for most people with severe insomnia. Lastly, I don't claim to have any special information that doesn't already exist on this sub. Some of these points will be things you've heard over and over again. However, I haven't seen a resource that gathers all your options in one place in this sub. If you've already tried one factor, just move on to another. Hopefully this will be useful for some people! **Disclaimer:** If you have trauma that is keeping you up at night, I don't consider myself qualified to help you. You should seek professional counseling. ​ **1.** Control your sound environment * Sometimes the best fixes are the most obvious. I live in a city and there are always noises I can't control. More noises that wake you up = worse sleep * Earplugs work for me, but plenty of people swear by white noise. There are fans with a white noise setting. The earplugs that work best for me are these: [Honeywell](https://www.amazon.com/Howard-Leight-MAX-1-Uncorded-Earplugs/dp/B0013A0C0Y/ref=sr_1_11?dchild=1&keywords=honeywell+howard+ear+plugs&qid=1607554852&s=hi&sr=1-11) * Put you phone on do not disturb before going to bed so you don't get dings. If you forget and your phone buzzes, it's better to just turn on the mode without checking the notification in my experience. Bedtime is sacred, it can wait until tomorrow. **2.** Control your light exposure in bed * Some people use darkening shades. For me, sleep masks work better and are cheaper. Here's the one I use: [Bedtime Bliss](https://www.amazon.com/Sleep-Mask-Bedtime-Bliss-Comfortable/dp/B00WCUBFRS/ref=asc_df_B00WCUBFRS/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309813749887&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2012671890329394684&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9015712&hvtargid=pla-425664270941&psc=1) **3.** Control the temperature * Your body temperature drops when you fall asleep. When it's too hot, it's harder for your temperature to drop and therefore harder for you to fall asleep. Lowering the temperature of my room is one of the factors that helped me most. * Here's a good overview of the importance of temperature for sleep: [Healthline](https://www.healthline.com/health/sleep/best-temperature-to-sleep) * If you live somewhere hot and can't afford A/C, buy a fan. Seems obvious, but I spent two months last year in an apartment with bad A/C wondering why I was having insomnia again until it finally clicked that I should buy a fan. **4.** Control your light exposure **before** bed * I was watching Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist, on the Joe Rogan podcast. It's an incredibly interesting episode where he touches on sleep science. One thing he said that really stuck out to me was that everyone's always worried about screens messing with circadian rhythms, but what they should be worried about is **light in general** messing with your circadian rhythm. Melatonin, a hormone that makes you sleepy, is produced naturally when your body is in low light. Yes, screens probably aren't a good idea before bed if you have insomnia, but neither is having all your lights on at full blast before bed. * Try doing things that don't required too much light 30 mins to an hour before bedtime, or dim the lights if that's not possible. For me it works to turn off most of my lights and turn the brightness all the way down on my computer for an hour or so before bed. **5.** Control your circadian rhythm * Your body prepares for you to wake up something like an hour before you actually wake up by releasing cortisol and other hormones that regulate alertness. [Psychology Today](https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/articles/199905/the-stirring-sound-stress) If you're not waking up at the same time every day, you'll wake up more groggy and tired. * Your body does the same thing when you go to sleep at the same time each night, so it's important for you not to have too much variation between the times you go to sleep. If you do have a particularly late night, it's better to wake up at your usual time and push through a tired day than to sleep in and mess up your circadian rhythm. * In my experience, your nighttime sleepiness regulates itself better if you wake up at the same time every day. * It's also better not to take naps for the same reasons. There seems to be consensus that the best nap lengths are either 15-30 minutes, so you don't enter REM, or an hour and a half, so you can complete one full sleep cycle. Regardless, naps can make you less sleepy at night, so it's worth eliminating naps altogether. **6.** Control your consumption of stimulants * A [study](https://jcsm.aasm.org/doi/10.5664/jcsm.3170) showed that caffeine consumption 6 hours before sleep affects sleep quality. * The half-life of caffeine is around 6 hours, but caffeine leaves the body slowly after the 6 hours have passed. * The more time that passes between when you consume caffeine and when you go to bed, the better. If you're struggling with insomnia, there's no point in risking caffeine interfering with your sleep. I switch to decaf 12 hours before I go to sleep (noon), and stop consuming caffeine entirely, meaning no decaf or any other product with caffeine in it (including chocolate), 9 hours before I go to sleep (3:00 pm). * Alcohol is both a depressant and a stimulant. If you're going to consume alcohol in the evening, you can expect to sleep worse. * Nicotine is a stimulant. If you're going to consume nicotine in the evening, you can expect to sleep worse. **7.** Control your anxiety about sleep * Many people with insomnia end up associating sleep with negative emotions, which in turn make it even harder to sleep. This is a hard one to fix, but like insomnia in general, I think it's best to approach this by focusing on the factors you can control one by one. Since anxiety is highly personal, I'll give you what works for me and what could work for you, but you might benefit from some counseling. It might also help you to make mental notes every time you feel some anxiety about sleep, and try to find some of your own triggers by introspection. It's likely that this is one of the things a counselor would help you do, anyway. * Stop counting hours. This is something I used to do a lot (still do sometimes) and it seems like it's a theme in people who are anxious about not getting enough sleep. I would go "I need 8 hours of sleep tonight or I'll feel sleepy tomorrow. Dammit it's 2 AM go to sleep or you won't even get 6!" etc. until the sun was up and sleep was no longer an option. It's important to find a way to stop focusing on how much sleep you're getting once you get into bed. * One way is to stop checking the time. Convince yourself that it doesn't matter what time it is. After all, knowing what time it is won't change anything. * Another way is to stop changing your daytime behavior based on the amount of sleep you got. I'll elaborate in the next point. * Another is to try to stop associating your bed with wakefulness. I'll elaborate in point 9. * You might also benefit from going to bed a little earlier so that you can at least start the night with the feeling that you will get enough sleep. Ideally, it's better if you can eliminate your anxiety even when you know you'll get less sleep that night, but this could be a good start. **8.** Stop canceling things because you're tired * Sometimes you're so insanely tired that you legitimately cannot function or else you will die of exhaustion. If you're this tired and can't sleep, you need to find a hospital and/or a psychologist. * However, it takes a lot to get to deadly (at least in the short term) levels of exhaustion. Even if you're operating on no sleep for the second day in a row, you should do everything you can to keep the plans you had and do the work you need to. Becoming a vegetable for a day does nothing but make it harder to sleep the next night. * Furthermore, cancelling plans gives insomnia power over you, compounding your anxiety. If you tell yourself "I am going to go on that date tomorrow regardless of how long I sleep tonight" your quality of life will not only be higher, but you'll be less likely to have anxiety about getting enough sleep... prevent you from getting enough sleep. * **Personal side story alert:** It's incredible how much you can do on a lack of sleep with a shit ton of caffeine in your system. Last year, my friends and I climbed Long's Peak in Colorado. Long's Peak is a huge, daunting mountain that takes all day to hike up and has a few dangerous scrambling parts. You have to camp out at the base and wake up at 3am to start because the weather is too unpredictable in the afternoon. We had been planning it for a couple weeks, and these guys would have gone with or without me because the weather was perfect on the day we picked. I got 2-3 hours of sleep a night for 3 days leading up to the climb, and the night before we drove up I failed to catch up on sleep like I had hoped to. I was so exhausted in the morning that I started typing out an apology for missing this trip. As I typed, I got more and more disgusted with myself and pissed off at insomnia in general that I said fuck it and got in the car. We climbed it, and even though it was absolutely brutal, I had an amazing time and an unforgettable experience. The fact that I was exhausted for the whole thing isn't part of the memory except when I tell this story to other insomniacs. **9.** Control the associations you have with your bed * When you lie in bed and can't sleep, you start associating your bed with wakefulness. **It's essential that you get up and do something else if you've been in bed for more than 20 minutes and can't sleep.** Bonus points if the activity you do is something you do in low light. **Disclaimer:** I don't know that there is any actual science to back this next part up, but I've read this all over the internet and it has been one of the most important factors for me personally: * The more you can trick your brain into thinking bed = sleep, the better. Don't do anything in bed except sleep. If you're watching TV, do it on the couch. If you're in a college dorm and don't have a couch, lie on the ground or sit in that uncomfortable wooden chair they give you. Being purposely wakeful while in your bed is ignoring a good opportunity to facilitate sleep at night. **10.** Do some form of exercise daily * If you're going to bed and you're mentally exhausted but your body isn't on the same page, it's possible you just aren't physically tired. There are all sorts of benefits from exercise that are probably tangentially related to sleep (reduces muscle tension for one), but the most important thing is that your body needs to move, and if it doesn't move during the day, it's more likely you'll be antsy and jittery when you're trying to sleep. * I like to lift weights 3x a week and do some form of running (long distance or sprints) 4x a week, but you can do any activity that qualifies as exercise and I'm sure it'll be similarly effective at getting you to sleep. * **There is** [**evidence**](https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/can-exercise-help-treat-anxiety-2019102418096) **that exercise helps with anxiety and depression. If you struggle with mental health and don't exercise, you're doing yourself a giant disservice.** **11.** Experiment with meal timing * I haven't been able to find a definitive answer to how late you can eat before going to bed. It seems like the science shows that sleep quality is improved when you aren't digesting a large meal. However, eating (especially meals high in carbs) tends to increase melatonin production and it is certainly a good way to relax your nervous system. I think it's worth experimenting with different timing of your meals because this could be a factor that effects your sleep. * For me personally, I don't risk eating anything 2 hours before I go to sleep. If I can't get to sleep, though, sometimes I eat a small snack in the dark because I know it can help me relax and get sleepier. This tends to work. **12.** Control your liquid consumption * If you drink a lot of water before bed, you will get up to pee. * If you are dehydrated, you might have trouble getting to sleep and will have worse sleep quality. * I've seen people say that you shouldn't drink water 1 hour before going to bed. I think that's a good rule of thumb, but it could be more important to be hydrated so if you forget to drink water and are thirsty, don't deprive yourself. * **Personal side story alert:** my brother was complaining that he doesn't sleep well a few weeks ago. He told me that he keeps waking up at night, so I told him he should try to stop drinking water before bed. It solved his sleep issues immediately. Again, sometimes the most obvious things work best. **13.** Control your diet * There haven't been any concrete studies done on which diet is best for sleep as far as I know. However, considering how important diet is in every other aspect of life, I can only conclude that it's probably pretty important here too. As always, the best dietary advice anyone can give is eat less processed food, less sugar, and more veggies. * If you're curious about diet, I recommend Cate Shanahan's book *Deep Nutrition.* She is perhaps a bit too strict in the things she proposes, but her methodology in coming to conclusions is fantastic and everything she recommends is well supported by modern science. **14.** Address excess tension * It's hard to sleep when you're not relaxed. Try exercise, meditation, stretching... whatever works for you. * I have struggled with TMJ in the past, and although it was probably developed because of my insomnia, it's also compounded my insomnia. I addressed it through a combination of scalp/neck/temporalis muscle massages and a form of meditation influenced by the Alexander Technique (an unusual practice that claims to help you relieve tension and often does so successfully). If you want more info on this point you can dm me. My mom is an AT teacher so I have a conflict of interest here. **15.** Get enough Vitamin D * Vitamin D deficiency is [correlated with higher incidence of sleep disorders](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6213953/) * Your doctor can perform a test to find out if you're deficient. * The best way to get vitamin D is to get more sun. If that isn't possible, you can take pills. Take your pills with food, as I believe vitamin D is fat soluble. The amount you take is dependent on whether or not you have a deficiency and whether you're getting enough sunlight. However, it's always best to err on the side of caution with supplements, as too much can easily cause toxicity. Here's an article that cites plenty of good studies in determining what the best dosage is: [Healthline](https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vitamin-d-dosage#TOC_TITLE_HDR_3) * When my doctor assessed my levels, I was on the low side of normal. Just to be safe, I take 400 IU daily. **16.** Try tricking yourself with a placebo * This isn't just a gimmick; placebos are amazing and have been used successfully to treat insomnia: [Harvard On Placebos](https://www.health.harvard.edu/mental-health/the-power-of-the-placebo-effect) * I like using the vitamin D pills I take in the morning as a placebo. As instructed in that article, I tell myself "this will help you sleep better." I have no idea if it helps, but I think it does ;) ​ That's it for now, thanks for reading! I hope this helps someone, and be sure to let me know if you have something I should add. I've been meaning to write this for months now, feels good to have finally sat down and done it!

Sorry it's hard right now... Some things that have helped me: about an hour before bed, take a hot shower. Then I go to a room that is not my bedroom and do something relaxing (reading, art... no news or screens). I do this until I am really, really, really sleepy. Even if I end up going to bed later than normal, it doesn't matter-- the point is not to lie down in my bed until I'm very sleepy. If I get into a routine with this, my sleep gets much better. If I wake up in the middle of the night and can't go back to sleep, I get out of bed and go to the "relaxing" room. All of this helps to decrease my anxiety/fear around sleep. Lastly, on the worst nights, I comfortable myself like I would my niece or a small child, saying "it'll be okay, you're okay. You're safe here and you're gonna be alright." GL.

I have had troubles staying asleep for years. Sleep studies show me waking up, but I don’t have sleep apnea, restless leg, or idiopathic hypersomnia. I fall asleep very quickly, and will sleep soundly for 2-4 hours, and then will start waking up over and over. I usually fall back asleep quickly, but it still messes with my sleep quality. After years of this, and compounding symptoms (brain fog, attention issues, low grade depression, weight gain, etc) my doctor wanted to try prescribing me something to help. He gave me Trazodone… and it has been life changing. SERIOUSLY. I have slept more nights all the way through in the last month than I have in 7 years. I was so excited and thought this was going to be my answer. After 4 days I got severe stomach issues— I thought I had food poisoning. And then it stayed for 3 weeks. So the doctor made me stop Trazodone for a week to rule it out as the cause, and it unfortunately is. Has anyone had this side effect? Is this something that can go away once your body is used to it? My doctor is prescribing me Lunesta, but I know that isn’t a long term solution. Any suggestions/ insight would be greatly appreciated!!

Bad insomnia and anxiety: I took Trazadone 2 times but broke it apart and didn't work for me. I had terrible dry mouth and stuffy nose from it...my stomach started to get nauseous and upset the next few days but I didn't know what from. I finally was told not to break it apart and took the whole dose of 125 MG at one time. Within 15 minutes or so , I could feel it coming on but my heart started to speed up. I finally passed out but had a very vivid and disturbing sleep with sweating and shaking and and increased heart rate. I woke once but fell back to sleep and slept till morning. The next day, my head was floating between the feeling of awake and dream...it is a bit uncomfortable. I don't know if this is normal or what, but it is a bit alarming. If anyone else has had upset stomach, floating head like dreamstate while awake...please add your comments so I can see if ok...thank you.

Hello everyone, this is my first post here (a pretty long one as this was neither easy nor a shortcut) and I wanted to share my experience of overcoming sleep anxiety-maintained insomnia (the most common type). None of the below is medical advice and is for information purposes only. **Back in my insomnia days, if your experience was anything like mine:** * Your nights are filled with desperate, futile attempts to make yourself sleep. * The consequences of awful sleep plague your days: exhaustion, brain fog, and anxiety about the night to come. * You stress over how you can have a good life in the future when you are consistently sleeping poorly. * Sleep and insomnia weigh heavily on your mind, and you worry about the long-term health effects of living like this. * Your sleep problems leave you feeling enormously frustrated, alone, and overwhelmed, and you feel like you’re “never going to sleep again.” * You keep trying to force sleep to happen, which puts an incredible amount of pressure and makes the situation even worse. * You think your insomnia is “unique” and something “must be wrong” with you. * Insomnia has made it hard to be the person you want to be. * You obsessively google for ‘the solution’ only to find unhelpful articles and feel like a “failure.” * You feel trapped in insomnia and are unsure if there is hope for you to move past it because EVERYTHING you’ve tried has failed. One common concern I had was about health, so I wanted to spend some time on that first. **Insomnia Won’t Kill You—or Ruin Your Health\]** There is a lot of misinformation on this issue—and many sensationalized headlines that don’t represent the facts. First, let’s discuss the lack of evidence that insomnia increases your risk of death. **A 2018 meta-analysis of 17 studies examined chronic insomnia and mortality, spanning almost 37 million individuals who were checked on for an average of 11.6 years:** [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2018.10.004](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2018.10.004) The meta-analysis found no difference in the odds of mortality for individuals with insomnia symptoms compared to those without. There are many reasons to be skeptical of correlation studies making claims about the health effects of insomnia. First, correlation does not prove causation.Insomnia has never been shown to cause any health problems. There are some correlations between insomnia and conditions like cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s—but correlation is not causation.Just because two things may happen together does not mean one caused the other. Rather than insomnia causing certain diseases, it is reasonable to imagine that people with Alzheimer’s or cardiovascular disease may have more trouble sleeping because of those conditions, not because poor sleep brought on those diseases. Furthermore, sleep research often relies on inaccurate self-report data, small sample sizes, or low thresholds of statistical significance that make reproducing and validating the findings difficult. For these reasons, it is worth taking sleep research with a grain of salt. There is no final answer on the exact links between sleep and health; however, there is plenty of reason to believe that it’s not as bad as headlines make it out to be. Worrying about the health impacts of poor sleep makes it even harder to break free from insomnia and have a calm nervous system at night. **Next, I wanted to talk about something I call "Sleep Efforts" - anything we do to "try" to make ourselves sleep.** "Trying to sleep” is the problem in the first place. To control the process of getting to and staying asleep, we try all sorts of strategies like medication, supplements, bedtime teas, relaxation rituals, sleep hygiene, and more. Sleep Efforts ends up backfiring and making our situation even more frustrating. Why? Sleep is a passive biological process that is not controlled by will. Think of your heartbeat - can you control that? Attempting to use willpower to force yourself to sleep when you experience wakefulness ends up getting in the way of sleep. This is because all that effort signals to your body and mind that there is a threat each night. Even if certain sleep efforts seem to help in the short term, they never address the root problem of the fear of not sleeping, so they don't work long-term and can't fix insomnia. If you ask someone without insomnia what they do to go to sleep, they would likely say something like: **"Nothing, I just lie down and fall asleep."** When you withdraw from social activities, cut out all caffeine, do nighttime meditation or exercise with the intent to sleep that night, all that does is create more anxiety and anticipation around sleep, which has a stimulating effect on your nervous system. This amplifies the vicious cycle of insomnia by making sleeping even harder.Ultimately, we must keep living our lives normally so insomnia doesn't control it. Remember that you were never in control of this process before you had insomnia. You didn't have the hyperarousal and the perceptions, reactions, and behaviors that have made sleep so much more difficult. **Here are 8 ways we are sabotaging (myself included back then) our sleep during insomnia with Sleep Efforts:** **1/ Medications, Alchocol, Cannabis etc.** One side effect of alcohol, THC, and sleeping pills is that they can interfere with the natural processes in various sleep stages that help you feel restored. Pills and substances also undermine the possibility of you developing confidence in your natural ability to sleep [unassisted.As](http://unassisted.As) long as you are taking these, you can't fully come to believe that sleep will happen to you without any special effort on your part. They become a physical symbol of your fear of not sleeping and a reminder of how attached you are to your sleep going a certain way **2/ Spend extra hours in bed or napping during the day** You might try to scrape together some extra sleep by going to bed an hour early or staying in bed after you usually get up. Spending too long in bed at night sabotages your sleep drive for the next night and interferes with your long-term ability to overcome insomnia. Make sure to wake up at the same time every day and have an appropriate sleep window of 6.5 to 8 hours (depending on your unique situation). Additionally, napping during the day takes away from the sleep drive needed for the night to come. **3/ Relaxation and Imagination Exercises** When you can't sleep, you try breathing techniques, relaxation exercises, meditation, or imagining a vivid scene. If you use any of these intending to force sleep to happen, they won't work. There's a fine line between using Mindfulness Meditation in bed to calm the nervous system and relaxation/breathing exercises to "make yourself sleep". **4/ Rituals Before Bed** You may have tried a carefully timed bath to drop your body temperature to induce sleep. Or you could have an evening cup of herbal tea, smell lavender essential oil, or use relaxation techniques for a certain amount of time before bed. All these rituals hold you back because they undermine your faith in your natural ability to sleep without effort. **5 / Avoiding Blue Light** If you have insomnia and hear about this rule, you might stop looking at screens several hours before bed and feel pretty uneasy being around screens or lights in the evening. While intense blue light exposure could slightly delay your circadian rhythm, many normal sleepers use screens before bed without negative outcomes. Ultimately, it is not looking at screens at night that is causing your insomnia; it is your anxiety about not sleeping. If you use screens before bed, I would suggest not exposing yourself to stressful or overly stimulating content, such as horror movies or news that causes you anxiety. **6/ Withdrawing from Social Life** When insomnia feels crushing and out of control, it's common to start giving up things in your life to maximize your chances of sleeping. You might also feel like you can't handle your life anymore due to fatigue. However, the more you sacrifice parts of your life to manage your insomnia, the more insomnia becomes the center of your life. This can leave you feeling even more frustrated, powerless, and anxious. Putting your life on pause to try to get your insomnia under control increases performance anxiety around sleep because when your life is paused, there are even higher stakes on sleep. However, the situation starts to change as you gain faith that there is a path to overcome insomnia permanently. **7/ Blaming your inability to sleep on the presence of anxious thoughts and trying desperately to fight or challenge these thoughts.** It can be helpful to challenge anxiety-fueling thoughts that may not be realistic. However, if you approach Thought Challenging with an inflexible and desperate intention, thinking that you must make these thoughts go away or your night will be ruined, Thought Challenging might not help calm you down. **8/ Stopping liquids, avoiding certain foods, exercising to death** You may also have rigid rules, such as not drinking water for many hours before bed to avoid waking up to use the toilet at night, or you might avoid certain foods in the evening that you've read "may" disrupt sleep. Anything special that you're doing before bed to prepare for sleep that you wouldn't be doing if you didn't have sleep issues could be considered an unhelpful sleep effort. Another common daytime sleep effort is exercising with the sole intent of helping you to sleep later. While exercise is healthy and can promote sleepiness, if you take up a whole new exercise regimen with the intention of it putting you to sleep, you increase the pressure on yourself to sleep. **Next, I'll describe the framework I used and then the 6 core steps I follwed.** This framework can be summed up in a simple way - increasing your **Sleep-Starting Force** (building sleep drive) and decreasing the **Sleep-Stopping Force** (reducing sleep anxiety). ——— **The Fundamental Importance of the Sleep-Starting Force and the Sleep-Stopping Force** So how does sleep work? It’s actually pretty simple. There are only two factors that create sleepiness and allow you to fall asleep and stay asleep. Both are biological systems in your body. They are the sleep drive and the circadian rhythm. Together, they make up what we call the sleep-starting force. The first component of the sleep-starting force is the sleep drive. The sleep drive is your body’s natural sleepiness that builds over time the more hours you are [awake.It](http://awake.It) is at its highest point before you go to sleep and then decreases as you sleep. The only way to lower your ever-growing sleep drive is to sleep. Sleep is a core biological need that must be met. No matter how much you might subjectively struggle with sleep, your sleep drive will not allow you to go without sleep for long periods of time. The second component of the sleep-starting force is the circadian rhythm. The circadian rhythm is an internal body clock that regulates the sleep-wake cycle and repeats every 24 hours. Your circadian rhythm helps regulate when you feel sleepy and awake in a predictable manner. It is primarily regulated by when you get up each day. This rhythm keeps the body clock consistent. It helps you to feel sleepy and to wake up at regular times based on past experience so your body can be prepared. Only the sleep drive and the circadian rhythm that make up the sleep-starting force can create sleepiness and allow you to enter into sleep. Nothing outside of you can make you sleep. No pills, no tea, no meditating can "create" sleep, only these two biological systems can. The sleep-starting force puts you to sleep without conscious control over the process. That’s why if you ask someone without insomnia what they do to fall sleep, they often say “nothing.” For a little more context, the sleep drive and the circadian rhythm work together to manage your sleepiness. As your sleep drive increases during the day, the circadian rhythm helps keep you awake and alert until evening. Around bedtime, the circadian rhythm and the sleep drive synchronize to create a high level of sleepiness. The graph seen here [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fDpvr1DWL0eITbeW2BQgjIeL2YebYG-1/view?usp=sharing](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fDpvr1DWL0eITbeW2BQgjIeL2YebYG-1/view?usp=sharing) shows an individual with sleep drive and circadian rhythm working together to create an ideal sleep window starting at around 11pm. Your ideal sleep window will be unique to you, based on the circadian rhythm established by your sleep schedule and genetics. For example, if you’re a natural night owl, your circadian rhythm will sync with your growing sleep drive to make you feel sleepy later in the night. The only way to make your sleep-starting force stronger is to be awake for long enough before attempting to sleep and to keep a consistent sleep schedule. Being awake for a long enough time increases your sleep drive, and keeping a consistent sleep schedule sets your circadian rhythm to help you sleep at the right time. Having a strong sleep-starting force each night at bedtime sets the stage to overcome insomnia in the long term and increases your probability of getting good sleep each night. The sleep-starting force works without conscious control and allows normal sleepers to sleep easily without a second thought. So what gets in the way of this happening for people with insomnia? **Anxiety and hyperarousal are what get in the way.** **Together, anxiety and hyperarousal make up what we’ve named the Sleep-Stopping force earlier.** Even when your sleep-starting force is very strong, and there is a lot of biological pressure to sleep, this can be countered by high levels of anxiety and nervous system hyperarousal—the sleep-stopping force. Hyperarousal can override the biological pressure to sleep, at least temporarily. Hyperarousal is meant to protect you from danger, and one way it does this is by suspending sleep so you can stay awake and be vigilant to threats. Life stressors or just worrying about not being able to sleep can activate the arousal system and keep you awake, even when your body is otherwise ready for sleep. In a life-or-death situation, it’s more important for survival to stay awake than to fall asleep even if you’re really sleepy, so your body is doing its best to keep you safe. Unfortunately, in the case of insomnia, your body perceives the danger of not sleeping in a way that prevents you from [sleeping.In](http://sleeping.In) the diagram shown here [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1b7NcWbhiTqbKzpYSWDih5Odz13Yu9mb2/view?usp=sharing](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1b7NcWbhiTqbKzpYSWDih5Odz13Yu9mb2/view?usp=sharing), you can see the relationship between the sleep-starting force, the sleep-stopping force, and your ability to sleep. When both the sleep-starting force and sleep-stopping force are high, your body is ready to sleep, but a high level of nervous system arousal gets in the way and makes it difficult to sleep. If you stay in this state long enough or accumulate multiple nights of poor sleep, eventually you will sleep because your sleep-starting force will grow strong enough to overpower any amount of anxiety and nervous system arousal that you might have. When the sleep-starting force is low and the sleep-stopping force is high, it means that your body is not ready for sleep and your nervous system is not in a sleep-compatible state. This combination will make it nearly impossible to fall asleep. When the sleep-starting force and sleep-stopping force are both low, it means you’re not very anxious or on edge, but your body’s need for sleep is also not high, so it will be difficult to sleep. The ideal state is to have a high sleep-starting force and a low sleep-stopping force. This combination makes for easy and effortless sleep. You need to take steps so that you have a strong Sleep-Starting force each night and at the same time lower the Sleep-Stopping force that gets in the way of natural sleep happening. That’s it.Remember, the sleep-starting force comprises your sleep drive and circadian rhythm and represents your body’s natural tendency to fall and stay asleep. The sleep-stopping force is the anxiety and hyperarousal that gets in the way of natural, effortless sleep happening to you. **Now, let’s break down the steps I used to end my insomnia.** Foundationally, you need to stop trying to force sleep to happen. This doesn’t work and aggravates your situation. Attempts to force sleep to happen are called Sleep Efforts as mentioned earlier. Once you identify your own Sleep Efforts and stop unhelpfully trying to force sleep to happen, then sleep becomes easy. To decrease sleep anxiety you use mindfulness and mindful acceptance. These core tools help create radical inner change so you can work through your sleep anxiety in the day and night. Mindfulness and mindful acceptance are key to breaking free from unhelpful perceptions, reactions, and behaviors that maintain your insomnia. Part of the framework includes managing anxious thoughts and finding greater freedom from the relentless anxiety that often comes with chronic sleep issues. You must also learn new ways to approach your days, even when you’ve slept poorly. These help you experience significantly less fear about sleep and will help you become more confident in your resilience. It’s important to also include self-compassion and being kind and understanding with yourself as you go through the ups and downs of working through insomnia. The core of the framework also includes critical mindset shifts that will help you strengthen and accelerate your progress. These mindset shifts will help you find greater empowerment and escape being victimized by your insomnia. You learn how to handle setbacks in your journey and how setbacks are extremely important for solidifying your gains and permanently ending your insomnia. By increasing your sleep-starting force and lowering your sleep-stopping force, you will set the stage for great sleep and reverse the factors that have maintained your insomnia. Although it takes some time and commitment for this framework to produce results, with time, your mind and body will relearn that it is safe to sleep. Then, you can again enjoy a life free from sleep worries and sleep [problems.It](http://problems.It) might be evident by now, but this framework is not for the faint of heart and not for people looking for a quick fix. You will come up against all kinds of obstacles, doubts, and frustration in this journey, but if you persist, you will overcome them. **I followed 6 core steps to recover.** **Step one is the process, as trivial as it sounds - I understood I have this condition called "insomnia".** After going through a stressful period in my life, both personally and professionally, I started having pretty rough nights - but I wasn't paying too much attention to it. I thought it would "work itself out". It didn't. It only got worse, and I got just a few hours of sleep per night for weeks!​​ **Step two, as hard as it was, I had to go through all these other solutions that "were supposed to" work.** Here's a non-exhaustive list (some of these I already touched on earlier): * Sleep hygiene * Herbal teas * Bedtime rituals * Blackout curtains * A weighted blanket * Pre-bedtime exercise * Carefully timed hot showers * Quitting caffeine and alcohol * All kinds of so-called “sleep hacks” * Pre-bedtime relaxation routines * Cutting out water and liquids hours before bed * Staying away from screens and blue light before bed * Getting a lot of sun in the morning (I thought, “the problem must be low vitamin D levels!”) * B12 supplements and shots (“No, wait… the real problem is B12 deficiency!”) And much more. And, last but not least, the **"Gold Standard" - CBT-i (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia)**, where I had to exhaust my body into sleep by staying in bed for 5 1/2 hours. The problem with all of these was simple:None of them were treating the root cause of insomnia. **Step three, after years and years of trial and error, suffering & exhaustion, massive opportunity costs, and social isolation, I finally understood what was maintaining my insomnia:** Sleep anxiety (or the fear of sleeplessness) Everything changed once I addressed that. Stanford scientists have confirmed the real cause of insomnia initially triggered by stress. The more we approach the nighttime worried about sleeplessness and the daytime consequences of it, the more the nervous system gets trained to automatically enter a hyperaroused, “fight or flight” mode. As a result, when bedtime approaches, the body floods with stress [hormones.It](http://hormones.It) can make our mind race with anxious thoughts… we may feel “amped up” and tense… and we struggle to get the sleep we want so desperately. So if I wanted to end insomnia for good, I needed to lose this “sleep anxiety”, calm my nervous system, and undo the conditioned hyperarousal that made it so hard to sleep. **Step four, I had to increase my sleep drive (or the Sleep Starting Force).** First, I started having a reasonable sleep window of around 7 hours. This worked for me, but for you, it might be less or more (between 6.5 and 8 hours). Second, and more importantly, I started being awake for the rest of the time, meaning I had to have my eyes open for 17 hours. That means no naps during the day (which, at one point, was extra hard as I was constantly falling asleep on the couch right after the lunch slump). **Step five, I started building healthy "sleep habits" - in other words, I returned to being "me," but just before insomnia.** First, I started having a low-pressure wind-down 1 or 2 hours before bed, where I didn't watch or do anything stimulating. Second, I stopped watching the clock at night and didn't wear any sleep trackers. Third, I stopped forcing sleep to happen as I realized it's a passive biological process we can't control. **Step six, I had to reduce the sleep anxiety that was maintaining my insomnia or, in other words, reduce my Sleep Stopping Force.** I started a daily mindfulness meditation practice. I wasn't that committed at first, but after seeing the benefits, I realized this is a free and easy way to directly influence my insomnia (read: the anxiety) in a positive way. If I had some random thoughts like: "I can't take this anymore; I can't live like this; this will not end well!" I challenged those as they were not grounded in reality. My anxious and tired mind was making that up! Then, when I couldn't sleep in bed, I kept practicing Mindfulness or did a Body Scan exercise. Last but not least, when I felt like I wouldn't fall asleep as I woke up during the night, I just went to the living room and turned on one of my favorite relaxing YouTube channels to watch before I felt sleepy again. Then, I had to keep doing what was working to see lasting improvement in my sleep, as it took years of hyper-arousal and learned behaviors (i.e., sleep efforts) that I had to "un-learn" before I improved. \--- I hope this information is helpful for someone here in case you're also struggling with anxiety-maintained insomnia. Just know, there's a way out, and you can recover too - you can sleep.

**TL;DR**: Stop drinking liquids 2-3 hours before bed, and set a pee alarm to wake you up 4 hours after you fall asleep. This may help with sweating. It might not be the final solution, as there could be an underlying cause that I’m not aware of. However, I never realized how much not being able to wake up to pee affected my life and sleep quality until I started setting alarms. — I had this same problem, also have ADHD (on Vyvanse equivalent) and on Efexor. Before I would go to bed around 1-2am and wake up at 9-10am. I would drink tea late in the evening and didn’t pay much attention to how much water I drink and when. My sleep is way to deep to wake me up to use the restroom so in 7-8h I would wake up with kidney pain and wet clothes & sheets of sweat (not bed-wetted ever). Just because I woke up horribly, I would go to bed again to rest and sleep more. A few weeks ago just to fix my sleep issues and never feeling rested, some people on Reddit recommended me to set an alarm around 6am, take my meds and then sleep. It should wake me up in 2 hours at 8am. What happened is, yes I now am always awake at 8am. But what’s better is since I use the restroom at 6am, I don’t wake up in sweat and pain anymore. If you still have the same issue, try to stop drinking 2-3 hours before sleep and try setting up a pee-pee alarm to try it. It distrupts my sleep but i would prefer that to waking up in a sweat pond. It might not be the final solution, as there could be an underlying cause because idk why I am not able to wake up to use the restroom tbh.

I used to sweat a lot at night (bed wet all night) since I was 18yr old. I heard that it was probably stress and I needed to relax, I got used to it. Few months back I'm 44yr old) after my wife complains for several years about the fact I was snoring and now really loud, I decided to buy a CPAP to address that, after some google research. It solved my snoring issue and I stopped sweating at night, I was amazed. If I dont use CPAP while sleeping (day or night) after 15min I start to sweat a lot. I was badly diagnosed in the past and found out by myself that I always had sleep apnea, and that was the root cause in my case. Seek medical advice.

Sorry to hear about your experience, I am so glad you are not only aware of this, but for how seemingly thorough you have been in your research, troubleshooting, and overall curiosity about this. For a number of years, I experienced the same. To say that it was chronic, would be an understatement. For a period of time between my mid 20s until my mid 30s, approximately 25 days out of 30 in a month, I would wake up in the middle of the night, drenched. And not just drenched, completely soaked. Through any garments I may have on And of course, through the sheets and duvet as well. I need a very active lifestyle in New York City workout nearly every day, and on as many as five of those days, the intensity of the workouts is high. I’m a very healthy eater, ensure I drink tons of water every day, though I love to be therefore a part of my life and of course does not happen every day. I too did a lot of research around this and talked with my doctor and therapist about it as well. Therapist told me to pay attention to this to try and keep track of how often it happens. The conversation with him my doctor did not seem very concerned, when reviewing all of the other stance and tests that he conducts during my annual physical. I am 40 years old now, and at some point, three or four years ago, these night sweats disappeared completely. Overnight. Even though this was chronic, and even though it was something that was on my mind, I actually did not really notice this until at some point I thought to myself, wow, I don’t sweat anymore. I have no real data to back this up, but I attribute the improvement in change to all of the work. I have been doing around mindfulness and healing. I’ve been in therapy for 8 1/2 years now, and in that time I have done a lot of exploration of my past, and healing of that past and doing so. A journal of regularly I seek podcasts out regularly, and continue my own journey of self discovery and exploration. It was also through therapy that I came to understand I was in a relationship with someone who is a narcissist. And in reflecting and looking back, for a three year period of my life experienced chronic narcissistic abuse. Exploring that in therapy today, along with my own childhood and upbringing, which made me wired to seek out a narcissistic person in the first place, I believe in the end is what helped the night sweats go away. Good luck and I am rooting for you! PS about a year ago I was diagnosed with ADHD and have been on a prescription of 45 mg of Adderall per day since May 2024 and that has not impacted my sleep nor night sweats.

Putting TLDR before, so you wouldn't waste any time. 1. Eat at the time you want to wake up. Do not snack at night, start eating only at the time you want to be waking up. 2. Get red sunglasses or blue light protection glasses (preferably yellow/red/orange). No need for anything fancy, I just got sunglasses with red tinted lenses. Go for red/orange or yellow, anything that can filter out blue light. Red seems to be the best. Start wearing them two hours before bedtime and turn off all overhead lights, use just monitors and flashlights, the weaker, the better. If you look at any screen at all 2 hours before bedtime, phone or tablet, anything, use these sunglasses/light protection glasses. 3. Do not get clear glasses that filter out blue light, they seem to be less effective. 4. Preferably use sunglasses to watch or play something not that exciting, calming. If you start a new game or something like that, your heartbeat can keep you up for some time (in my case, about an hour or two). Don't try to play action games or do something like that before bedtime, turn on some tv show, not necessarily relaxing, but something that will not get your blood pumping. Naturally, I am still talking about period two hours before bedtime. My story Now as I am writing this I get 8 hours of sleep, 6 on bad nights, that happen once a week. I have trouble sleeping. I put cardboard over my windows (ghetto, I know, but better than getting no sleep), I use wax earplugs for going to sleep, but about 6 months ago I started to have REAL trouble falling asleep. I think every 3rd or 4th day I got insomnia. I go to bed, I turn off the lights, I wait for sleep, and it doesn't come. I could spend a whole night just staring at the ceiling, counting, trying to relax the body step by step, like this technique that supposedly helps you to fall asleep, and meditate, and then looking at the tablet, and looking at the phone, when you get exhausted from waiting. Nothing helped. I think the last part is what killed my sleep. No screens with blue light for 2 hours before bedtime - we hear this advice all the time. Except there is no fucking way anybody follows it. What, you lay there for two hours, and you don't check the time? Open Youtube? Play some games? I think one of the leading reasons of insomnia is blue screen light screens and people's inability to accept that they can't put them down for 2 hours straight. But, it is my logic now, back then I just stumbled unto another reddit post, that wanted to use red lamp for reading (I got it but almost never used it, so I can't speak for it). I think that's when I started reading about blue light and how to filter it. I wanted to get clear glasses with blue light protection, but stumbled upon a youtube video, that tests them and red and yellow sunglasses and found red and yellow sunglasses much more effective. I think it was this video - Which blue light blocking glasses actually work? (no link posting). I really wanted to get red/yellow glasses with blue light protection, but I live in a small town of developing country, so I would have to wait two weeks for this. At first, I looked at some clear blue uv light protection glasses, but they were so expensive that I've said "fuck this", went to the marker and bought some red sunglasses with plastic frames. It helped. Don't try to play action games or do something like that before bedtime, turn on some tv show, not necessarily relaxing, but something that will not get your blood pumping. Theoretically, all this means that you can use green light screens to play games before bedtime, or whatever you call them. I never had a gameboy, but I thought about getting an old nokia to play games. With that said, I never tested it without my red sunglasses, so if you decide to do it, be careful. It is actually very easy to get used to the tint, so I don't think it's worth experimenting. Unless you use them together, glasses and gameboy, in which case - go ahead. The food lifehack I got much earlier before that from another reddit post, but it worked only in a way that made me wake up at a certain time. It helped my body to know when to wake, but it didn't help it to fall asleep. Got the red lamp too, used it about two weeks, with gauze covering it to soften the light. Wanted to send a photo of the glasses and the lamp, but I can't. Oh, well.

I got to the point with insomnia where I was up for days at a time. It was a living nightmare. After one day. Anything wrong with you like reflux (Had it for years) gets exponentially worse. After two days you just feel sick, muscle aches, head aches. Three days on you'll start having visual and auditory hallucinations that will only get worse. There's also a boatload of anxiety and stress to deal with as the more you can't sleep. The more it p***ea you off. The doctors are useless and will parm you off with promethazine if you're lucky or mitrazipine which works great. Sadly it's also an antidepressant that puts weight on most people who take it. I buy my sleeping tablets now and mix them with promethazine and valerian root. Insomnia runs in my family, sadly. I feel for anyone going through the worst of it. I never got past three days without passing out and the whole process starting again.

Wednesday night social. Back at 3am. Lecture at 9. You either skip it or sit there absorbing nothing. Bad mood, can't focus, can't gym, can't talk to people properly. One night out and your entire week is written off. And it compounds. You doomscroll at midnight because after a full day of lectures and socialising your brain needs that quiet hour of "me time." Except it turns into three hours. Now you're eating at 1am wrecking your circadian rhythm. Then exam season hits and you pull all-nighters which spike your cortisol through the roof. You pass. But your body took a hit you won't fully feel for years. Here's what I've realised — sleep isn't just one problem. It's the problem. Fix it and everything else follows. Mood, gym, focus, energy, social life. Everything traces back to it. So I built something. You tell it exactly how cooked your sleep is, it gives you a personalised day-by-day recovery plan. The accountability mechanic is a stranger calling you to wake up instead of an alarm you snooze. You can't be rude to a stranger at 7am. Dropped a waitlist here if anyone wants early access: [https://sleepmaxxing101.pages.dev/](https://sleepmaxxing101.pages.dev/) What kills your sleep schedule most? For me it's always the midweek social I convinced myself wouldn't affect me.

**History** I've had sleep issues for over a decade now and here are my tips that helped over this time. While they might not work for everyone, I've wanted to share what helped me for a while. **Environment/Bedroom** Use blackout curtains, get it as dark as possible. Cover any standby LEDs with electrical tape Ensure the room is cooler than most of the other rooms in your house, typically mine is around 2-3degC cooler (\~17-18degC). I used a cheap Bluetooth thermometer that monitors the temperature and charts it over time. Use this to find when you sleep a bit better and use that temperature. Make sure it's quiet or there is no change in noise levels. If you  sleep with a partner that snores etc invest in a white noise machine.  This has single handily been my biggest benefit. Invest in a good bed AND bed linen. There's no point buying an expensive bed and putting cheap uncomfortable sheets on it. **Process** NOT SLEEPING DOESN'T MEAN YOU ARE NOT RESTING!!! So don't stress. Personally I'm against getting up or reading a book as for me this stimulates the brain and sets you back further. Routine, routine, routine!! When the lights go out, start a routine you will repeat every night. Some people pray, some meditate, sing a song to yourself, even if it's being thankful for who/what you have - not something like a list of tasks you need to do. I.e. something pretty repetitive. Stop looking at the clock, trust in the alarm if you have/need one. If you get distracted and your mind wanders, that's fine, again no stress. Just try again. Do you feel a sense of responsibility to protect friends or family at night which means you always sleep with one ear open? If yes, possibly follow a pre-bed routine checking doors are locked, install mitigating items (CCTV etc) **Food/Drinks** Watch caffeine intake after lunch Avoid artificial sweeteners, aspartame etc Artificial coloring can sometimes act as a stimulant, be aware. Don't drink too much water before bed Try and avoid too much salty food as you'll be thirsty and drink water which means you need to wake up to go to the toilet. Try and avoid a big heavy meal before bed as the stomach will be working overtime. Make sure you're also not hungry too. Avoid acidic foods/drinks before bed as lying down can worsen heartburn. Do you feel hot when you lie down in bed against the sheets? Maybe you're allergic to biological washing powder (try non-bio) Honestly a little alcohol helps my brain switch off and not feeling like a pinball machine, but obviously this isn't a good solution long term. **Drugs** Melatonin - used for years and in hindsight don't believe it helped me hugely Zoplicone/Stronger - Maybe once in a while, but I was on them for months and coming off them was one of the worst experiences of my life. Low testosterone, I feel this is also an impact on sleep and sleep quality. If you have other symptoms, probably worth getting this checked  **Body** Close your eyes, I mean it, are they actually fully closed. I've found them drifting open a little while trying to fall asleep. My child also occasionally sleeps with their eyes open - yes it looks as creepy as it sounds. Personally I squeeze them close then relax them. Get into a comfortable position that doesn't fell like any muscle is working or under tension supporting. Try and feel your pulse in different parts of the body. Feel the bed pushing back against your body. Relax your jaw, make sure you're not clenching. Relax your shoulders, make sure they're not scrunched up. In your head, work your way head to toe checking each body part feels relaxed and isn't under tension. HTH someone!

**History** I've had sleep issues for over a decade now and here are my tips that helped over this time. While they might not work for everyone, I've wanted to share what helped me for a while. **Environment/Bedroom** Use blackout curtains, get it as dark as possible. Cover any standby LEDs with electrical tape Ensure the room is cooler than most of the other rooms in your house, typically mine is around 2-3degC cooler (\~17-18degC). I used a cheap Bluetooth thermometer that monitors the temperature and charts it over time. Use this to find when you sleep a bit better and use that temperature. Make sure it's quiet or there is no change in noise levels. If you  sleep with a partner that snores etc invest in a white noise machine.  This has single handily been my biggest benefit. Invest in a good bed AND bed linen. There's no point buying an expensive bed and putting cheap uncomfortable sheets on it. **Process** NOT SLEEPING DOESN'T MEAN YOU ARE NOT RESTING!!! So don't stress. Personally I'm against getting up or reading a book as for me this stimulates the brain and sets you back further. Routine, routine, routine!! When the lights go out, start a routine you will repeat every night. Some people pray, some meditate, sing a song to yourself, even if it's being thankful for who/what you have - not something like a list of tasks you need to do. I.e. something pretty repetitive. Stop looking at the clock, trust in the alarm if you have/need one. If you get distracted and your mind wanders, that's fine, again no stress. Just try again. Do you feel a sense of responsibility to protect friends or family at night which means you always sleep with one ear open? If yes, possibly follow a pre-bed routine checking doors are locked, install mitigating items (CCTV etc) **Food/Drinks** Watch caffeine intake after lunch Avoid artificial sweeteners, aspartame etc Artificial coloring can sometimes act as a stimulant, be aware. Don't drink too much water before bed Try and avoid too much salty food as you'll be thirsty and drink water which means you need to wake up to go to the toilet. Try and avoid a big heavy meal before bed as the stomach will be working overtime. Make sure you're also not hungry too. Avoid acidic foods/drinks before bed as lying down can worsen heartburn. Do you feel hot when you lie down in bed against the sheets? Maybe you're allergic to biological washing powder (try non-bio) Honestly a little alcohol helps my brain switch off and not feeling like a pinball machine, but obviously this isn't a good solution long term. **Drugs** Melatonin - used for years and in hindsight don't believe it helped me hugely Zoplicone/Stronger - Maybe once in a while, but I was on them for months and coming off them was one of the worst experiences of my life. Low testosterone, I feel this is also an impact on sleep and sleep quality. If you have other symptoms, probably worth getting this checked  **Body** Close your eyes, I mean it, are they actually fully closed. I've found them drifting open a little while trying to fall asleep. My child also occasionally sleeps with their eyes open - yes it looks as creepy as it sounds. Personally I squeeze them close then relax them. Get into a comfortable position that doesn't fell like any muscle is working or under tension supporting. Try and feel your pulse in different parts of the body. Feel the bed pushing back against your body. Relax your jaw, make sure you're not clenching. Relax your shoulders, make sure they're not scrunched up. In your head, work your way head to toe checking each body part feels relaxed and isn't under tension. HTH someone!

I just experienced a traumatic event and I used to have the weirdest and most intricate dreams, but now it's nothing. It's just the back of my eyelids. And even though I can't sleep longer than 5 hours a night, I have never slept so well. I used to wake up and roll around constantly so this is abnormal for me. and the days feel like weeks. I've never experienced time like this before.

**TL;DR:** I used to be an involuntary night owl for years until I learned a few tricks to get my seven hours of sleep per night. Quality Z's made me a happy egg, and now I share the yolk. \- The biggest aid was quitting drinking and cutting out all intoxicants, as these interfere with sleep quality. Salute to /r/Teetotal \--but for those that do use, and I know plenty of people do, try a vacation from whatever you use for three months and see whether your sleep quality and duration improves. Just take that challenge. Mental and psychological over-stimulation is a real problem in our always-connected world, where the news feeds us an endless stream of bad news, and so many people from work, school and family seek our attention, not tomorrow, but instantly via text message. It is a good practice to tune out, if your job and family possibly permit it. You need downtime, preferably a couple hours before bed, when your thoughts aren't dwelling upon problems, worries, or other people. If you feed these problems too much energy, they will keep you up at night and rob you of sleep. All that I recommend below will fail miserably, if your mind dwells upon problems as you lie there in bed. You must discipline the mind to postpone until tomorrow what it cannot solve today. Not everything has to be addressed at once. Let yourself be human. Many problems fizzle out of their own accord, others are not really problems at all, and some problems, you will find solutions to in your dreams, if you let your mind relax and enter that magical dream-state. You may even grasp the solution at once soon after waking in the morning. This happens to me all the time. During the day, it is sweet to get outside and go for a walk in the sunshine and smell the fresh air. Even fifteen minutes makes a difference. Short sleeves if the weather permits. The Sun has an enormous impact on the desire to sleep, although it also causes skin damage, so there's a balancing act. Come sleep-time, purest darkness is essential. To counter light leaks from night lights or doorways, purchase a $5 eye mask to cover the eyes and avoid even the slightest ray reaching your lids. Eyelids are very sensitive to light. The body must perceive utter blackness, anything short of that, and the body is getting mixed signals. If noise is a problem, the best solution is to eliminate the noise-maker (\*not suggesting violence) or else move. Short of that, the ear protection used at shooting ranges works effectively, and other people swear by white noise generators. You may also try scheduling your sleep for periods when there is less noise. The right meal before bed will set you up for sleep. Avoid too much salt and sugar in any form, of which sugar comes in dozens of forms in the modern processed foods. Either can be detrimental to sleep. As for amount of food, eat neither too little nor too much. Be cautious of too much meat, as most processed meat has plenty of sodium and preservatives. Pizza or any other type of rich or greasy food hinders sleep. A bowl of muesli, such as the kind sold at farmer's markets or, at most grocery stores, Bob's Red Mill Old Country Style Muesli, has about the right amount of carbs, protein and fiber and no added sugar. Caffeine is the great enemy of sleep, but is tolerable in morning-time. Any amount, even a cup of coffee, after mid-afternoon is risky and may interfere with the sleep rhythm. The bedroom should become a sleep sanctuary. Work, watching shows, and any sort of electronic gadgetry has no place near the bed. A cell phone may be placed face down on a table, in case of an emergency-call. Let sleep become ritualized, so that the mind and body become trained by nightly habit to perform a series of actions prior to shutting down, such as 1. brush teeth and floss; 2. fill a bedside glass with water; 3. turn out the lights and don the eye mask and 4. lie down to sleep. With the precautions above, barring any unusual physical or psychological factors, it may be possible to sleep within 5 minutes or less on a consistent basis. **TL;DR**: I used to be an involuntary night owl for years until I learned a few tricks to get my seven hours of sleep per night. Quality Z's made me a happy egg, and now I share the yolk.

Caveat that I'm just a layman who has struggled with sleep onset insomnia (getting to sleep), sleep maintenance insomnia (staying asleep), and sleep quality (feeling tired after 8+ hours rest) issues for decades. I've tried a lot of things, and my goal is just to give back what I've found to the world. None of this is going to come with citations from double-blind placebo controlled studies, but I have generally researched my sleep issues using reputable, scientific sources. I fully realize that most/all of these items have been addressed piecemeal elsewhere, but I felt that a consolidated list like this would've helped me years ago when I began my journey of addressing this issue. Sleep is an absolutely critical component of physical and mental health, and I very much hope that some of these points help even one or two struggling Redditors out there. I also hope that it can spark helpful conversations on healthy sleep, and we can all learn from each other. I have placed my "bunch of things" in my own subjective order of Most Likely to be Relevant -> Least Likely to be Relevant: 1) *Are you exercising regularly?* Being physically tired at the end of the day is a great way to ensure good sleep. Soldiers on marching exercises don't really have insomnia issues at the end of their day. 2) *Do you have a snoring and/or sleep apnea problem? Do you wake up with a horribly dry mouth?* If you snore, especially aggressively and with long held-breath pauses in the middle, this can be a sign that your breathing is impacting your sleep. This is doubly true if your sleep is not refreshing. You may have sleep apnea, and should get a sleep study done; in countries with socialized medicine this shouldn't be an issue, though I understand in the USA this can be quite expensive. There are apparently home test kits too. Getting a CPAP machine to address your apnea is *pretty important to your overall health*, as long-term untreated apnea (essentially stopping breathing dozens of times a night) is terrible for your body's core systems. There are also tons of people (unfortunately I wasn't one), who after days or weeks of CPAP treatment report absolutely life-changing effects on how restful sleep is for them. For me, I found the combination of a chinstrap *and* a CPAP to improve my sleep quality quite significantly, totally worth the minor discomfort of getting used to those two accessories. 3) *Do you sleep beside someone else?* For me at least, the combination of noise, temperature, and movement that sleeping beside someone generates is just too much for me to almost ever achieve restful sleeps. It can be hard, but you have to ask yourselves whether you want a partner who is beside you in bed but dead tired every day, or a partner who is in an alternate sleep spot but feels better every single morning. If separate beds feels too much, I cannot stress enough how vast an improvement a King-size bed is over any alternative. You might think whatever Procrustean accommodation you have is big enough -- trust me you'll be *way* more comfortable going larger, it's worth the investment. 4) *Are you sure you're cool enough in bed?* Your body needs to drop its temperature for sleep, and is going to be fighting an uphill battle if the external temp or humidity is high. Blast that AC or fan if you can, it's worth the extra $15/month in power bills or whatever. This also relates to the point about sleeping with a partner. 5) *Are you sure it's dark enough in bed?* Do NOT keep the TV on while you sleep. Don't leave the blinds open. Don't leave random lights. You want your bedroom to be primally cavelike in its appearance (though maybe not it's cleanliness), mimicking our ancient, artificial light-free ecosystem. If this isn't possible, just use a sleep mask, they're soft and comfortable! 6) *Are you sure it's quiet enough in bed?* If not, address this issue by yelling at your annoying roommates, getting foam earplugs, and/or investing in a good white noise machine for your bedside. I had one at a hotel once and was very surprised by how much it drowned out the obnoxious sounds of the other hotel guests and staff around my room. 7) *Are you sure you ate enough for dinner and your bedtime snack?* This is a tricky one, because neither a massive dinnertime nor an overly light one is going to have a positive impact here. An early dinner followed by a bedtime snack has proven the best bet for me. The important point is to get good, healthy, fairly neutral (i.e. not spicy, acidic, super sugary etc.) food in your belly that will slow burn energy to your body overnight. Think maybe some nuts (walnuts apparently have chemicals with a knock-on benefit for sleep, but I've not noticed much) or an avocado smoothie. If your blood sugar drops precipitously because your body has no good, fatty, protein-filled fuel overnight, your brain is going to suggest you wake up and deal with that. This is not helpful for long, restful sleep. I'd love to hear feedback from nutritionists, doctors, and others on this point! 8) *Have you ever tried a weighted blanket?* Because seriously you can get them at your local late-stage capitalist Mart and they feel super reassuring to have draped over you during sleep. It's like being tucked into a well-made, snug bed, while being cuddled from every direction. Even if it doesn't improve your sleep (for me it did, to the extent of making a permanent difference to my number of sleep apnea events experienced each hour), it just feels cozy af. 9) *Do you do things other than sex and sleep in bed?* Don't. Especially your laptop, smartphone, etc., as it will totally confuse your brain and body about what bed is for: the goal is for your brain to know that bed is a safe, quiet, dark space for falling quickly into restful sleep. 10) *Do you ingest much caffeine or alchohol?* I gave myself both worse insomnia issues and a horribly acidic stomach by constantly drinking tons of decaf green tea. Decaf does **not** mean caffeine-free, whereas most herbal teas (chamomile or whatever) are indeed caffeine-free. Tea may also to release its caffeine in a more steady curve than coffee, which while helpful for avoiding huge spikes or arousal and lethargy, can be problematic for sleep even hours after your cup of tea. Anyway that's my experience and little bit of research. Certainly my own body seems very sensitive to caffeine and especially alchohol, either of which will completely demolish any hope of a restful sleep. Sorry guys, I know it's not fun or cool, but nixxing both may have a significant impact on your sleep quality! 11) *Do you sleep at irregular hours?* Going to sleep at notably different hours every night can make it hard for your brain to adapt to a healthy sleep schedule and figure out when it should be in a restful state. Picking a time and sticking within 30 minutes of it can be a good route, and you can support this by taking melatonin supplements short-term to help your body adjust to that timing. 12) *Have you tried medication?* And here I mean either melatonin, doctor-prescribed pharmaceuticals, or over-the-counters like Benedryl (diphenhydramine). Every herbal or supplement product I've tried has either done nothing or produced side effects that were *more* annoying than my initial sleep problem. By contrast, I have found melatonin *and especially diphenhydramine* are very helpful to promote both initial sleepiness and a long, restful sleep. There's some controversy about the former, but the latter seems widely accepted to be okay for long-term use, so long as you don't take it daily (which would be pointless anyway because your body would habituate and it would stop having its sedative effect). 13) *Do you use bright electronics before bed?* My understanding is that the research on the actual impact of this is mixed, but it's probably good to avoid the blue, sun-mimicking light of electronic devices for 30-90 minutes before bed. I think what's even worse than the light itself is the unsettled mindstate it produces, as we constantly click and "Like" and text for our next hit of feelgood brain chemicals. 14) *Do you have children or pets that disturb you?* Maybe figure something out about that, even if they are cute or whatever. Perhaps counterintuitively, safe co-sleeping with your children (even just in the same room) can promote better sleep for everyone, as they don't become *wide fucking awake* when they slightly rouse from their sleep, then crying for you from down the hallway, and they're able to self-soothe much better in the warm, safe, reassuring presence of their parents. And no they will not be 16 and still sleeping in your bedroom, they will naturally gravitate towards their own space as their brains mature and their desire for privacy grows. I admit this one is controversial and will work differently for everyone, but it's definitely an option that no one should feel is wrong or taboo: exactly no one (especially your mother-in-law) has a right to judge your decisions to protect your mental health, of which sleep is a major component. Literature about the "dangers" of cosleeping generally revolves around unsafe practices such as cosleeping on couches, cosleeping while alchohol/drugs are in play, and so on. 15) *Are you waking up to pee frequently?* This can be a symptom of other health issues (e.g. prostate), or just you're drinking too much liquid late in the day. While one pee a night is totally normal for adults, if it's more than that you may want to investigate this issue. Look up "nocturia", the medical term for excessive nighttime urination, for more information. 16) *Do you need new bedding?* Even old, rickety mattresses can be seriously shored-up by a thick foam mattress topper you can get for like $50. Better still if you can afford it, invest in a good quality mattress that you find super comfortable -- it might be expensive but it is literally an investment in your long-term health! Also find pillows that you like, and try sleeping with an additional pillow (maybe even a large body-pillow) between your knees: this is supportive for your spine and I've found it useful. 17) *Do you have sex (with yourself or others) shortly before bed?* While orgasms produce chemicals, especially in women, that promote sleepiness in the short-term, my experience is that sex is overall an activity that promotes wakefulness in the mid-term afterward. Your mileage may vary, and since a healthy sex life is an important pillar of mental health, it's probably worth the tradeoff if the only sexytimes you can get are in the evening! 18) *Have you tried meditation?* There are hundreds of free YouTube videos and apps that offer mindfulness or yoga nidra meditations, both of which I've found invaluable for settling down for sleep. Especially if the day has been unpleasant or hectic, these meditations can help your brain switch gears from a state of reactive hyperarousal into a settled state of observing the quiet, comfortable space of your bedroom. Progressive relaxation techniques are especially helpful, such as meditations where they successively call out individual parts of your body for you to relax: "now relax your jaw" can be a surprisingly helpful thing to hear. 19) *Do you clean your bedroom much?* This might be a bit of a stretch, but I've subjectively noticed that an orderly, uncluttered space around my bed seems to coincide with a bit better sleep. This is low down the list because it seems unlikely to make any quantitative difference, but I do find it helps. EDIT: 20) *Have you tried cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTI)?* This is perhaps the only non-pharma treatment for insomnia with a very strong track record in scientific literature. I found that it helped me to positively change my relationship with sleep, understand sleep better, and (for about three months) totally eliminate my sleep onset insomnia. But again, no silver bullet in my experience. The downsides are it works for everyone differently, the quality of your psychologist may vary, and it can be expensive. There seem to be some online programs that give you all the contents of CBTI at a fraction of the cost of a psychologist’s hourly rate.

Caveat that I'm just a layman who has struggled with sleep onset insomnia (getting to sleep), sleep maintenance insomnia (staying asleep), and sleep quality (feeling tired after 8+ hours rest) issues for decades. I've tried a lot of things, and my goal is just to give back what I've found to the world. None of this is going to come with citations from double-blind placebo controlled studies, but I have generally researched my sleep issues using reputable, scientific sources. I fully realize that most/all of these items have been addressed piecemeal elsewhere, but I felt that a consolidated list like this would've helped me years ago when I began my journey of addressing this issue. Sleep is an absolutely critical component of physical and mental health, and I very much hope that some of these points help even one or two struggling Redditors out there. I also hope that it can spark helpful conversations on healthy sleep, and we can all learn from each other. I have placed my "bunch of things" in my own subjective order of Most Likely to be Relevant -> Least Likely to be Relevant: 1) *Are you exercising regularly?* Being physically tired at the end of the day is a great way to ensure good sleep. Soldiers on marching exercises don't really have insomnia issues at the end of their day. 2) *Do you have a snoring and/or sleep apnea problem? Do you wake up with a horribly dry mouth?* If you snore, especially aggressively and with long held-breath pauses in the middle, this can be a sign that your breathing is impacting your sleep. This is doubly true if your sleep is not refreshing. You may have sleep apnea, and should get a sleep study done; in countries with socialized medicine this shouldn't be an issue, though I understand in the USA this can be quite expensive. There are apparently home test kits too. Getting a CPAP machine to address your apnea is *pretty important to your overall health*, as long-term untreated apnea (essentially stopping breathing dozens of times a night) is terrible for your body's core systems. There are also tons of people (unfortunately I wasn't one), who after days or weeks of CPAP treatment report absolutely life-changing effects on how restful sleep is for them. For me, I found the combination of a chinstrap *and* a CPAP to improve my sleep quality quite significantly, totally worth the minor discomfort of getting used to those two accessories. 3) *Do you sleep beside someone else?* For me at least, the combination of noise, temperature, and movement that sleeping beside someone generates is just too much for me to almost ever achieve restful sleeps. It can be hard, but you have to ask yourselves whether you want a partner who is beside you in bed but dead tired every day, or a partner who is in an alternate sleep spot but feels better every single morning. If separate beds feels too much, I cannot stress enough how vast an improvement a King-size bed is over any alternative. You might think whatever Procrustean accommodation you have is big enough -- trust me you'll be *way* more comfortable going larger, it's worth the investment. 4) *Are you sure you're cool enough in bed?* Your body needs to drop its temperature for sleep, and is going to be fighting an uphill battle if the external temp or humidity is high. Blast that AC or fan if you can, it's worth the extra $15/month in power bills or whatever. This also relates to the point about sleeping with a partner. 5) *Are you sure it's dark enough in bed?* Do NOT keep the TV on while you sleep. Don't leave the blinds open. Don't leave random lights. You want your bedroom to be primally cavelike in its appearance (though maybe not it's cleanliness), mimicking our ancient, artificial light-free ecosystem. If this isn't possible, just use a sleep mask, they're soft and comfortable! 6) *Are you sure it's quiet enough in bed?* If not, address this issue by yelling at your annoying roommates, getting foam earplugs, and/or investing in a good white noise machine for your bedside. I had one at a hotel once and was very surprised by how much it drowned out the obnoxious sounds of the other hotel guests and staff around my room. 7) *Are you sure you ate enough for dinner and your bedtime snack?* This is a tricky one, because neither a massive dinnertime nor an overly light one is going to have a positive impact here. An early dinner followed by a bedtime snack has proven the best bet for me. The important point is to get good, healthy, fairly neutral (i.e. not spicy, acidic, super sugary etc.) food in your belly that will slow burn energy to your body overnight. Think maybe some nuts (walnuts apparently have chemicals with a knock-on benefit for sleep, but I've not noticed much) or an avocado smoothie. If your blood sugar drops precipitously because your body has no good, fatty, protein-filled fuel overnight, your brain is going to suggest you wake up and deal with that. This is not helpful for long, restful sleep. I'd love to hear feedback from nutritionists, doctors, and others on this point! 8) *Have you ever tried a weighted blanket?* Because seriously you can get them at your local late-stage capitalist Mart and they feel super reassuring to have draped over you during sleep. It's like being tucked into a well-made, snug bed, while being cuddled from every direction. Even if it doesn't improve your sleep (for me it did, to the extent of making a permanent difference to my number of sleep apnea events experienced each hour), it just feels cozy af. 9) *Do you do things other than sex and sleep in bed?* Don't. Especially your laptop, smartphone, etc., as it will totally confuse your brain and body about what bed is for: the goal is for your brain to know that bed is a safe, quiet, dark space for falling quickly into restful sleep. 10) *Do you ingest much caffeine or alchohol?* I gave myself both worse insomnia issues and a horribly acidic stomach by constantly drinking tons of decaf green tea. Decaf does **not** mean caffeine-free, whereas most herbal teas (chamomile or whatever) are indeed caffeine-free. Tea may also to release its caffeine in a more steady curve than coffee, which while helpful for avoiding huge spikes or arousal and lethargy, can be problematic for sleep even hours after your cup of tea. Anyway that's my experience and little bit of research. Certainly my own body seems very sensitive to caffeine and especially alchohol, either of which will completely demolish any hope of a restful sleep. Sorry guys, I know it's not fun or cool, but nixxing both may have a significant impact on your sleep quality! 11) *Do you sleep at irregular hours?* Going to sleep at notably different hours every night can make it hard for your brain to adapt to a healthy sleep schedule and figure out when it should be in a restful state. Picking a time and sticking within 30 minutes of it can be a good route, and you can support this by taking melatonin supplements short-term to help your body adjust to that timing. 12) *Have you tried medication?* And here I mean either melatonin, doctor-prescribed pharmaceuticals, or over-the-counters like Benedryl (diphenhydramine). Every herbal or supplement product I've tried has either done nothing or produced side effects that were *more* annoying than my initial sleep problem. By contrast, I have found melatonin *and especially diphenhydramine* are very helpful to promote both initial sleepiness and a long, restful sleep. There's some controversy about the former, but the latter seems widely accepted to be okay for long-term use, so long as you don't take it daily (which would be pointless anyway because your body would habituate and it would stop having its sedative effect). 13) *Do you use bright electronics before bed?* My understanding is that the research on the actual impact of this is mixed, but it's probably good to avoid the blue, sun-mimicking light of electronic devices for 30-90 minutes before bed. I think what's even worse than the light itself is the unsettled mindstate it produces, as we constantly click and "Like" and text for our next hit of feelgood brain chemicals. 14) *Do you have children or pets that disturb you?* Maybe figure something out about that, even if they are cute or whatever. Perhaps counterintuitively, safe co-sleeping with your children (even just in the same room) can promote better sleep for everyone, as they don't become *wide fucking awake* when they slightly rouse from their sleep, then crying for you from down the hallway, and they're able to self-soothe much better in the warm, safe, reassuring presence of their parents. And no they will not be 16 and still sleeping in your bedroom, they will naturally gravitate towards their own space as their brains mature and their desire for privacy grows. I admit this one is controversial and will work differently for everyone, but it's definitely an option that no one should feel is wrong or taboo: exactly no one (especially your mother-in-law) has a right to judge your decisions to protect your mental health, of which sleep is a major component. Literature about the "dangers" of cosleeping generally revolves around unsafe practices such as cosleeping on couches, cosleeping while alchohol/drugs are in play, and so on. 15) *Are you waking up to pee frequently?* This can be a symptom of other health issues (e.g. prostate), or just you're drinking too much liquid late in the day. While one pee a night is totally normal for adults, if it's more than that you may want to investigate this issue. Look up "nocturia", the medical term for excessive nighttime urination, for more information. 16) *Do you need new bedding?* Even old, rickety mattresses can be seriously shored-up by a thick foam mattress topper you can get for like $50. Better still if you can afford it, invest in a good quality mattress that you find super comfortable -- it might be expensive but it is literally an investment in your long-term health! Also find pillows that you like, and try sleeping with an additional pillow (maybe even a large body-pillow) between your knees: this is supportive for your spine and I've found it useful. 17) *Do you have sex (with yourself or others) shortly before bed?* While orgasms produce chemicals, especially in women, that promote sleepiness in the short-term, my experience is that sex is overall an activity that promotes wakefulness in the mid-term afterward. Your mileage may vary, and since a healthy sex life is an important pillar of mental health, it's probably worth the tradeoff if the only sexytimes you can get are in the evening! 18) *Have you tried meditation?* There are hundreds of free YouTube videos and apps that offer mindfulness or yoga nidra meditations, both of which I've found invaluable for settling down for sleep. Especially if the day has been unpleasant or hectic, these meditations can help your brain switch gears from a state of reactive hyperarousal into a settled state of observing the quiet, comfortable space of your bedroom. Progressive relaxation techniques are especially helpful, such as meditations where they successively call out individual parts of your body for you to relax: "now relax your jaw" can be a surprisingly helpful thing to hear. 19) *Do you clean your bedroom much?* This might be a bit of a stretch, but I've subjectively noticed that an orderly, uncluttered space around my bed seems to coincide with a bit better sleep. This is low down the list because it seems unlikely to make any quantitative difference, but I do find it helps. EDIT: 20) *Have you tried cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTI)?* This is perhaps the only non-pharma treatment for insomnia with a very strong track record in scientific literature. I found that it helped me to positively change my relationship with sleep, understand sleep better, and (for about three months) totally eliminate my sleep onset insomnia. But again, no silver bullet in my experience. The downsides are it works for everyone differently, the quality of your psychologist may vary, and it can be expensive. There seem to be some online programs that give you all the contents of CBTI at a fraction of the cost of a psychologist’s hourly rate.

Caveat that I'm just a layman who has struggled with sleep onset insomnia (getting to sleep), sleep maintenance insomnia (staying asleep), and sleep quality (feeling tired after 8+ hours rest) issues for decades. I've tried a lot of things, and my goal is just to give back what I've found to the world. None of this is going to come with citations from double-blind placebo controlled studies, but I have generally researched my sleep issues using reputable, scientific sources. I fully realize that most/all of these items have been addressed piecemeal elsewhere, but I felt that a consolidated list like this would've helped me years ago when I began my journey of addressing this issue. Sleep is an absolutely critical component of physical and mental health, and I very much hope that some of these points help even one or two struggling Redditors out there. I also hope that it can spark helpful conversations on healthy sleep, and we can all learn from each other. I have placed my "bunch of things" in my own subjective order of Most Likely to be Relevant -> Least Likely to be Relevant: 1) *Are you exercising regularly?* Being physically tired at the end of the day is a great way to ensure good sleep. Soldiers on marching exercises don't really have insomnia issues at the end of their day. 2) *Do you have a snoring and/or sleep apnea problem? Do you wake up with a horribly dry mouth?* If you snore, especially aggressively and with long held-breath pauses in the middle, this can be a sign that your breathing is impacting your sleep. This is doubly true if your sleep is not refreshing. You may have sleep apnea, and should get a sleep study done; in countries with socialized medicine this shouldn't be an issue, though I understand in the USA this can be quite expensive. There are apparently home test kits too. Getting a CPAP machine to address your apnea is *pretty important to your overall health*, as long-term untreated apnea (essentially stopping breathing dozens of times a night) is terrible for your body's core systems. There are also tons of people (unfortunately I wasn't one), who after days or weeks of CPAP treatment report absolutely life-changing effects on how restful sleep is for them. For me, I found the combination of a chinstrap *and* a CPAP to improve my sleep quality quite significantly, totally worth the minor discomfort of getting used to those two accessories. 3) *Do you sleep beside someone else?* For me at least, the combination of noise, temperature, and movement that sleeping beside someone generates is just too much for me to almost ever achieve restful sleeps. It can be hard, but you have to ask yourselves whether you want a partner who is beside you in bed but dead tired every day, or a partner who is in an alternate sleep spot but feels better every single morning. If separate beds feels too much, I cannot stress enough how vast an improvement a King-size bed is over any alternative. You might think whatever Procrustean accommodation you have is big enough -- trust me you'll be *way* more comfortable going larger, it's worth the investment. 4) *Are you sure you're cool enough in bed?* Your body needs to drop its temperature for sleep, and is going to be fighting an uphill battle if the external temp or humidity is high. Blast that AC or fan if you can, it's worth the extra $15/month in power bills or whatever. This also relates to the point about sleeping with a partner. 5) *Are you sure it's dark enough in bed?* Do NOT keep the TV on while you sleep. Don't leave the blinds open. Don't leave random lights. You want your bedroom to be primally cavelike in its appearance (though maybe not it's cleanliness), mimicking our ancient, artificial light-free ecosystem. If this isn't possible, just use a sleep mask, they're soft and comfortable! 6) *Are you sure it's quiet enough in bed?* If not, address this issue by yelling at your annoying roommates, getting foam earplugs, and/or investing in a good white noise machine for your bedside. I had one at a hotel once and was very surprised by how much it drowned out the obnoxious sounds of the other hotel guests and staff around my room. 7) *Are you sure you ate enough for dinner and your bedtime snack?* This is a tricky one, because neither a massive dinnertime nor an overly light one is going to have a positive impact here. An early dinner followed by a bedtime snack has proven the best bet for me. The important point is to get good, healthy, fairly neutral (i.e. not spicy, acidic, super sugary etc.) food in your belly that will slow burn energy to your body overnight. Think maybe some nuts (walnuts apparently have chemicals with a knock-on benefit for sleep, but I've not noticed much) or an avocado smoothie. If your blood sugar drops precipitously because your body has no good, fatty, protein-filled fuel overnight, your brain is going to suggest you wake up and deal with that. This is not helpful for long, restful sleep. I'd love to hear feedback from nutritionists, doctors, and others on this point! 8) *Have you ever tried a weighted blanket?* Because seriously you can get them at your local late-stage capitalist Mart and they feel super reassuring to have draped over you during sleep. It's like being tucked into a well-made, snug bed, while being cuddled from every direction. Even if it doesn't improve your sleep (for me it did, to the extent of making a permanent difference to my number of sleep apnea events experienced each hour), it just feels cozy af. 9) *Do you do things other than sex and sleep in bed?* Don't. Especially your laptop, smartphone, etc., as it will totally confuse your brain and body about what bed is for: the goal is for your brain to know that bed is a safe, quiet, dark space for falling quickly into restful sleep. 10) *Do you ingest much caffeine or alchohol?* I gave myself both worse insomnia issues and a horribly acidic stomach by constantly drinking tons of decaf green tea. Decaf does **not** mean caffeine-free, whereas most herbal teas (chamomile or whatever) are indeed caffeine-free. Tea may also to release its caffeine in a more steady curve than coffee, which while helpful for avoiding huge spikes or arousal and lethargy, can be problematic for sleep even hours after your cup of tea. Anyway that's my experience and little bit of research. Certainly my own body seems very sensitive to caffeine and especially alchohol, either of which will completely demolish any hope of a restful sleep. Sorry guys, I know it's not fun or cool, but nixxing both may have a significant impact on your sleep quality! 11) *Do you sleep at irregular hours?* Going to sleep at notably different hours every night can make it hard for your brain to adapt to a healthy sleep schedule and figure out when it should be in a restful state. Picking a time and sticking within 30 minutes of it can be a good route, and you can support this by taking melatonin supplements short-term to help your body adjust to that timing. 12) *Have you tried medication?* And here I mean either melatonin, doctor-prescribed pharmaceuticals, or over-the-counters like Benedryl (diphenhydramine). Every herbal or supplement product I've tried has either done nothing or produced side effects that were *more* annoying than my initial sleep problem. By contrast, I have found melatonin *and especially diphenhydramine* are very helpful to promote both initial sleepiness and a long, restful sleep. There's some controversy about the former, but the latter seems widely accepted to be okay for long-term use, so long as you don't take it daily (which would be pointless anyway because your body would habituate and it would stop having its sedative effect). 13) *Do you use bright electronics before bed?* My understanding is that the research on the actual impact of this is mixed, but it's probably good to avoid the blue, sun-mimicking light of electronic devices for 30-90 minutes before bed. I think what's even worse than the light itself is the unsettled mindstate it produces, as we constantly click and "Like" and text for our next hit of feelgood brain chemicals. 14) *Do you have children or pets that disturb you?* Maybe figure something out about that, even if they are cute or whatever. Perhaps counterintuitively, safe co-sleeping with your children (even just in the same room) can promote better sleep for everyone, as they don't become *wide fucking awake* when they slightly rouse from their sleep, then crying for you from down the hallway, and they're able to self-soothe much better in the warm, safe, reassuring presence of their parents. And no they will not be 16 and still sleeping in your bedroom, they will naturally gravitate towards their own space as their brains mature and their desire for privacy grows. I admit this one is controversial and will work differently for everyone, but it's definitely an option that no one should feel is wrong or taboo: exactly no one (especially your mother-in-law) has a right to judge your decisions to protect your mental health, of which sleep is a major component. Literature about the "dangers" of cosleeping generally revolves around unsafe practices such as cosleeping on couches, cosleeping while alchohol/drugs are in play, and so on. 15) *Are you waking up to pee frequently?* This can be a symptom of other health issues (e.g. prostate), or just you're drinking too much liquid late in the day. While one pee a night is totally normal for adults, if it's more than that you may want to investigate this issue. Look up "nocturia", the medical term for excessive nighttime urination, for more information. 16) *Do you need new bedding?* Even old, rickety mattresses can be seriously shored-up by a thick foam mattress topper you can get for like $50. Better still if you can afford it, invest in a good quality mattress that you find super comfortable -- it might be expensive but it is literally an investment in your long-term health! Also find pillows that you like, and try sleeping with an additional pillow (maybe even a large body-pillow) between your knees: this is supportive for your spine and I've found it useful. 17) *Do you have sex (with yourself or others) shortly before bed?* While orgasms produce chemicals, especially in women, that promote sleepiness in the short-term, my experience is that sex is overall an activity that promotes wakefulness in the mid-term afterward. Your mileage may vary, and since a healthy sex life is an important pillar of mental health, it's probably worth the tradeoff if the only sexytimes you can get are in the evening! 18) *Have you tried meditation?* There are hundreds of free YouTube videos and apps that offer mindfulness or yoga nidra meditations, both of which I've found invaluable for settling down for sleep. Especially if the day has been unpleasant or hectic, these meditations can help your brain switch gears from a state of reactive hyperarousal into a settled state of observing the quiet, comfortable space of your bedroom. Progressive relaxation techniques are especially helpful, such as meditations where they successively call out individual parts of your body for you to relax: "now relax your jaw" can be a surprisingly helpful thing to hear. 19) *Do you clean your bedroom much?* This might be a bit of a stretch, but I've subjectively noticed that an orderly, uncluttered space around my bed seems to coincide with a bit better sleep. This is low down the list because it seems unlikely to make any quantitative difference, but I do find it helps. EDIT: 20) *Have you tried cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTI)?* This is perhaps the only non-pharma treatment for insomnia with a very strong track record in scientific literature. I found that it helped me to positively change my relationship with sleep, understand sleep better, and (for about three months) totally eliminate my sleep onset insomnia. But again, no silver bullet in my experience. The downsides are it works for everyone differently, the quality of your psychologist may vary, and it can be expensive. There seem to be some online programs that give you all the contents of CBTI at a fraction of the cost of a psychologist’s hourly rate.

Memory foam mattresses are awful for heat regulation during sleep yet almost every matress you buy these days contains it somewhere, even if it isn't explicitly advertised. I've gone back to using a very old but non memory foamed matress while and my sleep has improved considerably.

I've always been a side sleeper, but I have to now sleep on my back for a couple of different medical reasons and it's worked out great. I was one of the people who always said, as a side sleeper, I find it impossible to sleep on my back. If anyone told me different, I just knew they were wrong. However, since I had no choice now, I had to find a way. You probably won't believe this, but the most important part is the pillow. I bought a pillow with a hole in it. This hole is designed to help side sleepers to protect their ear, in case you have an injury to it or something. However, now that I sleep on my back, I use the hole to nestle the back of my head into. This way, even though my head is supported by the pillow, my head is 'almost' flat to the mattress. I should also say I have a new mattress too, which I believe also helps. No longer do I use one with stupid springs in (that I'll never return to). This mattress is made out of a foam, actually made from latex (not memory foam which I believe gets very hot). I like to sleep kinda cool/neutral. If I get too hot I wouldn't be able to sleep. The latex foam is perfect for this. But like I said, I believe the most important factor by far is the pillow. I always used a thin, shallow pillow before this, but even a thin pillow raises the head too far off the mattress for you to lay flat. Keeping your head low I believe is the key. The next thing I do is use a pillow to the right and left of me, that I keep my arms on. Some people also put a pillow under their knees, but I personally find that I don't need to use this. And that's it, I fall to sleep pretty easily and I would never have believed I could if you told me this beforehand. I would have argued it was impossible for me. Once in a blue moon, I might awake in the middle of the night, and find myself lying on my side, but it is actually few and far between. The body mostly just stays where it naturally is because you're kind of locked in a groove of pillows. If anyone needs to lie on their back, I would suggest giving this a try. But you have to be open-minded to it. I am also a person who suffered from sleep paralysis (which I believe was related to the few previous occasions when I was lying flat on my back), however, that doesn't happen to me now that I am purposely lying on my back and getting a full nights sleep.

For a lot of people with [***sleep disorders***](https://www.perfectsense.ca/blogs/sleep-better-live-better/comprehensive-guide-sleep-disorders), finding a natural path to a better sleep is valuable. You could even say it’s life and death. After all, the side effects of not getting enough deep, quality sleep ranges from irritability and clumsiness to serious health considerations like heart health, strokes, diabetes and more. The pharmaceutical world has created a variety of prescription and over-the-counter sleep aids, but there are always side effects to long-term use of these. If you’re one of the 40 million North Americans struggling with a chronic sleep disorder, looking to a more natural solution makes good sense. The legalization of cannabis (aka: marijuana, weed, pot) in Canada has opened up some opportunities for the chronically sleep deprived and sleep anxious to find a long term solution. ## What is CBD? CBD is the abbreviation for cannabidiol, which is an active ingredient in cannabis. It occurs naturally in cannabis plants. Unlike the psychoactive component of cannabis that gets you "high"—THC, or Tetrahydrocannabinol—CBD is derived from hemp and won’t give you that feeling of being high.  According to the [***World Health Organization (WHO)***](https://www.who.int/medicines/access/controlled-substances/5.2_CBD.pdf), there is also little to indicate that CBD has long-term ill effects, such as substance abuse and dependence issues. ## Can CBD Really Help You Sleep Better? While currently being successfully used and further tested as a [***treatment for epilepsy***](https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-first-drug-comprised-active-ingredient-derived-marijuana-treat-rare-severe-forms), there is a growing body of research—albeit largely anecdotal—that shows that CBD is also beneficial for individuals who suffer from anxiety and anxiety-related sleep disorders, like insomnia.  *“CBD’s most far-reaching health effect may be its anti-inflammatory properties. And not just in a knee or hip joint, but throughout the body, including the central nervous system and the brain, says Joseph Maroon, M.D., a clinical professor of neurological surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, who has investigated the link.* *In a 2018 review, he and colleagues said such effects could possibly reduce anxiety, depression, seizures, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and even benefit people who have had a concussion.” (*[***Source***](https://www.consumerreports.org/cbd/cbd-goes-mainstream/)*)* In fact, [***some studies***](https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/cannabidiol-cbd-what-we-know-and-what-we-dont-2018082414476) have shown that CBD may help people suffering from insomnia to not only fall asleep but to remain asleep through the night. In a large uncontrolled study to examine the connection between CBD, anxiety and sleep, a study of 72 individuals showed the following results: *“... presenting with primary concerns of anxiety (n = 47) or poor sleep (n = 25). Anxiety scores decreased within the first month in 57 patients (79.2%) and remained decreased during the study duration.* *Sleep scores improved within the first month in 48 patients (66.7%) but fluctuated over time.” (*[***Source***](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6326553/)*)* The positive results of this study makes the case for more controlled clinical studies to be conducted. But based on anecdotal evidence, it’s clear that CBD may be helpful to those who suffer from anxiety and anxiety-related sleep disorders. Instead of a sedative effect as occur with prescription remedies or THC, CBD works to lessen anxiety. With less anxiety, individuals are able to get better, more restorative sleep. ## How Does CBD Lessen Anxiety & Lead to Better Sleep? *“... cannabis compounds interact with receptors throughout the body—the so-called endocannabinoid system—including in the brain.* *At least one of those types of receptors is thought to affect the body’s sleep/wake cycle, offering one explanation for how CBD could affect sleep directly.* *And CBD also interacts with another receptor in the brain that researchers have linked to anxiety.” (*[***Source***](https://www.consumerreports.org/cbd/can-cbd-help-you-sleep/)*)* What this means is that there are some proven links between the receptors in your brain that are linked to sleep cycles / anxiety and CBD. Those links are an excellent starting point for researchers to continue to develop their understanding of how CBD affects sleep.  What does seem clear in the research is that there are few side effects, such as dependence, to using CBD so trying it out to see if it will work for your sleep issues is a low-risk endeavour. >NOTE: CBD, like other natural supplements, can interfere with the proper functioning of other medications that you are taking, so you should definitely consult a doctor if you’re planning on trying CBD for sleep.  ## What Forms of CBD Are Available? CBD—not to be confused with hemp oil—is available in an ever growing array of products. The most common is CBD oil, but CBD is also available to vape, ingest in the form of edibles, like gummy bears or as a pill. There is even some development in the area of topical usage, in the form of creams where you absorb the CBD transdermally.  Vaping it will get into your bloodstream quickly but for a more sustained, slow release, an oil taken under the tongue will be more effective methods to achieve improvements in your quality of sleep. Why under the tongue? Because it will enter your bloodstream directly and be effective in about 15 minutes, versus if you swallow it and it goes through your slower-absorbing digestive tract, delaying the effects of the CBD by 30 minutes or more. Dosage is also an area that continues to be researched, but as an example, the study involving the 72 individuals had them on a dose of 25 mg. Less is unlikely to have much effect; higher doses are available—100 mg or more—but they are also much more expensive.  *“Mitch Earleywine, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at the University at Albany, State University of New York, and on the advisory board the marijuana advocacy group NORML, suggests starting with a modest dose of 30 mg and slowly working up if that doesn’t work.” (*[***Source***](https://www.consumerreports.org/cbd/can-cbd-help-you-sleep/)*)* The use of oils or edibles also makes it easier to gauge how much you are getting in a dose, so you can determine for yourself if it is helping you get a better sleep. If you mix good sleep hygiene with an [***excellent mattress***](https://www.perfectsense.ca/products/10-memory-foam-mattress-in-a-box) and a high-quality CBD, you’re far more likely to get the restorative sleep that you need for a healthy and happy life.

It's been hours. HOURS! Of staring at the ceiling. Turning left. Turning right. Up. Down. For no reason I just feel so hot and uncomfortable that it is impossible for me to find sleep. It is so infuriating. Maddening. I'm being driven to the bounds of my sanity. Mind you all that I have not used my phone once between now and before 2am. There is something absurdly wrong with me. I don't know where to start. I need medication for this because MONTHS OF THIS HAS ME FEELING LIKE I AM IN PURGATORY! Or rather hell! What have I done to deserve this. This inane "coincidence" that so often befalls me like a virus or rather a disease that follows me till the end of my miserable life. What an insufferable infliction. This lack of proper sleep is driving me to the cliff of my wits end, and every second I spend trying to sleep is wasted to the forever-pit of desolation that is just **waiting**. Every second, I feel this malaise compound upon my very soul, etching at my heart, and my skin... It feels like waves of searing heat that slowly cooks you as if you're in a broken uv tanning machine. There's a particular pang of helplessness that superceeds the restlessness and extraordinary suffering from this near laughable situation of sleep deprivation psychosis that profusely absorbs my consciousness. I did not sleep well last night, I did not sleep at all the night before, nor did I sleep well the day beforehand and the day before that too. No matter what I try, I receive 0-4 hours of sleep. Every. Single. Day. Maddening. Maddening to the point of tears because simply on the account of my restless torture, I don't know **why** it's happening to **me** or how to **stop it**. At this point, medicine might not even work just so this cruel excuse of a universe can spite me more. Now that would be just my luck for there to be no cure. Another miserable tally to my board of anguish that only seems to grow! How much am I to suffer in my life? What is next on the ever growing checklist of doom that the world has prepared for me? What disgrace have I performed that was so profound; as to bring about the soul crushing weight of seemingly the entire world on my shoulders to bare; as if I am atlas or rather sisyphus for that matter?! As I lie here, endlessly waiting for sleep, I want to apologize for this. As I've said before, there's something wrong with me. I'll try meds but if that doesn't work, I don't know what to do. I don't even know what meds to try. I hate that I am the way that I am. It's nothing short of debilitating. I am delirious. Again, I'm sorry. I just need to say something to not feel as crazy, even though I probably sound properly insane. I am feeling my functioning slipping away as I write this. I'm so tired UPDATE: Adding to this; as I attempt sleep, my brain keeps moving as if it has the inertia of Usain Bolt. Things from past experiences, songs, and thoughts of my future ring in my ears as would the toll of the dead. Constantly moving, thinking, processing. Never shutting off. My brain never stops moving and it's utterly ridiculous. The plight of suffering that all of this compounds to is something truly remarkable yet revolting. The agony of many sleepless nights is such a profound experience. An absolutely ghastly situation. The thought that my own conscious aparently has an aversion to going under into the dreamscape. It's abhorrent to exist in such conditions. I need a way into the dreamscape. A way to sleep. Dreams are my only solace from the dismal reality I face in my own life and even that has now been taken from me. What more must I lose before the world is satisfied with my torment!? As long as I stay awake I'll be adding to this to document my ongoing misery and dolor. Who would've known that reality is the real nightmare and dreams are my only salvation from it. Such a calamity. My personal scourge. UPDATE 2: Its been about 40 min since my original post. An insurmountable impasse has made itself known. The sun is peering into my room through the terrible blinds that block almost nothing. Light makes it absolutely impossible to gain any hope of a rest at all. It is forlorn. At the same time, I read that consumption of water can help provide the body with sustinance to sleep. Even though the ever so pervasive light beams down into my eyes, I'm curious to see if the water has a positive effect. If any at all that is. UPDATE 3: My weariness treads on. 3 hours since my original post and; I think, around 40 hours without sleep, I still find myself unable to sleep. The water had helped with my lothesome Migrane but alas, I still find myself endlessly searching for rest. However, I bring good news. Although I still have yet to truly fall asleep, I have been finding myself daydreaming periodically. Now, "daydreaming" isn't the best way to describe the experience but it's the best word I can find in my tiresome state of being. The best description for the experience is that I am in a space such that my consciousness is in a fluid state between asleep and awake in which I am not necessarily lucid but also able to coherently abstract the happenings within this altered state of consciousness. I'm not really sure what to call this state. In my ignorance, for now I'll coin it "the zone". Inspired by Andrei Tarkovsky's *Stalker*. Which I recommend anybody to watch. UPDATE 4: It's now been 8 hours since the initial post and nearly 48 hours of no sleep. I took the time to try to rest further to no avail; however, I decided to have dinner with a friend to avoid my dismal spiral. It was nice and refreshing to finally eat and have some human interaction for the day. Before that, I last ate the day before. I had a burger and some fries with a milk shake. Being full always brings about a desperate need to sleep. I usually eat approximately 1000 cals per day, but today I felt an extra morsel wouldn't hurt. Now that the sun has finally set, I feel the essence of sleep creeping behind my eyes and trying to pull them shut. I'll try my hand at a bit of rest. I hope this abhorrent disease will finally grant me the slumber I so require. Let us toast to my rest, and my return to the eternal dreamscape 🥂 UPDATE 5: In my inability to sleep, my lamentations continue. I cannot stop crying. It's been hours, and hours, and hours, and hours, and hours and it seems like tonight will be another night of staring into the ceiling indefinitely. Pain is swelling in my brain, covering it in totality. My eye sockets burn behind my eyes as if they are melting at the individual synapses. The eyeball itself pulses in tremendous tribulation of constant use. My heart wrenches from the frustration of it all. A nursing student whom I know told me I should go to the emergency room since I've received such little sleep over the past week but I want to see what advil might do for me before I spend $100,000,000,000 on medicine. What an insufferable economy we live in. What a grand, intoxicating, innocence. This pitiful excuse of an economy. Such a scornful existence this is to take part in. A grand misery. The pain is subsiding slightly as I write this, yet I still feel it there. It's as if it's remaining in my head just to fuel grave anemosity. I would love no more than to reach into my brain through my eye and rip out this detestable mound of suffering from my skull. But of course that's hyperbolic. I early mean that I'd do anything within my reach to remove the pain. This anguish inside is tearing me apart at the seams as if I'm a tattered cloth. How much longer am I deemed to suffer? My body is merely a vessel of aches and pains bound in flesh and blood. How much suffering must one endure before he becomes no longer a human but just a pile of meat and sinew? *And when he had opened the fourth seal I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.* *And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat upon him was Death, and Hell followed with him.* Ground control to major Tom, im coming home. UPDATE 6: Its been too long for me to count. All I know is that by now, it's over what must be 65-72 hours. Still. No. Sleep. By this time I've lost most of any energy I had. Can't think other than of sleep. All consuming. Since the daylight came I made a makeshift eyemask out of kitchen towel. Although it works perfectly I still can't sleep. Maybe it's time for the ER. I don't know. I don't feel hungry, everything hurts, head pounding. Finding type right words is harder to come by. I feel simple. I don't want this anymore. I just want to sleep. Please make it stop. UPDATE 7: Adding another half day, I believe it's something around 80-90 hours without sleep. I've been using Advil to help with my severe headaches. It works well. By this point I am hence forth halting any attempts to try sleeping. Instead I will be rather resting for short periods of time, separated by periods of engagement to fill my attention as to soothe restlessness. I have not been very hungry at all and I have no more tears left to cry. At this point, I feel almost nothing. I say almost because there is a lingering frustration about it all. My heart aches because of it. UPDATE 8: Today I went to the ER and they gave me resources to confer for methods to improve my "sleep hygiene" as they so put it. They also prescribed me with Hydro-something. I don't remember the name at all and I'm currently waiting for the pharmacy to produce the drug. It's hard to remember anything anymore. As I was writing that, my prescription was just ratified. What I was prescribed is hydroxyzine. I've never heard of this before and I hope it works well. Originally the ER was not going to give me a medicine, but they changed their mind after I showed them this post and my plummet into insanity. Thank you to everybody who commented, showing your support.

The mold theory is something I thought possibly is what exacerbated my son’s decline. He lived in an apartment for 3 years that would chronically have brown spots on the ceiling. Mgmt would paint over it with kilz. When he lost his job and was at his home 24/7 his mental health took a rapid decline which included horrific insomnia. Fast forward he moved home a year ago with full blown psychosis. He was hospitalized 4 times, put on numerous antipsychotics, antidepressants, non benzo sleep aids,did sleep study and therapy. Nothing really helped but slowly he has been getting better without antipsychotics. I’m thinking either his body might have detoxed the mold or the 2 month antipsychotic injection he had 6 months ago might have been a one and done. He’s not 100% but is slowly coming back.

11 years in and the alarm thing resonates so much. switched to a gradual fade-in a while back and it genuinely changed how the bad nights end. not the night itself, just how wrecked the morning feels after. the obsessive tracking thing too. deleted my sleep app after realizing i was lying in bed stressed about my sleep score instead of just... sleeping. still not fixed. still here though.

PS- I have used a bit of chat gpt to fix paragraphs and a bit english, everything else is original. #Introduction I, 19M, have been suffering from insomnia for around 2 years now. It was on and off, I don't even know if it's called chronic insomnia or what. It all started due to some events — I would say traumatic events (don’t even know how to address them). Sometimes I think how tf am I such a weak person, why those things were traumatic when there are people with worse things (ego thing). See, this is not a trauma dump post otherwise I would have a lot, a lot to say. But in short, a lot of things happened in a short time. The household I grew in wasn't the best and I have 1000s of memories of my parents fighting, shouting at night etc etc and me crying myself to sleep, getting beaten up for bad academics. #Some backstory Fast forward, I had a bit of anxiety issues but they were very mild. I was just 16. Anyway, then a series of things happened that included me shifting places due to financial problems in family, regular fights at home, losing friends, losing my gf due to long distance, and me being forced to do engineering and travelling an hour every day just to attend shitty classes, and opting for a separate coaching-type school (not even a normal higher secondary school in US terms) by my parents,having no purpose and doing something that I didn’t want to do in the first place, missing my entire school life, being alone, my only close friend dying, and a surgery that led me to a month of bedrest during my most important exams. All this happened in a year and I couldn’t fix it. And all this was followed by an year of extreme isolation. All these 3 years, I cried almost every week. There were some okay moments in between but I would say I was mostly this. I got **insomnia** during this time due to my increased anxiety and depression in general. Fast forward to the isolation year, that's where my insomnia actually became chronic idk. I would be flooded with thoughts the entire day and what started as not being able to sleep due to having: 1. Faster breathing whenever I went to bed 2. Overthinking to a very bad extent, and even after sleeping I would wake up randomly at 3am with thoughts (sometimes they were not even worry thoughts, just random) 3. I realised my entire day was spent in a high cortisol state (which I realised much later on) 4. The times I slept, it was really bad quality sleep where I would feel I didn't even sleep the entire night until I woke up and realised that it's morning 5. It messed up my hormones, excessive daytime sleepiness, more stress and anxiety in general due to lesser and bad quality sleep (vicious cycle) 6. For the entire 6–8 months in that year I haven't had a single full week that I could say I slept good for an entire week. My parents, typical Indian parents, were not that understanding. Well, they had their sleep in the natural way. They just thought it was not that serious. Even when I used to complain almost 4–5 times a week, they would say it's because I don't eat properly on time, it's because I exercise, or it's because it's just in your mind, just relax and sleep. At that time I was really in a bad place so I would not even fight or stand up for myself. I remember finally having the courage to order melatonin myself (thankfully it's also sold as a nutraceutical supplement here). It helped for a while but I eventually knew it would not work, and that's what happened. But again, it would at least save me some nights from full-night insomnia. Fast forward. The isolation period ended finally. I went to college — new life, new place, everything. For now, my relationship with sleep was bad in general. Because the sleep problem was for so long that me having bad sleep was so normalised for me. But of course, since that bad period had ended, my sleep had improved. I would still get bad quality sleep at least 7/10 days but at least I was able to sleep. I thought it was not that severe now, so I thought I would be fine or I would manage somehow. But how wrong was I. My college classes life started, and I started getting these problems again. No, this time, I was not depressed, I was not anxious, I would still not be able to sleep at night. Same things: the increased breathing, palpitations, feeling really hot sometimes, staying awake the entire night, thinking about sleep as a "task", trying to sleep — all those things. They just started getting more severe. And would come in bouts of 3–4 days. Then I would finally sleep due to exhaustion and then it would be fine for some days or other and then again. I remember I went outside for a party one day, I came back late, had tons of work but didn't mind and just went to bed. I slept 6 hours that day and it was all good sleep. I woke up and I felt so good that I hadn’t in weeks. Realised how bad sleep I was getting in general even with 8-9 hours on bed. This time I was in the right mind, and I decided to fix the problem once and for all. #Things I tried: 1. 2–3 hour gap minimum between sleeping and dinner 2. No caffeine after 3pm in any form 3. Blue lights off, all the eye protection filters, low brightness when getting close to bed 4. Dimming lights in my room getting close to bed 5. Having a clean room 6. Avoided using my phone or Instagram reels etc 7. important(forgot to mention) — throughout these 3 years, I had tried breathing, box breathing, gentle body relaxation, body scan, listening to white noise, binaural beats, sleep music, but they worked like 2/10 times. And things like focused breathing etc actually ruined my sleep even more because as I would start slow breathing/box breathing, I would become more conscious of my breath and again start panting and basically all the bad things again. I had realised early on that my major problem was thinking of sleep as a task and basically "trying" to sleep or being aware that I am going to sleep (all these were the core to the problem). Every time my sleep was natural — as in I didn't even think about it one night, was just laying and slept — my sleep was good. But I just cannot have that every day. In college, where you have to attend classes the next day, you need a timetable, a certain time you sleep by, and getting sleep "naturally" by chilling till 2am and then sleeping wasn't possible. 8. I would either get worry thoughts, bad quality sleep, or again become conscious of my breathing and thinking about sleep itself and getting stressed about it — these were my common symptoms. 8. For some while I also tried using my phone and watching something distracting, let's say a completely unrelated YouTube video before bed, or a random podcast, which I think is closer to what I feel can fix my problem. PS: I tried meditation but couldn't stick to it. Trying meditation at night during times I wasn't able to sleep used to worsen my sleep as I used to become more aware of my thoughts etc etc — all bad things. All these didn't work and here I am today. I am not the person I want to be. Every day feels like hard mode. My body at 19 (which I would consider prime years) is deteriorating, skin is getting bad and all the effect is showing up everywhere in my academics as well. I have had this problem for 2–3 years but this time I was actually in a good place (had friends, went outside) after a long time and could logically think that "yes, this is a problem, major problem, it interferes with my life and I need to fix it" — which is crazy because those 2–3 years went by so quickly with a combination of me thinking it's not that serious (until it was severe for a few days), then sometimes thinking it would fix itself, then sometimes "why care about sleep, I should stop stressing about sleep and how less I get and just live life", to "caffeine can help", to "this is normal only", etc etc — all coping mechanisms I would say, not wanting to accept that I needed mental help. I also became a very emotionally avoidant person in general with perfectionism characteristics, low self-esteem, people-pleasing behaviour which I think was because of conditional love all my life (but again fck all these things). #Physical health and fitness I would also want to mention that for these 3 years I rarely ate junk food or processed food. Since my sleep was at absolute worst, I would try to keep other areas of life perfect — like I exercised, hit the gym, ate well, high protein eggs + milk + chicken + nuts apart from my typical indian food. It's kinda weird, in a way, like I was keeping my diet extremely strict and perfect in order to compensate for the bad sleep I have. Completely unrelated, I did get fitter, but at a very slow rate. Since I have been training for 2–2.5 years I have gained muscle, but in my entire journey I remember not being able to recover well at all, which forced me to be able to hit gym lesser than I wanted to. It would ruin my workouts, my plans, everything. It's still doing this rn. The only obstacle to my dream body lol. I am stuck with muscle with a crazy weird belly (which I think is because of bad hormones in general again related to sleep). I remember working out mostly in less sleep which was pretty hard. I remember sometimes when the sleep problem got too severe, that I physically didn't want to go to the gym at all but I still went — and boom, it ended up putting my body in an even more stressed-out state where it couldn't relax and my muscles remained tight the entire night and me not being able to sleep. Although most of the times exercising helped a lot with mental health, and gave short term benefits during periods of sleep deprivation. I have completely fcked up my association with bed and sleep. Some days even the thought of "I have to sleep now" subconsciously makes me worry because of what will happen if I couldn't sleep again like that day. Please help. **TLDR:** Insomnia due to traumatic events. Insomnia still remained after traumatic events ended. Symptoms are: – Fearing from the thought of sleep itself – Heart rate raises, faster breathing than usual – Breathing exercises didn't help, made me more conscious of sleep – Thought of sleep as a "task" – Would lay in bed and not sleep entire night – Even when I slept, it was bad quality sleep – My mind would just stay awake – I would say I was tired but wired In short, main thing I realised after a lot of researching is that due to these past things, my cortisol levels in general are high throughout the day in general as well as the entire night and during night I feel more stressed. And this cortisol either doesn't let me sleep or causes bad quality sleep. And again, the vicious cycle -bad sleep which lead to even higher cortisol and continue. And this paired up with bad association with bed and sleep in general cause insomnia. Please help. Thanks.

Hello all, I wanted to share my own struggle, mostly because of how heavy the feelings can get, swinging between *“is this my life now?”*, hopelessness, and complete chaos. My hope is that this might help someone going through something similar. I’ve always been a good sleeper. About 9 months ago, though, I started getting awful anxiety at bedtime, terrified to actually fall asleep. At first, I chalked it up to something spiritual. Over time, I realized it was really stress and self-induced anxiety. To this day, I still experience it. It blows. But I’ve learned to navigate it better. The closest label: sleep-onset insomnia. I’m a healthy guy, both physically and mentally, and I try to avoid medication. I tried hydroxyzine, which helped a bit, but I stopped quickly. Eventually I (reluctantly) tried trazodone, which I still use. It helps, but it isn’t the cure. The cure is me. **The cure is you.** Our bodies and minds are built for sleep. Over the months, I’ve built a night-time protocol that has helped me tremendously. I keep a small printout of it in my book so if I wake up or can’t sleep, I don’t spiral. Having a plan, and accepting the situation, is key. 🧭 **Key Principles** * **Sleep isn’t something you “do,” it’s something that happens. Stop overthinking**. * It’s a natural process outside your control. * The biggest misconception: believing sleep is an active effort. * Accept fully that nothing you “do” makes you sleep, your job is to set the stage. * You control the surroundings, not the sleep itself. * **Shepherd your thoughts. Chasing sleep pushes it away.** * Teach your brain that nighttime is for rest only. * **Separate what you can and cannot control. That’s your freedom.** * Routines matter. * Don’t panic. You are safe, nothing is wrong with you. 🌘 **1. Night Prep — 2 Hours Before Sleep** * 90 min before: dim lights, no screens, stretch, journal, slow reading. * Phone to airplane mode. * Light snack + hydroxyzine (50–75mg) 45–60 min before bed. * Set intention: *“I do not need to sleep. I just rest.”* 🛏️ **2. Go to Bed — Only When Sleepy** * Lie down with soft light or low audio (NSDR, scripture, rain). * No pressure. If thoughts race, say: *“This is okay. My body is learning.”* * If still awake after 45 min, move to the next step. 🌙 **3. If You Wake Up or Can’t Sleep** * **Stay calm. Don’t check the time.** * Move to another room, read in dim light, stay deliberately *bored*. * **No phones or stimulating activities.** * Handle disruptions slowly (bathroom, etc.), then return calmly. * If needed, journal with this prompt: *“What’s trying to protect me right now?”* 💤 **4. Return to Bed** * Only go back when drowsy. * No effort to “sleep”, just breathe and let your body do the work. * If sleep doesn’t come, repeat reading or journaling, gently. 🌅 **5. Morning Discipline** * Wake at 6:30 AM, no exceptions. * Get sunlight within 30 min. * No naps unless absolutely needed (under 30 min, before 2 PM). * Stick to plans. Let exhaustion build naturally. 🧘 **Night Mantra** *“Sleep is not my job. My body knows how. I am not broken. I am retraining safety. I will be okay.”* I get it. This stuff sucks. But honestly, you’ve got this.

For the past 3 weeks going on 1 month, I've had the worst sleeping issues of my life. This is ruining my entire life and I'm close to offing myself. I can't interact with my friends anymore, I can't see my family, I can't function at work, I'm mentally ruined, and it's not due to anything external, it is precisely and solely due to my lack of sleep--I know this because during the few nights where I have been able to actually sleep (all medication induced), I've felt relieved and proper and have been able to do everything as I normally would--but then I dread the loss of that, and can't sleep successively. I haven't had more than 1 good night at a time in this entire period--I just need sleep, and I know that's my only problem. It's all I need to return to the relative enough normalcy that will give me my life back. I fell down a steep flight of stairs about 2 months ago, landing on my spine and also cushioning the fall with my foot. I'm concerned I've somehow instigated some kind of serious underlying disorder or neurological/nerves related problem. For the first month I was just very sore and couldn't walk well, but I took it easy and that kind of just went away. But then, belatedly, this onset of other symptoms happened, and I don't technically know if it's related or not... I'm consulting with my doctor as best I can but it's a very slow and busy process and I need sleep in the meantime, I'm at an intolerable impasse knowing how long this could take to even get diagnosed--I also don't know if this is all just compounding anxiety/in my head, but it's so hard to make that delineation/distinction because in the past I've had random bouts of anxiety and insomnia which got quite severe but they would always either eventually subside into rebound sleep or medication would consistently work long enough for me to recover mentally. Here, that hasn't been the case in either regard and there's persistent physical symptoms, which, again, I don't know if they are truly neurophysiological or if they're due to a somehow unprecedented level of anxiety. It started with me randomly waking up to invisible muscle spasms, strains, and pain, and I tried to write it off as nothing but all of a sudden couldn't fall asleep for more than 1 hour at a time and when I did it felt like I was lucid/lightly dreaming/half-awake. The next day I developed this spontaneous sense of being randomly itchy all over and having heart palpitations. This sleeping trouble persisted for 4 days, during which I probably got about 3 total hrs across those entire 4 days of this half-sleep. The feelings were initially localized to my legs/feet, but within a week they spread to my arms/hands, and I also developed facial twitches. After these first 4 days I caved and took some benadryl--with 4 of them ingested I was able to sleep for about 6 broken hours, but finally more than 1 hour at a time and finally in a non-light state, so I distinctly felt a bit better. I kept taking benadryl at 2 a night (50mg total) for about 5 successive days, and each night I could get around 2-3 hrs of sleep on them before waking up and being unable to fall back asleep. Then I developed a tolerance and couldn't sleep at all (0 hrs), went 3 successive days without taking them, tried melatonin at various doses throughout all of this, and I went to the urgent care clinic because I couldn't see my doctor in time. It had been almost 2 weeks total now, and so there I was prescribed flexeril--it worked the first night I took it in terms of being able to put me to sleep for 4 hrs at a time (woke up for a few minutes then fell back asleep for another 4 hrs), so I got 8 hrs of sleep total for once in 2 weeks and it was the best feeling. However, it didn't actually alleviate my muscle/nerve feeling-issues. More alarmingly, the next night I took it, it did nothing, I was only able to sleep for an hour and it had no effect immediately somehow. Another full week of trying a few things a few nights and then trying to be natural for the remainder, throughout the entire week I could only sleep 1 hr or not at all, not even enough to hit a full cycle of anything, but I was still having vivid dreams--I know it was just 1 hr total due to the clock and how I physically felt. **Throughout all of this I've been trying to exercise properly every day, I've been not eating anything 3 hrs before bed, I've been going to bed at a consistent schedule in concert with daytime/nighttime, I've tried melatonin, I've tried various mentalities and mental exercises, I've tried sleep restriction, I've tried not staring at a screen an hour before bed, I never touch caffeine, alcohol, or recreational drugs period. I've tried magnesium supplements at a lower dose. Also, I am physically weaker. When I go for hikes, I'm not doing well. I know this isn't, for example, fibromyalgia, because with the few times I have properly slept, I have felt refreshed.** So after all this, within about what would be 5 days ago now, I was able to talk to my doctor and I was given zopiclone--all of my physical symptoms that I have listed have remained the same throughout all of this, whereas I've had some inconsistent indigestion. The problem is I naturally cannot seem to sleep more than 1 hr, that I have these weird physical symptoms and not even medical attention being done in time (bloodwork has been checked and came back within the normal range but that says pretty much nothing as far as more serious possibilities might be concerned i.e. autoimmune, neurological, but I don't even know if they're possible idfk idfk I'm stressed that they could be), and that during the few days where medicinal usage has managed to help me out, when I wake up feeling good the next day, that seems to have no relation to these symptoms, like anxiety itself doesn't seem to matter, the same problems persist anyways, which leads me to fear something more serious, because even when I'm not afraid this shit keeps happening. What I'm most confused about is how instantly things stop working, but also the contradiction in that they do seem to work at first but literally for like 1 day only--like the flexeril worked...once. Then it instantly stopped. I took zopiclone, it worked the first night, put me to sleep fast and for 6 hours straight, tried it the next night, didn't work and made me hallucinate, tried it the next night, didn't work, took a 1 day break, slept maybe 30 minutes on 'natural' sleep, tried it the night after that, slept for 5 hours (so it worked twice but inconsistently), tried it just last night (and now here we are, up to date) and it didn't seem to work, I slept for 2 hours total, broken up. Shouldn't it be impossible to build up a tolerance this quickly? Why does something work initially but I can't get 2 proper nights in a row even with medication? I'm so scared and close to being suicidal; I can't figure anything out, I just want my life back and I feel doomed because not even heavy meds are working as they should, again my issues with what I'm mentally thinking about myself are just because of this--it's like, if this went away, I would not have any fear for my life or any will to harm myself. I don't want to die, I just want to be able to live and sleep, even if I could just get a few consistent hours a night like 3 at once or something for god's sake... even if I had to take a medication for the entirety of my life, if it could just work, I would be okay with that, but no, none of that seems to apply and I don't fucking understand what's going on with my body, I've voiced my concerns to my doctor but again nobody knows what's happening, I just need to know that I don't have something fucked like morvan's syndrome or something but idfk--I know that I feel refreshed when I do properly sleep, but that has only been three times or so in almost a full month and it all due to meds which immediately stopped working, I don't understand how it's possible for stuff to work at first and then stop working that quickly (i.e. in 2 fucking days), like isn't tolerance supposed to take longer to accumulate even if you're generally sensitive to something? I know I'm repeating myself, I can't think properly anymore...I'm not hallucinating other than that one time I've mentioned, my body is literally torturing me, it's giving me just enough sleep to survive but not enough to function. Has anyone else had the problems with meds like this? Where they work once then somehow just instantly stop working? What meds have worked for you consistently? I'm also concerned over the fact that flexeril didn't help with my muscle problems because of the implications this might have... I just need something to help with sleep above all else for a bit, I just need 2 nights in a row of functional sleep even if it's medicated...

So... Did zopiclone didn't work at all? Female (30) here, I have this problem for 3 weeks now and even though I didn't suffer nearly as much as you have, it's still messing up with me. Basically everything in your post - that's me now. At night I have tightness in my chest, like mini panic attack when I can't sleep and after that happens I usually burst into tears. I'm asking about zopiclone because I went to neurologist two days ago and told her that I'm not there because I want meds, I want solution, since I don't want to go back to this state after I've completed the therapy (two weeks, one pill 7.5mg per night). She said that she is prescribing zopiclone so that it can reset my sleep rhythm. It worked first night, I fell asleep and was sleeping for 11 hours and was so happy because my body was exhausted. Then last night, it didn't work for almost two hours, and because the night before it worked in only 30 mins (I was awake so long before I took it) I had that panic attack and started crying because even that doesn't work. Let me say that your post helped me a lot, I read so much and basically nothing was giving me hope. Until I saw your words here, they were like the STOP sign, a sign to stop researching and reading because I am tired of that. And it's so hard because my "insomnia" started all of a sudden, not after some stress-induced thing... It lasts for "only" 3 weeks but it feels like it is never gonna end because I don't know the cause... I work like that - if I know the medical or logical cause of something, or if it can be explained, I know WHAT to treat and fight. But I realized it's anxiety because it has taken over my life and mind... And of course, I tried ALL of the sleep efforts, except CBT. Starting from tonight, I will try to stop trying and do my best to come back to myself and back to being me before and without sleeping issues. Thank you for putting this into words!

Sorry for the long post, but I’m desperate. I’ve been experiencing night sweats for years now on and off and it’s driving me insane and I’m desperate for help. All the bad nights sleep are compounding and making me feel like garbage (Headaches, Irritable, tired) It seems to have gotten much more frequent within the last year or two. I’m having a hard time pinpointing what could be the problem. I’m a 32 year old man with ADHD. My hands and feet sweat more than the average person throughout the day, but I don’t experience any sweating from my armpits/ body. During the day I’m not a sweaty person. I can experience night sweats 25 days in a row and then I might go a few days without sweating again. It’s all over the place. It seems to be getting more frequent. **How I experience the night sweats** I go to bed between 10:00 – 10:30 in my boxers and a t shirt. I wake up sweating sometime between 1:00 and 3:00. My boxers and shirt are wet enough they cling to me, my bed and duvet are damp, and I must get up and change. Once I get back to sleep it is very rare that I sweat again when I wake up between 6:00 – 7:00 to start my day. I wake up with a headache and very dehydrated from sweating. In the last 6 months there has been 2-3 times that I woke up sweating twice in the same night. That is new. Some nights I randomly won’t sweat, and I sleep right through the night. This is rare but when I do, I feel noticeably better and rested in the morning. I can NOT FOR THE LIFE OF ME figure out what is different on the nights that I don’t sweat vs the ones I do. Temperature I’ve had thoughts that perhaps my issue could be temperature related. I try to keep my bedroom around 18 degrees. My girlfriend let met know that I bundle myself up in the fetal position while sleeping and she thinks I am overheating myself. If this isn’t the cause of my night sweats, it sure doesn’t help. I don’t know how to stop this as I do it in my sleep. To help, we bought a new Endy mattress that is advertised as being good for hot sleepers. It’s very comfortable but it hasn’t helped with the night sweats. I’m thinking of trying a weighted blanket made for hot sleepers, but they’re pricey. For a few weeks I switched from my supposedly breathable duvet to a sheet and thin comforter blanket and I still found myself sweating. **Anxiety** I do experience anxiety. I also was diagnosed with ADHD this year. I went through a depressive episode in 2015 that had me on anti depressants and sleeping pills. I was only taking those medications for a little more than a year. Initially I found the anti depressants useful as they helped me crawl out of dark place. Then I found they numbed me, and I couldn’t feel anything. I’ve been off any kind of medication for years now. To help with anxiety now I rely on a regular sleep schedule, regular exercise, therapy, and gratitude journaling. I use sleep meditation techniques when I get in bed to calm my mind and fall asleep. I’ve read that anxiety can be a detriment to sleep and I experience racing thoughts while trying to get to sleep. However, some days I have a great day with little to no anxiety, I work out, eat healthy and I still sweat like crazy in my sleep. Then other nights I’ve gone to bed noticeably anxious with something weighing on my mind and I MIGHT NOT sweat. I don’t believe I experienced night sweats until after this time in my life and it’s been happening on and off ever since. I never remember my dreams so I’m unsure if I am having bad dreams that are stressing me out for not. **Alcohol Use** One thing I have noticed is that if I drink alcohol in the evenings I NEVER sweat. I don’t use this as a solution because I still wake up feeling crappy because of the alcohol, BUT I never sweat and I always sleep through the night. I discovered this by accident. For example, last week I had hockey in the evening and had 3 beers afterwards. That night I slept through the night without sweating. Two nights later I played hockey again, but I didn’t have any beer after and I woke up sweating. This has led me believe that perhaps the alcohol calms my mind and stops anxious sweating, but that’s a complete guess. I always leave hockey with a very clear head and in a great mood because of how intense of a workout it is. I would think that would mean I wouldn’t sweat in my sleep afterwards but unfortunately I still do. I drink anywhere from 3-12 drinks most Friday evenings. I never sweat on these nights. But once again, this is a terrible solution to the night sweats because I still wake up feeling like crap. **Marijuana Use** I am a daily marijuana smoker and have been for years before the night sweats started. I smoke roughly 0.5 – 0.75 grams an evening. I used to smoke much more than this daily but have cut back in the last year or so. I used to “need” to smoke marijuana immediately before going to bed to get to sleep but nowadays I avoid smoking within 2-3 hours of going to bed as I don’t want to be reliant on it for sleeping. Some days if my sleep was terrible, I will use a sick day and instead of going to work I will smoke a little bit of weed and go back to bed for 2-3 hours and wake up around 9:00/10:00 and this is always the best and deepest sleep I get by far. I wake up feeling rested and noticeably less irritable. Perhaps that’s what I would feel like if I got good quality sleep during the night. For some reason I seem to get more relaxing and deeper sleep when I sleep from 6:00 am – 9:00am, but I can’t do this daily as I start work at 8:00 am. **My daily habits / food intake** I exercise 3-4 times a week. I have hockey once or twice and I also walk uphill on treadmill for 30 minutes after work some days. I eat scrambled eggs for breakfast, some sort of chicken wrap or sandwich for lunch and supper normally consists of chicken and pasta, Salmon and pasta or potatoes, Homemade Pizza. I rarely eat junk food during the week as I save it for the weekend. I drink several bottles of water a day to stay hydrated. My pee is only yellow in the morning. **My Bedtime wind down routine** I try to go to bed between 10:00 and 10:30 every night with my alarm set for 7:00. I dim my lights as the evening gets closer to bedtime. I’ve started to have a “Stress Soother” skullcap tea around 9:00 pm. I take 400 mg Magnesium Bisglycinate. I heavily hydrate all day but switch to small sips in the evening. I write in a 5-minute gratitude journal before bed. I don’t watch TV in the bedroom. I have a white noise machine. I lie on my back and do meditation exercises such as a full body scan and counting backwards from 100 until I fall asleep. When my mind wanders, I start back at 100. Ever since I was a kid I’ve had trouble falling asleep but the sleep meditation has been a great help with that. **Things I’ve Tried** - I’ve got my blood tested to see if I’m deficient in anything. I’m not - Also my doctor ruled out thyroid problems - I was tested for sleep apnea. Don’t have it - New Bed - New bedding - Sleeping with the window open on cold nights. Makes me bundle up more and sweat more - Fan blowing on me. Also makes me “Cold” so I bundle up in my sleep and then sweat - Fan blowing in the room but not on me. Doesn’t seem to help - Ashwagandha – didn’t feel any noticeable difference after taking for 1 month - 400 MG Magnesium Bisglycinate - CBD - Smoking way too much weed **Things I’m thinking of/ willing to try** - Expensive “Cooling” sheets and blankets/ mattress topper (Even though my bed is supposedly cooling already - Bed Jet bed cooling system. Also quite expensive - Any vitamins or nootropics or tea or anything that isn’t sleeping pills - Anything TL;DR: I have been experiencing chronic night sweats for years and it seems to be getting worse. I’m desperate for a solution as it’s affecting my physical and mental well being. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- **UPDATE - 6 MONTHS LATER** I appreciate everyone’s support and suggestions and I find comfort in the fact that so many people can relate to me on this. Hopefully we can all figure this out. Feel free to DM me to have a chat. Here’s an update:   My night sweats and sleep in general have greatly improved. I wake up less in the middle of the night and when I do wake up, I’m able to get back to sleep. I’d like to get some sort of smart device that monitors my sleep to confirm this / get some data. It can be tough to monitor sleep as there are so many variables in life.  I believe my sleep has improved because of two main reasons: changing of weed consumption and paying closer attention to the temperature of my bedroom. Last night was the first night that I had night sweats in months. I’m hoping it was a one-off as it was my first night sleeping while taking Adderall. Previously I was on Vyvanse. The temperature in my room was too high last night also. Here are a few observations:   **~Weed~** I decided to cut back my weed smoking to only weekends now. I have found that weed is very helpful to me in some ways and not so helpful in others. I am now at a point where I don't NEED weed to sleep and I don't NEED weed to eat. This was my goal.  When I smoke now, it's socially or on weekends. It was a tough adjustment as I was heavily reliant on weed for years. Now that I can sleep and eat without it, it no longer has a hold on me and honestly it makes smoking when so much better now. Less is more. To make this happen, I made a plan of how much weed I was allowed to smoke in the day and gradually cut it back over 3 weeks until I got to the point of smoking none at all. I had to get specific with this. I bought pre-rolled joints that were 0.35 grams a joint. I started smoking one each evening for a week and then cut back to half of one and so on until I made it to a point where I was able to sleep without it. Years ago, I quit cold turkey and I had the worst withdrawals for days and I was so sick and felt like absolute garbage. I was afraid this would happen again. Since I weaned off over 3 weeks, I did not experience any withdrawals at all. I would say the biggest problem I had was everything seems so damn boring and mundane without it initially. This has gone away for the most part. I do still have a craving to smoke on weekdays but I don’t act on it. It seems that when I wake up in the middle of the night now, I get back to sleep much faster as my body isn’t waiting for the queue of “Smoke weed, fall asleep”. I have always had a hard problem relaxing. Without weed, I find it difficult to just sit back and relax, even if rest is what my bodies needs after a day of work and exercising. I assume this is an anxiety and ADHD thing. Not being high during the weekdays has forced me to be more productive and to do some other things I’ve neglected over the years like playing guitar and doing evening stretching / exercise.   **~Bedroom Temperature~** I always assumed my bedroom was at a good temperature for sleeping. I was wrong. I bought a Bluetooth thermometer from Amazon that tracks the temperature and humidity and charts it out on a graph for you. It was only like $15. I’ve noticed that my bedroom wasn’t quite as cool as I thought. My bedroom was roughly 20-22 degrees Celsius throughout the night which is too warm. This is something I’ve been working on. I don’t have central air in my house so it’s a little tricky to maintain a temperature in the bedroom. Sleep expert Matthew Walker (Look him up if you haven’t heard of him), recommends a temperature of roughly 18 degrees when sleeping. The nights that my bedroom have stayed near 18, I have had much better sleep without night sweats. Last night was the first night I sweat since cutting back on weed. It might have been from a combination of things. As mentioned, I started a new medication for my ADHD yesterday switching from Vyvanse to Adderall. It was also warmer than 18 degrees in my bedroom last night. I will continue to monitor this.     TLDR; Sleep and Night Sweats has improved since no longer using weed daily. Keeping bedroom temperature at around 18 degrees seems to stop night sweats. I still think that anxiety/ ADHD are a big factor in all of this. Feel free to DM me if you want to chat about it.

TL;DR I tried to "save" my husband from a snake I dreamt was wrapping around his neck, which of course scared the hell out of him because he woke up with my hands on his throat. I don't know what the fuck to do, I'm afraid to sleep and I can't trust my own fucking brain. Warning: long Starting from my teen years I'd frequently wake up screaming, usually because I'd see a spider on my bed or dangling from the ceiling. At the time I thought it was real, but now I know they were hypnagogic hallucinations. But I didn't realize how bad things were until I moved in with my boyfriend (now husband), where I would often sit up in bed asking him if he could see what I was seeing. On really bad nights, I'd jump out of bed screaming and run out of the room to hide; fortunately these really bad episodes only happened every few months. Unfortunately, it only got worse as I got older. Sometimes I would think there was a strange man standing over me, or that the man in bed with me was not my husband. When the latter happened, I'd usually silently slide out of bed with a blanket wrapped around me and leave the room, until I came to my senses and realized it was just another episode. The truly scary moments were when I'd wake up and literally could not remember where or even *who* I was for up to a full minute. These episodes were never paired with sleep paralysis, which is something I've only ever experienced twice. My biggest fear was (and still is) that I'd hurt my husband during one of these episodes, and there were times I came close. I never tried to attack him, but sometimes I'd think there was a huge tarantula on his chest and try to smack it off. Other times I'd see the ceiling starting to collapse and I'd throw my body over his to protect him. I did actually get diagnosed with sleep apnea, and wearing my [dental appliance](https://www.gentledentistry.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/appliance-sleep-apnea-300.jpg) helps the episodes a little. My original neurologist also mis-diagnosed me with REM behavior disorder (RBD), which was incredibly frightening as that's a very strong precursor to Parkinson's disease, and I was only 25 at the time of diagnosis. He put me on Klonopin to try to improve my atonia, but since I didn't actually *have* RBD it did nothing for my episodes, though it did have the lovely side effect of making me suicidal for the first time in my life, yay. I was swapped from Klonopin to Trazodone, which actually made a slight difference. Blissfully, all hallucinations stopped entirely while I was pregnant, which was good since I couldn't take Trazodone during pregnancy anyway, but they came back after I finished breastfeeding. After moving to a new state, I got a new neurologist who reviewed my sleep studies. She was absolutely appalled that my first neurologist diagnosed me with RBD, since my studies showed completely normal REM atonia. That was a relief, since I now didn't have an inevitable freight train of Parkinson's heading straight toward me. Instead, she diagnosed me with hypnagogic hallucinations. At the time my episodes were mild enough with the Trazodone and my apnea mouthpiece that we didn't need to do anything else. Over the next few years, my hallucinations were steadily getting worse, then all of a sudden 6 months ago they stopped entirely. No more screaming, no more jumping out of bed, no more creatures or spiders or snakes crawling on the bed and walls. At this point I felt comfortable talking with my GP about getting off SSRIs and SARIs so I could stop struggling with the sexual side effects; I switched from Lexapro to Wellbutrin for my depression, which worked wonderfully. As for the Trazodone, which I'd been on for 6 years at that point, we decided to try weaning off it entirely and seeing if the hallucinations resumed. I weaned with no changes to my sleep patterns, and I was ecstatic. Until this week. It started with me sitting up and loudly asking my husband "what is that?" before falling back asleep. A few nights later, I thought the ceiling was collapsing and ran out of the room, screaming for my husband to follow me. And then there was last night. I was sleeping on my stomach. I opened my eyes and there was a huge snake coiled up between my husband and I, but I didn't react. I just stared at it for a few moments. Then it slowly uncoiled and slithered across my husband's neck, where it started to squeeze. I panicked and tried to grab the snake, to pry it off my husband before it killed him. He woke up and shoved my arms away, angrily asking "what are you doing?!" Half asleep, I mumbled something about the snake before I woke up and realized it was a dream. I apologized for waking him, but didn't realize how bad it had been until the next morning. He told me he woke up with my hands on his neck, and he was so close to hitting me to get me to stop, which absolutely terrified him. I certainly wouldn't blame him if he had, he has every right to defend himself from what he thought I was trying to do. For 15 years, this has been my worst fear: that in my delusional terror during one of these episodes, I would harm my husband or my daughter. There are no weapons in the house, and that will continue to be the case. Obviously I'm immediately going back on the Trazodone, but it only takes the edge off, and I've still had some pretty significant episodes even on the medication. I feel like I'm living in a fucking /r/nosleep story, but it's unfortunately very, very real. Other than the Trazodone, is there **any** treatment for hypnagogic hallucinations that are this severe? Like I said, the Trazodone only barely touches it, and I hate the side effects. I know we could also start sleeping in separate rooms, but how could we handle the loss of that intimacy? Obviously we can still go to each other's rooms for sex, but sleeping together is really important to us. Last night we fell asleep holding hands... but then woke up to a literal nightmare. I feel like I'm an immediate danger to my family, and my thoughts are getting kind of dark. I have no plans to hurt myself, I'm the breadwinner for my family and couldn't hurt them like that, but I'm fucking drowning right now. I have a telehealth call with the neurologist scheduled for Tuesday, but until then, what? What the fuck do I do? Where do I go? Do we sleep in separate rooms? What if our 4 year old comes to me while I'm imagining a fucking demon at my bedside? Do I go live in a separate apartment? Do I file for divorce and go live in a shack while sending all my money to my family to keep them safe, and so my husband can find a better partner he can feel safe with? My brain is fucking broken, I'm now more afraid to sleep than I ever have been before, I can't trust my own goddamn perception of reality, and I just want this to fucking **stop.**

Great post for sure. I did Keto for a month but after a while started getting really bad symptoms with my gut and ended up getting an endoscopy cause it was month or two after quitting Keto and still had weird metallic taste and bloating etc despite my weight loss my doc said it stressed my body out. Also dealing with some hair shedding and they also attribute it to keto. I’ve had really bad insomnia too and will try those supplements too. Hype ain’t always real with these things I guess.

Anyone else had sleep issues with BPC? I used a half dose for over 4 weeks and had to give up as my sleep got progressively worse until the last day I woke up repeatedly over the night until I woke at 2:30am and did not get back to sleep. Is it just me? Is there something I can take to counteract this effect?

do you have pain to sleep nowadays? Mine was over a month ago and still can't sleep, im in terrible pain

I used cannabis nonstop since my accident, like 8yrs ago now. Did wonders for chronic pain and the anxiety association with it (esp since they basically don’t prescribe opioids anymore). But turns out I’ve got Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome, which makes you puke your guts out nonstop until you go to the hospital. Basically became a necessary evil and was still better than life without cannabis, so I kept going. But apparently it gets worse every episode and I went into full kidney failure, almost died. Was sent to a better-equipped hospital via helicopter so I guess they weren’t kidding. Was a super fun ride though. Anyways, I’ve been cannabis-free for about a year now. The first few months SUCK. Had crazy bad insomnia, pain got much worse, anxiety totally unmanageable. But it slowly gets better. It took about three months for me to level out, so unfortunately you may have a ways to go. Hang in there, it does get better. But if you don’t have CHS and are only quitting for a job, maybe consider working somewhere else if it really helps you. Things kinda level out eventually but there’s no real replacement, so you’ve def gotta weight the pros/cons.

All philosophers said that we should love our body since it's precious.Bro..It is the cause for sadness.Not only chronic pain but u know u gotta go to work because u gotta eat ..when u have insomnia and your brain is tired..And yet sleep is restless..our body like I said previously is a jail we can't escape ..I imagine the day chronic pain stops..I will laugh hysterically like sally Hardesty escaping leatherface or Jesse pinkman escaping the compound...BUT THERE IS NO CURE!!!

I genuinely don't know how to feel anymore. Thus, there were years of social isolation, loneliness, pain, anguish. So many bad feelings, and so many bad habits. I reached a plateau, I can no longer feel anything extraordinary. I stopped being able to be natural, I'm broken. My entire adolescence was surrounded by depressive episodes, always during school holidays. My ADHD along with my depression didn't allow me to build a routine. In other words, whenever the holidays arrived, I went into chaos. I didn't know what to do, so I stopped doing it. It was a slow evolution, it was four years of depression. Going from mild symptoms to a suicide attempt. So, in the first year I was very happy, I laughed every day at school, and said I was unbeatable (I was young). Everything was going well until the school holidays arrived. Isolation began, and symptoms emerged. I started to feel anxiety, I stopped sleeping well, I started eating compulsively, I was surrounded by bad thoughts, but I was still "fine". That was the first year, the happy young man, who said he was unbeatable, was still happy with his friends. In the second year, everything changed. The year-end holidays were heavy, I went through an introspective period, I was so alone that I started talking to myself, a habit I still have today. It was there that my sleep disappeared, I had chronic insomnia, and that I lost control of my diet, and ended up losing myself in the abyss of pornography. When the holidays were over, and classes started again, I realized: I'm not unbeatable. This was a year of nightly tears, compulsive masturbation, and pain. But even so, I was still functional, I was "happy" (when I was at school) The happy and unbeatable boy became a young man in pain. The third year was the most complex, the holidays were good, somewhat surprising. I managed to go to the gym, control my diet, and with the help of natural medicines, I started to sleep reasonably well. I was evolving. But a meteor fell in my life, the damn bullying. I was always extroverted, I liked to talk, I was agitated, I talked nonsense and made everyone laugh. But this group was different, they were tough. At first, I managed to fit in, I was making friends, and doing well. But a joke began, offending the other person's mother, something unforgivable in Brazil. I participated in this, always getting into discussions. But I didn't like it, so I stopped, I decided to stop offending other people's mothers. But they didn't stop, they continued cursing my mother every day, the worst things possible. Every day I had to listen to those bastards cursing me, I had anxiety attacks at school, and they laughed. I told the teachers, and they did nothing. With that, my habits turned to dust, I stopped everything. And I went back to a failed routine, I entered the worst abyss, shame. I stopped going to school, it was too painful. But I had to go, I couldn't repeat the year. I hated it, it was hellish. I was weak, I was afraid. Once, I came to the conclusion, I'm a cockroach. After all, I had to watch OTHER PEOPLE defend my mother. I, WHO AM HER SON, failed to protect her honor. I felt disgusted by it, and along with my pornographic compulsion, I started to hate myself. I was disgusting, ugly, strange, and evil. The intrusive thoughts hurt, every day I had crises of thoughts, disgusting things that even involved children. It was horrible. Regarding the bullying, he stopped, after all I had courage and listened to my friend, and attacked those idiots. I left my eye black. It was ridiculous, I was so much bigger, wider, stronger. I let a skinny guy bully me. The happy boy became a monster. In fourth year, I surprisingly got off to one of the best starts. I went back to the gym, I was sleeping well naturally, I was taking care of myself. And I adopted a dog, now I had a reason to get up every day. I had responsibilities. I made new friends, I joined a student union, I was participating for the first time. The first semester was great, everything was going well. Until the damn vacation starts. My routine fell apart, my binge eating returned, my intrusive thoughts and pornography consumption skyrocketed. I went back to rock bottom. And this time, there was an extra trigger. My father, a complicated man who suffers from alcoholism, spent the entire vacation terrorizing my life. He was unbearable, it's hard to say that, but at that moment I hated him (I love him). With his many health problems, my father had several medications. And that's where it all went wrong. I started taking muscle relaxants, I wanted to alleviate this hell, I didn't want to be awake. I took several sleeping pills, I couldn't stand being awake. My little dog? I left it aside. I abandoned the being who loves me most, my only responsibility. I continued this habit of abusing medications, as long as I had relaxants, I would be taking them. But they ran out, and I couldn't stand being awake, so I started taking cocktails of different medications. A chemical punishment, and along with that, came self-flagellation. I started cutting myself every day. And I started giving myself whiplash, I wanted to pay for my sins with pain. I saw myself as a perverse monster, I was disgusting, I thought absurd things. I wanted to punish myself. The chemical escalation continued, I took several medications, felt sick every day, and cried nonstop. I was destroying myself. Until what started with two relaxant pills became forty-six pills, so many medications. I coldly researched how to die, I wanted to feel the worst. So I took a massive load of statins. I wanted to have rhabdomyolysis, I wanted to suffer. I did this, and I started having an absurd panic attack. I was confused, I went into crisis, it was a duel. While looking at a portrait of the happy boy I once was, looking at the love my dog ​​had for me. I started crying without stopping, I told my mother about the accident, and she took me to a hospital, I was washed and managed to survive. This suicide attempt changed my mind, something blossomed in me: love for life. I looked at my old photos and said, you don't deserve it. I can't carry everything alone, so many traumas, I don't even remember my shitty childhood, it's all a blur. I talked to my parents, and I unburdened myself, in the most raw way possible, I described my demons. I told my father to his face, about him having destroyed my life, and that I'm only here because of him. I regret these sentences, my father suffers like me, there are no culprits, only victims. A son sick from loneliness, and a father sick from the past. One sought help with punishment, another with alcohol. I went to therapy, I started this process. It was really good, I could tell everything, it was wonderful to be honest. I got a recommendation for a psychiatrist. And I started taking medication, an antidepressant, venlafaxine or effexor. This could be seen as a positive thing, but it triggered a psychosis. I lost control of my mind. I started to notice dark thoughts in my mind, it was as if they were sprouting in my brain. It didn't make sense, it was too strange. At first, I thought I was a social parasite, I never produced anything for society, I only consumed it. This thought was broken by my psychiatrist, who explained it to me simply, I am a sick young man, what should I produce? He spoke in such a raw way that it helped me. However, my mind, at the beginning of psychosis, didn't like the answer. She created another thought. I was a rotten being, I was rotten. My body was pure, but my mind and soul were completely rotten, corrupted by evil. After coming across reports about ego transcendence, I came to a distorted conclusion: the ego needed to die. I called it egocide, the death of the ego, the homicide of oneself. The thoughts became a belief. I was rotten, and I needed to kill myself. I'll explain what I was thinking. An explanation of belief. There is the body, ego and conscious motor. The body was pure, that is, my body was pure. He was totally fine, he was human. However, my ego was corrupt, I needed to eliminate the infection before it affected the body. And what would do this was the conscious motor. He is the part of the ego that believed in belief, he understood the evil that the ego did. In other words, the conscious motor, seeing the rottenness of the ego (itself, after all, the conscious motor is within the ego), decided to eliminate itself. An egocide. I planned everything, I wanted to destroy my psyche, that was the plan. So I started using illicit substances; like shoemaker's glue; delirious drugs, such as promethazine; nutmeg, to cause neurological damage, by myristicin; opioids, to cause addiction, and trigger withdrawal. It was crazy, maintaining the persona of his son in treatment, and secretly using substances. With the use of psychoactives, I decided to create a system of self-indoctrination. To summarize, I recorded dozens of heavy audios where I humiliated myself, used cruel adjectives to refer to myself, and said that my future was about pain. I can't describe the content of the audios, but it was the greatest abominations possible. I then distorted the audio, and added effects to generate echo. My goal was to indoctrinate my mind, it was literally to make my mind be attacked by damage to trust. I spent all day listening to these audios, and yes, they had an effect. It was heavy, I started listening to the audios, even without headphones. Along with these methods, I started exposing myself to gore, I started consuming gore nonstop, I wanted to destroy myself, I got to the point of masturbating while consuming it. I created a method, while using the substances, I made a seesaw with my brain. In other words, I spent two days taking the medication, and two days without taking it, to unbalance the pattern of neurotransmitters. Along with extreme sleep deprivation, and torture methods, such as spending weeks sleeping just one hour a day, and abusing caffeine. This ego death plan worked, I was slowly destroying my psyche. The delusions evolved, they reached the level where I thought I was a cosmic invader, I was a cosmic monster that invaded the earth. I killed the fetus that was in a woman's womb, and stole its body. This delusion explained my inability to relate to others, after all, I was not human, and I could not understand humans. I started to hallucinate, I saw a crack with a dark interior and white edges, it was my home, the place I came from. This whole crazy plan to destroy himself worked. I had a psychotic break. I had an identity crisis, I became a demon. I was, Ostadan, the librettist from hell. (Ostadan in ancient Persian is master of carpets. In my view, the human being is like a carpet, a myriad of lines that form identity, or the carpet) I went into aggressive thinking, I wanted to kill my family, that was the plan. I wanted to cause people pain, because I fed off of it. But first, I needed to mark myself. So I grabbed a thick handle and started to whip myself nonstop. My back was raw, marked by the lashes. Next to that I took a knife and made a cut from my shoulder to the back of my hand, a deep cut. Which caused me to bleed heavily. Fortunately, my brother came home and saw me in that state. I was admitted to the hospital, and there I received an injection of abilify and diazepam. I stayed in bed for a long time to treat the wound on my arm. And after that, I was admitted to a clinic. There I received a lot of treatment, such as therapy and medication. At the clinic I had my sleep restored, and I started doing physical exercises and trying to study different subjects. It was a fun time, over time the symptoms lessened. And after I left, my life improved. Today I am suffering from deep apathy, my life is gray. But I can be functional. I'm studying to try to go to college, I'm taking care of my dog, helping my mother, and going to the gym. I'm trying to improve my life. But in this pile of medicine, and confusion, my purpose is lost. I am a boat driver. I don't know why I'm here, but it's okay. I don't need a universal meaning. I'm just a sick man, I don't need to find a purpose that changes everything. Today, I live for my dog ​​and family. I constantly have depressive episodes, but they are short and mild. The main thing is this gray cloud that is in my life, this emptiness, this apathy. But that's okay, I've been worse. I'm twenty-two years old, I still have positive thoughts, about 60 years of life, why rush? I have all the time in the world, I am at peace, I am in harmony with myself. It's confusing, but in the midst of this apathy, there is love, and there is hope. I love myself, I'm strange, bizarre, weird. But that makes me unique, I'm a unique person, I write crazy things, I talk crazy things, I'm unique. I love myself, I'm eccentric and I like it. Today I have OCD and psychosis. And I'm investigating a possible ASPD. But we're done here. So I end this text by saying: love yourself. (Be careful with your children or siblings. They may be suffering)

Your insomnia at night, mind racing, replaying the day, ect ect is exactly like mine, I was on lunesta and vyvanse aswell, lunesta was great for about a month now I take it at 10pm and I awake like 2 hours later then proceed to toss and turn the rest of the night. My only issue with the stuff you're saying that helped is the weight gain, ive been exercising for about a year and lost 70 pounds and the vyvanse has actually helped alot over the past few months I've been on it, ive always gotten super hungry so it was really hard to lose that weight, I don't want to gain it back.

I’ve been dealing with some sort of insomnia ever since I was 18. I am now 42. My doctors don’t seem to know what to do at this point and it’s freaking me out. There will be weeks where I don’t sleep a wink for 4+ days in a row. I used to look forward to bedtime and for the last year have dreaded it. Compound that with general anxiety disorder, ADHD (I only sometimes take immediate release adderall in the AM and no coffee after the morning) and hormone imbalances I am just now starting to address after 9 years of either doing IVF, pregnant, 4 rounds of IVF again, pregnant and now have 8 and 3 year old children. I follow almost all sleep “health” guidelines- cool dark room, sound machine, hot bath before bed, magnesium, even some crazy expensive mattress to regulate the heat in the bed and measure my heart rate and sleep times, etc. I try and stay away from my phone or kindle but what is one supposed to do if they are in bed for 10+ hours and can’t sleep? It’s gotten so bad I often don’t even get in bed until 2-3am bc I’ve experienced so many sleepless nights where borderline psychosis and dark thoughts start to creep in that is freaks me out. And it’s just getting worse. Im 42 and feel 60. Continues brain fog, last hormone panel showed zero hormones as they were all going to support my adrenals. Yes I’ve had/have chronic stress in my life but I’m not kept up thinking about it. It’s more a subconscious inability to cross the sleep threshold. I have tried every sleeping med out there. Side effects for non habit forming ones include nausea, trigger migraines and horrible grogginess the next day. Medications like ambien, even in high doses, don’t do it. I’ve been on benzodiazepines for so long they no longer are effective but more like maintenance to ward off the inevitable side effects of withdrawal that include…insomnia. To be clear my main issue is the initial falling asleep. After having young kids you get used to mid night wakings and I never have a problem falling back to sleep after (this is assuming I was asleep before they woke at 3am). It’s just like my body and mind won’t cross the threshold of sleep at night. A year ago the sleep meds worked and I remember getting in bed at a reasonable hour and falling asleep with my kids and I miss that so so much . I now HAVE to sleep in some days to maintain sanity but that isn’t how I want to live my life and it’s not a great example for my kids, not good for mood, productivity or my work. But I’m suffering. I guess I want to know if anyone has experienced this level of insomnia before for this long and if there is anything else I should be doing. And yes, I know sleeping in doesn’t help for the following night. But even when I run myself ragged with exercise and keeping up with the kids, I can’t recall the last time I yawned. And yes, I know habit forming medications for anxiety or sleep are no intended for long term use. So save that judgment please. Hypnosis? CBT hasn’t ever helped. Are there sleep rehabs? (Not kidding.). It’s time I really address this head on as the impact it’s having on my life- and the long term impact it could have is frightening. Thank you for all that give feedback. Good night. ? Maybe? Fingers crossed? Yikes. I’m so jealous of people who just get in bed and go to sleep. I do not even recall what that feels like.

I want to tell my story of insomnia, because It was so fckn debilitating, it genuinely left me with some kind of PTSD (self-diagnosed). To begin, this all occurred when I was around 23–26. I'm now 30 (M). When I left Uni (~22), my life changed massively. At Uni I lived in a house with my best friends. Then I'd also live with my parents and siblings over the holidays. Life was great, I had everything I wanted. Then Uni finished. I got a job, and moved away. I lived alone, in a shitty shared house, near a council estate, in a crappy town, with strangers as housemates who I didn't really like. It was dirty, house mates were loud, and they stank. My parents were 3 hours away, and my friends were 2 hours away. I had no car. To compound the issue, I had no money and my new job was hard. My line manager would yell at me in the office infront of everyone, which stressed me the fck out. Everything just got shit, really fast. So unsurprisingly, I was unhappy. Eventually this triggered sleeping problems. Literally, I still remember it today. One random night, I just could not sleep. Literally, it came outta nowhere – zero warning. It got to 5am, not a wink. I was freaking out because I had work at 8am. I actually remember Snapchatting my mate at 3am that night, out of frustration. The same thing then happened every night that week. I averaged 2-3hrs a night, and was exhausted. I remember falling asleep at work at my desk, in meetings, on the toilet. One meeting, my boss was talking and I literally felt my eyes rapidly moving left to right. This caused me sleep anxiety. So then I'd feel like I need to throw up and take shit whenever it was time for bed. Eventually, I had to take random sick days off work for it. I just desperately needed to sleep – and felt like it would only happen if I had zero time pressure. I tried OTC sleep aids – no success. Eventually I just resorted to getting drunk before bed, which got me to sleep – but I'd just wake up, and feel shit again. Horrible idea from a 23yr old me – don't do that shit. This basically went on for ~2 years, it sucked. The only respite was when I took leave and visited my parents. Or if my girlfriend came to visit me overnight (but she was 5hrs away). Eventually, my girlfriend moved to the area, and we rented to a new flat together (FYI – she's now my wife, big success). This temporarily resolved it, and for 6 months I slept ok. She would talk to me until I'd fall asleep – she's honestly an angel. However, after 6 months the insomnia came back worse than ever – and in a new way. Like, it was fckn violent. Basically, I started having these hypnic jerks outta nowhere. Like, whenever I was about to fall asleep...my body would violently spasm and wake me up. My heart would race and I'd get very hot – like someone literally hit me with freakin defibrillator. This shit would go on all damn night, from like 10pm to 4-5am. Suddenly, I'm back to 2-3hrs sleep a night ffs. So again, I'm exhausted. Falling asleep at work. All the typical bullshit. And there's not a damn thing I can do to stop it. Didn't matter how tired I was, as soon as I drifted off...BANG, hypnic jerk. My girlfriend couldn't help. No amount of her trying to relax me stopped the jerks. And she was getting tired as well, trying to help me. So i just told her to sleep; no point two of us suffering. God bless her, she still tried. But she would eventually fall asleep, and I'd be there – spacking out, twitching like one of those mfckers from 28 days later. People were giving me BS advice. Like "just relax" or "drink a chamomile tea" whatever. I just wanted them to shut up. They don't know what I was experiencing, so it was just such inappropriate advice. I'm trying to explain to my parents...it DOES NOT MATTER HOW RELAXED I AM. Even when fully relaxed and drifting off – my damn hypothalamus turns into Pikachu, and sends a 700 volt electric shockwave through my entire nervous system. So anyway, this continues for a good 6 months. I'm on 2hrs sleep. I can't take it anymore, I go see a doctor. He just says he's never encountered a patient with this before...great. I immediately assume I have some degenerative brain disease, which he shrugs off. After dropping that literal nuke on someone with an already frail mental state – he simply prescribes me a sleeping pill. I don't know what it was, I just took that shit. And yeah, it fkn worked. Took it on a Friday evening. Knocked me out till Saturday. To say I felt "groggy" the next day would be the understatement of the century. My wife still remembers it, that's how bad it was. I woke up, feeling like I got NEGATIVE sleep. I tried to go into town with her, and had to go home because I was so tired. I slept all day as well. Still felt awful after. Then of course, no sleep that night. Every time I took this pill, same thing. I felt like a literal zombie the next day. So after a week, I threw that shit it in the bin. My nurse calls, offering me a new pill – I'm like fck that. Send that BS back to animal testing where it belongs. I decide to do it the natural way haha...So I suffer ANOTHER YEAR of hypnic jerks. Like, for the majority of this, im knocking on around 2-3hrs of sleep. Unreal. During this year, I get quite desperate. But also very conscious that I don't want this to break me, and take away my life. So I basically try to overhaul my life. During this year, I cut all caffeine (no Pepsi, tea, coffee etc...). Then cut creatine, and all supplements. Then all artificial sweetners. I lock my diet in, like eating red meat, eggs, wholegrains – all of that. Start taking magnesium, zinc and Vitamin D3, to try offset the negative effects of bad sleep on testosterone. I keep up gym, judo, running, work. It was really hard somedays. Like evening would roll round, I'm fckn tired, borderline depressed. To give you an idea of my mental state, sometimes I'd even cry when I was alone, for no reason. Ofc only when alone, wasn't planning on letting my girlfriend see that shi So yeah, last thing I wanna do is go train or cook a healthy meal. But I tried to view it as investment. Stacking the mental wins made me feel good overall. Like, I tried to get into a mental state where the sleep deprivation wasn't a big deal – because I could still function well enough. I was just playing this game on hard mode. So after about a year of locking in – I'm actually seeing mild improvement – getting around 4hrs sleep now on average. The hypnic jerks are still kicking my ass, but less. Instead of going on for 6-7hrs, they'd go on for 4-5hrs. I realised I wasn't THAT tired anymore. I could still gym. I was getting stronger. Work was tolerable. So I was kinda satisfied with 4hrs sleep. Like it wasn't ideal, but I'll take it. Then weekends or any days off – I can have a proper sleep refuel. So gradually, I stopped giving a shit when I went to bed. And weirdly, that lead to less hypnic jerks. They became less violent, and lasted for less time. After more than 3 years of intense suffering – my sleep eventually crawled back up from 2hrs to 4hrs, then eventually to 7hrs. Honestly, at 4hrs, I'd have taken the win. I was functioning sufficiently, and I felt largely pretty happy. As I said, it wasn't ideal, but was doable. When I realised I was finally sleeping 7hrs consistently, I felt so damn liberated. Like, I genuinely thought id never reach that level of sleep again. I felt happy, like I could enjoy the day, actually absorb stuff properly and just be my proper self. So there we go, that is my story. From literal despair --> this is tolerable --> damn, I'm normal again. For sure, I still get around 1 bad night a week. Sometimes I'll even get an entire bad week. But generally, I'm average 7hrs a night. I'm not here to give advice. I just wanted to air my story, as it honestly traumatised me to a degree. I'm not telling you guys how to beat it, everyone has their own deal. I'm not saying to copy me, or don't take sleeping pills or whatever. I know it sucks. Wouldn't wish it on my worse enemy. I'm sure one day ill be back in the chronic insomnia club – it's a demon that never fully goes away, I know that. But in the meantime, here to support you guys. If you wanna chat, or vent – I'm here. Otherwise, God bless.

I want to tell my story of insomnia, because It was so fckn debilitating, it genuinely left me with some kind of PTSD (self-diagnosed). To begin, this all occurred when I was around 23–26. I'm now 30 (M). When I left Uni (~22), my life changed massively. At Uni I lived in a house with my best friends. Then I'd also live with my parents and siblings over the holidays. Life was great, I had everything I wanted. Then Uni finished. I got a job, and moved away. I lived alone, in a shitty shared house, near a council estate, in a crappy town, with strangers as housemates who I didn't really like. It was dirty, house mates were loud, and they stank. My parents were 3 hours away, and my friends were 2 hours away. I had no car. To compound the issue, I had no money and my new job was hard. My line manager would yell at me in the office infront of everyone, which stressed me the fck out. Everything just got shit, really fast. So unsurprisingly, I was unhappy. Eventually this triggered sleeping problems. Literally, I still remember it today. One random night, I just could not sleep. Literally, it came outta nowhere – zero warning. It got to 5am, not a wink. I was freaking out because I had work at 8am. I actually remember Snapchatting my mate at 3am that night, out of frustration. The same thing then happened every night that week. I averaged 2-3hrs a night, and was exhausted. I remember falling asleep at work at my desk, in meetings, on the toilet. One meeting, my boss was talking and I literally felt my eyes rapidly moving left to right. This caused me sleep anxiety. So then I'd feel like I need to throw up and take shit whenever it was time for bed. Eventually, I had to take random sick days off work for it. I just desperately needed to sleep – and felt like it would only happen if I had zero time pressure. I tried OTC sleep aids – no success. Eventually I just resorted to getting drunk before bed, which got me to sleep – but I'd just wake up, and feel shit again. Horrible idea from a 23yr old me – don't do that shit. This basically went on for ~2 years, it sucked. The only respite was when I took leave and visited my parents. Or if my girlfriend came to visit me overnight (but she was 5hrs away). Eventually, my girlfriend moved to the area, and we rented to a new flat together (FYI – she's now my wife, big success). This temporarily resolved it, and for 6 months I slept ok. She would talk to me until I'd fall asleep – she's honestly an angel. However, after 6 months the insomnia came back worse than ever – and in a new way. Like, it was fckn violent. Basically, I started having these hypnic jerks outta nowhere. Like, whenever I was about to fall asleep...my body would violently spasm and wake me up. My heart would race and I'd get very hot – like someone literally hit me with freakin defibrillator. This shit would go on all damn night, from like 10pm to 4-5am. Suddenly, I'm back to 2-3hrs sleep a night ffs. So again, I'm exhausted. Falling asleep at work. All the typical bullshit. And there's not a damn thing I can do to stop it. Didn't matter how tired I was, as soon as I drifted off...BANG, hypnic jerk. My girlfriend couldn't help. No amount of her trying to relax me stopped the jerks. And she was getting tired as well, trying to help me. So i just told her to sleep; no point two of us suffering. God bless her, she still tried. But she would eventually fall asleep, and I'd be there – spacking out, twitching like one of those mfckers from 28 days later. People were giving me BS advice. Like "just relax" or "drink a chamomile tea" whatever. I just wanted them to shut up. They don't know what I was experiencing, so it was just such inappropriate advice. I'm trying to explain to my parents...it DOES NOT MATTER HOW RELAXED I AM. Even when fully relaxed and drifting off – my damn hypothalamus turns into Pikachu, and sends a 700 volt electric shockwave through my entire nervous system. So anyway, this continues for a good 6 months. I'm on 2hrs sleep. I can't take it anymore, I go see a doctor. He just says he's never encountered a patient with this before...great. I immediately assume I have some degenerative brain disease, which he shrugs off. After dropping that literal nuke on someone with an already frail mental state – he simply prescribes me a sleeping pill. I don't know what it was, I just took that shit. And yeah, it fkn worked. Took it on a Friday evening. Knocked me out till Saturday. To say I felt "groggy" the next day would be the understatement of the century. My wife still remembers it, that's how bad it was. I woke up, feeling like I got NEGATIVE sleep. I tried to go into town with her, and had to go home because I was so tired. I slept all day as well. Still felt awful after. Then of course, no sleep that night. Every time I took this pill, same thing. I felt like a literal zombie the next day. So after a week, I threw that shit it in the bin. My nurse calls, offering me a new pill – I'm like fck that. Send that BS back to animal testing where it belongs. I decide to do it the natural way haha...So I suffer ANOTHER YEAR of hypnic jerks. Like, for the majority of this, im knocking on around 2-3hrs of sleep. Unreal. During this year, I get quite desperate. But also very conscious that I don't want this to break me, and take away my life. So I basically try to overhaul my life. During this year, I cut all caffeine (no Pepsi, tea, coffee etc...). Then cut creatine, and all supplements. Then all artificial sweetners. I lock my diet in, like eating red meat, eggs, wholegrains – all of that. Start taking magnesium, zinc and Vitamin D3, to try offset the negative effects of bad sleep on testosterone. I keep up gym, judo, running, work. It was really hard somedays. Like evening would roll round, I'm fckn tired, borderline depressed. To give you an idea of my mental state, sometimes I'd even cry when I was alone, for no reason. Ofc only when alone, wasn't planning on letting my girlfriend see that shi So yeah, last thing I wanna do is go train or cook a healthy meal. But I tried to view it as investment. Stacking the mental wins made me feel good overall. Like, I tried to get into a mental state where the sleep deprivation wasn't a big deal – because I could still function well enough. I was just playing this game on hard mode. So after about a year of locking in – I'm actually seeing mild improvement – getting around 4hrs sleep now on average. The hypnic jerks are still kicking my ass, but less. Instead of going on for 6-7hrs, they'd go on for 4-5hrs. I realised I wasn't THAT tired anymore. I could still gym. I was getting stronger. Work was tolerable. So I was kinda satisfied with 4hrs sleep. Like it wasn't ideal, but I'll take it. Then weekends or any days off – I can have a proper sleep refuel. So gradually, I stopped giving a shit when I went to bed. And weirdly, that lead to less hypnic jerks. They became less violent, and lasted for less time. After more than 3 years of intense suffering – my sleep eventually crawled back up from 2hrs to 4hrs, then eventually to 7hrs. Honestly, at 4hrs, I'd have taken the win. I was functioning sufficiently, and I felt largely pretty happy. As I said, it wasn't ideal, but was doable. When I realised I was finally sleeping 7hrs consistently, I felt so damn liberated. Like, I genuinely thought id never reach that level of sleep again. I felt happy, like I could enjoy the day, actually absorb stuff properly and just be my proper self. So there we go, that is my story. From literal despair --> this is tolerable --> damn, I'm normal again. For sure, I still get around 1 bad night a week. Sometimes I'll even get an entire bad week. But generally, I'm average 7hrs a night. I'm not here to give advice. I just wanted to air my story, as it honestly traumatised me to a degree. I'm not telling you guys how to beat it, everyone has their own deal. I'm not saying to copy me, or don't take sleeping pills or whatever. I know it sucks. Wouldn't wish it on my worse enemy. I'm sure one day ill be back in the chronic insomnia club – it's a demon that never fully goes away, I know that. But in the meantime, here to support you guys. If you wanna chat, or vent – I'm here. Otherwise, God bless.

I want to tell my story of insomnia, because It was so fckn debilitating, it genuinely left me with some kind of PTSD (self-diagnosed). To begin, this all occurred when I was around 23–26. I'm now 30 (M). When I left Uni (~22), my life changed massively. At Uni I lived in a house with my best friends. Then I'd also live with my parents and siblings over the holidays. Life was great, I had everything I wanted. Then Uni finished. I got a job, and moved away. I lived alone, in a shitty shared house, near a council estate, in a crappy town, with strangers as housemates who I didn't really like. It was dirty, house mates were loud, and they stank. My parents were 3 hours away, and my friends were 2 hours away. I had no car. To compound the issue, I had no money and my new job was hard. My line manager would yell at me in the office infront of everyone, which stressed me the fck out. Everything just got shit, really fast. So unsurprisingly, I was unhappy. Eventually this triggered sleeping problems. Literally, I still remember it today. One random night, I just could not sleep. Literally, it came outta nowhere – zero warning. It got to 5am, not a wink. I was freaking out because I had work at 8am. I actually remember Snapchatting my mate at 3am that night, out of frustration. The same thing then happened every night that week. I averaged 2-3hrs a night, and was exhausted. I remember falling asleep at work at my desk, in meetings, on the toilet. One meeting, my boss was talking and I literally felt my eyes rapidly moving left to right. This caused me sleep anxiety. So then I'd feel like I need to throw up and take shit whenever it was time for bed. Eventually, I had to take random sick days off work for it. I just desperately needed to sleep – and felt like it would only happen if I had zero time pressure. I tried OTC sleep aids – no success. Eventually I just resorted to getting drunk before bed, which got me to sleep – but I'd just wake up, and feel shit again. Horrible idea from a 23yr old me – don't do that shit. This basically went on for ~2 years, it sucked. The only respite was when I took leave and visited my parents. Or if my girlfriend came to visit me overnight (but she was 5hrs away). Eventually, my girlfriend moved to the area, and we rented to a new flat together (FYI – she's now my wife, big success). This temporarily resolved it, and for 6 months I slept ok. She would talk to me until I'd fall asleep – she's honestly an angel. However, after 6 months the insomnia came back worse than ever – and in a new way. Like, it was fckn violent. Basically, I started having these hypnic jerks outta nowhere. Like, whenever I was about to fall asleep...my body would violently spasm and wake me up. My heart would race and I'd get very hot – like someone literally hit me with freakin defibrillator. This shit would go on all damn night, from like 10pm to 4-5am. Suddenly, I'm back to 2-3hrs sleep a night ffs. So again, I'm exhausted. Falling asleep at work. All the typical bullshit. And there's not a damn thing I can do to stop it. Didn't matter how tired I was, as soon as I drifted off...BANG, hypnic jerk. My girlfriend couldn't help. No amount of her trying to relax me stopped the jerks. And she was getting tired as well, trying to help me. So i just told her to sleep; no point two of us suffering. God bless her, she still tried. But she would eventually fall asleep, and I'd be there – spacking out, twitching like one of those mfckers from 28 days later. People were giving me BS advice. Like "just relax" or "drink a chamomile tea" whatever. I just wanted them to shut up. They don't know what I was experiencing, so it was just such inappropriate advice. I'm trying to explain to my parents...it DOES NOT MATTER HOW RELAXED I AM. Even when fully relaxed and drifting off – my damn hypothalamus turns into Pikachu, and sends a 700 volt electric shockwave through my entire nervous system. So anyway, this continues for a good 6 months. I'm on 2hrs sleep. I can't take it anymore, I go see a doctor. He just says he's never encountered a patient with this before...great. I immediately assume I have some degenerative brain disease, which he shrugs off. After dropping that literal nuke on someone with an already frail mental state – he simply prescribes me a sleeping pill. I don't know what it was, I just took that shit. And yeah, it fkn worked. Took it on a Friday evening. Knocked me out till Saturday. To say I felt "groggy" the next day would be the understatement of the century. My wife still remembers it, that's how bad it was. I woke up, feeling like I got NEGATIVE sleep. I tried to go into town with her, and had to go home because I was so tired. I slept all day as well. Still felt awful after. Then of course, no sleep that night. Every time I took this pill, same thing. I felt like a literal zombie the next day. So after a week, I threw that shit it in the bin. My nurse calls, offering me a new pill – I'm like fck that. Send that BS back to animal testing where it belongs. I decide to do it the natural way haha...So I suffer ANOTHER YEAR of hypnic jerks. Like, for the majority of this, im knocking on around 2-3hrs of sleep. Unreal. During this year, I get quite desperate. But also very conscious that I don't want this to break me, and take away my life. So I basically try to overhaul my life. During this year, I cut all caffeine (no Pepsi, tea, coffee etc...). Then cut creatine, and all supplements. Then all artificial sweetners. I lock my diet in, like eating red meat, eggs, wholegrains – all of that. Start taking magnesium, zinc and Vitamin D3, to try offset the negative effects of bad sleep on testosterone. I keep up gym, judo, running, work. It was really hard somedays. Like evening would roll round, I'm fckn tired, borderline depressed. To give you an idea of my mental state, sometimes I'd even cry when I was alone, for no reason. Ofc only when alone, wasn't planning on letting my girlfriend see that shi So yeah, last thing I wanna do is go train or cook a healthy meal. But I tried to view it as investment. Stacking the mental wins made me feel good overall. Like, I tried to get into a mental state where the sleep deprivation wasn't a big deal – because I could still function well enough. I was just playing this game on hard mode. So after about a year of locking in – I'm actually seeing mild improvement – getting around 4hrs sleep now on average. The hypnic jerks are still kicking my ass, but less. Instead of going on for 6-7hrs, they'd go on for 4-5hrs. I realised I wasn't THAT tired anymore. I could still gym. I was getting stronger. Work was tolerable. So I was kinda satisfied with 4hrs sleep. Like it wasn't ideal, but I'll take it. Then weekends or any days off – I can have a proper sleep refuel. So gradually, I stopped giving a shit when I went to bed. And weirdly, that lead to less hypnic jerks. They became less violent, and lasted for less time. After more than 3 years of intense suffering – my sleep eventually crawled back up from 2hrs to 4hrs, then eventually to 7hrs. Honestly, at 4hrs, I'd have taken the win. I was functioning sufficiently, and I felt largely pretty happy. As I said, it wasn't ideal, but was doable. When I realised I was finally sleeping 7hrs consistently, I felt so damn liberated. Like, I genuinely thought id never reach that level of sleep again. I felt happy, like I could enjoy the day, actually absorb stuff properly and just be my proper self. So there we go, that is my story. From literal despair --> this is tolerable --> damn, I'm normal again. For sure, I still get around 1 bad night a week. Sometimes I'll even get an entire bad week. But generally, I'm average 7hrs a night. I'm not here to give advice. I just wanted to air my story, as it honestly traumatised me to a degree. I'm not telling you guys how to beat it, everyone has their own deal. I'm not saying to copy me, or don't take sleeping pills or whatever. I know it sucks. Wouldn't wish it on my worse enemy. I'm sure one day ill be back in the chronic insomnia club – it's a demon that never fully goes away, I know that. But in the meantime, here to support you guys. If you wanna chat, or vent – I'm here. Otherwise, God bless.

I relate so much to this, except I didn’t have these hypnics jerks for more than two weeks, and that happened 2,5 years ago. I’ve not been able to rest properly since, it feels like my brain is deeply traumatized by it. I’m so happy for you that you found your way through it, my experience isn’t as intense as yours was, but I’m sleeping so poorly and it feels like my brain can’t let go of that experience and just let me rest for a whole night. I usually sleep for 3 hours and then the rest of the night usually consists in very poor sleep (i do get to catch up a bit sometimes, and it’s completely unpredictable). Sleep is almost like an obsession for me, I tie everything bad and scary that i know to it and just can’t let go, I’ve even been through long periods of OCD because of it, which I hadn’t had before this, and I just wish that I could get back to normal sometime. I laughed at your « negative sleep » comment because I’ve definetely felt that too some nights. It’s so weird because some things get better (less sleep anxiety, less OCD…) but overall I don’t sleep much better and in the long run it becomes exhausting. It’s very much a feeling of being « stuck ».

I've made a few posts here so won't be getting into details of me battling severe insomnia. This post is about my child. My cat. I lost him 2 days ago to a car accident. I wasn't home when it happened. He was loitering outside (he had to go out atleast once everyday) and then he was gone. I came back home to his stone cold body, blood splattered everywhere, his bloody nose, his tiny mouth open and his eyes still filled with tears--- perhaps as a last plea for help. I broke down in public as I inspected his small body and face for one last time. It will haunt me for god knows how long. He was one of the very few reasons I haven't kicked the bucket yet. I blame myself for not being able to protect him and my parents for not keeping an eye on him when I was gone. I haven't slept in 2 nights even on zolpidem. It's 8:30AM right now, still wide awake. I don't wish to live anymore. It's already nearly impossible for anyone around me to understand how insomnia ruins my life since none of them have it, and now this. I've cried multiple times for long hours....I can still see his face. My poor baby clearly went through a lot of pain.

Hi, my story is so similar to yours, 3 years ago I started a calorie deficit diet, gradually reducing my daily calorie intake from 2500 to 1300/ 1400, and during this period I lost more than 32 kg, I’m 170 cm tall, and I used to weigh 80kg, at the end of this period I was only 48 kg. I was working out at the same time to prevent my body from losing shape. Finally, last year I started to have symptoms, first, palpitations, severe left arm pain, which was consistent, tight chest, stress and anxiety, and one night I just lay down to get some rest and instead of my body cooling down, I got hot flashes, palpitations, couldn’t breathe normally and panic attack symptoms and insomnia started. Since that night I have not been able to sleep one night without sleeping pills. Currently I’m consuming enough calories, not working out daily and letting my body get some rest, taking vitamin b complex, magnesium, calcium, vitamin c, omega 3, vitamin d3 and literally every vitamin and mineral my body needs. But nothing seems to be working. My weight is normal now, 54/ 55kg. But it has been a year and I can’t get rid of this severe anxiety and insomnia. Sleeping meds are not working anymore, cause my body is getting used to them so fast, can’t tolerate antidepressants and nothing works for me. Feeling so desperate and the lack of sleep makes everything even worse. I’m so glad you’ve found peace and healing so soon. Hope it all passes for me as well, cause I feel like I can’t deal with this anymore.

I have similar symptoms to yours and mine started around 3 months back. Now I just cannot fall asleep unless I drug myself with the same stuff you use. The problem I have is that over time your body builds up tolerance to the drug and it takes longer to kick in. So I am trying to limit use to 3 times a week. The other 4 days are total hell and affect me badly especially on work days. I have a stressful job based on deadlines and it has caused my sleep issues. Before this I used to sleep and wake up just fine. Hope you find a way out of this situation or limit your drug use to a few times a week.

Hi everyone. M20. My sleep problems began around the start of April. During that time I began to have more and more stressors which have only compounded since then. I also have a hiatial hernia which will be Important for later. Since the beginning of April I haven't been able to sleep for more than 4 to 5 hours. My body always just wakes me up. Sometimes ill be woken up sooner by reflux from the hernia but im deeply convinced that its a multifaceted issue. While I have made changes to minimize symptoms of silent reflux waking me up, I still cannot get a full night of rest and its beginning to effect my life. Im just hoping someone may have some sort of advice or solutions for this? Unfortunately I cant afford to go to a doctor at the moment. Any advice helps

Hello, Reddit friends. I am writing desperately, but also with a glimmer of hope, because I know this is a support network that offers assistance, understanding, and love to many people. I am going through a serious problem related to sleep anxiety. I have never had trouble sleeping. Although I have always had a somewhat interrupted sleep, I have always fallen asleep easily. Recently, I went through an episode of illness, I had Dengue Fever and spent two sleepless nights in pain. Since those two nights, something has changed in me, and today, even though I have recovered from Dengue, I can’t sleep for a very specific reason. I feel like I sabotage myself at bedtime. Yes, sabotage. First, I do all the sleep hygiene routines, lie down to sleep, and then wait to fall asleep. This waiting for sleep is torturous; I simply can’t think about anything other than the fact that I need to sleep. So, it’s like I become hyper-vigilant. Instead of lying down and sleeping, I just think about whether I am about to fall asleep. And then I don’t sleep. I even jerk and jolt when I realize I’m about to fall asleep, thus preventing myself from sleeping (sabotage, remember?). I spend the night awake. I have been living in a cycle: one night, I hardly sleep (or don’t sleep at all), and the next night, due to exhaustion, I sleep a bit better. I look at my bed and bedtime with fear and dread. I have been spending anguished days: I feel like crying and frequently think that I want my life back. Things I have noticed: • I even get sleepy during the night. I feel like sleeping and even feel my body relaxing. But I obsessively chase the moment when I’m going to fall asleep and keep asking myself if I will sleep. Things I have noticed: • This thought triggers other cycles: I am losing my life, how will I work tomorrow, my mind will fry. • I am afraid of my bed, my room, and I keep postponing the moment to lie down (although I have tried to go to bed early, at the same time, every day). • My doctor prescribed a compound with L-Theanine, Melatonin, Magnesium, Relora, and Passionflower. It gives me a very good feeling before bed, but I don’t sleep: I keep thinking about my performance, that is, whether I will be able to sleep. I really want to know if people have gone through what I have and how they overcame this battle. Thank you! ♥️

Someone once asked me, "If you lived in a movie, which genre would it be?" "Satire," I was sure of. "Or Black comedy." Both turned out to be true... It was New Year's Eve 2023. A hot summer's day, Mosquitos, a 2-litre half-drunk bottle of sparkling water after which after a thirsty night I've gotten through half of it -- and my perpetual 9-month nightmare would begin. No, it's not what you thoguht. No stressors. Nor an endless dog-eared laundry list of stuff-to-do and all sorts of work-related glitters. It was something different... This night was the beginning of my long duel with the worst pit of hell my OCD would trouble me with, a hell called insomnia. Insomnia, as many of you know, is insidious. Unless you've suffered from it firsthand, you can't imagine the grip, the collateral, and heterogenous damage to other aspects such as relationships, your psyche, and, as a whole, your relationship with yourself. It was a war that requested me to renounce everything -- from my spiritual life to my more physical composure -- and become an investigative analyst, journalist, a monk, and a soldier to save this machine of flesh, my body, from the wrath of an ever-increasing sinking titanic. But it didn't stay this way: During the middle portion of this year, I noticed a switch as my mind was pensive about monitoring my eyes, giving me images -- horrifying depictions -- of blood in my eyes, my eye muscles, and other grim visuals which were until this day hard to shake off. Sometimes, especially during the middle times, I was able to shake off these thoughts. Other times, it wasn't that easy. I was somehow petrified of allowing my body to take over, fearing that it would damage my eyes, and believing that by moving them, even a small bit, I was stirring the pot of devilry. Instinctively, I was trying to protect something which I feared might be harmed. (But Needless to say, it was costing my sleep!) My brain kept playing trick or treat with my nocturnal rites. Each time I was rather relaxed, I had a surge of thoughts about imminent danger to my eyes, which, of course, would jolt me with an adrenaline rush -- not least of what explains the opium den of pharmaceutics to make those like me switch off.) It's true—sleep isn't merely allegorical. The Bible says that Sleep is God's gift to his children. In its infancy, sleep is seen as a basic, primal human need devoted to every living species on this planet. From the cold-blooded reptilian species to the warm-blooded mammalian, sleep is there to pay a visit after a day of long hard work and labor, a rainy day, or perhaps just a day of doing absolutely nothing... But there's one lonely, broken-hearted creature who, for his life, just couldn't get it... As a kid familiar with the Sandman, I got that he was either tired of me, bored, or simply felt a bit tyrannical to make me go to sleep.... In any case, I was wretched. It really isn't difficult to see how you're kind of cursed if you don't sleep. As for me, sleep, something I've done before without much worry, energy, or conceit, turned from ally to enemy in a matter of hours... And no, I know what you thought. It really wasn't my mindset. What was it? Clearly, it was not because I didn't try to sleep, nor was it because I missed something cardinal, in the harem of CBTI I rules which I dare I say followed to a T, meticulously, and impeccably, or the anecdotal supplements, nootropics, and what have you else. It was more insidious than this: I simply couldn't -- full stop! That's right. Unlike my prior forms of OCD, concerned with hyperawareness and the stress of coping, this one was different. Just because I tried my utter best, just because I've been a massive health freak and did whatever I could to not smoke, not drink, be monkishly frugal in the way I spent money, didn't make my sleep bloom -- it simply stopped happening. You'd reckon that the collateral good in my life would flow into the dormancy of nightly slumber. But guess again... What I've learned in school, the golden rule -- the law of attraction on steroids if you read the book everyone knows about The Secret -- was that the energy, spirit, or soul you put into something, you'll get back. It's what people, in layman terms, call Karma. I won't spoil the rest! But did it work for other areas in my life? Kindof. Job. Career. Success. Relationships -- Horaay ! But, when it came to the unquantifiable pillar of life, sleep, I simply couldn't do it. I needed the magic elixir, the fountain of youth as they say, that very thing that makes babies lulled into the deep and children go to dreamland faster than a bottle of Nembutal for humanity -- I felt as I've done God, the universe, or the great divine a huge disgrace, that I've maybe committed the unpardonable sin, soon to be roasted in a forest fire of ancestral smoke, and was one step away from purgatory, the bounds of gehenna or hell. It's crazy that with literally anything in life -- be it sports, math, or even that lovely girl down the street -- you can work your magic, tame the kitten, and roll a die... once more. And you'd think it's the same with sleep. Here, we're not even talking about an area most aspire to achieve a status of merit. Instead, it's something that's so primal, and yet there's me, an engineer, a whimsical questioner of the universal cacophony, someone who knew all about the ins and outs, who failed that which even the logically castrated can do: SWITCH OFF. I was MacGiver in a Lion's Den -- aimlessly looking for reasons why I couldn't sleep, why I couldn't simply relax, let go, and transition into eternal, angelic, and mesmerizing bliss. However my wish, I couldn't -- for better or worse -- attain an adequate level of certainty. Instead, I had to resort to the more balanced objection: Maybe...Just maybe... It's not my time.

I'm posting here because I'm not sure if it's serious enough to start worrying that it can start becoming a real problem. I'm almost 20 and a student. I don't recall having often troubles falling asleep in my life. Just a couple of times when I felt down or not too sleepy. Recently, maybe 2-4 months I can't tell for sure, I've started hesitating going to sleep even when I'm soo tierd my eyes are closing themselfs I can't manage to fall asleep. From when I was little I couldn't sleep without a little light (still can't) and really felt the need to have someone by my side when sleeping (i usually try imagining someone as my plushies and have conversations in my head and still do somethimes). Now I live with my bf in a dooroom, I sleep with a little light and he hugs me all night (wich is perfect for me). The only problem is the bed is really really small. Well lately what I think is the thing responsible for my trouble sleeping is that lately i've been having nightmares. 1 time per week if lucky. I wake up often in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. After i'm done almost 75% of the time I have heart races, light headed and have to take a moment to breathe so I calm myself. This happens when I dont have nightmares too. Often I'm scared falling alseep because I don't want to have nightmares. They are about my dad or my ex trying to kill,hurt, kidnap or argue with me and I can't stand them. Usually I fall asleep at 4-7 AM when I don't have college in the morning the next day. But until that hour I start to get paranoid. I'm afraid to go to the bathroom worried that the floor will crumble under me. I'm not religios yet I'm scared I will find the d3vil in my room when I come back. Every sound starts to scare me. Stuff gets louder, I get a schreeching noise in my hear everything is too loud even my toughts. Thats why i stay on my phone a lot. I try to calm myself down "my bf is here, he is protecting me as long as I am with him it's ok"...But when he leaves town....I can't sleep alone. I have to drink or smoke until my body can't stand it and fall asleep on it's own. (luckily I get to sleep alone very rarely) And yes I have troubles scrolling on reels before bed, but it's because I can't stand having to stay with my toughts. I have to find ways to make me more tierd so I can fall asleep. I will try going to the gym maybe that will help. Well, for me the last solution is to take some pills my mom gave me based on some plants that claim they are not addicting or go to psychological help (but I can't aford it). I literally start crying because I just want to sleep. In my opinion everything can become addicting mentally if it helps you release a stress so i'm scared taking pills. Well... I don't expect this to get a lot of attention or me getting any help really...I guess I just wanted to let it out because I don't know what to do. If you do read all this,well, thank you.

For the past 3 weeks going on 1 month, I've had the worst sleeping issues of my life. This is ruining my entire life and I'm close to offing myself. I can't interact with my friends anymore, I can't see my family, I can't function at work, I'm mentally ruined, and it's not due to anything external, it is precisely and solely due to my lack of sleep--I know this because during the few nights where I have been able to actually sleep (all medication induced), I've felt relieved and proper and have been able to do everything as I normally would--but then I dread the loss of that, and can't sleep successively. I haven't had more than 1 good night at a time in this entire period--I just need sleep, and I know that's my only problem. It's all I need to return to the relative enough normalcy that will give me my life back. I fell down a steep flight of stairs about 2 months ago, landing on my spine and also cushioning the fall with my foot. I'm concerned I've somehow instigated some kind of serious underlying disorder or neurological/nerves related problem. For the first month I was just very sore and couldn't walk well, but I took it easy and that kind of just went away. But then, belatedly, this onset of other symptoms happened, and I don't technically know if it's related or not... I'm consulting with my doctor as best I can but it's a very slow and busy process and I need sleep in the meantime, I'm at an intolerable impasse knowing how long this could take to even get diagnosed--I also don't know if this is all just compounding anxiety/in my head, but it's so hard to make that delineation/distinction because in the past I've had random bouts of anxiety and insomnia which got quite severe but they would always either eventually subside into rebound sleep or medication would consistently work long enough for me to recover mentally. Here, that hasn't been the case in either regard and there's persistent physical symptoms, which, again, I don't know if they are truly neurophysiological or if they're due to a somehow unprecedented level of anxiety. It started with me randomly waking up to invisible muscle spasms, strains, and pain, and I tried to write it off as nothing but all of a sudden couldn't fall asleep for more than 1 hour at a time and when I did it felt like I was lucid/lightly dreaming/half-awake. The next day I developed this spontaneous sense of being randomly itchy all over and having heart palpitations. This sleeping trouble persisted for 4 days, during which I probably got about 3 total hrs across those entire 4 days of this half-sleep. The feelings were initially localized to my legs/feet, but within a week they spread to my arms/hands, and I also developed facial twitches. After these first 4 days I caved and took some benadryl--with 4 of them ingested I was able to sleep for about 6 broken hours, but finally more than 1 hour at a time and finally in a non-light state, so I distinctly felt a bit better. I kept taking benadryl at 2 a night (50mg total) for about 5 successive days, and each night I could get around 2-3 hrs of sleep on them before waking up and being unable to fall back asleep. Then I developed a tolerance and couldn't sleep at all (0 hrs), went 3 successive days without taking them, tried melatonin at various doses throughout all of this, and I went to the urgent care clinic because I couldn't see my doctor in time. It had been almost 2 weeks total now, and so there I was prescribed flexeril--it worked the first night I took it in terms of being able to put me to sleep for 4 hrs at a time (woke up for a few minutes then fell back asleep for another 4 hrs), so I got 8 hrs of sleep total for once in 2 weeks and it was the best feeling. However, it didn't actually alleviate my muscle/nerve feeling-issues. More alarmingly, the next night I took it, it did nothing, I was only able to sleep for an hour and it had no effect immediately somehow. Another full week of trying a few things a few nights and then trying to be natural for the remainder, throughout the entire week I could only sleep 1 hr or not at all, not even enough to hit a full cycle of anything, but I was still having vivid dreams--I know it was just 1 hr total due to the clock and how I physically felt. **Throughout all of this I've been trying to exercise properly every day, I've been not eating anything 3 hrs before bed, I've been going to bed at a consistent schedule in concert with daytime/nighttime, I've tried melatonin, I've tried various mentalities and mental exercises, I've tried sleep restriction, I've tried not staring at a screen an hour before bed, I never touch caffeine, alcohol, or recreational drugs period. I've tried magnesium supplements at a lower dose. Also, I am physically weaker. When I go for hikes, I'm not doing well. I know this isn't, for example, fibromyalgia, because with the few times I have properly slept, I have felt refreshed.** So after all this, within about what would be 5 days ago now, I was able to talk to my doctor and I was given zopiclone--all of my physical symptoms that I have listed have remained the same throughout all of this, whereas I've had some inconsistent indigestion. The problem is I naturally cannot seem to sleep more than 1 hr, that I have these weird physical symptoms and not even medical attention being done in time (bloodwork has been checked and came back within the normal range but that says pretty much nothing as far as more serious possibilities might be concerned i.e. autoimmune, neurological, but I don't even know if they're possible idfk idfk I'm stressed that they could be), and that during the few days where medicinal usage has managed to help me out, when I wake up feeling good the next day, that seems to have no relation to these symptoms, like anxiety itself doesn't seem to matter, the same problems persist anyways, which leads me to fear something more serious, because even when I'm not afraid this shit keeps happening. What I'm most confused about is how instantly things stop working, but also the contradiction in that they do seem to work at first but literally for like 1 day only--like the flexeril worked...once. Then it instantly stopped. I took zopiclone, it worked the first night, put me to sleep fast and for 6 hours straight, tried it the next night, didn't work and made me hallucinate, tried it the next night, didn't work, took a 1 day break, slept maybe 30 minutes on 'natural' sleep, tried it the night after that, slept for 5 hours (so it worked twice but inconsistently), tried it just last night (and now here we are, up to date) and it didn't seem to work, I slept for 2 hours total, broken up. Shouldn't it be impossible to build up a tolerance this quickly? Why does something work initially but I can't get 2 proper nights in a row even with medication? I'm so scared and close to being suicidal; I can't figure anything out, I just want my life back and I feel doomed because not even heavy meds are working as they should, again my issues with what I'm mentally thinking about myself are just because of this--it's like, if this went away, I would not have any fear for my life or any will to harm myself. I don't want to die, I just want to be able to live and sleep, even if I could just get a few consistent hours a night like 3 at once or something for god's sake... even if I had to take a medication for the entirety of my life, if it could just work, I would be okay with that, but no, none of that seems to apply and I don't fucking understand what's going on with my body, I've voiced my concerns to my doctor but again nobody knows what's happening, I just need to know that I don't have something fucked like morvan's syndrome or something but idfk--I know that I feel refreshed when I do properly sleep, but that has only been three times or so in almost a full month and it all due to meds which immediately stopped working, I don't understand how it's possible for stuff to work at first and then stop working that quickly (i.e. in 2 fucking days), like isn't tolerance supposed to take longer to accumulate even if you're generally sensitive to something? I know I'm repeating myself, I can't think properly anymore...I'm not hallucinating other than that one time I've mentioned, my body is literally torturing me, it's giving me just enough sleep to survive but not enough to function. Has anyone else had the problems with meds like this? Where they work once then somehow just instantly stop working? What meds have worked for you consistently? I'm also concerned over the fact that flexeril didn't help with my muscle problems because of the implications this might have... I just need something to help with sleep above all else for a bit, I just need 2 nights in a row of functional sleep even if it's medicated...

Rare personal story, just one really you can pass I'm just a man trying to communicate about insomnia, life, suffering, personal ups/downs, tails for people who might need them, connection for people who needed it, and for a personal win, finally contributing to (Ii really dislike reddit for many reasons, but engaging for personal growth and not autismo (colloquial, majority of internet are socially low ranked males with humour, obsessions and a high affinity for Autistic spectrum disorder not other specified. Psychiatric diagnosed (by Britians appaling but gratefully extisting mental health treatmen.. (alarm went off, trying to get up at same time every day. I cheat a bit by just staying awake for 3 days at a time but even though treatment is not a joke, I'm one who laughs like a ape on lsd when psychiatrists and mental health staff stiff try to get me to have "good sleeping habits" despite being "uncompliant" due to "choise", I just don't try hard enough to stick to good sleeping habits, tried it so many times but I'm out of will power right now. Look I've been up for 3 days this week, 3 days last, average 3 hours of sleep when I can or even just 1. What the fuck is good sleeping habits worth when they are the obvious alternative to prescribe when you "just aint suffering enough to get dem spicy benzo sleepy meds" I'm looking a this screen with double vision, i got to close one eye to read. Thinking of getting a butt vibrater recently. My condition means my self-esteem and confidence are so low, with high severe anxiety and mood disorder and brain that thinks sleep it a fucking drug that you don't want to get to tolerant to or get iwthdrawals, like waking up feeling every cell in your body alive. I mean I enjoy walking around with my cells heated and stressed, confused and wants a shag maybe after being awake 70 hours with its friendly associate "sleep-deprived mental state", a natural aphrodisiac, social lubricant, sure to win any birds approval if it weren't for them pesky "sleep" things other people do. I mean I enjoyed it when younger, spent a lot of time alone in bed for number of reasons, ending up having semi-buddhist self-realisations like controlling dreams, manually waking up from dreams (arguable), surviving parents with 1) No skill to attend to emotional struggles as men as supposed to be strong for women like my mom and sister, his mom, his sisters, heck the fucking Queen and Tina Turner all had this "odd, different,chaotic, self-doubting, paranoid, avoidant, terrifying, beautiful and blissful side to them. Women always confused me as I talked to them like men but apparently thats being weird or retarded. I've learned with therapy, time, medication, lsd, weed, the internet, proffessor Nutt,Eckhart Tolle, Dr Gaba Mate, Jordan Peterson and Avoidant Personality Disorder, GAD, dysthymic, chronic insomniac with a fortunate outlook on life, just, at , this, moment. Tomorrow I'll be wishing to be friends with the birds in the park again and I'm not ready to settle my social status ego as crazy park man, juicy lucy, Red Bull subversional experiment no#19387616, a sad man with troublesome problems (look at him hes look at nature lol! That's only for creeps, Perv!). Joking, I make jokes since my dad was someone who could break the moment of a family tragedy with laughter from a source I could only assume comes from a frequency (or just nothingness, k, I've got Tinnitus and a keen ear for loud noises and things I can't make sure that I've not went psychotic. of infront of everyone by saying "ocial attempt to communicate for no other conscious reason than engaging with people again, the internet is that beast that can social relieve you or repeat traumatic patterns from the past, activating your stored memories (without conscious realisation, you thought about it too much in the past and as an insomniac I can't remember to brush my teeth everynight! How could I be so gross? Should I judge, shame myself? When was I last shamed for being gross and how did it feel? Maybe in school group of friends, your parents giving you responsibilities tp help you with life, or yet another bried honest care for their son that isn't just to keep shame away from the family ( Insomniacs been through too much pain not to have awakened *spit special overpriced sleep relaxing tea our*. How can one human who gets no sleep become so mentally ill but ingenious in regards to treating a health condition regarded as simply avoidable and choice driven, to the unfair tragedy of our condition, which most others in my experience equate with a mild headache in the morning solved by [societal programmed respone, evidence biased on selection, funding and appeal to societies psychological fear of past government (and many current) axioms of control, deceit and subversion, their true interest in human life gone at the latest realising politics, choas, order corruption and desperation are recipies for levels of hell greater than missing the latest episode of the Simpsons, sports, gossip, meme everyone experienced while you wondered if being a highly educated cog in the machine of an orchestrated dance of emotional negativity designed for civilisations compulsive need for more rather than a fundemental return to the child you were before you were forced into dynamics that danaged your health and daren't stir the boat... or else... I startle from sleep as I'm falling asleep, nervous system rapidly jumps gears, relaxing takes ages, maybe not enough time to return to base before your next plight. I feel open (very rare, sorta weed helps! This isn't a weed dominant post its alright Mr/Mrs threatened person, reactionary or trying to value and burden civilisations psychological and emotional load (spiritual too, but nm that)) to keep its unimaginable complexity. Experiantial and high school graduate level insight on some Drugs, Psychonaut, Insomnia, Depression, anxiety, severe, chronic, treatment resistance, shame, spiral of despair, loniliness (yash I'm gotta say sexually at least. Good looking genes but brain rerouted and damaged by cross generational traum, genetic causes, I'll clean my flat (Or half at least so main room, toilet, hall, bedroom presentable. Shove every fucking thing in buckets and amazon boxes in their reminded of the times, future (Very pessimistic about future, cyberpunk, dystopia, mad max, fallout, fifa 11 (ahh my last of those shitty buy every year games, still... if I had friends that played I'd pay it for the experience, even battlefield 1943 that shitty plastation store game with faint reminders of the glory of old battlefield games (all best personal game memories come from games that communities are toxic, then you start walking around the residence silently looking at everything like god is making everything a fag that should just not exist pls. I'm human and teammate abuse/rejection is primordial and experience induced trauma for me, but I'm not revealing much about my true ills for redditors to put their finger in the proverbial wound and swiggle it around just for shits, because as I have come to learn, and you may be dubios or straight disagree, humans have became a sick species, unaware of its own tragedies running from cognitive torture, just for a few seconds, like an addict to finding peace (chaos and order are inseparable and peace is a state of no mind attained by very few in our generations), and it's no wonder... We come from thousands of years of extreme suffering and strength. I'll stop talking Jordan Peterson and/or Eckhart Tolle (if you have suffered you have a very low risk and high reward just to research and contemplate their teachings) to stop focusing on aggresive thougts through no fault of their own. No one really, deeply wants to endure more suffering that they already have, and I'm guilty of bullying a few kids to up my social status when the moment presented its like a cat pouncing if not interested) and their unique moments of pleasure from spotting enemy boats, dolphin diving and nades spammin. Got myself some, benzos, some weed,tobacco, and tasty treats. Some alcohol, yet still awake for 3 days last week with anything but an microsleep when I lost awareness in dizziness for a sec. Trying to drag they buses and trucks the "strongmen" tv show do in the mind. Anyone else feel like that analogy for your brain and ego to admire a little self-wortj? Not even a little huh, mind to busy. Making mistakes at work due to sleep deficit in a chicken fast food retailer Average 3 hour sleep including before theI got the Sat and weeks/months/years before it (avg mind, but a very static sleep chart on my phone so the GP, mental health staff and Docs, nurses and Psychs/therapits xx After those days awake, last weekend, I Drank 2 botlles of white trying to knock myself out to sleep on day 2/3 but not too harsh, Didn't work and sobering up from "heavy" alcohol binge to see the sun in the dawn is Achy and bland. Paracetamol, Caffeine, Neurofen help me start my new job a months few monthsto sleep related disorders... Not putting the counter for fried chicken your just made and dropped in the fried (an automatic rare mistake). Followed by breading chicken incorrectly. tried plus ssris ish types but not enough it seems. Biggest effect for managing the mental illness were srris (would have went in normal day life,worse under stress like work crazy anxiety knife in hands nuts)was vaping weed to treat my anxiety/mood (which yes if you use low or mix with tobacco won't zonk you. Diet is a riot 5 stones in 3 years, 19 bmi unhealthily thin to borderly obese at 29. We don't get the care we need and deserve as truely suffering a horrendlously life alterating condition. How has people with severe chronic insomnia i.e 3 hours a night average. Went to NHS psychiatrist and got told "your body will fall asleep when it needs to". I almost laughed out loud. My type is getting hypnic jerks/myclonus as relaxing and falling asleep, waking after what 1 hour? Expected to treat my Anxiety and Depression and all this shit through behavioural models which had failed through trial and error. Leaning over to the dark net now getting to grips with benzos and their addictive tendensies. Modafinil and Pregabalin have been the most important off the net, and Phenibut. Tianeptine sulphate not useful enough although a nice high with withdrawal worse that opiates and tianeptine is an antipressants AND opiate. I've read stuff about benos. Their suffering withdrawals worse than any drug, yes even heroin and crack. Just tried to get a little bit of sleep before long work hours in a kitchen by popping a cheap pill. Still judging their use/wprtj pver negatives, not spent much in w/ds and chronic use/abuse for 2 weeks now. Got some LSD too, Class A I know but I'm not woried overworked police officers will care, and if they do the cost wouls sick trash for them, and I use it for therapy and mental health issues. hmm. no invites copers. Note; Just got back from the shop and dude, I was having so many thought patterns I jump around the place like a asslym seeker in EU cpuntries. (are these attempted jokes banned? Soz if are pls no perma. Probably would want to be a comedian in the future yikes comedy so bland literally women comedians would just end up attacking each other and then jump on a political party. I love women. I love men. I love all. LSD and cannabis let me see women as equals and against the bigger religions views etc. I used LSD to try treat my insomnia and mental conditions, it showed me something I couldn't describe, only at 50uq for me it was potent maybe im sensitive. I seem morphin which freaked me haha but next time maybe ill have more introspection before jumping for some xanax and burying my head in my pillow like a huffy 8 year old trying to manage the terror this lsd can cause. Perception changes are fucking enormous people. I took weed and realised "Comedians are usually sad I wonder what they do ! " I searched Jum Carrey, and found Eckhart Tolle. I disagree that you can just be in the present moment like a choice, I think he is over optimistic in our "pain bodies" momentum it carries through the collective unconscious like that first time you fire your bay blade into that shitty pastic arena thing. I'm not going to fix this post I'd usually just delete this shit now but hey may some Pepega autismo incel tragic son of a bitch like me will enjoy this sht. Also reading with weed might help. Lsd and reading is.... I wouldnt like to do it yet anyway. Lsd made me love everyone and further forgive women in my life who cause me pain like my mother and other relations. We are all one. Naw, Im no psychotic im just 3 days sleep deprived trying to extrapolate a shit tonne of ideas from my head and a general low self esteem in my writing pride because its anonymous anyway I'll just delete it if its faggy (no offense just the happy faggy as in, your a fag because ur not giving that old women your seat. Not the gay. Also I was probably internalised homophobic before lsd, but now im like who gives a shit Also that knife shit about going nuts thats no worry no call the popo if i was gonna kill someone id of killed my mother when i was 11/12. What the fuck must she have done to me, I remember the verbal, emotional, psychological abuse but to want kill her the damage she was doing to me might have been worse than some physical kinds. Fuck her. But I forgive her. Her intention was never to harm me, psychopaths are very low percentage chance, and categorised as illness too and even psychopaths can restrain themselves just like a horny incel that wants to rape. Im not afraid to talk about this sht cus I talked to many mental health professional and the general concensus is 90% of people think completely fucked up things but, anyway, mr/mrs autismo that read this whole thing. If ur a hot grill message me, I'm not going to get catfished im fairly paranoid and extensively edgy as it is, and tbh, if a girl added me on the internet I'd probably block them just like on league of legends because my mind and emotions goes fucking nuts. What to say? Am I being cool? Is she into me? Am I thinking to much? Yes, ok. Focus on breath. I'm cold. Oh dude if this girl is into me it be so hot. Shit im fantasing about a girl who just wants to playt a game with me im so fucking sick. She made a joke with a kiss mark, is she flirting? Do I make a move? Shit shit shit. Fuck this get blocked noob hehe i play teemo jungle next 20 games fucking reeeeeeee. I'm ok lads. Ok that one really concerned person reading to see if I say something anymore fucked up, who do you think you are dealing with here? If you draw are on diaviant art or something i l ike that sht hit me up. 3 days Ive been up dude. Have to buy my own etizolam, will knock me out whenever I use it thankfully but without it its just awful. Being up for more than 3 days without sleep is a drunken, stumbling, slurring, brain farting, -20IQ, but I probably more chance of getting a grill like this than with 9000 hours sleep how sad. Talking about girls again fucking get out of me man I know ying and yang are cool and all but, shit man, evolution make it hard - literally - to not think about women when a depressed, alone, never gf, over school age, mentally ill, internet diagnoso autismato certified by Dr Nick! Childless, relationshipless, my therapist says this is actually a good thing for me because id be taking on others problames but (fuck if reddit has a character counter im going to be pissed I dont want to edit this crap im spewing out intuitive Kappa all over the place. So right, no gf or kids, die alone etc a lot of western scariest thing. But you know, with meditation and Buddhism (not stricktly tied to the institutional buddhism) you can find peace within yourself. I dont want to be 50 getting boners when I go outside to get a fucking apple. Jesus christ, it slike im 14, im on high dosage ssri paroxetine kills sex drive, still get fucking boners reeeeeee. cant fucking use them feelsbadman. would you ever become gay in a situation like this just for comfort and sexual pleasures etc? Im like 97% straight just and prostate massage froma cock would be nice based on my own experiment but the smell is not a fucking cinderalla or jasmine its a fucking gragas or santa after running around the world delivering presents when his dog with the red nose is sick. Women smell so nice, heres a spicy story. I was living in halls up at a close uni to mine, and everyone was out on break, so I got super horny tried to enter a girls room and holy sht... the door was open. I walk around hoping to find a nice dildo but I find out something disappointing, its a pair of panties absolutely drenched in female pheremones. Fuck, im not gay. Gay would be so easier dude i hate women cus of my mom and sister. Trans is just like, its hot porn but , i mean yeah id like to do it irl if she is hot but.... Im not fucking C9 Sneaky that dude makes me uncomfortable he makes me question fucking eternity and space and everything when he dresses like a cute girl and I want to fucking judge him since i got bullied at school and my parents would judge me but damn id probably fuck him. there it is, Like it may feel nice but the smell of guy, sweat, semen, dude, im a guy and that shit just aint pleasant or... sexually satisfying. Anyway insomnia fucks people up man. I see shadows at corners of eyes past 40 hours awake. I dont give a fuck about that shadow people sht its too drama and unstimulating for me. Ive seen fucking hallucinations. I downed this liquid once at a party at uni campus to impress a girl, no idea what was in it, fucking burned my nose drank 500 ml of spirit could have died but yolo haha xd. I spent time in college observing !alphas! and they just reckless smash shit up fucking retarded johnny bravo motherfuckers, Im more of a Tyler Durden myself. Watched that film on lsd the other day, it was great until I seen how it was basically Hollywood dictating what is really from fantasy, trying to pull you in, tell you what is real isnt, pulls you in again. fuck that shit man. That dude has insomnia in fight club. I love that sht. Its sort of an ego identity. Im meditating frequently when I can, obviously not right now shit went down at work didnt want to get pushed around like bullies did in high school fuck sake lose a job 10 years after high school still quit a damn good job, because of the kitchen staff were fucking amazing. The stories, the lifestyle, cant fucking remember their names on Facebook and my old phone broke with their numbers.... so mad. So what, I cant remember names, dont judge me. I dont know why i cant remember names. A name is like, identity. Human 1, Human 2. Mother, father. Baby, Adult. McDonalds, Burger King. Trump, one sec im gonna hit some weed not hit in like 9 hours dude./ Nah im not taking a hit yet, want to wait till im queuing up in league with my teemo jungle sheeeet weed dude hahah so cool ahaha. Actually only tried at 25, after everything else failed. and it showed me the spiritual side of life with its perception changes. It fucking saved my life. I fucks with me,.. She, fucks with me. The downs, the paranoids, the anxiety, the weed hangovers, but damn. So what if people become lazy stoners and sit around... guess what, they wont. Sitting around is fucking BORING. As a depressed medically sick note autismo gibs not having my job anymore at kfc sucks ass. I miss it, but I dont miss any sort of letting some bitches and wanks verbally rub their nutsack on my face just to keep happy a bit. I need to find their names dude and get some one on one, the stories of others, not just boring college people. all the same shit, REAL people living at 48 working at fucking kfc in the kitchen. Now thats the guy I want to talk to. Women. If my dick never got hard for women, I'd probably like less of them. fair statement, would go both ways. I like their... emotions, fuck its hard to differentiate when your dick in your brain spazies out when you try think about a girl man im fucking neutring you dude nah im not chill my .... no, racism is... it can be funny if it isnt bullying, like joking amongst buddies. Taking the shit outta each other. Im watching some korean lol streamer called Rush, and he keeps calling americans fatty burger faces. Now thats funny, im uk and im shit teeth yellow and drink tea, but from scotland too so im a ginger FREEEEEEEEDDOOOOMMMMM intoxicated drunk Irish singing partners grandad. But women,, fuckkk. Guys are funnier dude, I laugh and joke so make dudes. Some women are out of this word funny, but they aint the comedians on tv they are real life Holemies. I added the girl my sister works with right, if thats you then go ahead message me btch but Im not going long term I do not believe in it humans are fleeting energy dancing between chaos and order and chaos and order cannot fucking stay together especially my parents man. I cant even remember them fighting but im so sure i used to cover my ears with my pillow to hear them stfu. I told my dad about my mums over abusive behaviour, he says stuff like western daddy dad, chin up, look after your mum she doesnt mean it, sticks and stones (I want to puke at that sht, id rather get my arm broken than this suffering of my soul if feels like im not alive or dead but again in the middle, suborbatory or some sht whatever that christmas thing is. I want some homies to talk to, and hollies. Im white so i dont get black culture too much i dont listen to rap music except nicki minaj she is best rapper. Anyway, Queen were a great band but Coldplay I fucking loved dude. Their first album, sends me away from my pains and merges with the pain of everyone feeling the same frequency of pain and says "its ok to feel this, we are here together, you are not alone, you can calm down your nervous system" where as my body now is like fuck you this is my nervous system bitch overclock this son of a gun lets go fucking nuts. Ofc this is the id that Frued refers to in his psychotherapy works, the id, subconscious and conscious. My central nervous system is like... fried man. Fucking might as well be a chicken at least id be tastier. Like wtf man i have to take an ssri, a newly invented drug to not kill myself? What would I have done 100 years ago? Fucking, I'd probably have killed myself or alcoholic. My mums Dad was alcoholic, died from liver alcohol damage. My mums brother was a heroin addict, died 6 months after his mum died (my mums mum, my gran, blood relative). My poor mum. My poor uncle. Heroin man, he got into weed at 12 and then into heroin just naw fuck society. I'm on a razors edge between the same fate. Tried Codeine I hate that warm euphorice hazy sht it reminds me of Breaking Bad scene floating and sht and hell naw I prefer benzos but that sht meant to be worse than heroin withdrawal. going to get off them soon when I get back into meditation. I tried self medicating in Novermber after I asked a Psychiatrist twice for help, twice 2 years ago, plenty of GPs. I respect benzos are dangerous, I havent withdrawn from any yet just some etizolam and vals to help that rollercoaster of xanax (never used) style ups and downs with th short half life. Met a guy on the bus the day before I quit KFC. was going to hospital with 30 vals for her. He said "I bet you think im just some annoying cunt hurry the fk up and stfu get out my way". I looked him dead in the eye (I was on a bit of Etiz tbh so that helped me not freak out) and said "I see everyone as the same". His face paused, eyes locked on me, expressionless. I wonder if anyone had ever told this man he is loved. He looked fucked up by drugs. Ive stopped teh description cus as I said internet is aplace of everyone and maybe drug kings reading this sht like yeah boy i got a new homie to smack up, so hell naw I want to work for Jessie Pinkman tho that crew was sound (Glasgowegian term: Sound = cool = No problemo = Love thy neighbour). Id watch that show again just the drama is fucking booorrrinnggg second time walters wife and my hatred for women man fuck me it gets toastie in my nervous system it wants to fucking flying of the face of the earth to fucking Neptune to cool down a bit. Dude im pretty sober now, this is just insomnia and my autismo mind. Im sorta high IQ, my mom says im pretty. My dad says im smart. My friend says im funny. Some girl says im so big, girls, thats a compliment we want to here man our fucking chimp brain implodes and we feel like Zues pounding the mother earth (my greek mythology sucks sorry if it sucks reference). I'd like to hug a girl, sure whatever sex is great but not without complications, id like to share silently, explore, meditate, just fucking be without wanting something all the timee. But where are these girls, and where the fuck is my self-esteem dude gimmie dat back dats mine bro. I feel my mom took my self-esteem, crushed my soul with her black heart and death vibes with her postnatal depression, furthter depression, chronic anxiety and just taking that shit out on your kids is shit. I got into trouble at school a lot, wait sht, talk about women again. boobs are nice, bagina is nice, butt nice, leg, feet, hand, neck, head, hair, only bit women i dont like i probably her poops and her brain. But thats not fair just a quick joke man, shes a man-eater look out boy here she comes. What the fuck did she do to me. I've always been shy, sensitive I think, but, just, crushed in confidence. I loved my dad so much I didnt want anything in my life to harm him. My mum..... she told me she bottle fed me cus breast feeding too sore, dont know significance but I understand. Again I forgive my mother for everything her childhood sounds shit, alcholic dad never home, emotionally abusive mom with .. having a fag lads. Dont smoke just during high stress cus i dont get addicted and confident i can quit, quit job at kfc cus bully managers, girls im a steal come get me. Actually dont im scared of you all i know the potential for girls to get into my emotional "heart" and wreck it ralph for funsies, well not funsies its fantasy acted out in reality unfortunately of suffering. Dude ive had dreams of cutting dead bodies up for art like on Dexter, necrophelia, stupid fucking freudian big fucking black trains cus i went on 4chan al last summer and always blacked pictures fuck that site its funny tho seen a random soldier steal a tank like on gta never for reported to national news dont think but was unreal. he was drunk he was just trollin bro, lighten up usa. fucking, soldiers. I wont say much. I dont know if the deep cia etc really care about da normie or da autismo internetster or just care about his/her paycheck cocaine and probably lighting up a jay. I mean how can a deep state person start a family, its suicicde dude. We all the same family. if earth blows up, we reconnect with the univerese. the tragedy of self-conscoius life ends. something else happens. If I have a family holy shit id love my kids so much it would hurt me, i might e ven suduko cus of current mental illness in future relapse, or wife is like my mom in which case i fucking take several lines of cocaine, go strippers, shit what else you do in gta, fucking dirt bike to top of mountain and jump off and glide, steal a plane with a horse with no name and 9/11 into home street to say what up to my mates. See I fucking, well, i didtched all my homies i grew up with. most of them got into hard drugs, my best mate is now blind, blinded by his gf smacking him with a phone into a coma. i fucking seen him in the indian shop the other day, i was in there with him. he didnt know i was there. I didnt talk to him. That cunt bullied the shit out of me when younger, maybe my mum fucked up but this guy took out my butt plug and shoved it somwhere nasty like... clintons pussie? yikes. dude politics is fucking something man, this timeline, putin, trump, brexit, shit is suck tho so much suffering. so so much. If I talk shit for 28000 words then come to this realisation then its worth to me man, its a shit truth tho. life is suffering. #on lsd, i felt for 30 mins at the peak of the trip in a place of no where. i didnt feel anything inside me, no soul etc. ~I was like "go get some water" and then the body was like "why dude" and so I just stood bent over in one position for 30 mins my legs in pain but again my brain say "im in pain bro quick gimme some luba luba from yo moma" but I just accepted it and stayed silent, still, present, eckhart tolle id take his dick. buddhas too i tihnk althought probably lot of shit going on in tibet with gangs and that sht he has to support or help i dont know. hey cia, mk ultra only read a little bit but you wanted to use them on soldiers in war like nam? cod world at war/black ops 1 story was fucking cool man mason the numbers reminded of mk ultra like shit. good story line. Im mentally ill so I could be getting sent 5g signals to fuck me up oh shit dont say it noo immmmmm gooinnggggggggg....... hitler? why are you in heaven? Like dude I know you had mother issues like me, you wanted to be artist and you werent good enoughs o shit dude, i seen ur paintings and they were good i thought, keep your head up. I know your dead and shit but we are all fucking one. Im no nazi, no isis, no anarchist, shit what am I. Awakened? Spiritually? Do girls dig that sht? Its a pretty painful experience like it aint pretty realising time is eternity and always now and everything else in mind is an illusion, perhaps consciousness itself. I mean as long as I get sex tho right. High give my bros... chap ... chap ... Are you Mr Blue? why yes and you are? Im mr going to round house kick you into your mirror cus you knocked my daughter up. wel sheet the condom just kill it man its no fun get abortion. Is abortion bad though, like really. I dont think so. I kill life everyday by being alive. organisms die in my bodies defence. whatever idc. Suicide though, like what the fuck. I mean im doing alright just now i suppose, cant complain (3000 word complaint btw)said to my therapist suicide should be allowed, its not fair on the patient.Why do people have to stay alive, there is nothing in meditation or in the state i felt in lsd that said life is a must. On that LSD dude, I tried to move but either my mind said or I realised "I dont have to mve" but I was like dude lets go lets take a piss man and my conscoiusness was like like "no, you watch this, shut up, learn, just, be". So I did that and I grew from it. being in pain and being alright? Pain an illusion? So many less medications. I want my brain back dude. Most people I was competing with in my classes went on to get degrees and are doctors, laywers, sceintists and Im fucking, worked in mcdonalds could keep it down, kfc twice nope, deliver china man food nope, help old women with their shits and food no that was too hard but most rewarding. cex was alright just bully manager was a bint although, w.e. I want to play teemo jungle man. I want to level 2/3/4 gank all lanes with red buff and smite, spam laugh, raise emote and mastery. I also want to say.Space. Everything. Emotions. People. Just breathe.. All we know for sure is our most ancient know and this is of breath, maybe. shit i need some meds or somethin getting bit dizzy. sht what is it.diazepam i think just 5mg should do.its only 10am//// what the fuck. I mean ill take 5mg of valium sure but kinda sucks seems like a sorta intense w.d. Pregabalin was interesting, good and bad. good it fucking works mate if you like Phenibut then this will give you some extra resilience that according to Jordan Peterson you would have if you didnt get shat on your whole like mentally. Mums job to raise childs mental. She should of protected me ebtter. Now I play childrens video game, over 6660 hours. 900$ down. free game, how did fiddle even lose. WTF is the toxicity in this game im feeling anxious, I used like 3mg etizolam like 10 hours ago so hey its probably that, i take so valium or some etiz or that drug clonazepam i got to stop spasms in my sleep. Dude meditation when you get into it is better than any drug. Its just getting past the point of using drugs to get by man. Fucking vision if fucking up man like i close my eyes open then room spins. Alcohol does that, maybe gaba drug, prob etiz couple hours to go for pregabalin, shit this sucks. dude i better not be illt or osme sht. i feel like sht, but since that lsd i well...,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, im fucking nodding dude. i had 3 cups coffe 2 modafinil. Fucking etizolam this is what i mean it can fuck u up 2 weeks use not even every day max dose 8mg a day. I got etiz for Insomnia! actually relevent! I kept going into work with no sleep staying up 30 hours + before start shift etc. 2 secs my face burning up dont run out of benzos kids. Cool took 5mg diazepam, you know dude if my post gets deleted ill be pissed, but at least if a mod can read ill will feel better, say something gay like "chin up bud" or "its ok man, Ill come over to your house and give u the giraffe, i know your not gay but you said butthole pleasure (gta vice city, radio right? Listen to gta radio now folks, playing the game tho is kinda, dude it pretty bad) Im fucking pissed at games nowadays man. Microtransactions and loots, fucking dlcs, season passes, give me a full fucking game like I used to get with the customisation built in and not all about graphics ok man? GTA4 story was great and the airport was so much fun on multiplayer, I watched DansGaming and Forsen on twitch.tv play gta4 again and as an adult and like 10 years old that sht was still releveant and entertaining as fk. really shows you with gta5. the fuck was that game dude. im driving around with sweet graphics jumping into army base to steal a jet, get out, get jumbo plain fly about, hey cool. The story tho? I like the white mafia guy aigh? He goes to see a therapist or something, probably court ordered right unlike myself *tips Benadryl* or some insomnia meme I dont want cringe shit Im from twitch chat 7 years running dude i know my shit never modded either i suck no ones dick but my own once just the tip it was aight just fleshy and warm. Oh dude I think that etizolam w.d is going away man. that sht was like getting into a pretty bad lsd trip. fucking vision darting around, like when your really, really REALLY drunk and your vision keeps fucking going up and down like yoyo and its funny as fuck but scary as hell. Yeh, that shit, bright lights sucked and headache. Only reason I got benzo as i was saying, and its Etizolam, was because of working. I have chronic insomnia lads/laddetes/oneness/future hot gamer gf who is turned on by my autism means wtf is wrong with her fucking run it sthe cia knock knock motha fucka I gonna wreck ur house and steal your lidl pc to find you bought a fucking dildo. Hmm. I wonder if sex toys in the uk especially will remain legal. Auto women are becoming a thing, they have to be banned, absolutely. Im fucking mi5.mi6 and my population dont need the drama and mindless stress and pain that keeps them confused and wagecucking to pay for the worlds shitty karma. I wanted to join raf man as pilot. dad got me a shitty laptop from work for peanuts (very cheap uk slang) and i went to game shop, 3 pc games for 10 pound jismed man. Theme hopsital, flight simulator 98, the sims. Throw in age of empires 2 man I back in the late 90s, friends still on, charlie sheen no melt down yet, no 9/11. I typed some sht man but need to tidy and smarten up a bit or some paramedic gonna come. I want a hooker man. I need some pussy. I dont need just really want on biological need level. constant incessant noise in my head (grab her by pussy) oh sht im definitely banned from reddit now no pls not back to 4chan and pol/r9k its fucking exhausting getting by all the shills and tribalism. On that, what the fuck are we all thinking. Immigration at level never seen. Total culture shift in 1 generation. Once white dudes stop going to football and get all tribal on peoples ass theres gonna be gangs popping up. I mean there already is drugs gangs from asia and rape/child sht from middle east north africa right? I dont know what to say about that. Dude insomnia is a killer illness literally. Look at my delerium, well most just excess mumbling autismo (no sure reddit is ok with calling anything stupid anything other than "stupid" which is double standard, stupid people arent stupid by choice, its discriminatory and we have a duty to look after stupid people). Some people think of masterrace of high IQ, I mean like, skt want 5 fakers, argentina want 11 messies even in goal that dude run up the post overhead kick from the bar to save penalty. I said i took 5mg valium right?hmm. I have been up for 3 days, typing like a true autismo right now. My mom even asked if I thought I might be autstic last year, I mean I understand her concern, but that fact she caused the majority of my psychological damage, well her, Chris, Dad wasn't perfect he got scary and sectarian and I want to see him actually, need to get my benzo right can be having fucking shitty lsd trip at 10am 8-9 hours after dropping about 4 mg etizolam, kindling perhaps. Phenibut is suchan awesome substance, Phenibut, Caffeine, (no order) Modafinil, and Pregabalin dude. I was meditating (just breath concentration focus meditation on breath no gomba stomp awoooa throat swallowing shit and while I noticed little to no changes over the month, when I stopped, dude I fucking felt psychotic the thoughts just coming in like whot he fuk you think you are my mother? who didnt respect my personal boundaries as a child treating me as a secondary human being rather than an actual person. Fuck man. Life. Its not her fault. She had her own trauma. Now her son is using benzos to try fucking manage mama mia! Anyway pregs was good to 450mg for a few weeks when i was meditation, my back started to like give up in strength and my body jolted away, this was super intrusive to my meditation and triggered me. I wanted to get back down to 300mg or 150mg but as soon as I started dropping the dosage my sleep went to shit and I already had insomniai so that was fucking fun jesus. Got etiz to make sure, twice a week , i can get some fucking sleep fo im not up for 80 hours working 3./4 shifts. Alas, feel kinda memory fucked after etiz and foggy, might be better just stayin up. Phenibut, coffee, modafinil, paracetamol, ibuprofen, propranolol. Great kit for you to have to do stuff when you get no sleep. Also working twice a week, Phenibut gains no tolerance used twice a week and no more vast majority of people. So you take that befoer you sleep and you wake up ready to go to work regardless of shit mood and sleep. Gonna smoke some, play some teemo jungle idk man,60-70 hours awake. Add me on reddit xxxx

i have personaly not had this side affect but i will say if you do wanna try doing trazadone just be carful because i was 16 when i got prescribed this medication because I had started having trouble sleeping and staying asleep all through the night. And it had worked really well at first and it honestly does still work but after like a month or two of taking it, I had forgotten to take it one night and the whole night I felt like I was in a nightmare. I was not made aware before I was on this medication that it can be really hard for your body to get off of once it is used to it and that night I probably woke up and fell back asleep, 15 times and I was having dreams and nightmares. They were so vivid. It felt like I was not even sleeping. I I was shaking and nauseous and felt like I had a fever the entire night. I was so freezing cold, but I could just not stop sweating and I have still been on this medication for three years now and I still have the same side effects but they’re way worse now when I forget to take it and I’m still on it and I am not sure if I can ever get off of it. and now I feel like I’m stuck with this life long problem of trying to do a basic human function and fall asleep

I have sleep problems for 7 years now. Tried everything. De-catastrophising helped for a while until it got worse again. I think that a lack of sleep creates difficulties in dealing with daily tasks and this stress again impacts on sleep. I used to have trouble starting to sleep, waking up in the middle of the night often and with early awakening. I could reduce sleep onset problems and sleep fragmentation but not early awakenings (after 3-5h). Now gradually problems with initiating and maintaining sleep are returning. Today I fell asleep at about 1:15 and woke up again at 3:15. Could not get back to sleep. It's very hard to stay awake and not unintentionally nap for a short while throughout the rest of the day. Plus I don't know when I best go to bed.

I've done everything but the hinoki oil on your list, and I still can't sleep. The 4444 breathing helps a lot, meditation does, but it's like my mind puts it proverbial finger on the light switch, and nothing happens. I'll lay there for hours thinking about nothing. I've tried narcotic sleeping pills, but that's not a long-term strategy anyone wants to have, especially me. I'm a recovering alcoholic/addict. I used to just drink to oblivion or take something to make me pass out, but after waking up with blackeyes and cuts from taking ambien, and just being a useless degenerate, I got a sober. 5.5years. There is nothing I have found that will turn me off... I used to sleep fine but had a horrible car wreck 20 years ago and received a TBI ( thankfully, not a disability, but a TBI nevertheless) and ever since then, it's wide awake, every night, no matter what... it is exhausting carrying this weight of not sleeping for more than a few hours sporadically each night, then catching a day once or twice a month where I sleep the entire day because my body can't take it anymore. I switch between trazadone and seriquil to help sleep, but they are prescribed at such high doses I don't want to do that. I feel like a zombie if I take a full dose of either, even more so than I already do. I'm desperate at this point to help. Sleep studies, I'm looking into CBT-I, sleep therapies.... life isn't fair, so I understand that it isn't going to come easy, but I'll try anything to figure out a way to rest peacefully.

Hi, Is someone else also having same issues? I was filled up last year with antibiotics, ibuprofens and again lastly doxycyline for one month for misdiagnosis and struggling since then with so many issues.. but at least I would love to have my sleep back... If you want to read the whole story it's below... How to address this issue? Magnesium glycinate, ashwagandha and whatsoever didn't help.. and very often I wake up with such a heat inside my body... Maybe that gives a clue. 📌 My Health Story – Started After Antibiotics / Doxycycline (Long Post) I’m posting this because my health completely changed within one year and I’m trying to understand what’s going on. 1. How it all started (January 2025) Everything began after a protected sexual encounter where the condom broke. I got an STD and was prescribed antibiotics. After that things were mostly fine, but I still felt sometimes a slight pressure in the genital area. I went to another urologist who diagnosed bacterial prostatitis (later I found out this likely wasn’t true) and prescribed another round of antibiotics. My symptoms didn’t improve, so he then prescribed: • Ibuprofen (3x daily for one month) • Alpha blockers After this treatment I started noticing: • Erectile dysfunction • Very weak ejaculation • Constant fatigue/weakness • Stomach discomfort • brutal constipation 2. More antibiotics and worsening symptoms It was not better, Urologist gave me another round of antibiotics. A while later for the stomach issues, a GP prescribed cefixime for 5 days assuming something bacterial. Interestingly, during cefixime my erections temporarily improved. Because sexual symptoms persisted, I went back to the urologist. He did blood tests and prescribed doxycycline for one full month. I started it immediately. One week later the results came back: the STD tests were all negative. 3. What happened during doxycycline (mid-July – mid-August 2025) During doxycycline I developed severe symptoms almost immediately, but at the time I didn’t realize they might be side effects. Symptoms included: • Extreme brain fog • Foamy urine (started here) • Metallic taste in mouth • Very low blood pressure (~90/55) and the feeling of having water in the lungs • Skin dots/rashes that came and went • Severe constipation (lasted months) • Restless legs at night • Joint pain • Burning hands and feet • Insomnia / waking at night • Light sensitivity / eye problems (brain damage?) • Sound and temperature sensitivity • Eye inflammation that comes and goes • Muscle loss • Two nighttime panic-attack-like episodes 4. After doxycycline Some symptoms slightly improved except the sleep issues. I went to a neurologist who prescribed: • Folic acid (this fixed the restless legs) • B-vitamins • Probiotics After starting these, my system seemed to flare up again and many symptoms worsened. 🚨 5. Symptoms still present after more than 6 months I’ll group them by system for clarity. Neurological / nervous system • Chronic fatigue • Brain fog, poor concentration • Sleep problems (wake up and can’t fall back asleep) • Anxiety, can’t socialize normally • Sensitivity to light, sound, temperature • Burning hands and feet • Pumping sensation in ear with occasional earache, Occasional tinnitus • Neurologist told me chronic neurogenic EMG changes. Wants to do more tests but insurance does not want to cover Heart / circulation / autonomic issues • Blood pressure swings (from too low to too high) • High resting heart rate (minimum 85-90) • Palpitations, especially during or after meals • Morning blood pressure often high • One time almost no blood came out during blood draw • heart palpitations during or after food (I also believe higher blood pressure) Muscles / joints • Muscle loss • Joint pain (autoimmune? I have also an ulcer on underlip that doesnt go away) • Shoulder pain and stiff neck • Left pinky finger sometimes swells Eyes / mouth / dryness • Dry red eyes & Dry mouth at night • Recurring eye inflammation • Vision worsened (especially when its dark) + Sometimes metallic taste in my mouth Digestive / metabolic issues • Greasy/floating stools (feel unwell when eating greasy food or meat) • Undigested food in stool • Constipation / incomplete bowel emptying (irregular, weird formed & bad smell) • Very strong stool smell • Bloating with probiotics • Feel worse after fatty food or meat • Can’t gain weight • Feeling like I don’t absorb nutrients • Thought I had fat malabsorption because of greasy stools, but bloodwork showed fat-soluble vitamins were actually too elevated! (cells not taking the vitamins? Mitochondrial stuff? ) • Greasy skin • Fatty liver suddenly appeared within 2 months • Fasting glucose now >100 (used to be 80-85) (even tough I dont consume any sugar!) • Pale stool/orange very light brown loose stools sometimes & discomfort/pain under right rib cage ( a immunologist gave me antihistamines that made a very bad pain under right rib cage at night so I stopped taking them) Urinary / kidney / hormonal • Foamy urine • Frequent urination • Night urination • 24-hour urine test: ◦ cortisol 40% above range ◦ ~4 liters output despite normal drinking • eGFR dropped to 83 after doxycycline (altough I dont have any muscles anymore) • Testosterone dropped below range during doxycyline, now slightly better but still low Systemic / inflammatory symptoms • Daily fever that comes and goes (38,5-39 C) • Night sweats Immune / lab findings • H. pylori strongly positive (antrum & corpus) & Chronic gastritis (all after these medications) • Pancreas elastase first 59, later 800 • Ultrasound: slightly inhomogeneous pancreas, MRI: normal (but still either greasy stools or constipated but floating) • Lymphocytes consistently low • IgM below normal range • Homocysteine = 10 (idk if its too much for a 33M, 178cm, 72kg) • Microbiome test: ◦ low diversity ◦ too high inflammation potential ◦ too high LPS markers (which is maybe lowering my kidney function?) ◦ too little immune support Food / supplement reactions • Burning hands/feet after eating nuts once • Similar reaction after prunes (I could not sleep) • Antihistamines caused severe pain under right rib cage at night & dried my eyes and mouth even more • Probiotics cause extreme bloating (Omnibiotic A10, Kijimea 53) – seems I either cant tolerate probiotics or need very specific strains..) - I took once collagen and the burning inside me was brutal ... In the morning I had fever of 38,4C

Hi all, On a good 75% of my nights, I struggle with falling alseep. The classic "my mind will not stop going" deal that people here might know very well. I had been in therapy for a lot of time and that helped the good ol' anxiety, but unfortunately the issue with my stream of consciousness doesn't quite ever stop. Normally it's something that I just live with, but for sleeping it's quite clearly counterproductive to say the least. Here is the shopping list of things I tried and didn't help * avoiding caffeine (i only have it very early in the day. Est 60-80mg) * all possible rules for sleep hygene. My room is pitch dark, cool, I only use the bed for sleeping (and sex), I try to eat as early as possible etc.. Avoiding screens completely every day is hard, see below * having a strong bedtime routine: no difference * exercising: no difference, surprisingly. No matter if it is sport, martial arts or just being physically tired from work, doesn't make me fall asleep any faster. * meditation: actually makes it worse! * breathing exercises: I tried variations upon variations, worse than ineffective. I pavlov'd myself into getting stressed when i do these * body scan: as above * imagination based techniques: no effect. I just eventually drift back to the stream of consciousness * OTC supplements: melatonin, chamomille tea, valerian root, magnesium (I forgot what kind of magnesium compound I tried though) * getting up and doing something else: on a bad night, it makes no difference. I usually read, no effect but I love it. Podcasts, YouTube or music don't actually help either if not making the long wait less boring. * masturbation: I know it might seem funny to list, but sometimes people say it can help and I understand why. It doesn't * medication: not an option any time soon, nor a long term solution. I had luck with hypnotics, but the doctor told me that I cannot take these forever I don't drink regularly, I don't smoke (anything). I don't exercise either, but even if I did, I could only in the evening. I am gonna slap anyone who is lunatic enough to suggest waking up at 5am to exercise before work or some other nonsense like that. I am almost at a loss, but what I can remark is the unending stream of consciousness that never goes away. Or at least, not unless I do enogh to beat it. Unfortunately, whatever works is also too much stimulation to let me sleep, so I am very often between a rock and a hard place. Quite honestly, I would be happy with just feeling relaxed, but the train of thought knows no stop, apparently. Are there some obscure secrets that could help my sleep and not be total corpses for most of my waking life?

Sometimes less, rarely slightly more; but I’m never really getting more than 5 hours (6hrs is a rare blessing) of sleep. I’m genuinely scared and lost and don’t know what to do. I’m only 16 but I fear i’ve completely fucked my sleep schedule from constantly sleep depriving myself over the last few years and my body literally will not stop waking itself up at 3-4AM. Which I usually wakeup pretty early around then but not If I fall asleep late. I usually fall asleep 8-10pm, set my alarm for sometime in the morning and always wakeup a few hours before it. Even if I fall asleep at 12am I wakeup at 3-4-5 (exactly what stimulated this post this morning). Im so fucking tired of not being able to fall back asleep in the morning. And not getting enough sleep in general. It feels like my days are looped and my time is literally distorting and it feels like everyday is so short and it feels like i’m just waking up w no sleep and being pissed again and it feels like a few hours pass barely half a day and boom i’m back in bed it’s night time again somehow about to be the next day the days are so short i feel like im living in a loop with no time to rest. I’m genuinely so used to being so SEVERELY disoriented all the fucking time constantly regardless if I’m driving, in conversation, or just doing literally anything. Anything and everything. I can literally act like i’m not completely fucking light headed and literally having like sleep hallucinations (slightly rare, still frequent enough every week usually at least a few times) or whatever is happening but i’m so tired. So tired of acting like i’m not severely disoriented all the time. Since I was 12 there’s large periods where I go multiple days w/ out sleeping in increments every few days/weeks. My docters even told me I stunted my growth from lack of sleep and anorexia, and I haven’t grown since I was like 14 (Ik my plates probably aren’t near fully closed but damn, it sucks) What do I possibly do in this situation? Everything i’ve tried no matter what no matter what time I fall asleep/wakeup I always wakeup way before my alarm clock and can’t fall back asleep and am stuck with a state of constant severe sleep deprivation intruding on my growing brain; I’m trying my hardest to protect it. Not fuck my sleep wake permanently. The ONLY thing that helps me is meditating multiple times a day which I’ve found is the closest to sleep when I reach a certain state. I’ve been trying to take as many measures to protect my nuero plasticity (Rlly my only saving grace atp) and overall development in general. And the worst part is at a certain point I think I was addicted to sleep deprivation. That’s something no one wants to talk ab fr. Help. Please. If anyone’s been in a similar situation and found a fix please let me know. I’ve tried absolutely everything to increase sleep time. \^!\^Also a very strange sensation i’ve noticed which I think is an obvious key indicator of something related to my REM; is dreaming. I’ve noticed those rare days I actually dream I get amazing sleep, feel alive in the morning and am finally actually perceiving some sort of emotional stimulus. It’s a very particular feeling in which I yearn for and i’m not sure how to describe it but it’s how I used to feel as a child fr. I put this part at the bottom bc idk if it’s related but it likely is and might tell someone something idk. Just putting everything out there I possibly can ab the situation to see if someone can help. I’ve also noticed through all this the shapes/stuff I see with my eyes closed especially in a dark room distracts me from sleep and I have no idea how to explain it. Shapes/colors/lights even in a pitch black room (i’ve noticed especially) when my eyes are closed. Not a sleep hallucination it happens when I’m rested too but I noticed. Contributing factor. Mb for long ass rant post TLDR; Dumbass kid sleep deprived himself over long periods of time, can’t sleep more than 4 hours. Needs assistance pronto.

Basically the title. I always have difficulty sleeping due to many worries and anxiety about life, but I think tackling these two would be the lowest hanging fruit for me to start taking my life back. I always count in my bed "ok I have 8 hrs", then anxious thoughts come up and then I look at the clock and be like "crap I only got 7 hrs left", and this anxiety combined with my general life anxiety compounds and then its "6 hrs left, damn it I won't be able to focus tomorrow for that important meeting at 9am, and I'll be cranky I might snap at that guy", and so on, until my body gives up tired and I slept only 3 hrs or not even at all. I can only sleep easily when my body is tired physically it seems; when it's ok then it just wants to think and think. Anyone got through this?

Hello, Reddit friends. I am writing desperately, but also with a glimmer of hope, because I know this is a support network that offers assistance, understanding, and love to many people. I am going through a serious problem related to sleep anxiety. I have never had trouble sleeping. Although I have always had a somewhat interrupted sleep, I have always fallen asleep easily. Recently, I went through an episode of illness, I had Dengue Fever and spent two sleepless nights in pain. Since those two nights, something has changed in me, and today, even though I have recovered from Dengue, I can’t sleep for a very specific reason. I feel like I sabotage myself at bedtime. Yes, sabotage. First, I do all the sleep hygiene routines, lie down to sleep, and then wait to fall asleep. This waiting for sleep is torturous; I simply can’t think about anything other than the fact that I need to sleep. So, it’s like I become hyper-vigilant. Instead of lying down and sleeping, I just think about whether I am about to fall asleep. And then I don’t sleep. I even jerk and jolt when I realize I’m about to fall asleep, thus preventing myself from sleeping (sabotage, remember?). I spend the night awake. I have been living in a cycle: one night, I hardly sleep (or don’t sleep at all), and the next night, due to exhaustion, I sleep a bit better. I look at my bed and bedtime with fear and dread. I have been spending anguished days: I feel like crying and frequently think that I want my life back. Things I have noticed: • I even get sleepy during the night. I feel like sleeping and even feel my body relaxing. But I obsessively chase the moment when I’m going to fall asleep and keep asking myself if I will sleep. • This thought triggers other cycles: I am losing my life, how will I work tomorrow, my mind will fry. • I am afraid of my bed, my room, and I keep postponing the moment to lie down (although I have tried to go to bed early, at the same time, every day). • My doctor prescribed a compound with L-Theanine, Melatonin, Magnesium, Relora, and Passionflower. It gives me a very good feeling before bed, but I don’t sleep: I keep thinking about my performance, that is, whether I will be able to sleep. I really want to know if people have gone through what I have and how they overcame this battle. Thank you! ♥️

I am writing this at 9 am, and do not feel tired, for any indicators of how crappy this has gotten. Ever since I was a kid I've struggled with insomnia, much to the dismay of adults around me. Melatonin didn't help then, and I would usually lay awake daydreaming for hours. I don't consume caffeine, sleepytime teas don't seem to have an effect on me. Sleep meds Fucked Me Up. I use blue light filters on every device that has the option 24/7 (I even installed a blue light filter even more intense than the default on my phone), my glasses have blue light protection, and I have noticeably tinted blue light protection glasses for when I'm in bed and don't need my prescriptions. Frankly CBD didn't seem to do anything for me (I didn't feel any effect), but I would be open to trying it again, I suppose. If I go to try to sleep without feeling tired I will just lay there for hours, and getting up to do something for a bit and coming back does not historically work. Any reading or podcasts that are interesting enough to will myself to do are too interesting for me to doze off and are just as addicting as anything on my phone. I will daydream if I listen to music. Every once in a while I get to sleep at maybe 1 am, but it's rare. I was considering trying melatonin again, as I'd heard your body responds differently as an adult, so maybe it would work this time- but the antidepressant I was recently prescribed is an SSRI which can interact negatively. I have even tried hard-resetting my schedule a few times, but staying up like 21-24 hours does not cause any long lasting change. As of late, I've been getting sounder sleep, going like 3 hours between waking up, but I have had month long stints of only getting maybe 45 minutes of sleep at a time. I have to have room darkening blinds, an eye mask, and ear plugs in order to get remotely sound sleep. Temperature and blanket weight is a factor too (I use a weighted blanket with a cool and warm side, but about halfway through the night it will keep me up if I stay under it from understimulation or something). My sleep schedule has gotten worse and worse. It was staying up til 2 for a few years starting my senior year, then 4. It shifted to regularly 6-7 am around when that climate change report came out and it fucked me up so bad due to that being a big phobia trigger, and was not able to shift back once I was able to re-settle. Sometimes up til 10-11, but not as often. Now with the virus and being furloughed, any semblance of a schedule with seeing my partner or going to work is out the window and I'm regularly getting sleep at 8 or 9 am. My choices are to get like 3-4 hours of sleep or try hard-resetting again. Also I acknowledge that anxiety can be a trigger, and I do have anxiety medication, but can't use it consistently as finding a decent psychiatrist has been hell and the one I had that didn't "not believe" in prescribing anxiety medication or view me as drug seeking was absolutely awful in an entirely different regard. Hell, my primary physician halved my dosing without telling me for fear of me being "too dependent" despite making my bottle of a month's worth last since last July. I feel at the end of my rope and this makes me feel worse than any depression. I don't know what to do and am tired of it getting worse and worse but nothing seems to help. I am at wit's end and just again really don't know what to do and this all feels so bad but I'm entirely lost and just getting repetitive. Sorry this is long, I'm just... really going through it and don't know where to turn.

I am writing this at 9 am, and do not feel tired, for any indicators of how crappy this has gotten. Ever since I was a kid I've struggled with insomnia, much to the dismay of adults around me. Melatonin didn't help then, and I would usually lay awake daydreaming for hours. I don't consume caffeine, sleepytime teas don't seem to have an effect on me. Sleep meds Fucked Me Up. I use blue light filters on every device that has the option 24/7 (I even installed a blue light filter even more intense than the default on my phone), my glasses have blue light protection, and I have noticeably tinted blue light protection glasses for when I'm in bed and don't need my prescriptions. Frankly CBD didn't seem to do anything for me (I didn't feel any effect), but I would be open to trying it again, I suppose. If I go to try to sleep without feeling tired I will just lay there for hours, and getting up to do something for a bit and coming back does not historically work. Any reading or podcasts that are interesting enough to will myself to do are too interesting for me to doze off and are just as addicting as anything on my phone. I will daydream if I listen to music. Every once in a while I get to sleep at maybe 1 am, but it's rare. I was considering trying melatonin again, as I'd heard your body responds differently as an adult, so maybe it would work this time- but the antidepressant I was recently prescribed is an SSRI which can interact negatively. I have even tried hard-resetting my schedule a few times, but staying up like 21-24 hours does not cause any long lasting change. As of late, I've been getting sounder sleep, going like 3 hours between waking up, but I have had month long stints of only getting maybe 45 minutes of sleep at a time. I have to have room darkening blinds, an eye mask, and ear plugs in order to get remotely sound sleep. Temperature and blanket weight is a factor too (I use a weighted blanket with a cool and warm side, but about halfway through the night it will keep me up if I stay under it from understimulation or something). My sleep schedule has gotten worse and worse. It was staying up til 2 for a few years starting my senior year, then 4. It shifted to regularly 6-7 am around when that climate change report came out and it fucked me up so bad due to that being a big phobia trigger, and was not able to shift back once I was able to re-settle. Sometimes up til 10-11, but not as often. Now with the virus and being furloughed, any semblance of a schedule with seeing my partner or going to work is out the window and I'm regularly getting sleep at 8 or 9 am. My choices are to get like 3-4 hours of sleep or try hard-resetting again. Also I acknowledge that anxiety can be a trigger, and I do have anxiety medication, but can't use it consistently as finding a decent psychiatrist has been hell and the one I had that didn't "not believe" in prescribing anxiety medication or view me as drug seeking was absolutely awful in an entirely different regard. Hell, my primary physician halved my dosing without telling me for fear of me being "too dependent" despite making my bottle of a month's worth last since last July. I feel at the end of my rope and this makes me feel worse than any depression. I don't know what to do and am tired of it getting worse and worse but nothing seems to help. I am at wit's end and just again really don't know what to do and this all feels so bad but I'm entirely lost and just getting repetitive. Sorry this is long, I'm just... really going through it and don't know where to turn.