[Monkeydust]

If I'm destined to start hearing voices and seeing things - it seems like it's gonna happen pretty soon...

These last few days, quite literally, I cannot sleep for the life of me. Last night I must have got about one hour, the night before none at all, save for a few hours kip in the day.

It literally feels as if my brain's mechanism for "shutting down" has completely gone and died lol...even when I'm relatively relaxed it won't "turn off".

So I'm wondering if anyone here has any good tips to help woth sleep. Any suggestions, however absurd, are welcome....I'm pretty desperate right now lol.

 

[Guest]

how active are you during the day? i get up at 6:00 am everyday and exercise also once a day.. i try not to take a nap during the day because it keeps me from going to bed at 10:30 or 11:00... i try to clear my thoughts about an hr before i go to bed and listen to a relaxation tape...also i try to think about what i have planned for the next day before that time period so im not focused so much on getting to sleep.. my sleep has been good for the last 2 months.. and im dreaming again... i think you might be focusing to much on going to sleep because its a problem for you... also i sleep alot better now since im off the klonopins...Doug

 

[jft]

Monkeydust. I could not shut my head down at bedtime either for years (especially at school). It all left me and outside of restless leg syndrome I can fall alseep now.

What I found helpful back then are the obvious. NO caffeine after supper or even earlier. No aerobic excercise late in the evening. Excercise during the day good, exaust yourself. Keep a routine, waken same time every day. Don't read in bed, especially Playboy hee hee. Clean, comfortable bed.

Two tricks I may use is melotonin twenty minutes before bed. Also, wierd here, something sweet (choclate) knocks me out if all else fails.

It is interesting that restless leg syndrome has as one casue a non shutting down of brain waves to the legs and xanax or anticonvulsants are prescribed for it. I would never use xanax as a sleeping pill.

I used many mind tricks as well, you know, counting sheep. Imagery. Prone meditation. Boring thoughts (contemplate your high school typing teacher). But the one that worked the best was to vacate the mind...to allow no thought to enter. This is passive, not active....do not work at it..just let it "not" happen. Also if worrying thoughts occur, I keep a notepad by the bed and write down the thought and refuse to think about it again until the morning.

Or a rousing hour of sex with your mate. Works everytime (if I remember right anyway...)
jft

 

[[rula]]

Monkeydust. i went through like 5 weeks of almost no sleep, it can feel like you're going insane! some of the things that ppl haven't said that helped me,

- 5-htp for serotonin, to make melatonin, or i guess you can skip it and go straight to melatonin...personally i need all the serotonin i can get
- warm glass of milk and honey (for serotonin again)
- a hot bath.
- a high carbs snack would put you to bed, high protein will keep you up.
- meditation/soothing sounds/visuals...no counting sheep, that keeps your brain working.
- valerian root.
- concentrate on just your breathing, that one really works for me, clears my head.

hope any of that helps! -rula

 

[Guest]

take melatonin

 

[bat]

hi

valerian,gentian and hops. you can get tablets in the chemist
a bowl of porridge 45 mins before bed
any kind of music keeps me awake but low, trivial talk radio helps
a warm bed with a window open a bit
thinking about relaxing muscles

 

[kenc127]

hey monkey

I have been there, and at times revisit what you're going through right now. Some things that helped:

1. Xanax. I use maybe a 1/4 dose for those really bad nights.
1. Crying or exercising. Anxiety = emotion. Crying or exercising releases this emotional tension. Crying also causes natural sedation that calms us right down. What we are going through is horrible. It strikes emotions within us all day long because it is so terrifying. What is happening to me? OMG I'm losing my mind. What if I don't return from this? I am forgetting reality. What if I reach the point of no return etc etc etc on to infinity. These themes play through our heads most of the day and into the night and fry our resources. We need to provide an outlet for all this emotion, or it will keep us awake at all hours of the night in total fear.
3. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helped me, but it isn't equally effective for everyone. Different people respond to different treatments. Make sure if you choose this path, that you get a good counselor who has heard of DP and has an understanding of dissociation.

Hope this helps,
Ken