To sleep, perchance to dream....

Published on August 10, 2006 By dharmagrl In Health & Medicine

I'm having a hard time sleeping again.

Ever since dad died I haven't been able to sleep for more than a couple of hours at a time. I'll wake up at regular intervals during the night and it'll be hellish trying to get back to sleep again.

I'm starting to yearn for that deep REM sleep that everyone around me seems to have no trouble achieving. I'm jealous that Dave can just drop off to sleep and manage to stay asleep all through the night. I'm on Elavil at night, but it's not making me sleepy anymore. I've tried melatonin and even benadryl, but none of them work for more than a couple of hours, and even when I'm on them I feel like I'm in a light doze. I've been staying away from my computer at night (the glare from the screen can mess your circadian rhythm up) and I've tried every other remedy I can think of, but still no sleep.

I'm also having some panic attacks. I had a few right after the accident, but I always managed to control them and they went away on their own after a couple of weeks. Now, though....they're harder to manage. It takes everything I have to control myself and NOT freak out. I have a feeling that a full on, uncontrollable panic attack is in my not-too-distant future unless I can get some help. So, I've called my physician to see what, if anything, can be done.

I've got the makings of a migraine this morning. That always happens when I don't get enough sleep. I'm trying to hold it off with Maxalt and hoping that if I can manage to get a nap in today it'll go away - I really don't need a headache on top of everything else that's going on. Besides, this will be the third one in a month - it's been years since I've had migraines that frequent.

Sleep, why hast thou forsaken me?

Comments

Shovelheat

on Aug 10, 2006

When that happens to me I just sit up in the dark and listen to my radio and think. The important thing, is not to look at the clock constantly and stress over the time and dwell on the sleep time your missing. I just sit and shrug my shoulders with a "so what?" attitude and listen to the radio and do so 'till five in the ay-em if I gotta. Eventually things level out and you get back to normal.

Sweet dreams, Dharma! And stay away from the benadryl, all that does is cheat you out of DEEP sleep by giving you the false promise of a light one.

dharmagrl

on Aug 10, 2006

When that happens to me I just sit up in the dark and listen to my radio and think.

I'm too tired to think properly anymore. I haven't slept for more than 2 or 3 hours a night for over 2 weeks, and it's playing havoc with my thought process. I lost my car keys this morning and spent half an hour looking for them. I finally found them in the fridge. How they got there I have no idea. I had that 'so what' attitude about it fof a week or so, but I can't manage to keep it up anymore.

Benadryl is what the doctor tells me to take if I'm having a hard time getting off to sleep at night. It's not working right now anyway, so it's pointless for me to take any anyway.

Shovelheat

on Aug 10, 2006

I now use ambien when I can't stand it anymore, not every day but several nights per week, and the results have been amazing

I've heard similar things about ambien. You don't feel like hammered shit the next morning?

dharmagrl

on Aug 10, 2006

First of all, I wonder if you ever tried my suggestion for a little closure in regards to your dad's death

I did. I got him a rose bush, and a big ol' pot to plant it in. On the day of his funeral, I sat out on the patio by myself and made a ritual out of planting the rose in the pot. With every handful of soil that went in, I told my dad that I loved him, I missed him, I knew that he was ok, that I'd be ok, that I'd never forget him, that I wished I could have been there but I understood that he couldn't wait anymore....things like that. When I was done, I went and looked at the wildlife along the creek in my backyard and I felt closer to him then than I had in ages.

...regular use of painkilling narcotics, which elie informed me can wreck your REM sleep and i discovered to be true after a bit of research.

I try not to take anything after 5pm because I've found the same thing.

I now use ambien when I can't stand it anymore, not every day but several nights per week

I've used that before, and it's fantastic.

Any news on Jake yet? I'm worried about the both of you

He got his urine and blood tests done 2 hours ago. Now all we have to do is wait for the doc to call.

I've heard similar things about ambien. You don't feel like hammered shit this next morning?

nope. With Ambien, I wake up feeling like I had a decent night's sleep.

I'm sooo envious of people who can go to sleep at 10 and not wake up but once or maybe twice in the night. I'd LOVE to be able to do that tonight....

Spc Nobody Special

on Aug 10, 2006

Running ten miles right before bedtime works pretty good for me, but for some reason no one else wants to try it................

Heavy exercise in the evening really does do it for some insomniacs I know though. Unfortunately if you're not one of them, then you just end up extra tired and wide awake.

pseudosoldier

on Aug 10, 2006

I've had good experiences with Ambien and I'm wishing I could use it again (I have most of what they gave me last year still in my cabinet) but...

If I could actually set aside 8 hours for sleep so that I could use Ambien, I wouldn't actually need the Ambien. Catch-22.

Texas Wahine

on Aug 10, 2006

The Army is crazy loose with the Ambien prescriptions. They gave Adrian 90 pills (10 mg) with 2 refills. Yikes!

SSG Geezer

on Aug 10, 2006

Ambien is the new prozac for Army docs. I have some itty bitty 10mg Amytriptiline pills for the nerves in my ankles/ Foot pain that help but I still feel groggy 12 hours later, even after only taking one or two. (I can take three 30 minutes before bed)

dharmagrl

on Aug 10, 2006

When I take ambien, I still don't sleep through the night uninteruppted, (my blood pressure meds make me pee too often for that, so its a good thing i wake up, hehe) but I can get up, go to the bathroom, and be back to sleep in minutes rather than tossing and turning and never really getting back down.

That's EXACTLY what I'm looking for. I don't mind waking up, I just want to be able to go back to sleep easily and not toss and turn, thinking about how I'm wide awake.

Wonderful. Keep us posted please!

Will do!

If I could actually set aside 8 hours for sleep so that I could use Ambien, I wouldn't actually need the Ambien. Catch-22

Miah, you've GOT to start doing that. You HAVE to be better about your sleep habits if you want to retain your sanity. Can you get 8 hours in on the weekends, at least? I know that when you've got your kids they get up early, but on the weekends you don't have them can you please try? For me? Please?

They gave Adrian 90 pills (10 mg) with 2 refills. Yikes

Are they TRYING to get him dependent on them?! Holy cats, that's a HUGE amount! I usually only get 10 at a time with NO refills!!!

(I can take three 30 minutes before bed)

I take 100 mgs (4x25mgs) before bed. I've also taken melatonin and 50mgs of benadryl on top of the elavil (amytriptyline). The thing is, I'm so used to taking the elavil (it's a catalyst for the pain meds and gabapentin I'm on and I've been on it constantly since the end of 2003) that it doesn't affect me as much. I'm thinking it might be time for a medication overhaul.

Shovelheat

on Aug 10, 2006

Running ten miles right before bedtime works pretty good for me, but for some reason no one else wants to try it

a lot of wisdom in that! nothing like a little hard, sweaty activity before bedtime to make one rest well. So, let's see...what would be a little hard, sweaty activity in bed before sleep be hmmmm...

Texas Wahine

on Aug 10, 2006

Are they TRYING to get him dependent on them?! Holy cats, that's a HUGE amount! I usually only get 10 at a time with NO refills!!!

Insane, huh? The good thing is that he's not one to really take meds, so he uses them VERY sparingly, but I wonder about other people they're prescribing it for.

I've noticed Army docs are pretty loose with the narcotics, too.

When I had a prescription for ambien a while back (long while back) I only got 10, like you. I liked it because it worked fast and I didn't wake up groggy.

I have LOTS of trouble sleeping, and initially I was taking benadryl (very safe for pregnancy), but my dr. prescribed muscle relaxers for the daily headaches I'm having and so now I take one of those to go to sleep.

I need to sleep on my own, and I try some nights, but it just never comes and I'm finally so frustrated that I HAVE to go take something.

pseudosoldier

on Aug 11, 2006

The Army is crazy loose with the Ambien prescriptions. They gave Adrian 90 pills (10 mg) with 2 refills. Yikes!

They must not have had a significant problem at your base with soldiers selling them. Or the soldiers haven't been caught yet.

I got 30 with no refills.

Martimus

on Oct 16, 2006

I really wish that you wouldn't rely so much on drugs to fix these problems you are having. You will start to sleep again normally, you just need to accept what has happened in your life.

dharmagrl

on Oct 17, 2006

I really wish that you wouldn't rely so much on drugs to fix these problems you are having

Well, the meds I'm on are a necessary thing. If I didn't take them, I'd be in a wheelchair. It's not a mental thing, it's a physical thing.

As for my accepting what happened....well, I did. I have. I know that he's gone, and I'm ok with it. It takes some getting used to....

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