No sleep

[queenscarlet88]

It's been two months since I took my last Valium, after two years of tranquilizer abuse, culminating in about three months of escalating, daily use. About a month ago, I slipped up, drinking heavily and taking an Ambien. Aside from that, I haven't taken any benzos or other tranquilizers.

I slept about five hours a night for a week after quitting the Valium. From that point onward, my sleeping seemed to steadily improve. However, even during my best weeks since then I've only slept well (defined as seven hours of sleep, or -- very rarely! -- more, during which I dream) on four nights out of seven.

Generally I've been able to trace my sleeplessness to some specific slip-up -- drinking or eating something with caffeine, not exercising enough during the day, etc.

This past week has been awful. I slept very well and very deeply for two days, but for the past four nights I've been averaging four and a half hours.

I generally start trying to go to bed between 10 and 11:30. On nights when I sleep well, I'm out before 1. Otherwise, I lie in the dark for five or six hours.

I seem wired to sleep for only five hours at once, at most. As I've been deprived of sleep for longer and longer, I've become less and less capable of staying in bed to try to fall back asleep, because of the rage. There's this implacable, physical energy that fills my body as my mind becomes more and more exhausted.

The rage I feel is like a fluttering feeling in all my nerves, a pinching pain in the soles of my feet. My chest has started hurting and I feel breathless. And of course, the less I sleep, the less able I am to think of anything else because my imagination is worn out!

My vanity is suffering most. I've become one of those disgusting, haggard-looking people. Going out and about each day looking the way I look makes me want to scream. I'm twenty years old and I probably look about thirty because of how tired I am.

I'm exercising, I'm not consuming drugs (not even caffeine), I'm going out and about to work, school, or with friends each and every day ... and my sleep just seems to be getting worse.

Of other people recovering from tranquilizer addictions, I ask: how much longer? How much more do I have to suffer, and how much longer until I'm sleeping through the night?

 

[Wolfmans_BrothEr]

I've never had a problem with tranquilizers but have you tried melatonin or diphenhydramine? I mean 7 hours doesn't sound that bad, maybe it's just cause you've been dwelling on it for so long that you think something's wrong? You could always see your doc to get some sleeping meds, but I guess that'd be bad for someone with tranquilizer addiction

 

[Z Y G G Y]

You'd be surprised how well melatonin works. I take like 15-20mg (probably overkill) and sleep like a baby. Better for sleep than ambien or benzos because it actually only helps you sleep and doesn't give you any other effects.

 

[n3ophy7e]

After many years of sleep problems I have also switched to using melatonin. It works beautifully!!

queenscarlet, firstly congrats on being clean off tranqs and benzos
I would highly recommend that you try melatonin.
Other supplements that you can try include valerian root extract, and chamomile tea. If I'm having trouble sleeping I tend to combine melatonin with 2 mugs of chamomile tea, and I also use this:

 

[Jabberwocky]

My two main ideas have been covered already by Wolfman's and Zyggy. Your doctor might have some ideas. Rozerem is essentially the Rx version of melatonin. They both work fairly well for a lot of people without being habit forming. The sedating abtihistamines available over the counter like diphenhydramine (benedryl) work for some people on a short term basis.

If anxiety about not sleeping has become associated with your bed you might try a recliner or sleeping on the floor and later not stay in your bed when you are having a hard time sleeping. Effort towards falling asleep doesn't work, in fact it inhibits sleep. Giving up on the effort can actually be the answer sometimes.

 

[Legerity]

^Yes I noticed that to be true. I often have trouble falling asleep in my bed so sometimes I would just sleep in the sofa instead and found it easier. Once the bed and insomnia get associated then it can become an expectation that is more likely to come true.

I wish I had a good answer. I often have difficulty sleeping and it's terrible to be laying there for hours just thinking. I'm sure there are many different possible reasons for it; for me I know that racing thoughts, caffeine, and nicotine, are probably some of the worst offenders.

 

[queenscarlet88]

I've never had a problem with tranquilizers but have you tried melatonin or diphenhydramine? I mean 7 hours doesn't sound that bad, maybe it's just cause you've been dwelling on it for so long that you think something's wrong? You could always see your doc to get some sleeping meds, but I guess that'd be bad for someone with tranquilizer addiction

Seven hours is a miraculous night's sleep for me. What I said in my original post is that a couple of days out of a good week, I might sleep seven hours. The other nights, I get between 3 and 5. The trick is, I wake up every single night after 3-5 hours of sleep. On good nights I drop right back off to bed. On bad nights, I'm up, my nerves thrumming and my head cloudy with fury.

This is going to be my fifth consecutive night of shitty sleep if I can't fall asleep. My boyfriend is lying lump-like in my tiny bed, which is filling me with an irrational rage because he can sleep so easily and I can't sleep at all. I'm on the verge of resorting to dipenhydramine/melatonin (would probably use both at once). I'm experienced using either as a sleep aid. Dipenhydramine makes for a shitty, inattentive next morning but my nerves are frayed to the snapping point.

Almost any other sleep aid (Ambien, etc.) would just aggravate the problem, and herbs like valerian and chamomile are worthless. Kava kava works but I compulsively re-administer it as if it were a benzo, which makes me shit black the next morning. Ambien, alcohol, et al. just thrust me back into the feeling of acute benzo withdrawal. Opioids relax me but keep me from falling asleep. Marijuana makes me feel schizophrenic. So my only options are a) dipenhydramine or b) continuing to suffer.

 

[Wolfmans_BrothEr]

^^try switching beds. I've had sleeping problems for a while now where just like you I won't sleep for more than 3-5 hours at a time, and when I moved my mattress onto the floor I was able to sleep better just because my body wasn't used to my "new" bed you could say. I've experimented in so many ways to improve my sleep and I've found these to work best

Look into melatonin, but I've heard taking too much will reverse the affects, its either with that or 5-htp but w.e. Plus valerian definitely does work, I was skeptical at first but I've been taking it pretty regulary for dope w.d and itll definitely increase your mood and relax your body

You can look into other solutions like relaxing music or ambient sounds, also try to control your breathing. You being pissed all the time about not sleeping probably raises your heart rate, which will result in fast/heavy breathing, slowing it down helps relax you

You can also try eating before bed since the brain relaxes when there's food in the body. Things like turkey and milk have a natural chemical in them which makes you tired. Personally, weed works wonders when it comes to sleep, I'd definitely recommend that and diphendhydramine over anything that's not Rx, but u said weed makes u feel crazy so idk

Warm baths are also very soothing and kratom can help to relax you. I know how frustrating it is to wake up in the middle of the night half rested and can't get back to sleep for the life of you...good luck

 

[bow-viper1]

Man.. I can see myself falling into this trap. I've been doing a lot of benzos lately to help me sleep.

When I couldn't sleep I used to just drive around and smoke cigarettes. So not only was my insomnia affecting my daily life, but this nightly routine was getting expensive as fuck (with the price of gas and cigarettes, I was spending like $15-20 every night just on driving around for a few hours.)

Anyway, a couple of months ago I started buying benzos. They've never been my DOC, but now that I'm using them to sleep, it is a very bad feeling when I run out. I haven't had any bad benzo withdrawals yet, despite being on some higher than therapeutic doses for over a month at a time. But, I'm sure it's coming.

I need to do something, I'll be out of pills again in a few days; I used to take Diphenhydramine to sleep, but eventually that stopped working.

I'm going to start trying to go to the gym every morning before work and if that doesn't work, try taking both Melatonin and Diphenhydramine.

 

[anterrabae]

I have problems falling asleep, even though I'm prescribed both Xanax and Lunesta. Sometimes neither of them work at all.

If you can't fall asleep within an hour, it's better to get out of bed and try doing something; reading, watching TV or playing video games sometimes work for me, as well as sketching. The important thing is to be out of the bed while doing these activities, so your brain associates your bed with sleep and not wakeful activity. Music also helps me to fall asleep, as my mind focuses on that rather than racing with other thoughts that might keep me awake.

I know how frustrating and upsetting it can be not being able to fall asleep when you want and/or need to. I wish you the best of luck solving this issue.

 

[queenscarlet88]

Man.. I can see myself falling into this trap. I've been doing a lot of benzos lately to help me sleep.

When I couldn't sleep I used to just drive around and smoke cigarettes. So not only was my insomnia affecting my daily life, but this nightly routine was getting expensive as fuck (with the price of gas and cigarettes, I was spending like $15-20 every night just on driving around for a few hours.)

Anyway, a couple of months ago I started buying benzos. They've never been my DOC, but now that I'm using them to sleep, it is a very bad feeling when I run out. I haven't had any bad benzo withdrawals yet, despite being on some higher than therapeutic doses for over a month at a time. But, I'm sure it's coming.

I need to do something, I'll be out of pills again in a few days; I used to take Diphenhydramine to sleep, but eventually that stopped working.

I'm going to start trying to go to the gym every morning before work and if that doesn't work, try taking both Melatonin and Diphenhydramine.

Working out -- particularly early in the day -- helps. Working out right before bed can help the mind relax enough to drift off, but the physical stimulation can sometimes be counterproductive. But working out at night is definitely better than just languishing in bed for hours.

I slept very well last night. I think I will sleep well tonight, also.

I would advise ceasing your use of benzos to fall asleep. It is quite possible that you will suffer as I have -- sleeping poorly, or not at all, the majority of the time, for weeks or even months consecutively. Yet the only path to genuinely restorative sleep is to tolerate misery and suffering. You have to be willing to suffer now -- and suffer greatly -- for the sake of future serenity.

No drug can consistently provide restorative sleep, or at least no drug that I've tried yet. A person with recurrent insomnia shouldn't meddle with sleeping pills, because if you're having trouble sleeping every night, then you'll probably start taking the pills every night. And then they'll stop working and you'll be worse off than you were originally.