I don't know where to post this, really, so I hope this is a good place.

At what point does sleep deprivation become severe? I've heard people can die from total sleep deprivation, but what if you do sleep but it's only 2 hours or less a day, can you die? How else will that affect you? What if you constantly go more than 24 hours without sleep?

My doctor doesn't believe that sleep is a serious issue for me. He knows it's "bad" but no matter what I say, he doesn't seem to understand how bad. I just got off a period of 43 hours with no sleep. That's the longest that I've ever kept track of with no sleep. The doctor will give me sleeping pills, but I've been on them so much I fear becoming dependent and/or addicted. I've taken them, and OTC stuff, but even then I don't sleep enough, and as soon as I am out of them, I go back to not sleeping at all.

I have tried having "sleep routines" and using my bed for nothing but sleep, but no matter what I do, it doesn't seem to help. I have suffered insomnia since January of this year, but it's been very extreme lack of sleep for about a month now.

The lack of sleep has ruined my coordination. I am constantly dizzy, and sometimes it gets so bad that I literally cannot stand up without falling because of my coordination. I slur my speech a lot, and at it's worse, I start babbling nonsense just because I can't talk. I get physically sick (vomiting, coughing, headache, etc) and I know it's only making my depression and anxiety worse, too. I can't read, write, or concentrate to my normal capabilities. I think there are other effects of it, but I can't recall right now.

I have a variety of reasons I can't sleep. Sometimes it's something particular on my mind, sometimes it's general restlessness, sometimes it's up crying from sadness, sometimes anxiety, but most often it's just that I am not tired, even after being awake over 40 hours, I didn't feel tired. I lay in bed, trying to sleep a lot. It's just a never ending battle.

Any tips on better sleep, aside from medication? My doctor won't listen to me and help me, so I read there are sleep clinics at some of my local hospitals. I can't afford to go right now, but if I do end up with funds available to do so, do you think they could help? What would they do, exactly?

Thanks for any help!