[PrairieCat]

I cannot sleep. I am aged, kinda old. It is either because I am old or because I have autism or because I need hormones or ALL of those reasons. I get up some nights and write in my journal or watch TV or eat or take a couple of Aleve because that's the only thing that works. I've tried melatonin and everything else there is to try and nothing else works. I will see a doctor about this in almost another month, will maybe try a hormone.

I started a blog on autism on 4th of July and made a few posts, designed the blog and it was free. I thought it was so cool and I was fine with it. It even had humor because I occasionally mentioned my cats. I then realized that I didn't really want to do it so I deleted the whole thing earlier today and feel good about doing that. I do not need to write about it for anyone else. I need to learn about it and write a blog (daily journal) about autism to MYSELF! I don't feel good about it, am still processing it, just discovered I am autistic this year.

I am lonely. I have literally nobody to talk to. Friends are gone due to cancer or due to lack of support or they are just gone or I had to dump them. Last night I dreamed of a kind of weird romance. Maybe that was good. It was kind of interesting, a strange rehash of knowing two brothers but not at the same time. I have met some men online but they are all CRAZY. I feel I need a companion in my old age. It does not HAVE TO be a man, I think I am beyond that now. My two next door neighbors are a-holes! My daughter is ill. I need someone to talk to. No one is available. I should write emails to the moon. Thanks for reading! Anybody else have sleepless nights or nobody to talk to???? Goodnight.

[Skeezyks]

Hello PrairieCat: Yeah... the Skeezyks is gettin' old too! I have sleepless nights fairly regularly. I have "restless body syndrome"... like restless leg syndrome except it's my whole body. I also always have to get up to pee several times during the night. It's not unusual that, when I go back to bed, I just won't be able to go back to sleep & can't stand laying in bed. So I get up & do walking meditation... walking around-&-around our dark & quiet townhome... for an hour or two.

The Skeezyks is married. But at this stage in our lives, we have little in common & rarely talk about anything of any consequence... just idle chatter (which drives me quietly up the wall as often than not.) Otherwise, I live as reclusive a lifestyle as it is possible for me to live. I have no extended family & no friends, by choice. I consider it to be my gift to the world.

By the way, I also tried Melatonin. I found that if I was going to be able to sleep, I didn't need it. And if I wasn't, it didn't help. But what it did do was to make me feel groggy all the following day.

[Angelique67]

I have no one to talk to and I also have suffered from restless body! More recently, my meds are giving me unbearable restless leg, so I learned here that benadryl helps. (50 mg.) Sometimes I still get breakthrough restless leg and body. Truly a new form of heck on earth. anyway, welcome to the forums!

[catnip123]

Hi Prarie Cat. Sorry to hear that you're having trouble sleeping. I'm having trouble staying asleep. I fall asleep OK but then wake up around 4 am each morning. I'm seeing my pdoc next week and I hope she'll have a plan for something that will help me.

I'm in a similar position, although mine is more self inflicted. By accident, I hear about solfeggio from another post on this site and it always sends me straight to sleep. Best thing I learnt on PC. Google it and find some on YouTube. They're sooooooooo soothing! And don't buy a CD, there's so much free stuff. Hope you manage to get some rest and your daughter feels better soon.

[Nike007]

Greetings. Lately, I've been noticing that I can't stay still if I am trying to sleep. I guess that's what you mean by restless body. I tend to toss and turn every 10-15 seconds. I move from on my side to my back to my side to my back and keep repeating this over and over. Or I move my arms around. I am working on trying to sit still because then I'm less hot. I have used melatonin and it works really well for me. I'm asleep in about an hour. Hope this helps

[Lexi232]

I know how that feels. im only 29. but the person i depend on has just been diagnosed with cancer and is pretty far stages.. also my sleep is all messed up as well.

have you been to a neurologist or had a sleep study done yet? if not, they can pinpoint whats going on usually.

i never go into the REM cycle sleep stage. i thought it was just insomnia until they did a sleep study and found that.

im on a lot of meds, but two are due to sleeping and awaking. they have me on seroquel for sleep at night, and vyvanse to wake me up in the morning and to feel awake. both meds interacted in harmful ways when i was a kid. but are very helpful now.
maybe they could try a combo something like that?

i also take hydroxyzine hcl (vistaril (sp?)) at the same time with my sleep med, its to lesser the skin ichyness i have but also without it, ive noticed i have less success at sleeping.

im currently on an EEG for an inhome 72hr straight one. and according to that i slept a total of 3 hours last night. but 7hrs the day before, and 5hrs the night before that.

[Angelique67]

I'm relying on a muscle relaxant to put me to sleep and keep me there. The down side is it has a hangover of varying strengths depending on how much I sleep. If I get a whole.8 to 12 hours it's not that bad of a hangover.

4mg Tizanidine
50 mg Vistaril (hydroxyzine)

But if you have restless leg syndrome, replace the Vistaril with 50mg of benadryl.