[Under*Over]

Sleep is a very hot and cold thing for me. When my sleep is NOT experiencjng states of disruptions- I love it, it is my escape from whtever I an feeling and just- its wonderful, like a reset button.

But when I have problems with my sleep its really bad- it usually comes in waves/periods-and I hate it and avoid sleeping. Thats been happening lately. Usually my sleep problems are hallucinations. Lately they have included false awakenings and maybe sleep paralysis. Whatever it is is like... nightmares with multiple layers of hell which- I keep THINKING Im awake but keep being reminded... by something horrible... like my death AGAIN in a dream... that Im not.

Its scary. And really frustrating. And it makes me not want to sleep.

The problem is... sleep deprivation zaps whatever energy I have to deal with EVERYTHING ELSE. So thats not good. Today was hard. Tomorrow...

Either Ill sleep tonight and face possible terror or Ill not sleep and be sleep deprived all the while knowing sleep is a human need Ill need to fill eventually.

Anyways. So Ill probably sleep.

Im just frustrated
.
Any of you ever experience weird sleep issues?

Someone posted about a med or something that made sleeping more peaceful, but I don’t remember what forum that was.

I had problems with night terrors, sleep paralysis, and sleep walking...when I was younger. I still talk, holding entire conversations in my sleep, that I don’t remember.

[amicus_curiae]

I force myself into having ‘bad sleep,’ I think.

I take antipsychotics throughout the day, but higher dosages at bedtime. I also take Trazadone. My sleep is usually good, restful, with interesting dreams. But tonight is an example of me setting myself up for bad sleep; I did not take my bedtime meds at my normal bedtime.

I’ve had dangerous sleep problems — sleep-‘walking’ and a return of bad dreams.

You know, what really terrorises me is awakening. I want to sleep forever.

[Unrigged64072835]

I'm having sleep problems now that I'm off Lunesta. I toss and turn for an hour, I sleep hard for a few hours, then go to real light sleep. I wake up early in the morning sometimes. Sometimes my husband wakes me up at o'dark thirty. (He also has insomnia.) Then I took and turn again.

My pnurse wanted me to take a "vacation" from Lunesta because I've been on it for so long. This is not helping things now. I've taken melatonin and it doesn't help either.

I think a lot of us have trouble with sleep, which makes me wonder how/if BP relates to chronic sleep problems.

How was your sleep last night?

[BeyondtheRainbow]

There's a med called prazosin that is supposed to help with nightmares/night terrors. My pdoc and I talked about it but I never wound up trying it. They use it a lot for people with PTSD.

[xRavenx]

So sorry. Sleep problems are awful.

I go through periods of time where I wake up in a fog, or before going to sleep, feeling that I am going to die. Then, I get afraid of sleep and avoid it. It comes in waves. Fortunately right now, things are a little better, but it never lasts. I am not sure what triggers it exactly. I also can't sleep without heavily sedating meds, but at the same time, that perpetuates the thought that I am going to die from medication.

I wish there was a clear-cut answer to this. If you're in therapy, maybe some cognitive-behavioral therapy can help you as far as some of the thought patterns and reassurance? Meditation before bed sometimes provides a little bit of relief as far as some of the anxiety, in my experience. Do these problems come and go? If you can pinpoint any triggers, that could potentially help as well.

[wiretwister]

with or without a med ... if I miss " my scheduled " bed time ... everything is off ... that seems to affect me the most .... and I very seldom dream ...

[Shazerac]

I question the vacation from Lunesta. We don’t get a from the mental illness issues that cause sleeps issues. Why should we be forced to take a vacation from Meds that help us sleep? mutter mutter.....

[Under*Over]

Originally Posted by xRavenx

So sorry. Sleep problems are awful.

I go through periods of time where I wake up in a fog, or before going to sleep, feeling that I am going to die. Then, I get afraid of sleep and avoid it. It comes in waves. Fortunately right now, things are a little better, but it never lasts. I am not sure what triggers it exactly. I also can't sleep without heavily sedating meds, but at the same time, that perpetuates the thought that I am going to die from medication.

I wish there was a clear-cut answer to this. If you're in therapy, maybe some cognitive-behavioral therapy can help you as far as some of the thought patterns and reassurance? Meditation before bed sometimes provides a little bit of relief as far as some of the anxiety, in my experience. Do these problems come and go? If you can pinpoint any triggers, that could potentially help as well.

Yes, Im in therapy. My therapist is unsure whats going on with my sleep- I dont seem psychotic or delusional to her- my thoughts seem coherent enough... I just have all these sleep issues. She suggested a sleep test done but... I dont know. I just... I dont want to do that if its not necessary- I feel like doctors treat me like Im a hypochondriac and just... seeing regular medical doctors bums me out and makes me feel bad about myself.

And yes, Ive tried meditation. I think its a really good idea actually- because Im pretty sure they are triggered by my mood and/or stress (sometimes I feel happy but am still stressed and dont realize it till Im visited at night with all my sleep problems- its weird). Its very situational so I DO think there is an emotional component... and my anxiety can run pretty high- where sometimes I dont even realize Im anxious and then... it comes out at night.

Anyways. Thanks to all of you. And yeah, I think Im going to ask for a med change. I feel like... things could be so much better for me if I was just... if I just had a little LESS to deal with. If the edge was taken off just a little more... I mean. I was on the ‘I want to be medicated as little as possible’ bandwagon for a while so... that probably isnt the smartest when MORE could be done for me.

Anyways. Ill look into all these suggestions because... i would really like to be able to sleep without all this... horrible fanfare and stuff randomly happening.