Insomnia

Hi,

I can't sleep and it's really making my depression worse. I'm so tired. I'm so over-emotional right now. People are scared to be around me because my mood swings are so unpredictable and rapid. It's so ridiculous and it's driving me insane.

I just needed to vent. Thanks.

x

Sorry you can't sleep...i know that is enough to drive someone crazy. Have you been diagnosed wth manic depressive disorder? I was just wondering. My psych. gave me a Rx for Ambien and it works really well for me.

My doctors wouldn't give me anything to help with the sleep thing. One doc even went to so far as to say "ignore the tiredness", which is just stupid. I'm kind of reluctant to go back if that's the "help" I'm going to get. But it's at the point now where I think I might to and just *demand* they give me something.

Thanks
x

Oh my gosh Alleykat, I wouldn't go to a doctor who would tell me to 'ignore my sleep disorder'? I'd high tale that doc in a moment!

I too suffer badly with sleep problems! I can't relax enough to fall asleep as my mind races constantly. Then when I do manage to fall asleep and I toss and turn for a moment, I wake straight up and I can't fall back to sleep again. Its ruining my health as I am in such a way with depression, anxiety and severe body pain!

I've tried Ambien and it only helped me some. I did not like the way I felt after taking this medicine for a week as my depression got worse.

Now I take on occasion, Ativan which my psych prescribes! It helps relax me some. I still haven't got a good 8 hours sleep in over 10 years and this is a horrible condition to suffer from!

Good luck and I hope you find something that works for you...like a Dr. first!

Seamoods~

I've been reluctant to take medication for sleep most of my life, thinking that if my body needed sleep, it would happen naturally.

For two years (yes, years) I got no more than 2 or 3 hours of sleep a night but still managed to feel good and was very productive at work. I now realize I must have been hypomanic during this period. I felt so well that I stopped seeing my psychiatrist because I didn't want to waste his time, and I stopped taking my antidepressant medication because I obviously didn't need it.

A couple of years ago, I again had trouble sleeping. Most nights I got 2 to 3 hours of sleep, but some nights I didn't get any sleep at all. I was tired (pun intended) of being tired and it certainly didn't help my depression or ability to function.

I'm currently taking Nitrazepam which seems to be helping with sleep. Since I'm experiencing some rather unusual fatigue that requires me to rest often throughout the day, that might also be a factor in my increased hours of sleep.

In any case, get some help for your insomnia. It only aggravates mood swings (even if they are partly to blame for your lack of sleep).

sorry you can't sleep I usualy have insomnia issues myself

Totally understand what you're saying. Even if I do fall asleep-- I wake up several times in the night and lie awake for a long time feeling miserable. Then, if I happen to be lucky enough to fall back asleep, I wake up way too early and lay there again until it's time to start yet another day; way too tired to function because I haven't slept! So, to top that off, severe depression among other issues makes for an interesting way to live...

I just keep hoping I (or someone else) will figure out what is going on with me so I can get better and move forward...

Some things that help me sleep sometimes include:
-use the bed for nothing but sleep (or attempting to...)
-don't have caffeine after 12:00 (noon) ...caff can stay in the body up to 12 hours depending on how sensitive one is to its effects
-try to avoid having large amounts of food right before bed
-don't do anything that causes you anxiety/stress right before bed-- purposely try to do anything that you know may upset you way before bed time (and if you do get important thoughts running through your head, write these down so you can forget about them and try to go to sleep..you know they'll be there for you when you wake up in the morning)
-go to bed at the same time (as much as possible)
-keep the room at a comfortable, cool temperature

Anyway, good luck, I've been able to have some good nights of sleep lately since trying some of the above ideas...