[PurpleFlyingMonkeys]

Its getting old. I get in bed between 9pm and 12am(when i work i dont get off till 11) i stay in bed all night. There are a million things that effect my sleep. It seems every one of my dreams are bad dreams, but they dont always scare me. I wake up all the time covered in sweat. Last night i was still trying to fall asleep when the sun came up. This happens a lot. I want to sleep, everything about me wants to sleep but the longest i ever seem to go is 2 hours solid before im awake again. I have an appointment with the pdoc thursday but sleeping meds dont work well for me. Ive cut caffeine out, i dont get out of bed, no noise or lights on. I tried using light music to drown out the creaks and such, nothing seems to work. I just cant stay asleep for anything. Im getting desperate now. Its not like my dreams scare me awake, hardly ever am i actually afraid in these dreams, but i still wake up all night and often in the midst of a panic attack. But its honestly not the dreams. Ive started to fear time. I dont know how to explain it, just the word time has me on edge. Im screwed up right now. When i wake up, time is what sets me off. I cant even think about it without freaking out. I just want sleep, to feel rested. Im considering a sleep study, my fiance said he woke up last night and i wss staring at him... i dont remember that. I dont know where else to put this, i just know i desperately need sleep

[PurpleFlyingMonkeys]

I am so exhausted, maybe 3-5 hours of broken sleep but i was in bed for 8 hours, add to that a pretty scary dream and hearing a lot last night, makes for a very uncomfortable and tiring morning. I just want one good nights sleep, just one

[Piraeus]

I have trouble sleeping too. And I take sleep meds. I stare at the lava lamp for hours
I wake up several times in the night, and never get a full night sleep. Last night I went to bed at 10. I woke up at 12, and used the computer until 1 am. Then I woke up 2 more times. Before I knew it morning creeped upon me. I'm beginning to think I will never sleep normally.I have permanent bags under my eyes.

PFM......I'm sorry that you have bad dreams. I never reach REM sleep, so I don't dream very often. If I do dream I forget it in minutes.I hope you can get some sleep tonight.
Good luck...........

[PurpleFlyingMonkeys]

Thank you, I really hope tonight is better. From what I was told, my sleeping habits cause me to go into REM sleep immediately when I fall asleep. I had a terrible dream last night that my father was trying to kill me, killed my child and then my fiance came in and killed my father while he was strangling me. This all happened from 9:30am-10am this morning. Long dream, not long sleep. I have the same problem though as you. I go to bed and it takes FOREVER to fall asleep, then I get about 45minutes to 2 hours tops before I'm wide awake. I try not to get out of bed but none the less I'm still wide awake, I had my eyes closed ALL night last night, even when I went to the restroom, I just don't know... When I do sleep I have bad dreams and I go right into REM sleep when I do sleep so I'm getting no in between phase. It's really taking a HUGE toll on me. I am so worn out. I just can't hardly function any more. My energy is non existant. I just want to sleep all day to make up for the night but no matter when I try to sleep it's just useless. I just need SOMETHING to help me sleep. Sleeping meds don't work well so I don't want to go that route plus I have a 4 year old I have to be up with in the mornings, but I'm useless to her the way I am right now.

I just want sleep, it's not too much to ask, but it seems impossible to reach. I'm so tired of being tired. I'm so worn out. I have my psych appointment tomorrow to get on new meds since all I've been taking the last 4 weeks are the meds the hospital gave me which are weak anxiety meds. I hope she can help me, I hope someone can. Perhaps a sleep study... I'm just sick of feeling sick... Sick of being tired. What comes naturally for others is only a burden to me and it's sooo incredibly tiring. Just want to curl up in a ball and sleep... Wouldn't that be nice

[girlfromamsterdam]

I want to sleep desperately as well... but as soon as you are getting afraid or thinking too much it seems like it will never be OK again...

[Bmee2]

To my surprise i am sleeping two hour stretches for the past two weeks. Bad dreams usually awaken me along with being drenched in sweat. However, i do not stay in bed. After an hour of waiting for sleep i get up and do something. Two nights ago after waking at one in the morning i spent the rest of the night making tiny circles on a piece of typing paper. i thought it would be boring enough to lull me to sleep.
Well that did not work but...i too would like to sleep.
i know that eventually the body will give out. Illness or something will cause a person to remain in bed and rest. i am trying to spend time being very busy physically so that exhaustion with help facilitate sleep.
Best of luck to us all.

[kvinneakt]

This is so weird. You all are talking about my experience sleeping the past few months. Horrible. Intense. Hyper-reality.

Been searching and found almost nothing on effective treatment for this, meds, or talk, or anything.

I have tried a series of alpha-blockers. Clonidine helps most, but gives me nausea and is only half an improvement in nightmares.

What the hell?? I understand why Michael Jackson was dosing with anesthesia drugs.

So what are you doing for treatments??? NEED TO KNOW!

(On the good side, I could be writing scripts for high impact action and crime movies.)

[PurpleFlyingMonkeys]

My pdoc gave me 100mg of hydroxizine for sleep. It worked the first 3 nights but not any more. Back up every two hours wide awake. So lately I have been avoiding naps. I refuse to get out of bed at night and I will stay up until 11:30 or so and not get out of bed until 8:30. I also try to do as much as I can during the day to wear myself out, exhaust myself so I get better sleep at night. But I'm still waking up 3-4 times a night this way. I'm not on hydroxizine since it doesn't work. My primary doctor advised against using sleeping meds as one day I will become immune to them and will cause me to never get good sleep and than he scared me about death due to lack of sleep. Not a good idea since my biggest concern now is my anxiety. But I stopped the hydroxizine for sleep and am taking up exercising and such to get tired before bed. I push myself until I feel like I can't stay awake any longer, I make my body tired, and I seem to get somewhat better sleep at night. I don't know though if this is the safest bet.

[Lavender*]

I have trouble with sleep as well.
I get maybe 3-4 hours a night sleep if I am lucky.

[kvinneakt]

Originally Posted by PurpleFlyingMonkeys

My pdoc gave me 100mg of hydroxizine for sleep. It worked the first 3 nights but not any more...

Just read about that med. That is an old time med used by pediatricians to to quiet hyperactive kids. That was before, or in the beginning of stimulant type treatments.

My dad was one of those docs. I used to sneak some from the plethora of free samples on hand. It was a good buzz for a mixed up kid.

I have read that extreme nightmares a typical of PTSD. Indeed, the clonidine I take is used for PTSD. This has brought to recollection a suppressed memory of life threatening stress I endured for 3-4 weeks about 20 years ago. May be a connection.

Again, there seems to be no specific therapeutic approach to PTSD. Just like extreme nightmare. Frustrating.

[Suki22]

I'm glad we can all bond over our lack of sleep! well, not really but you know what I mean. for two weeks I've been waking up at 5:30 a.m., on the dot, regardless of when I go to sleep. I don't work until ten and wish, wish, wish I could sleep until eight. I'm trying to get to bed earlier but it's difficult. sleep meds don't seem to be doing the trick. *sigh* I feel everyone's pain.

[PurpleFlyingMonkeys]

Another bad nights sleep. Anxiety keeps getting the best of me at night. And once the thought "its going to be another long night" crosses my mind, its nearly impossible to get back to sleep. I hate having sleeping problems