Insomnia?

[robp]

I've dealt with anxiety for awhile but I've gotten a good handle on it. However, occasionally I've had moments of insomnia coupled with some anxiety. For example, I went to bed after watching Better Call Saul and I had one of my middle of the night wakeups at 2am. But for some reason, I couldn't get back to sleep and after repeated attempts...I ended up giving up. But for some reason at that hour of the night I find myself getting somewhat anxious because I couldn't "find a place" for myself.

Anyone else dealt with this?
Ideas for dealing with this type of insomnia?

thanks

Rob

[gypsylee]

Hi Rob,

Can you explain what you mean by "I couldn't find a place for myself"?

I've had insomnia on and off for as long as I can remember. It's how my alcoholism started when I was about 17.. I preferred to be hungover than to not sleep. I don't drink anymore but I do take benzos or antihistamines to help me sleep sometimes. The best strategy is to not care about it, but I know how that's much easier said than done.

All the best,
Gypsy x

[JonB]

Hi Rob,

I found a really helpful technique in The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. Whenever I use this I fall alseep very easily.

I posted the excerpt from the book on my FB page here on the 9th April... https://www.facebook.com/fear2fearless/

Jon

[robp]

Did you ever have one of those moments when in bed and no matter which way you position yourself, kinda of restless. Thats what "I couldn't find a place for myself" means :)

[robp]

thanks Jon

[gypsylee]

Did you ever have one of those moments when in bed and no matter which way you position yourself, kinda of restless. Thats what "I couldn't find a place for myself" means :)

Yes I know what you mean. I sometimes get Restless Leg Syndrome, which is even worse and you can't stop moving your legs, not even for 30 seconds. It's not painful but it's incredibly uncomfortable. I find that reading a book in bed is a good way to relax before trying to sleep but I haven't found anything foolproof (other than medication).

[robp]

Hi Rob,

Can you explain what you mean by "I couldn't find a place for myself"?

I've had insomnia on and off for as long as I can remember. It's how my alcoholism started when I was about 17.. I preferred to be hungover than to not sleep. I don't drink anymore but I do take benzos or antihistamines to help me sleep sometimes. The best strategy is to not care about it, but I know how that's much easier said than done.

All the best,
Gypsy x

Not caring about it is the tough part, insomnia has always been a challenge for me when I have these "anxiety episodes" as I call them.

[Ponder]

"...More than a quarter of pregnant women in their third trimester
may suffer Restless Leg Syndrome - the feeling that creepy crawlies
are climbing your legs so that you feel a constant need to move your
legs to relieve the sensation. This is particularly marked in women in ..."

RESTLESS LEG SYNDROME
In the mid-20th century, the Swedish neurologist Karl Ekbom clini-
cally identified a condition that had been described in literature for
centuries. He called it Ekbom’s Syndrome - the sensation of creepy
crawlies scuttling over and inside the legs. The condition affects around
ten percent of the general population. Some people say the sensations
are painful, jittery and tingly. Almost all say that walking around is
the only way to relieve them. In sleep clinics we call this Restless Leg
Syndrome (RLS), the most common movement-related sleep disorder.
The sensations usually begin late in the evening or at any time until
around midnight or just after. They aren’t felt just on the skin, but deep
within the thigh and calf muscle, and around 50 percent of sufferers
feel them in their arms and through other areas of their body, too.
Relief comes through movement and may last for up to 30 minutes
before the sensations start again, eventually dissipating over a number
of hours, often just as the early hours of the morning creep in.
Causes
We still don’t really know why RLS should occur when it does. It
may be that we move around less toward the end of the day, so the
leg muscles suddenly feel that they need to expend some energy.
Some evidence suggests that RLS is caused by melatonin secretion (as
darkness falls) itself.
The syndrome is partly inherited, with immediate relatives of
sufferers being between three and five times more likely to develop
it. However, it can also occur by itself, or appear in people who have
kidney problems, peripheral nerve damage, coeliac disease or Crohn’s
disease. Pregnant women often complain of it, although we think that
it’s pregnancy that may reveal the condition or that RLS reflects poorer
absorption of iron from the gut. In children, there appears to be a link
with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Finally, we also know that there’s a link between RLS and low levels
of iron in the bloodstream. These levels don’t have to be abnormally
low (you don’t have to be so deficient in iron as to be anaemic), just
low, which means anything below 45 p/L of iron in your blood.

SLEEP CLINIC
I get RLS before I go to bed at night, but during the night
I’m told that I also jiggle my ankles. Are the two related?
Very possibly. The majority of people who have RLS also have a
condition known as periodic limb movements during sleep (PLMS),
or nocturnal myoclonus. Usually the limb movements begin with
an extension of the muscles of the big toe, which then becomes a
flexing of the ankle. Some people even begin flexing their knee and
hip. The movements of PLMS are usually not enough for you to
become conscious of them, but they are enough to disturb your
sleep and probably make you feel quite sleepy the following day.
This is why it’s important to take steps to deal with the RLS, and
so resolve the PLMS and restore better sleep.
your doctor for a blood test to assess your levels of ferritin - the iron
transporter.) Iron is also essential for the metabolism of dopamine, a
neurotransmitter, low levels of which may also be indicated in RLS.
Treatments
If you suffer from RLS, avoid alcohol and caffeine and generally make
sure that you have good sleep hygiene (see Chapter 3). In particular,
being overtired can exacerbate the symptoms. If your levels of iron are
low, take a daily iron supplement, along with a dose of vitamin C to
help iron absorption. However, note that it may take several months
of supplementation for RLS symptoms to abate, because it takes this
long for the brain to reorganize its iron stores.
If your symptoms persist and are frequent (which means that they
occur every day), your doctor may prescribe you with medications
such as dopaminergic agents, benzodiazepines (see p.189-90) or
opiods to help ease the symptoms.
_________________________________________________

Sound Asleep: The Expert Guide to Sleeping Well (https://www.amazon.com/Sound-Asleep-Expert-Guide-Sleeping/dp/1780281188) by Chris Idzikowski PhD

An awesome book I pickup from the library. It has heaps of way on how to deal with insomnia. Whatever form you can think of.

[Ponder]

I've dealt with anxiety for awhile but I've gotten a good handle on it. However, occasionally I've had moments of insomnia coupled with some anxiety. For example, I went to bed after watching Better Call Saul and I had one of my middle of the night wakeups at 2am. But for some reason, I couldn't get back to sleep and after repeated attempts...I ended up giving up. But for some reason at that hour of the night I find myself getting somewhat anxious because I couldn't "find a place" for myself.

Anyone else dealt with this?
Ideas for dealing with this type of insomnia?

thanks

Rob

It's all in the book I linked above. There are way too many variables to investigate given the limited amount of information one can make is a quick post. The more you research yourself on the topic and work towards changing the nature of those patterns that lead to your insomnia, the better you will sleep. As for who suffers it; most people do this day and age.

One tip I can give that relates to your snippet of info ... is don't fight it. Also if when suffering these bouts like so - don't go to bed watching after watching a screen. Do some mild stretching and then a little quiet sitting. If your having trouble with racing thoughts, read a "real book" that does not have an illuminated screen. Read up on Blue Light Syndrome - BLS ... Be sure to pick a book that has a relaxing tone. Don't tend towards children's shows that manifest generations of necrotic kids. lmoa @ that ... So true - 24/7 we all jump about the place like that in our heads.

Sigh ... It's all in the book :) Circadian Rhythm, Diet, Habits, Developing Healthy Routines, Sleep Hygiene, and on and on. All the sleep disorders you can think of ... how most of them are developed. Not all but most. Lifestyle change is the direction this book will promote. Which kind of takes more effort than the read. None the less ... reading anything more than two lines of text is too much for most these days. Which is why most of us keep moving in our beds and wake up at strange hours with brightly colored images bounces around inside our heads.

Read the book and review your lifestyle.

All the best.

[Kirk]

I can't believe it, but I agree with Ponder again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[gypsylee]

Something I've realised about insomnia is that I don't have as much control over it as I think. Sometimes I can't sleep and I'm not consciously worried about ANYTHING but then I start worrying because I can't sleep :rolleyes: If I just accept that for some reason my brain doesn't want to switch off, I don't freak out as much (and therefore I sometimes fall asleep quicker).

This realisation also helps me with anxiety and depression in general because I tend to beat myself up a lot and think I'm responsible for absolutely everything, when in fact I could be anxious for some physical reason eg. Hormones, or some unconscious reason. When you let go and realise the conscious mind (the "egoic mind" as Eckhart Tolle calls it) isn't as omnipotent as it likes to think, life gets a bit easier.

:cool:

[Jull]

Drinking chamomile tea helps you sleep better :)