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Re: Advice please - another bad patch

Posted by Lynne on November 08, 2001 at 00:29:53:

In Reply to: Re: Advice please - another bad patch posted by Beth on November 07, 2001 at 07:43:25:

Thanks Beth. In response to your question, right from the start of my chronic insomnia (i.e. 15 years ago), I noticed that if I was in a reasonably good period of sleep and I went out and went to bed later than usual, it would really mess up my sleep cycle and spark off terrible total insomnia which could last for ever, just making me increasingly anxious and scared. This happened time and time again. So, as part of my insomnia management, I just had to stop staying out late (even occasionally, because really I just didn't know when/if the total insomnia would end once it had started). It was a question of self-preservation.
Since I am still battling, and since 'The Books' all advise going to bed at the same time, that is what I do.
My chronic insomnia started after many changes in my life - moving abroad, new job, new culture, new man. To be more specific, it started when I went to live with my boyfriend (now husband), because for some reason, I simply couldn't sleep in the same bed as him. I had always slept in my own bed and felt anxious having somebody so close to me who could watch me while I slept! Crazy, isn't it? Even though we finally decided to sleep in separate beds, by then it had become chronic, and we all know what that means - aaaaggggghhh!!!

I now have a new job (well, not that new any more) in yet another European country (fortunately the man is still the same!). It's not particularly stressful, or only occasionally, but it is boring and my colleagues are very unfriendly. However, I can't give it up (not yet, anyway), because it's well paid, and I wouldn't know what else to do. My husband has lower earning power than me (he left school at the earliest opportunity), so we couldn't just live on his wages.
Over the years I had managed to keep the insomnia a little under control with meds, but I did not feel at all comfortable with this and anyway they stopped working last year and my terrible total insomnia came back (yes, you guessed it, all those major life changes probably sparked it off again). I think I'm a very sensitive person (genetic, environmental, who knows?) and this does not help me at all. Anyway, what really does appear to help me is all this positive thinking stuff as advocated in 'The Books' - I really do find it makes a difference if practiced regularly, so that is what I am working on. Who knows if one day I will ever be cured of this curse?
Once again, thanks for your helpful advice, and thanks too to Cassidy and all the others who replied.

By the way, I managed to get a few hours sleep last night! Yeeeaaaahhhhh!!!!

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