Insomnia Forum Posting

Posted by Cecilia on October 16, 2003 at 19:32:00:

In Reply to: Re: Last Night posted by alex on October 16, 2003 at 13:31:46:

hi,

i had terrible insomnia for about a 1 month, back in january 2003. i would sleep 1-3 hours each night. sometimes i didnt sleep at all. like i said before though, insomnia began stiking me off and on since then. because of stress, i would find myself up all night long after sleeping ok for weeks. then i would stress out and my sleep would get messed up again and i would have to start relaxation techniques again to get back on track. i started sleeping on the couch mroe often and now im there every night even to this day. i tried one over the counter sleeping aid and didnt sleep so i didnt try it again. no prescription meds either, HOWEVER, i am a stay at home mother who didnt have to be up in the morning. if i was working, i might have gone to the doc for pills out of fright and desperation.

acceptance wasnt the entire cure for me, this is all the things i did that lead up to me sleeping again... its a lot but i thought i might as well post it.

1. no caffeine whatsoever, no alcohol, no chocolate.

2. increased intake of raw organic foods..salads, salads, and more salads. decreased intake of refined foods.

3. read many many books on suffering, dying, death, and acceptance. sounds negative but was instead very uplifting. studied buddhism for the first time really. some of the books were by carlos castenada, ram dass, God (bible), andrew weil, hospice nurses, books by spiritual mediums, etc etc in the wee hours of the night, all i had sometimes were my books. i also bought lots and lots of cds to listen too.

4. exercised by walking/jogging

5. relaxation teas, homeopathic insomnia relievers

6. went to a naturalpath and got on lots of vitamins to support my body and mind.

7. tried acupuncture for stress relief, did it once

8. went to a therapist because i began obsessing about all the negative things in my life and how horrible life was. maybe i was beginning to get clinically depressed, i dont know. all i know is that i began giving up on life and it wasnt just the sleep issues i had, i began stressing about all the horrible things that could happen to me (illness wise) i mean i am/was a little bit of a hypochondriac but not to that extent! i read somewhere that the part of the brain that deals with stress also deals with obsession and my insomnia was not only stressful, it was traumatic so i think that i stressed myself out to the point of literally becoming chemically imbalanced! my periods got all messed up and that is ruled by hormones. ANYWAY, it was awful. i never want to feel that out of control again. (excuse the rawness of my post but i am being very honest.)

9. talked a lot with friends that dealt with the same problems. talk therapy is very healthy.

10. prayed

11. began volunteering at a local nursing home and a local hospice. again i am a stay at home mom so i do have more free time than most

12. cut off 14 inches of my hair and donated it to cancer patients (kids with cancer) no kidding!! i began really sympathizing with those who suffered and began thinking of ways to help.

13. writing down my thoughts

14. read about father damian of molakai hawaii and he helped inspire me to accept suffering. read about him, he is one of the most courageous men that ever lived. he went voluntarily to a leper colony in hawaii back in the 1800's and ministered to lepers. he wouldnt build shelter for himself until all the lepers had shelter. he was the only "healthy" man on the island. he also dealt with depression as a result of lonliness and because of the horrors he had to sitness daily. he took up pipe smoking b/c the stench of the lepers decaying skin was so bad he would sometimes throw up or pass out. he knew leprosy was contagious and accepted that risk out of love for the suffering. he died of leprosy and there is a picture of him on the internet before his death totally ravaged by the disease. thats more courage than the average human has and i thought, well if this handsome man who once lived could die of the most horrible and feared diseases of all time, then i can take some sensative sleeping on without complaining. my approach is a little different but it works for me!!

15. acceptance was something i practiced daily thorugh the words of the dahli lama and others

16. deep breathing and meditation

17. bach rescue remedy and mimulus for fear. i also tried a homeopath for fear.

cecilia

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