Insomnia Forum Posting

Posted by Tom-N-Texas on June 08, 2004 at 18:44:08:

In Reply to: Trazodone, ambien and me posted by Gadgirl on June 08, 2004 at 17:36:09:

Hi Gadgirl,

You know there are lots of people here who are pro-drug...and there lots who are anti-drug. You seem to be teetering in the middle. I am definately anti-drug, although I realize there are lots of folks who have health conditions that require drug use to sleep. Having said that, I would suggest you allow yourself every opportunity to get through this without relying on a drug.

You probably already know, but sleep drugs can be highly psychologically addictive. They mess with your mind. They make you think you can't sleep without them. It sounds like you are wising up to this knowledge when you say "it is me, not the meds that allows me or doesn't allow me to sleep".

You say you are afraid of SR. I, too was afraid of SR. I had horrible insomnia for almost 2 years and tried SR for a while but could not get past the anxiety that being in bed only 6 hours brought. So I just simply kept a regular schedule of 8 hours in bed each night. The key though is not trying to go to sleep before you are truly sleepy. I brought a tv into my room and watched it from about 9:30 till around 11:00 (or until I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore). I think the tv is a great distraction and I still watch it every night in bed even though my insomnia has been gone for over a year.

I guess my point is to try and give yourself more time to improve without using drugs. I can tell you that 3 hours of regular, natural sleep beats the holy heck out of 6 hours of drug-induced sleep. (that's a big assumption that a drug can give you that much) Natural sleep is the only way to go. Drugs are a temporary fix. You know these things. You need to work on your inner self. Work on your anxietys and what may be the root of the problem. You CAN beat insomnia...it's not impossible...I know......I lived in agony for many many months. I regularly missed 3 nights in a row of sleep. Sometimes 4. Sometimes I'd go through stretches where I slept maybe 2 or 3 hours per night for weeks at a time. I felt like a walking corpse. But I dug myself out. I convinced myself I was improving. I believed I was getting better and/or more knowledgeable every day. I accepted small victories and used them as stepping stones. Try to think positively. Look on the bright side of things....and pat yourself on the back occasionally. You can do it too. Good luck! Tom

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