dsw31 Posted April 26, 2012 Posted April 26, 2012 I feel like I haven't slept in so long! Lately, I've been getting about 4-5 hours a night, (if I'm lucky) & wake up sporadically throughout those few hours. Will this go away any time soon? I used to love sleeping!
january2011 Posted April 26, 2012 Posted April 26, 2012 My sleep patterns have been all over the place lately, but I think that's because I'm juggling a lot of things at the same time. I remember when I first broke up with the ex - spent most of the night awake and couldn't bring myself to sleep until the dawn came, not good for the body or the mind! But yes, otherwise, it did get better.
Mr Scorpio Posted April 26, 2012 Posted April 26, 2012 I know exactly how you feel. I was fine. Then one day I got myself all worked up, had a breakdown, and started waking up at like 5:30am every day. It didn't matter if I fell asleep at 11:00pm or 1:30am. I tried cardio, I tried taking a warm shower before bed, nothing worked. In the end, I went to the doctor and he gave me generic xanax. It is helping, but I am still waking up earlier -- and more frequently -- than I care for. Just another lovely symptom of depression.
xxSRMxx Posted April 26, 2012 Posted April 26, 2012 Youre not alone!! I used to have a pretty decent sleeping pattern... Since the break up I dont sleep soundly at all, I either sleep for ages or not at all. I even tried sleeping tabs and they did not work!
nanbullen Posted April 26, 2012 Posted April 26, 2012 OMG i am so there with you. Mornings are so hard for me...I wake up and I remember my life....and i just feel all this anxiety, I feel like I want to climb the walls. So I don't want to go to sleep, because the next thing that will happen is I will wake up....and i DREAD it! I look and feel horrible. I have black circles under my eyes! My doctor gave me sleeping pills, but it didn't help at all.
Million.to.1 Posted April 26, 2012 Posted April 26, 2012 OMG i am so there with you. Mornings are so hard for me...I wake up and I remember my life....and i just feel all this anxiety, I feel like I want to climb the walls. So I don't want to go to sleep, because the next thing that will happen is I will wake up....and i DREAD it! I had a similar thing... In the morning i would wake up, i would burst into tears because I had to be awake for the whole day. I loved going to sleep. It was the only peace i got from myself. It will pass... it does get easier. Try not to resort to drugs... Keep as busy as you can and read up on natural sleep aids. I found that audio books really helped me when i would wake up at 4am after only 3-4 hrs sleep and be unable to get back to sleep. Pop on something boring and relax, breathe and rest. Even if i didn't sleep deeply again, it helped with feeling rested and my mind wasn't racing.
aggiepup Posted April 26, 2012 Posted April 26, 2012 Youre not alone!! I used to have a pretty decent sleeping pattern... Since the break up I dont sleep soundly at all, I either sleep for ages or not at all. I even tried sleeping tabs and they did not work! I'm the same! I had my break up a while ago now but ever since nothing has been right with me! Why I used this quote was because I sleep farrrr too much or not nearly enough, seems a lot of us are having this issue
carhill Posted April 26, 2012 Posted April 26, 2012 I recall getting very little sleep while caregiving. After awhile, I started hallucinating and became forgetful. It was, IMO, the lack of REM sleep that did me in. I remember years going by without ever having a dream. Now, with divorce past and mom buried, dreams have returned and a solid 5-6 hours a night is great. The 'solid' turned out to be the important part in my case. YMMV>
Els Posted April 26, 2012 Posted April 26, 2012 If you've tried all the sleep hygiene advice you've been given and still nada, drugs really aren't the end of the world (esp if you feel 'like dying'). The sleep they give you can't be compared to natural sleep in terms of quality, but it's better than nothing. They're pretty much life-savers to me; I don't enjoy taking them but I do take them when needed, and it makes a whole lot of difference. Of course, only take responsibly and according to instructions.
Eternal Sunshine Posted April 26, 2012 Posted April 26, 2012 Sleeping pills are great. I occasionally use some and they enabled me to think clearly when I couldn't get any natural sleep at all (like after the break up).
Author dsw31 Posted April 26, 2012 Author Posted April 26, 2012 (edited) Well...it's 3:30 am & here I am.Lol! Carhill, thanks for mentioning the REM thing. I feel like I'm getting more forgetful, & even kind of spacey lately. I really miss having dreams. I would consider sleeping pills but, I have a pretty high tolerance to stuff like that, & sort of an addictive personality so I'd rather just stick it out for now.Go the more natural route. Thanks for all the replies so far.Sorry to hear so many of you are experiencing this as well. Edited April 26, 2012 by dsw31
nanbullen Posted May 6, 2012 Posted May 6, 2012 I found that audio books really helped me when i would wake up at 4am after only 3-4 hrs sleep and be unable to get back to sleep. Pop on something boring and relax, breathe and rest. Even if i didn't sleep deeply again, it helped with feeling rested and my mind wasn't racing. That's too funny! I have been trying to "be in the moment" and "mindful", like all these self-help books say. Since I have no idea what or how, I have been doing youtube or itunes videos/podcasts to teach me how to breathe (lol, that sounds stupid). And they put me to sleep right away! Now if only I could figure out how to be "mindful" and stop my brain from thinking about anything except breathing!
ToyWithMe812 Posted May 7, 2012 Posted May 7, 2012 still have my ups and downs, the only thing that has helped me is time. I still have that devil "oh, she'll call" etc., but I know it's false. I couldn't even stay awake watching a movie after it happened. So, what I did, found one movie, finished it, it has helped, and then another. If you can find just one movie and finish it, not thinking about him/her, it might help, no matter how difficult.
Recommended Posts