Sleeplessness

[4tolive4]

Hi All, Day 5.5 and still cannot find sleep. Pulled about 4 hours today and I suppose that's better than the 2 I got yesterday and the 2 the day before that. How much sleep deprivation can the human body withstand?

And does anyone know the reason we become sleepless when quitting? Just wondering...

Feeling really good, though. Noticed last night at work that I wasn't thinking about pills every waking moment as usual. Will be glad when I can go a full day with complete lack of thought in regards to pain killers. Soon! Hope everyone is feeling OK this afternoon.

I've read alot of posts from today that has brought tears to my eyes. This junk is so evil. It corrupts and alters SO MANY lives. Effects so many familes. Stay strong everyne

[Marce4]

I am getting about 7 hrs now....the first two weeks I was lucky to get 4 hrs.  Have you tried any of the natural products to help like valerian root?  Some use melatonin, others use lunesta...I tried Xanax but I wokeup exhausted.  I don't know why our bodies don't let us sleep because I would go to bed sooo tired thinking I would sleep thhrough only to wake up at 2A and not be able to get back to sleep.  It will come with time...Day 5.5 is great and you will slowly see how great it is to get back to your self sans drugs!!!!!! Every day will seem a little brighter and you will find joy again in just living in a clear head!

[ScottQuit021907]

You can go a long time without much sleep. Nights 7 and 8 were good (6 to 7 hours), but last night I tried to do it without Tylenol PM and OTC sleep aids and my wife kicked me out of bed at 1 am (too much RLS I suppose). Took a bunch of melatonin and drifted off around 2:30 and got over 4 hours. Hopefully it will be better tonight.

I still have some heart palps and it feels to me that, once my heart feels normal again, sleeping will come back to normal.

[1911]

I'll try to add to the answers Forum folks have given:

First...what you are experiencing in terms of sleeplessness is very common and normal.  Myself and others on the forum will attest to the fact that gradually you will sleep longer periods.

Our bodies have relied a long time on opiates for sleep.  W/D is the body flushing the opiates out of our bodies and learning to function without that junk in our tissues.  This is why you can't take "just one pill" because it triggers an entire physiologic craving to replace what you have been flushing out.

Sleep is more complicated than flushing out the opiates.  The brain must go back and rediscover how to produce the original chemicals, e.g. seratonin, it needed for sleep.  

They say the brain will regenerate sleep patterns in 3 to 4 months...and, I believe it.  Right now, I am getting 8 hours sleep...but, I wake up twice during the night.  I usually get up, let the dog out for awhile, do a few chores, check this Forum, and within 30 minutes I am back asleep.  I suspect I am at the midpoint.

Hope this helps give you some persective, hope, and answers regarding sleeplessness.  

GEORGE
Week 5  

[4tolive4]

George...thanks for the info. It sometimes help to know WHY are symptoms are what they are. So, if I buy a sleep aid such as melotonin or other OTC herbal or natural aid, will this slow the brains recovery cycle?

[1911]

I suspect that sleep aids do not retrain the brain.

GEORGE

[bowhunter71064]

that over the natural stuff didnt work for me.dude i slept good last night pretty sure alnight. it will get better in a day or to youll start getting more and more i actually took a 2 hr nap to day hang in there..                    the bowhunter day 8

[BigB]

I'm on day 5 i think, and every night i get really bad anxiety and restlessnes so i've ended up taking 1/2 dose of oxy to sleep.

I started out more or less cold turkey from 100mgs a day to 10mgs at night.  just taking oxy when it becomes impossible to sleep.

i'm much less restless and i slept fairly well last night with the 10mgs of oxy.  But i still have major fatigue around noon.  but a nap helped that so i'm back at work able to focus and get things done.

I imagine i'll be on this cycle for a couple more days and i'll either cut off the oxy or cut it down to 5mgs at night if i get restless.

I've also been exercising but i'm not sure thats really helped anything but keep me busy so i dont sit there and drive myself insane with restlessness.

I've found valium and some cyclobenzine type of muscle relaxers dont help at all.  they might even aggravate the restlesness.

so for now i'll stick to my tapering off schedule.

[4tolive4]

There's no chance I could take ANY opiate to aid sleep without regressing. I'd slip back so fast my head would spin. I think I'm going to stick it out for the next few days and hope for the best. Thanks for the comments, guys.