Can't sleep! Ever! Mind racing. Help!

[busydaycarelady]

Good morning all.

Long story short I've had difficulty falling asleep/staying asleep all my life. As a child and teenager, I could simply listen to music or check the clock and fall right back asleep. Now though, since having a child 3 years ago, sleep has become non existent(she absolutely sleeps through the night and has for over 2 years now). My sleep issues are:
-trouble falling asleep
-frequent waking throughout night, at varying times and I am WIDE awake and can't get to sleep
-cannot get comfortable
-legs and feet tend to get super hot feeling and uncomfortable which keeps me up
- I've become incredibly sensitive to light, movement and sound while sleeping
-lack of sleep causes me stress and to feel sad, scared, panicked, worried and guilty, this in turn impacts my mood and daily life(though I try not to let it). I find my self thinking about how I am going to get myself to sleep all day long and dreading bedtime, especially the time before I fall asleep
- I tend to worry myself to death about everything in life as well

I try to go to bed at the same time every night, have consistent bedtime 'rituals', although on weekends I sometimes sleep in until 7:30 instead of 5:30, which might be screwing me up a bit but I think it's not the prime suspect because even when I didnot allow myself weekend sleep ins this still happened.

I worry about not getting enough sleep and it makes me feel sick. This might be ridiculous. My doc has said to 'just calm down and relax' but it's so darn hard for me. Suggestions? Advice? Commiserate? Any help is greatly appreciated. Sorry this is so long..

[Mrsz0905]

I am having the same issues! First for me it was falling alseep and staying asleep now the doc has me on doxepin supposed to help u fall asleep and stay asleep it seemed to work great for the first couple nights but now I'm back to not being able to fall asleep. I was using melatonin and that seemed to help some but I'm not sure I can take that with my doxepin. So sick of feeling so tired all day!

[sjbopp75]

I have had the same problem all of my life.Have you found anything that has worked for you now?I hope you come across this post,people do NOT understand what we are going threw.

[sjbopp75]

I have had the same problem all of my life.Have you found anything that has worked for you now?I hope you come across this post,people do NOT understand what we are going threw.

[amysue820]

I've had the same problem since having my child 6 years ago, but what really helps?  I put in a very low key, comforting, but uplifting tv show in my portable dvd player or computer, put headphones on, and listen to the thing every night.  Within an hour, I am out.  It has to be something familiar, so i don't listen to find out whats going to happen, and for me, it can't have background music.  Usually i have my Northern Exposure dvds and i listen to that.  It also blocks out noises, and when my little one was a little smaller, it kept me from listening to every little breathing change in her, as i am a worrier.  This has changed my life, and i hope you will try it.  Do it for at least 2 weeks, to get your body used to the familiarity.  Good luck.  It's an awful thing to not sleep.  

[busydaycarelady]

Thank you so much for that info! I will definitely look into this!

[margypops]

it takes a little practise but it is possible I also found concentrating hard when trying to go to sleep but it does become a habit after a few nights, focusing on one thing ,the same thing every night ..Worth trying ..better than endlessly taking meds ..

[allmymarbles]

I can think of two problems you might have. The first is rising cortisol.This is a problem related to the adrenal glands. Normally cortisol is high on waking and slowly drops during the day. When it drops, melatonin kicks in and you go to sleep. Ashwagandha is helpful in normalizing cortisol. No side effects. Take in the evening. Also, about one hour before you want to be asleep take 1 or 2 mg of melatonin. If you are plagued with panic attacks (also related to adrenal function) you might want to go to your doctor and ask about low-dose Xanax.

The other problem you may have is an iodine deficiency. This can be easily corrected by taking a supplemental dose of Lugol's 5 per cen solution. You would take one drop (in a little water) on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

I suffered from both of the above after a period of severe sleep deprivation. It took years for me to find the solution. And finding the right doctor to help me. Mostly it was my own research and some accidental good luck that did the trick. At one time my problem was so bad that I was losing short-term memory.

[busydaycarelady]

Thank you for this idea. I will try it tonigt. I imagine it will take sone practice as I find concentrating and 'shutting my mind off' very difficult I will try it.

[margypops]

well I wont tell you my story as it would fill pages lol but I will tell you what helped me ...When I go to lay down to sleep, I block all thoughts out I concentrate on one scene' in my head, for me its a beach and a boat in the distance ,its all I 'look' at ..my eyes take in the sand ,the water , and the boat in the distance ..I dont get any further because I am asleep ..its called visualisation, and it does work ..try it it doesnt have to be the beach it can be a garden of favorite flowers ..lie there dont let those wayward thoughts go to anything negative ..just focus on the favorite 'place' you have chosen ....