Debilitating insomnia... no sleeping pills work..causing rapid aging....literally about to lose everything... help please!

A sleep study showed I never get any deep sleep (havent for almost two years). I wake up every few minutes (spontaneous arousals), dont have sleep apnea, only 6 hypopneas over 6 hours, VERY reduced rem-almost non-existant-2%, and very abnormal sleep structure, and all this totaling less than four hours of broken up sleep a night for two years.  

Does anyone have similar insomnia? Could a hormonal imbalance/perimenopause or hyperthyroidism or uars cause this type of insomnia/crazy sleep?  And why wouldn't sleeping pills work?!

It started with two nights of sleeplessness around my menstrual cycle. Then I started having trouble getting to sleep, waking early, and being unable to nap anymore. Then after a month of that, a night of sleeplessness again which continued into like 8 nights of no sleep!!!! Didn't try sleeping pills which was very stupid. At that point, just tried 1 mg ativan and alternating xanax which got me that crazy broken light sleep. After a few weeks of that, literally went 9 days without sleep again. At that point, my feet got very wrinkled. I started to get blotchy skin with age spots. Wrinkles under my eyes, etc.

Has anyone ever experienced rapid aging from very severe sleep deprivation/insomnia? It also affected/lowered my iq drastically, took away all my imagination, gave me mood swings that seriously felt like what bipolar would be, racing thoughts, I no longer had any empathy (has anyone experienced this from sleep loss?? very scary and awful!!! will it go away once I get normal sleep?), a million other things. Has anyone else experienced such bad insomnia that eventually your thoughts are all over the place (like its hard to tell a story).

[compnet]

You should get your endocrine system checked (thyroid, adrenals, etc.)  As well as your electrolytes (Magnesium, Potassium, Calcium, and Sodium.)

"Sleep disorders caused by magnesium deficiency are usually agitated with frequent nocturnal awakenings. Nocturnal instrument monitoring reveals major organization of sleep disorders. The deficiency may be severe enough to be diagnosed on the basis of clearly low blood magnesium levels."

[harrald]

Your insomnia far exceeds the insomnia I now experience. I too spent two nights in a sleep clinic at a major medical center. I am an old man now, and I just accept that my sleeping habits are not going to change. I have GERD, and I am afraid if I took sleep medication, and I had an acid- reflux during sleep, my stomach acid could aspirate into my lungs, and I might suffocate to death.

As a man, I understand how women's hormone levels can affect your sleeping habits and rob you of needed sleep. I wonder whether your Gynecologist has offered any advice to you that might help you break the insomnia. I have
awaken every night two hours after I fell asleep, and I get up and sit in a chair with the lights off hoping to get sleepy and return to bed. There are TV channels I turn to to pass the time. Sometimes, I get a little sleepy at 4 AM, and I fall asleep never expecting to and sleep to maybe 8 AM. This is a typical night for me.

You probably know that it is the pineal gland in our brain that secretes the sleep hormone, melatonin, but the secretion is only activated in a darken room. I have a sleeping mask, but I have not yet tried to use it. This is not a sales pitch for the next comment:  a company was created by three scientists, two Ph.Ds and one MS in physics. The chief scientist here worked forever for the General Electric Lamp Division, and deduced that the blue wavelength of the Electromagnetic Spectrum reduces the melatonin level produced by the pineal gland. If you took physics in school,  the rainbow we see after a rain exhibits 7 colors: ROY G BIV( red, orange yellow, green, blue,indigo, violet). The blue wavelength is emitted from lamps, TV, computers. If you block the blue wavelength from these objects, your pineal gland restarts its work to produce melatonin. I wear special glasses sold by the company that initially took about 5 days to rechange my circadian rhythms so I could become sleepy. I wear the glasses three hours before I go to bed. The glasses help me fall asleep faster, but two hours later, I awake as normal.
Harrald

[Dr Rajput]

Hi, welcome to the forum, you seem to have insomnia. In young to middle aged individuals, sleep maintainance problems tend to be associated with stress, anxiety, or circadian rhythm sleep disorders.

They may also be associated with sleep disorders (eg, sleep apnea, periodic limb movements), medical conditions that cause pain, psychiatric diseases (eg, anxiety, depression), or the use or withdrawal of alcohol, nicotine, or other substances.

The investigations which will help to diagnose the type and cause for insomnia are Polysomnography, Multiple sleep latency test and Actigraphy .

The therapy for this condition includes retaining of normal circadian rhythm by non-pharmacological therapy which includes; Photo therapy, maintenance of sleep hygiene. You need to go for morning exercises and work out which will make you fresh and active all day and tiredness at the end of day will help you to induce sleep naturally.

As for type of drug therapy suitable for you, you need consult sleep specialist for appropriate prescription. I suggest you to consult physician. Take car and regards.

[skmedlin27703]

I have the same kind of sleep problems.  While I was working part time I was sleeping good, now that I have gone back to full time I wake up about every hour or so. It *****. I am scared if I take the Xanax I am prescribed that I won't get up in the morning for work and I will accidently turn off the alarm clock... so I know how you feel!

[hava]

This pranayam will gradually allow you to sleep better.
Build up your timing gradually.If you feel tired or dizzy, stop and resume after one minute.
Anulom Vilom –
Close your right nostril with thumb and deep breath-in through left nostril  
then – close left nostril with two middle fingers and breath-out through right nostril  
then -keeping the left nostril closed  deep breath-in through right nostril
then - close your right nostril with thumb and breath-out through left nostril.
This is one cycle of anulom vilom.
Repeat this cycle for 15 to 30  minutes twice a day.
Children under 15 years – do 5 to 10 minutes twice a day.
You can do this before breakfast/lunch/dinner or before bedtime or in bed. Remember to take deep long breaths into the lungs.You can do this while sitting on floor or chair or lying in bed.
While doing anulom vilom, keep your eyes closed, concentrate on the third eye (point in between the eyebrows).

After you can do anulom vilom for 15 minutes or more, you will start to relax and get better sleep.Continue for rest of life, to keep the body in balance.Your feedback will help others.