trouble falling asleep

[atbfcpfv]

I am having major difficulties falling asleep. It's not uncommon for me to go up to around 60 hours with no sleep at all.

I don't have any trouble staying asleep once I get there though.

I have a bit of anxiety about sleeping but I'm not really sure why. I just really dread it.

What can I do about this? It is beginning to interfere with my ability to function in school & work.

[Dr_Smita_S]

Hi

How are you doing? Several factors are responsible for a disturbed sleep such as medical problems, stress, depression, anxiety, medications and poor sleep hygiene. It seems that you are suffering from chronic insomnia due to some kind of depressive disorder.  A negative thinking pattern is indicative of depression.

I would advise you consult your physician or a sleep therapist for a complete evaluation. It is important to detect the underlying cause of insomnia and rule out any medical or psychological cause. He might prescribe some anti-depressants or mood elevators or advise a sleep study (polysomnogram). Sometimes cognitive behavioral therapies are also helpful. You should practice good sleep hygiene such as going to bed at a regular time, keeping your bedroom dark and cool, avoiding any naps in between or watching TV in bedroom and getting out of bed if not getting sleep and then again trying after sometime.

All these would surely help restore your sleep cycle and make you feel better.

Take care!

[KatEyes]

What is your doctor saying? There are things like hyperthyroid that can affect sleep, as well as some mood disorders.

For a few years, I slept only in snatches when I crashed, sometimes staying up a couple nights in a row. I believe that my insomnia was my body's instinctual solution to my sleep being not only miserable, but dangerous (severe OSA). Once those sleep patterns set in, it took a long while to retrain my brain to sleep properly, but it was worth the effort. I suggest you try to address this with your doctor so the bad patterns don't become entrenched in your brain and become the norm for you.