Jump to content

How Eminem Overcame Insomnia and Addiction Years Ago


[Li...]

Recommended Posts

http://www.mensjournal.com/magazine/eminem-the-home-body-20150731

 

There are many articles like the one above, you just need to search for eminem insomnia running.  Basically, Eminem was abusing Valium, Vicodin, Xanax, Ambien and alcohol to help get to sleep.  I think one article said he was taking 60 valium a day, although if they were only 1 mg pills, that would be the equivalent of the 3 mg of Klonopin I am on now.  Then he accidentally took methadone with his regular psych med cocktail and he almost died from an overdose.  Apparently he starting running 17 miles a day to lose a ton of weight and treated his insomnia successfully.  I wonder if training to a point like that would help some of us here with our insomnia.  What are your thoughts on this?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

http://www.mensjournal.com/magazine/eminem-the-home-body-20150731

 

There are many articles like the one above, you just need to search for eminem insomnia running.  Basically, Eminem was abusing Valium, Vicodin, Xanax, Ambien and alcohol to help get to sleep.  I think one article said he was taking 60 valium a day, although if they were only 1 mg pills, that would be the equivalent of the 3 mg of Klonopin I am on now.  Then he accidentally took methadone with his regular psych med cocktail and he almost died from an overdose.  Apparently he starting running 17 miles a day to lose a ton of weight and treated his insomnia successfully.  I wonder if training to a point like that would help some of us here with our insomnia.  What are your thoughts on this?

 

I think its beyond excessive and completely unsustainable for most people.

 

And, if running did alleviate his insomnia, I'm willing to bet he would of achieved it by doing only 6 miles a day. 17 is just plain crazy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I find exercise helps with the restlessness at night but not so much in making sleep happens. I've exercised for 2.5 hours straight, hiked 8-10 miles until I could hardly move and still not slept...but had nights that were more peaceful. It sure makes the day better. For those of us with extreme insomnia I think my story is fairly common. But for those who have the more normal benzo wd insomnia exercise seems to be more powerful. At least we know it's going to get better eventually. No sense in guilting ourselves for not exercising more.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think it comes down to brain chemicals.

 

Yeah, methadone and Xanax almost got me four years ago. I just fell asleep, very deeply.  Stopped breathing. Friends were there to help me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think if you don't have exercise intolerance and had some stamina before it could help. But for me even walking is exhausting. But I do think exercise can help.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I went to the Eminem Wikipedia website and read that he was taking about 30-40 benzos a day, plus an equal number of Vicodin. I really, really doubt if he overcame all that with just running! He had to have some expert medical care for that. It didn't go into detail exactly how he overcame that.

 

Remember Corey Haim, a movie star from the 80s, 90s who passed away from pneumonia at the age of 41. He claims he was using 70 Valium a day at his peak. It's mind-boggling. In his case, he was up and down, in and out of detoxes and I don't know if he ever got off them. I don't know how a person even could get off that amount.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Exactly Gaba, I mean how long could one person keep this up for with chronic insomnia. It is, by quite a margin, a staggering amount of distance to run, even for healthy, super fit athlete.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Exactly Gaba, I mean how long could one person keep this up for with chronic insomnia. It is, by quite a margin, a staggering amount of distance to run, even for healthy, super fit athlete.

.

Sounds like a lotta BS. I wonder what did happen, if he did actually get off the drugs and how. His Wikipedia page didn't go into too much detail.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Exactly Gaba, I mean how long could one person keep this up for with chronic insomnia. It is, by quite a margin, a staggering amount of distance to run, even for healthy, super fit athlete.

.

Sounds like a lotta BS. I wonder what did happen, if he did actually get off the drugs and how. His Wikipedia page didn't go into too much detail.

 

I think eminem got off the drugs but how he did it, is another matter. Like you say he would have had medical experts, nutritionists etc the best that money can buy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can honestly say that exercise does help.  I run 4-6 miles every day on my treadmill or outside.  I've been doing this since January 28th.  No breaks..I just gut it out.  I am sore but my stanima is improving.  It makes me feel more tired before bed.  It also clears my mind.

 

I get really craipy sleep.  Chunks of sleep...but my sleep usually totals 6-8 hours.  So I know this is helping.

 

Even if you are tired and feel that you can't do it...you really can.  Take those first few step and then you get into it.  I'll let you guys know if I notice any significant improvements.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Exercise has probably been the single most important factor that has progressed my own healing and recovery.

 

If you're exercise intolerant, you have to work up to it. There are people with congestive heart failure that are eventually able to run short distances.

 

Exercise early in the morning or before noon so your CNS and glutamate aren't revved up.

 

Exercise is both a medical treatment and medical intervention.

 

I can be in the middle of a glutamate storm, run 6 miles, and about an hour after, feel a beautiful calm and peace that blankets my mind.

 

Please do yourselves a favor and at least try.

 

Once isn't enough. Fifteen times isn't enough. It's lifelong.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't think anyone is disputing the fact the exercise is a positive thing during/after benzo withdrawal. It's something I do myself and is something I advocate.

 

But I wouldn't encourage anyone to try and attempt running 17 miles a day. Certainly not.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And some people on heavily sedating doses of benzos have trouble making it to the mailbox. Exercise may be the best thing for their bodies- IF they could do it. But sadly not everyone can. If you can, no doubt it will make things better.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I find exercise helps with the restlessness at night but not so much in making sleep happens. I've exercised for 2.5 hours straight, hiked 8-10 miles until I could hardly move and still not slept...but had nights that were more peaceful. It sure makes the day better. For those of us with extreme insomnia I think my story is fairly common. But for those who have the more normal benzo wd insomnia exercise seems to be more powerful. At least we know it's going to get better eventually. No sense in guilting ourselves for not exercising more.

 

I seem to have an off/on switch in my brain and I don't know how, or are unable to set it. It doesn't matter how tired my body is, I will not sleep until that switch is off.

 

I've tried visualizing a light switch which I flick down while repeating sleep...sleep...sleep. Some times it seems to work, but then again, maybe it just so happened that the switch was ready to turn off anyway.

 

Regarding exercise, I've been a lifelong follower. At the age of 64 I do a lot of continuous walking outdoors and some light resistance exercises. It surely makes me feel better and is good for my health whether it helps me sleep or not.

 

Warning! There is such a thing as TOO MUCH. If you tear something, you may not be able to exercise at all. And you don't want that! I tore a rotator cuff a few years back by doing some exercises that in retrospect were too much. Ironically, the RX from the chiropractor was more exercise, but on a much more limited basis. I spent a lot of time and money on chiropractors and physical therapists.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I completely agree that there is a thing as too much.  I simply run 4-5 miles a day....at a very slow pace as well.  I do it to build up stamina in my body and brain.  I would push myself to do more if I weren't in this condition.  Before benzos, I used to run 6-7 miles a day and do resistance training for 20 minutes after. My body was strong.  I hope to get back to this point once I heal.  For now, I am content.

 

I also take 2 omega xl pills daily for my joints since I gained 20 poounds of weight.  The extra pounds put more pressure on my joints.  So far I've lost 5 pounds in a month....15 more to go!  :smitten:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

I do realize that physical debility or disability is a factor in many peoples lives. However, there are exercises you can do that will get your heart rate up and condition your body. I've done chair exercises with geriatric patients for 1 hour that actually worked up a sweat!

 

There are also bed exercises for those that are bed bound.

 

Exercise releases dopamine that keeps glutamate in check.

 

It also re-directs your brain to start looking at its inhibitory system (GABA) more and more. Over time, it may start to realize the need to re-synthesize receptor sites in response to physical exertion.

 

From a NY Times article:

 

              "...The runners’ brains, however, also had a notable number of new neurons specifically designed to release the neurotransmitter GABA, which inhibits brain activity, keeping other neurons from firing easily. In effect, these are nanny neurons, designed to shush and quiet activity in the brain.

 

In the runners’ brains, there were large new populations of these cells in a portion of the hippocampus, the ventral region, associated with the processing of emotions. (The rest of the hippocampus, the dorsal region, is more involved with thinking and memory.)

 

What role these nanny neurons were playing in the animals’ brains and subsequent behavior was not altogether clear.

 

So the scientists next gently placed the remaining mice in ice-cold water for five minutes. Mice do not enjoy cold water. They find immersion stressful and anxiety-inducing, although it is not life-threatening.

 

Then the scientists checked these animals’ brains. They were looking for markers, known as immediate early genes, that indicate a neuron has recently fired.

 

They found them, in profusion. In both the physically fit and the sedentary mice, large numbers of the excitable cells had fired in response to the cold bath. Emotionally, the animals had become fired up by the stress.

 

But with the runners, it didn’t last long. Their brains, unlike those of the sedentary animals, showed evidence that the shushing neurons also had been activated in large numbers, releasing GABA, calming the excitable neurons’ activity and presumably keeping unnecessary anxiety at bay..."

 

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/03/how-exercise-can-calm-anxiety/?_r=0

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm glad this thread got a good amount of responses.  I am in a jam again with insomnia, so I am going to take a shot at using the stationary bike and running again.  It's freezing right now, but it is supposed to warm up later on today and for the rest of the week.  Also, my plantar fasciitis that I got back in October 2015 has healed.  I bought a ridiculously high priced pair of running shoes the other day which feel great on my feet and are supposed to prevent the recurrence of PF, so I might as well get myself back into the gym and try it out.

 

I just have to take things slower starting out.  I think I was around 20 pounds heavier back in October 2015 and I pushed myself to do 4K runs on the treadmill on old, worn-out sneakers way too fast.  I doubt I could ever run 17 miles because I don't have the money or drive of someone like Eminem, but I have to do something exercise-related to try and help my insomnia.  My window for healing is closing soon apparently because every doctor I have seen for anything has always told me things like "After 30, it's all downhill from there." or "Welcome to your 30s!" or "You're not young anymore, things break down easily." and then wrote me a script for a pain killer etc.  ::)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just started exercising again even though my sleep is still roughly only 3-4 hours a night. It kills my body so hard, 20 minute workout and my whole body is sore 90 minutes afterwards. I've never had that happen, normally when working out your body gets sore the next morning or the next next morning, but nope only 90min and I'm sore. It also didn't help my sleep at all, my body hurt so bad it made sleep worse.

 

That said I will continue working out, but just ease it down a bit to work back up more slowly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...