What does Benzo insomnia feel like vs regular insomnia

Just curious what the difference is because I’ve never had insomnia before in my whole 42 years of life.

Hi Stacey!

 

Can only speak to my own experience. I had insomnia for about 6 months when I was about 11. The way I remember it, I just didn't feel tired or sleepy. When I experienced it in withdrawal, I did feel tired and sleepy but my brain just wouldn't let it happen. It was like a war going on in my body. Very unpleasant. Are you asking because you are experiencing it now?

I’m having the opposite problem. I don’t ever feel tired or sleepy now..like my brain is stuck. It’s almost numb so I don’t know if it’s regular insomnia or Benzo related. I’ve been off 9 months.  I never ever get sleepy and groggy like I used to when I wake up after sleeping or even before.

 

Actually, I don’t know what this is. I can’t tell if I’m Tired or

Sleepy. I don’t really feel anything. It’s kind of like im stuck between wide awake and very tired. Is this withdrawl? Like there’s a weird pressure in my forehead and my eyes burn. That’s what I’m feeling now.

Sounds like glutamate, one way or the other. Either withdrawal or you accidentally consumed a bunch of glutamate. Do you read food labels?

Like regular insomnia, withdrawal insomnia can make falling asleep difficult as well as getting back to sleep if woken up. Unlike regular insomnia, withdrawal insomnia can keep you awake with little or no sleep night after night for an extended period of time. Also, withdrawal insomnia can really screw up your sleep cycles, giving you way too much REM sleep and not enough deeper sleep. Most regular insomniacs will stay asleep for awhile once they fall asleep, but a withdrawal insomniac can keep waking up countless times after having lots of vivid dreams.

I can’t fall asleep no matter what I do, what I take, or anything. I just lay there night after night waiting to fall asleep and it’s getting old. I’m 9 months off, but I can’t fall asleep at a regular time. Last night I think I slept between 4:30 and 6:30 and that was it. I thought this was supposed to get better and not worse. I’m not taking anything but a tylenol pm at night or something but I’m off all rx drugs. I’m so over this! Ive been dealing with this for almost a year and a half.

Aloha always told me sleep returned like the stock market.  Up and Down for some time for most.  Unfortunately even the Ashton manual says insomnia fades for most between 6-12 months.  However, for those in Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS), which is most people on this forum including you, it could take up to 24 months or longer.  NOT trying to scare you or create undue fear, but remember that entire time is not completely horrible for most, so you are not suffering badly the entire time.  Slow improvements allow you to get your life back and start to enjoy things over how ever many months it takes to heal.

 

Most start to feel better around month 18.  You'll get there.  You didn't suddenly develop primary insomnia in the middle of withdrawal insomnia.  Hypochondria is a very common withdrawal symptom that makes us believe all sorts of things that simply are not true.  I thought I had fatal insomnia during the the thick of my sleep woes.  It's not true.  I wasn't broken and you aren't either.

 

Acceptance, patience and distraction are keys to getting past this.  But a wise BB once told me acceptance is only something you can do when you are both physically and mentally ready to do it.

 

You WILL get your sleep back, but lamenting about it will not help.  It's sucks and it is very frustrating, but learning coping skills will help you a lot more than getting upset or looking for something to sleep with.

My worst insomnia ended about a year after stopping benzo.

The bad dreams and most short nights, less than 6 hours,  improved  last november/december,  over two years off.

Two or three times a week a even make 8 hours again, whem I am not in a wave. 

The tinnitus on wave days make me fall asleep later , but still waking up early.

 

I had postpartum insomnia and after a day with no sleep, the next day, I would be able to go to bed early and get a deep restful sleep. The reason I started benzos was because of postpartum insomnia and honestly it was a walk in the park compared to withdrawal insomnia.  Now I can go three-four days of no sleep and be unable to fall asleep until the morning and it is still the horrible broken sleep with vivid dreams. It is unrelenting and unnatural.

I had postpartum insomnia and after a day with no sleep, the next day, I would be able to go to bed early and get a deep restful sleep. The reason I started benzos was because of postpartum insomnia and honestly it was a walk in the park compared to withdrawal insomnia.  Now I can go three-four days of no sleep and be unable to fall asleep until the morning and it is still the horrible broken sleep with vivid dreams. It is unrelenting and unnatural.

 

That makes me feel better that it’s wirhdrawl and not regular insomnia. I was so scared I got regular insomnia.

I had postpartum insomnia and after a day with no sleep, the next day, I would be able to go to bed early and get a deep restful sleep. The reason I started benzos was because of postpartum insomnia and honestly it was a walk in the park compared to withdrawal insomnia.  Now I can go three-four days of no sleep and be unable to fall asleep until the morning and it is still the horrible broken sleep with vivid dreams. It is unrelenting and unnatural.

 

How long have you been off? Since oct 2017?

Regular insomnia - tired all of the time, cant sleep though, not a wink. Its like a weight is on my forehead preventing it from thinking, imagining (which is part of how i drift off in sleep). but what is there is whirring of feelings and flashback thoughts randomly thats outside of my control

 

Withdrawal insomnia - same as above with added hypersensitivity so each crazy thought or flashback sends adrenaline through my spine and locks my muscles or my heartbeat falls through my chest and i worry i stopped before violently kickstarting itself like a lawnmover. the weight on the forehead now feels like an electric fence wrapped around my brain that is squeezing, buzzing and pulsing with jolts of random electricity from time to time.

 

Nowadays i have more of the regular insomnia. but i remember the withdrawal insomnia well.

I had postpartum insomnia and after a day with no sleep, the next day, I would be able to go to bed early and get a deep restful sleep. The reason I started benzos was because of postpartum insomnia and honestly it was a walk in the park compared to withdrawal insomnia.  Now I can go three-four days of no sleep and be unable to fall asleep until the morning and it is still the horrible broken sleep with vivid dreams. It is unrelenting and unnatural.

 

How long have you been off? Since oct 2017?

Yes, since October 2017. My sleep had improved and I was sleeping about 6-7 hours, but it was still light and broken with vivid dreams. Unfortunately for whatever reason I suffered a setback in November 2018 and my sleep deteriorated. I am still waiting to get out of this awful wave.

Hi Stacey!

 

Can only speak to my own experience. I had insomnia for about 6 months when I was about 11. The way I remember it, I just didn't feel tired or sleepy. When I experienced it in withdrawal, I did feel tired and sleepy but my brain just wouldn't let it happen. It was like a war going on in my body. Very unpleasant. Are you asking because you are experiencing it now?

 

This is accurate.

 

I get something probably the same, but after a few years, I usually don't get the drowsy part even on the first day.  So, the first night, you can feel kinda sleepy, and tired, just like described here, but it just doesn't happen. You don't sleep. But if you're up more than one day, it's possible to feel VERY tired, and NOT sleepy/drowsy.

 

This is the case for me.  Lots of healthy people may not realize there is even a difference between tired and sleepy, I don't know. But there is. You can be exhausted, without feeling sleepy/drowsy.  Drowsiness is the more precious of the two, because at least in my experience, it's the one that counts for falling asleep.

 

There are probably some really good replies here, so regard mine as just a single case. Other people might be different

 

Hope your problems get better soon, God Bless you. 

 

 

Check out my post under "Alternative Therapies" about guided meditation to help with relaxation and sleep.  I am not saying it will work for you, but after trying it, I swear by it everyday and night.  30 minutes of listening before I go to bed a night and I am asleep within 10 minutes. "Michael Sealey" has some great guided meditation for sleep and relaxation.

Unfortunately, many of us find that absolutely nothing helps with sleep during the earlier stages of withdrawal insomnia (which can actually last for awhile). Still, there is no harm in trying different things, unless you end up spending too much money in the process. Once your brain chemistry sorts itself out a bit, some of the past failures can perhaps be revisited with better results.