Exhausted but brain on alert

I have not slept for 2 nights. I am 18 months off.  I am utterly exhausted, and drained but my brain will not switch off and let me sleep.  Is there anything that helps?  Need help desperately.

I'm right there with you. The last two nights I have not been able to turn my brain off at all and I just lay in bed filled with anxiety.

 

Feel completely defeated

I'm right there with you. The last two nights I have not been able to turn my brain off at all and I just lay in bed filled with anxiety.

 

Feel completely defeated

 

I thought things had improved for you. are you going thru a wave?

I highly doubt that I am still going through any wavesor windows from withdrawal this far out. this just seems to be anxiety driving insomnia and then insomnia feeding the anxiety. The vicious cycle.

 

Everytime I lay in bed I immediately start getting tense and worrying that I'm not going to sleep. Just can't seem to get my mind unstuck and turn it off.

 

Feeling pretty lousy.

I haven't found it helpful to lie in bed when I'm wide awake and agitated and hope for sleep. It almost never happens. Is there something distracting you could do instead, even if it's in bed? Like reading, listening to pleasant books on CD (or there are podcast stories), listening to bedtime stories on the Calm app, you tube relaxation videos, music or some kind of visualization? The anxious brain needs some help getting off the hamster wheel. Staying in bed that agitated reinforces to your brain that beds aren't for sleeping. So I would recommend that you either get up and go in another room (classic sleep hygiene) or do something relaxing and distracting while in bed. If you can't relax you're better off getting up no matter how hard you try. Think of Pavlov's dogs. If your mind makes a firm connection that bed=stress it will crank up/activate whenever you go to bed. You have to create a new conditioned response to your bed.

I went to bed around 11:30. I think I finally turned off a little around 5-6am. Light sleep for 2-3 hours. Didn't even feel like sleep.

 

I woke up multiple times to walk around, and look out the window to breath in some cool air.

 

Really having a hard time

this is the way i felt the other night when i could not sleep my body was exhausted but my brain was full awake and alert it was definitely a first for me it was very weird

I just had another night of zero sleep last night.

 

Last 4 nights: zero, 4-5 hours (with alcohol), 1-2 hours, then zero again.

 

I really do feel like this insomnia is worse than I ever had it even when in withdrawal. I don't honestly know how I'm going to do this.

I understand the desperation to sleep 8D8 but please give your GABA receptors more support in recovering by avoiding alcohol until you're on the other side of this. You might consider reading Siggy's posts about how alcohol affected his recovery. It's just not worth it. You may say that it doesn't affect your sleep but you can't say that it's not affecting your GABA receptors.

i have not slept for 2 nights either i can get nothing done .

I went to a medical marijuana clinic yesterday, and decided to try some to see if it could help.

 

Night #1 with the marijuana, not so bad. Smoked a bit (4 puffs) with my vape at 11. Probably was out in about 20-30 mins. Woke up at 2:30. Smoked another 4 puffs, but felt like it wasn't enough. Smoked another 4, and was out again in about 15 minutes. Just got up. Feel decent. Not like my normal sleep, but maybe the oils will help with longer, uninterrupted sleep. We'll see... But what's most impressive is how effectively the weed neutralizes anxiety.

I have a nightly ritual where I watch TV or YouTube videos.  I usually end up dozing off for a few minutes on the couch.  Then I move to the bed to continue sleeping.  maybe half the nights I don't fall asleep.  So I lay there for up to 30 minutes, but when I feel sleep not happening, I just get up and go back to the TV and watch something.  Eventually, sleep kicks in again while on the couch.  Somewhere's around day-break, I seem to be ready to sleep in a bed, and can get 2-5 hours of decent sleep in my bed.  Annoying, but better than no sleep, which I still sometimes get.

My sleep has been bad again. I have just been laying in bed until like three or four and then I sleep for a few hours, maybe. It feels like I did in acute the first few months off, and now I'm 13 months off benzos. I seriously wonder if sleep ever becomes normal again. I used to be someone who could sleep in on the weekends.

 

My sleep before was improving as in I could fall asleep and would typically sleep until like 3:30 and only wake up once. Then I could usually fall asleep for a few hours after that too.

My sleep has been bad again. I have just been laying in bed until like three or four and then I sleep for a few hours, maybe. It feels like I did in acute the first few months off, and now I'm 13 months off benzos. I seriously wonder if sleep ever becomes normal again. I used to be someone who could sleep in on the weekends.

 

My sleep before was improving as in I could fall asleep and would typically sleep until like 3:30 and only wake up once. Then I could usually fall asleep for a few hours after that too.

 

I don't know your exercise routine, but this could work:  Pick a day when you can exercise for an hour, and do a little more than you normally do.  Ex. If you jog 2 miles normally - jog 3.  If you do nothing, go for a long walk.

 

Secondly, stop eating by 5-6pm.  Just drink water after that time.  Especially limit refined/processed foods like sugar/candy, salt/chips.

 

The physical exertion coupled with not having to work off a lot of food eaten late should help to body take the rest it needs to repair itself.

Not only do I agree here that exercise (WITHOUT pushing past your limits) helps the natural sleep cycle as long as it is done a good 3 hours before going to sleep but I just learned about the benefits of not eating before bed and doing this has been very helpful for me!  I also got the added benefit of finally getting through the night sweats when I stopped eating at 6pm.  Maybe coincidental.. not sure.

Not only do I agree here that exercise (WITHOUT pushing past your limits) helps the natural sleep cycle as long as it is done a good 3 hours before going to sleep but I just learned about the benefits of not eating before bed and doing this has been very helpful for me!  I also got the added benefit of finally getting through the night sweats when I stopped eating at 6pm.  Maybe coincidental.. not sure.

 

Awesome LeslieJ

I highly doubt that I am still going through any wavesor windows from withdrawal this far out. this just seems to be anxiety driving insomnia and then insomnia feeding the anxiety. The vicious cycle.

 

Everytime I lay in bed I immediately start getting tense and worrying that I'm not going to sleep. Just can't seem to get my mind unstuck and turn it off.

 

Feeling pretty lousy.

And you have been off since Aug. of 2014? Were you put on benzos for insomnia?

2nd night in a row i cant sleep i had a broken 6. Hours last night  was exhausted all day n went to try sleep at 11pm here. I am wide awake again