Horrific Insomia for days straight

I have had horrific Insomia for about 5-6 days straight,it’s like my mind will not shut off.

Does anyone else get this? And does anyone else’s anxiety get super high from not sleeping?

Mine is so high from not sleeping that I feel like I can barely walk to the kitchen...I’m hopeing this is normal cause it’s really bad,if anyone has similar Insomia please tell me how yours is and what you do to cope,I cannot shut my mind off and my body is soooo exhausted...

Without a signature telling us your medication story, I can only assume that you are currently tapering from a benzo or Z-drug or have recently gone cold turkey off of one. If that is the case, then the insomnia and anxiety that you describe is very normal. These meds are created to relax you and put your to sleep. When taken for too long and then not taken any more they do the exact opposite. Sleep will leave you and that ramps up anxiety, which in turn makes sleep even less possible. Unfortunately, it can take a long time for things to return to normal, but the really bad stuff will ease off in much less time.

Aloha,I’m in a setback,I was healed for years and severe stress threw me back into it,when you heal you forget how bad it is...like I forgot my first withdraw,but this not sleeping is makeing me so suicidial...it’s bern like 4 days on 3 hours of sleep and my anxiety is soooo high,have you experienced this? It’s like my mind will not shut down....like I’m really freaking out cause my body is sooo exhausted....I’m scared I’m gona die from it..

Hi Tommy65, yes i'm going thrugh something similar.

I'm off clonazepam 3 years now.

I have been having extreme stress for the last 6 months so the generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder and depression with suicidal thoughts is back in full force. Now i seem to be less able to cope with stress than i did before benzo's. My CNS is damaged and will not heal 100%.

 

Last month i didn't sleep either because of the anxiety, like 2 or 3 hours a night, couldn't turn my brain off.

You're not going to die but suffering like that is unnecessary. Have you been to a psychologist or psychiatrist yet?

If you're unable to deal with your life stressors then maybe you can try something CBT or whatever, if that doesn't work then you could try meds. I myself am going to try a SSRI antidepressant soon.

 

 

Nick,I’ve healed before the nervous system is not damaged forever,it remains fragile for awhile but it does go away,and I’m way to scared to ever try another psych drug after this....but the nervous system does indeed heal cause I’ve healed from it before...keep fighting

Tommy, you won’t die from not sleeping, your body will sleep.  To calm the anxiety of not sleeping I stick to my bedtime routine, no caffeine in the evening, healthier dinner, meditation, Black and White TV shows on low, talk radio, white noise, accept that I may not sleep when I go to bed.  Calm yourself.

 

I didn’t remember sleeping in the first 5 weeks post jump.  I’ve gone 10 days without sleep that I remember.  Often we get microsleeps that keep us going.

 

I hope you are resting better.

 

SaraSue 

Black out your window with sheets, fleeces anything. The dark space really sedates the mind a bit better as long as Ur comfortable in the dark.

Aloha,I’m in a setback,I was healed for years and severe stress threw me back into it,when you heal you forget how bad it is...like I forgot my first withdraw,but this not sleeping is makeing me so suicidial...it’s bern like 4 days on 3 hours of sleep and my anxiety is soooo high,have you experienced this? It’s like my mind will not shut down....like I’m really freaking out cause my body is sooo exhausted....I’m scared I’m gona die from it..

 

Tommy,

I know what you mean about forgetting how bad it was. I am almost 4 years out and am currently experiencing a return of insomnia (but not total). It is hard to take after having enjoyed better nights. Lack of sleep in itself will cause anxiety to ramp up and ruin your day, but once a decent recovery sleep sets in your outlook on life should change. The lack of sleep did not kill us before so it won't do so now.

I started experiencing horrific insomnia this past November, when I was about 14 months out. Before this I had been sleeping really well for about a year. I thought I was experiencing a setback or a really bad wave.  I would sleep for a couple of days and then go for 3-4 days without sleep, at one point I went six days. Absolutely agonizing and the worst form of hell I can think of.  This continued for months. Something just didn’t seem right, and I began to wonder if something else medically was going on rather than a setback or a bad wave.  After finding a really good functional doctor, he ran some blood work, and the results came back that I have reactivated EBV virus. In some people this virus can cause really bad insomnia, unfortunately I am one of them. Now I have to fight of this monster of a virus, with insomnia that rivals benzo withdrawal. Hopefully your insomnia calms back down soon, if not it maybe worthwhile to go visit a good doctor, to see if there is something else going on.

I'm unfortunately deep in this too. I believe a bunch of stress and a big life change (having our second baby) has spiralled me into a massive bout of anxiety, pretty much exactly what brought me here in 2014 and got me on benzos.

 

About 3 weeks ago, I had a night of no sleep, followed by a struggle to get a couple of hours. I got so scared that I ran to this site and posted my story. The following 3 days I was able to sleep. Then, it began again. A couple of missed nights, followed by a couple good ones. And now, I feel like I'm losing it because I'm turning to alcohol on desperate nights, and barely squeezing 4-5 hours doing that.

 

I'm also on medical cannabis, but I either am not responding well to it, I don't have the right strain, or the proper dosage. I'm going to play around with the cannabis a bit more, and also try not to use the alcohol.

 

I just have this fear of not sleeping, and the pressure of having to function in the day with my kids. I worry that I could go days and days and have a mental breakdown.

 

I know CBT is effective, and I used it in 2014, but really don't know where to start.

Sleep dam I got you all beat except maybe Aloha. I respect you bro! Anyway I started benzo and z-drugs for chronic insomnia 15 months ago. My dumbass should of left it at that than as I quit drinking after 35 years which started the problem and should have left it only to resolve in time. But I needed sleep at the time and taking sleep meds to sleep for chronic imsomina which were best 2-4 hrs because of effectiveness. So, that transpiered into take more sleep at higher strengths to sleep and in meantime lack of sleep for so long causes memory issuses , exhaustion, depression, and sleep anxiety. I had dealt with for 14 months and health anxiety started in last Nov. Plus a 30 year alcohol problem to start all of it. Now dealing with benzo tapering and WD. Down to .5mg K and taking 150 Seroquel XR now. I took 16 meds for sleep last year to help for chronic sleep and was dumb about the whole thing with DR's. My worst bout of insomnia was documented 17 days without sleep. So you have know idea what a human can endure if one has to. But have a great and twisted respect for 3-5 nighters and more so for longer for anyone longer than that. I seen madness in the eye of sleep deprivation. And now it doesn't bother me anymore. I seen hell and benzo WD is not much difference. I know I may have shorten my lifespan but F it. Enjoy the time awake or IDK just say screw it and get drunk at home and sleep your ass off if necessary.

 

P.S. try 2-3hrs a sleep for 2-3 nights a week for a year.

,I cannot shut my mind off and my body is soooo exhausted...

This is exactly how I describe my insomnia. Exhausted body but stupid brain will not shutdown and allow sleep. It is maddening.

It definitely is maddening. I am using cannabis oil (CBD) right now, and not sure if it's helping or not, but some nights I do get off to bed.

 

Last night I was laying around for an hour, and just gave up and had some alcohol. I really need to stop doing that!

 

I have been using the CBD for a couple of weeks now. I know the way I am, and now having to remove that will cause me stress about having to sleep on my own again.

 

It's crazy how I was sleeping well 3-4 weeks ago, and now I'm back in the storm.

 

Anyone have any suggestion on how to deal with the anxiety about not sleeping?

I had to accept that going to bed no longer meant sleep.  Very difficult!  Worrying about not sleeping made going to bed a miserable thought.  I’m not sleeping much, but I’m trying to not worry about it.

 

I hear sleep returns.

 

SaraSue 

Damien, Just probably use the CBD oil and see if it works and don’t stress out about sleep any. You can distract yourself with things you enjoy in. Or just rest and do something that relaxes you to get your off all this other stuff. Maybe like a choir or excerise something. I had to do things to point of exhaustion and if that didn’t work than and mind won’t shutoff. So took a sleep med to sleep. There is such a thing called substance induced sleep disorder. Maybe look on the net. Any hope things get better for you. Hang in there.

I need to not fear sleeplessness as much. I need to believe I can go back to sleeping well again.

 

I think my stress about this has turned my anxiety and insomnia into a chronic issue.

 

It's been almost 4 weeks, so I need to do the work to get myself to a better place.

Does the CBD oil work?

Does the CBD oil work?

 

For me, it helps with the anxiety, but does not put me to sleep.

 

I resorted to alcohol again last night. Really not sure what to do because I just can't sleep.

 

What do you guys do to relax when you can't sleep?

I got tired of stressing out about sleep a 3 months ago. There no way to fight it sometimes. So sometimes just thinking about what to do with all the wake time. At times does a paradoxical effect on sleep. I play video games or watch hours of tv. Sleep hygiene never worked for me or calming techniques. I think my worst insomnia I was at reg hospital where my brother as Dr. to knock me out medically with Seroquel 300 XR, Ambien CR 12.5, Librium 200mg, and Vistiril. And I'm up off the after 2hrs and looked at the nurse sitting at her station and said "No dice"! I said 'what else you got". And 15 minutes later here comes she comes back and hooks up 3 big bags of Ketamine. That did it Zzz. Welcome to the club.

Insomnia still battering me. Last 4 nights were 4 hours of sleep after drinking, then zero, then a tossing and turning night where I did sleep about 6-7 hours pieced together, followed by zero sleep last night.

 

I just can't turn off my brain and then I start getting tingling pains in my body from what seems like anxiety.

 

I do not know what to do anymore.

 

I've been off benzos for 5 years. This is just anxiety and insomnia on it's own, and it feels worse than withdrawal.

 

Please help!

8damien8,

Wow, sorry to hear that you are still going through this crap!

 

Even at 5 years out it is hard to say just what role benzos may still be playing in your current insomnia. At the very least, memories of your withdrawal experience is feeding the anxiety and I got to say...resorting to drinking to fall asleep can't be a good thing.

 

If I got your story down correctly, separate from withdrawal, you tend to get these bouts of extreme insomnia during periods of major life changes that must be causing you stress and anxiety (at least somewhere deep inside). It seems to me that you could benefit from working with a therapist since this is exactly what they specialize in. Many of us would not think twice about going to a medical doctor for a physical ailment, but how common is it to actually seek emotional treatment? Addressing the root problem may help prevent future bouts of insomnia from occurring.

8damien8,

Wow, sorry to hear that you are still going through this crap!

 

Even at 5 years out it is hard to say just what role benzos may still be playing in your current insomnia. At the very least, memories of your withdrawal experience is feeding the anxiety and I got to say...resorting to drinking to fall asleep can't be a good thing.

 

If I got your story down correctly, separate from withdrawal, you tend to get these bouts of extreme insomnia during periods of major life changes that must be causing you stress and anxiety (at least somewhere deep inside). It seems to me that you could benefit from working with a therapist since this is exactly what they specialize in. Many of us would not think twice about going to a medical doctor for a physical ailment, but how common is it to actually seek emotional treatment? Addressing the root problem may help prevent future bouts of insomnia from occurring.

 

Pretty much. I have a cycle of worrying about not sleeping, fearing I won't sleep, and then driving up my anxiety to the point I can't sleep.

 

I am looking for therapy now. Everything seems to point to CBT, and trying to address the anxiety.

 

I just want to know if anyone else here feels that fear and anxiety about sleeping, and what do you do to reduce it? I had one therapy session, and the therapist said I have to "accept" my fear. If I'm worried that I won't be able to sleep, then I have to face it. Have to see it will not kill me or make me go crazy.

 

But with my constantly worrying mind, it's a very hard thing to imagine doing.

It can be a constant battle at times, but when I can't sleep the first thing that I try to do is to not worry too much about how the next day is going to go. I remind myself that I made it through countless days without sleep before so I can do it again if I must. The next thing that I do is to pay attention to the fact that I am probably feeling way too tired to get out of bed to pass the time doing something else so I might as well stay in bed and try to enjoy the rest that I am getting by not doing anything. Sleep is the desired outcome, but rest is the next best thing compared to the alternative of expending more energy when the energy account is low. I personally found that taking L-tryptophan makes me feel drowsy enough that even if I can't sleep, I can remain calmer resting in bed.

It can be a constant battle at times, but when I can't sleep the first thing that I try to do is to not worry too much about how the next day is going to go. I remind myself that I made it through countless days without sleep before so I can do it again if I must. The next thing that I do is to pay attention to the fact that I am probably feeling way too tired to get out of bed to pass the time doing something else so I might as well stay in bed and try to enjoy the rest that I am getting by not doing anything. Sleep is the desired outcome, but rest is the next best thing compared to the alternative of expending more energy when the energy account is low. I personally found that taking L-tryptophan makes me feel drowsy enough that even if I can't sleep, I can remain calmer resting in bed.

 

But did you ever get the physical symptoms of anxiety like the pins and needles in your arms and legs or the racing heart?

It can be a constant battle at times, but when I can't sleep the first thing that I try to do is to not worry too much about how the next day is going to go. I remind myself that I made it through countless days without sleep before so I can do it again if I must. The next thing that I do is to pay attention to the fact that I am probably feeling way too tired to get out of bed to pass the time doing something else so I might as well stay in bed and try to enjoy the rest that I am getting by not doing anything. Sleep is the desired outcome, but rest is the next best thing compared to the alternative of expending more energy when the energy account is low. I personally found that taking L-tryptophan makes me feel drowsy enough that even if I can't sleep, I can remain calmer resting in bed.

 

But did you ever get the physical symptoms of anxiety like the pins and needles in your arms and legs or the racing heart?

 

During the early phase of withdrawal I did get a racing heart and elevated blood pressure from anxiety. I also went into continuous pee mode that caused me to keep getting out of bed all night long (can't sleep while doing that). As time passed, those physical symptoms were replaced by emotional issues with anxiety and depression when I couldn't sleep. I still do have a hard time on some nights when I can't sleep, but on other nights I am much better able to handle it and don't feel much anxiety.