SLEEP - and what happens when you miss it?

Note: this post is about my experience with increased sleep need at about 4 months since jumping - it is NOT about insomnia.  Though I struggled with that during my taper, I thankfully haven't had it in a while - just noting this as those suffering from insomnia might be bothered reading the below!

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Hi team.  So for quite a while now I've had an increased sleep need - say 10 hours, not that I ever truly feel rested, let alone energized.  I'm frustrated that this "extra" 2 hours of sleep nightly is added to the enormous pile of ways in which I feel I'm missing my own life, but that's another story.  I'm used to it at this point, and I make it work.

That said, whenever I don't get this much sleep, I feel like DEATH.  This morning I had to sleep "only" 7-8 hours, getting up "early" - and it was hell to get out of bed, and I've been a corpse the entire day despite the caffeine we're not supposed to be having.  It's truly to the point of dysfunction - I'm a freelancer, so I need to be my own motor much of the time, and today I've barely risen from the couch.

Even before benzo nightmares began, I think I've always had a greater sleep need than average, and have always had an outsized reaction to lack of sleep.  But this is extreme even for me.

Is this common to withdrawal? Do you folks feel this?

My 24/7 torture symptoms would be more interesting to write about, but I just wanted to make this post more of a scratching-my-head curiosity post.  Cheers, and I wish you all well as you fight.

(And more interesting posts to come.)

Sorry but even when I was healthy and young I needed 9 hours sleep per night and most of the nights slept for 10 hours without the feeling that I would miss time of my life.

The body will show you how much sleep is needed and balance it out.

Even before Benzos 7-8 hours is lots of sleep, kids usually only get that much.

average adult can easily function on 5-6 good REM hours of deep sleep etc...But I never experienced that in two years due to these medications...

I even did not miss REM sleep in withdrawal. I had a fit bit on my arm that measured it. It was weird. And while under meds.. oh my god, that wasnt a natural sleep either.

Now, 3 years med-free, I can tolerate 2-3 nights without sleep, I can function with 3 hours sleep, and I can also sleep 12-14 hours without interruption - no matter how my sleep is, it always feels more natural than the years before. But it took such a long time to recover and to be strong and not to take a sleeping aid and so on..

3 years med-free, CONGRATS BTW

I wanna return to that feeling one day

Thank you..

You need to focus on the next step including the wishes you have now. The one and only wish has to be getting the taper done, holding the dosage and so on. I was in such a bad condition under meds and while tapering, its a miracle I am still here. I think when I can see improvements others will see them too.

It’s like there worst slide down in a game of snakes ladders for me.

Dick

It’s like there worst slide down in a game of snakes ladders for me.

Dick

I was in tolerance the hole time I tapered. About 5 years. I totally understand.

Fight the snakes!!