How long can total sleep deprivation last before signs of improvement occur?

Last year's life stresses (death, moving, having to stop working due to the depression aftermath) or alcohol use seems to have triggered withdrawal symptoms. Maybe it is a combination of that and depression/anxiety. I was well for a year.  Now I have been in a worsening Hell for 7 months.  Aside from the severe insomnia, the dp/dr, anxiety, depression, loss of emotions, blank mind,  and head pressure and brain burning is crippling me.

Sleep got worse and worse (sleep every third or fourth day) and I desperately dabbled with Remeron. it only worked on first nights then not the following 4.  I did this with three different doses over the past couple months.  Same result each time. Stopping each time after 5 days. I also recently failed with Benadryl and cbd and cbn oil.  Things were getting worse and worse to the point of going 2 weeks with only a couple days of 2 and 5 hours sleep.  I broke down even further and took one 2mg Ativan and it did nothing.  Basically nothing is making me even sleepy and my brain is stuck on.  I think I am forced to go on without any aid. I fear I have totally messed myself up.  How long can complete sleep deprivation go on before any signs of sleep occur? 

No offense however You definitely threw some logs in the fire by drinking alcohol ! This should be avoided at all cost as it hits the same GABA receptors as benzo's.  Caffeine and anything containing caffeine must be avoided at ALL COST.  Reinstating is not good . Weaning off SLOWLY along with time is the only way to get back to being able to sleep at least a few hours a night. Walking , meditation , sunlight , good nutrition vitamine's etc. Time is the only answer . Go on the net and start reading anything You can find on natural treatments for drug and alcohol withdrawal.

Insomnia sucks , total insomnia is the worst . Been there done that and two years out of a so called short term benzo " rat poison IMO " Im still only getting 4 to 5 hours of light sleep. In my case and in the case of others I read about so called deep sleep never returned it was just light sleep but still better than nothing.

Melatonin works for some and not for others . Again IMO and from what I read about other people in this situation it can help get You to sleep but will NOT keep You asleep. I sometimes get a hangover feeling from melatonin or a headache or brain fog however in severe cases of insomnia its better than NO sleep at all.  One big mistake people make is they take too much , I have read hundreds of articles and journals on melatonin . The human body only produces around 1/3 of a MG and most bottles contain between 3 to 10 MGs which is major over kill. I only take 1/4th to 1/6th of a mg and that will help Me to get drowsy. 

Meditation is great however one does not learn how to meditate in one night, it takes TIME . Read up on that also. Lay in bed in the dark on Your back and look at steer at the ceiling . Keep looking at the ceiling in the dark and You will find that it may make You drowsy . Taking a slow deep breath through Your nose then exhaling slowly shuts off the sympathetic nervous system for around 30 seconds and count down from 20 or 10 to zero also helps. Do this with Your eyes open or closed laying on Your back in the dark. give it time , try to clear Your mind and focus on Your breathing. 

Sadly benzos really mess up the GABA receptors so does alcohol and it time for them to re regulate. Read up and good luck and Please avoid all forms of stimulations . Hope this helps

All the stress you’ve been under could definitely set you back in every way, especially with insomnia. I was back to normal sleeping patterns until there was a death in my family recently, and which really affected my sleep. I think that’s a pretty normal reaction, particularly to multiple stressors.

If I were in your situation, I’d avoid resorting to Remeron, or any other sleeping drug, although you might find a single NyQuil gelcap useful from time to time.

My insomnia was horrific during withdrawal – slept only 0-2 hours a night for two years and thought I’d never sleep again.

Lately I’ve been able to sleep 8-14 hours almost at will, except during several episodes of outside stress, including the death and funeral, plus a few other things.

I think the key is not to let the insomnia start a vicious cycle, where the dread of not sleeping perpetuates the problem. PTSD from benzo insomnia is real, and it can get triggered easily once you begin to lose sleep again.

Just try to remember that you got well before, and you’ll be able to return to normal once again.

@[jo...]

Thanks for the suggestions. Alcohol may have played a part but I seemed to be okay with it for a few months. Too many factors it is hard to know the trigger.  But definitely cannot drink in the future. 

Melatonin I have been taking for so long now. 3 months.  It does nothing for me.  It did a few times earlier.  I tinkered with dosages. 

Meditation I could work on but it is so difficult when so anxious.

Weaning off slowly... That shipped sailed. 

Really crappy deep sleep hasn't returned for you.  When I recovered before it had for me.  Did you suffer any of the other symptoms I am now?  Did they get better? 

@LeslieAsh

You case is pretty tough. 0-2hrs is torture.  But at this point I would love 2hrs. Benadryl doesn't do anything for me so I am not sure if Nyquil would bc I believe they have the same ingredient. It seems like sleep meds have gone paradoxical on me so likely none would work now anyway.  I agree the anxiety can self perpetuate the sleeplessness but it is so hard not to be anxious when going multiple days with zero sleep. Sorry you have also suffered a loss and going through a rough patch after doing well. 8 to 14hrs is awesome.  Did you suffer any of the other symptoms I am now?  Did they get better?