It sucks.

I've had a few good years where things were pretty stable and I had very few issues. That's come to a screeching halt in the past 4 weeks or so. The timing seems to roughly match up with when my July Botox treatment wore off for the migraines (a friggin' godsend - almost immediate halt to the vast majority of the damned things; my monthly Aimovig plus the Botox treatment gave me I'd say 45 days of solid relief, then tapering relief until it was gone at the 90 day mark). My next appointment for re-tortu...I mean treatment is on the 15th.

It definitely could have something to do with the job I just started (work from home 4 days, in office 1, stand watch once every 8 weekends). I'm still learning and getting comfortable with the job and its responsibilities (IT Security - it's honestly a lot to take in, which I expected).

I've had anxiety for most of my life (it comes with the territory - I've had a Aspberger's Syndrome diagnosis since I was 18), so while I'm on appropriate medications to control it I do still have flare ups on occasion. I'm sure my baseline pain levels and the associated medications aren't helping there either.

Whatever's causing this is driving me batty. Several times over the past couple of weeks I've spent a night awake and then damned near fallen asleep in my chair the next day. Last Thursday I didn't sleep at all, so I crashed on Friday around 15:40 and didn't wake up until 0700 Saturday. I can't keep doing this.

Sorry to hear of your trouble. I had major problems with insomnia also, though my brand was more specifically Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder. Like you I'd lie awake all night, then have to sleep during the day.

Have you tried CBN? I started taking CBN gummies, and it completely cured my situation. I now fall asleep at around 10-10:30 and wake up around 5:30 fully refreshed. It took a while for the stuff to work properly, so if you try it don't give up too soon.

(I too used to get bad migraines. Those went away a few years ago, thank the Lord.)

What does your psychologist have to say?

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
What does your psychologist have to say?

She recommended going back to the basics of the CBT (log, then restrict sleep as necessary to regulate my wake-up times) I did when I first started seeing her in 2018. She thinks there's also a stress component involved due to the new job. I'm learning a lot, but it's one of those things where you just have to keep banging your shins on the coffee table until you learn how to avoid it.

kkina, I don't use any kind of supplements like that. I'm honestly hoping this will be a transient thing that will go away once I get back on schedule. If it persists I might consider it.

I feel for you. Stress can do a lot of strange things to you,especially with a new job. I have had issues with sleep for a long time due to my job, not just the type of job but the hours of being awake for it and having to be on my "game" constantly-paramedic. After a while, instead of getting tired when it starts to get dark, I tend to wake up. Lately I have tried Melatonin,on some of my days off and it gets me to sleep quick. I sleep soundly for about 6 or so hours which seems to be enough for the most part. I also try to get a decent bit of exercise to keep me healthy,relieve stress and get me tired enough to get some sleep. I wish you good fortune with your plight.

quote:

She recommended going back to the basics of the CBT (log, then restrict sleep as necessary to regulate my wake-up times) I did when I first started seeing her in 2018. She thinks there's also a stress component involved due to the new job. I'm learning a lot, but it's one of those things where you just have to keep banging your shins on the coffee table until you learn how to avoid it.

^^^^^^^^^^^^
OK sounds reasonable. You have any risk factors for OSA? A lab based sleep study might be of benefit. See what she says.

To quote the great Homer Simpson, "This sounds like a problem for our good friend alcohol!"

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Congratulations on a profoundly stupid idea. Alcohol does not promote restful sleep and used in this manner you are starting down the road of addiction.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:

quote:

She recommended going back to the basics of the CBT (log, then restrict sleep as necessary to regulate my wake-up times) I did when I first started seeing her in 2018. She thinks there's also a stress component involved due to the new job. I'm learning a lot, but it's one of those things where you just have to keep banging your shins on the coffee table until you learn how to avoid it.

^^^^^^^^^^^^


OK sounds reasonable. You have any risk factors for OSA? A lab based sleep study might be of benefit. See what she says.

No sleep apnea. I got tested in 2018 and that's what ended with the doctor giving me the number of my psychologist. She's the wife of one of the NPs in their practice, and I was her third patient after she separated from the VA.

And I don't drink much for a number of reasons, least of all being medication interactions.

Sounds like you are on
The right track good luck

I've had trouble falling asleep since I was a teen (I'm 61 now). A couple months ago I read about using a red light. I already had the Olight so I figured I'd give it a try. I turn it on while laying in bed. Usually 5-10 mins and I'm ready to roll over and go to sleep. It's helped quite a bit to help fall asleep faster (in addition to melatonin I've been using for the past 3 yrs or so).

One article about it.

Nightstand Light

Earlier this week I thought 'Hey, Instead of table lamps, why don't you turn on the Hue that I have (below) on for the last hour of TV time. My thinking is...get the natural melatonin production started earlier. I have it pointed toward the opposite corner of the TV (angled in a corner). Too early to tell if it works.

I watched House of Dragon using Hue and, as a side-bonus, was surprised how much better I could see the dark scenes. Makes sense since red light doesn't have as much an impact on your night vision.

Hue Light for Livingroom end table.


Rick

I actually got decent sleep last night. A temporary adjustment in my anxiety medication plus a couple more changes made a huge difference, I think.

One idea that was floated to me was a cooling blanket. That sent me on a search that ended up with a small AC unit that basically fits under the bed. I haven't ordered it, but we'll see.