I inherited my mother’s intense insomnia. She still only gets maybe four hours of sleep a night. The only reason she gets that much is Ambien. I take Ambien as well along with an embarrassing plethora of other sleeps meds: 20mg Melatonin; 0.8mg Clonidine; 100 mg Trazadone; 4mg Ativan; 5-7 pills of Unisom.
This is without a doubt bad for my sleep cycle overall, buts it’s the only way I’ve found to get about 7 good hours of sleep. Insomnia is pernicious and creeps up in severity until It’s at a peak of wakefulness that I realize I’m having another night with very little sleep. I pray (I’m not actually going to prey, but the gesture behind a compassionate prayer is still there) that all sufferers find their way back to some semblance of a decent sleep cycle.
I know both depression and insomnia intimately. I'm sure a LOT of us do. I'm 55, and the depression started when I was 12. The insomnia can get worse for me during a depressive episode, or wonderfully, for no reason whatsoever. If I were to guess, you and your wife might still be on US time even though you feel like you've morphed to time over here. I moved to England from Canada 17 years ago, and it took me a good 2-3 years for my body to get used to the time difference. Also, you miss your doggies. Look forward to going home, putting your feet up and watching Georgia take down that disgusting, revolting failed former president and hand him his floppy ass.
PS - You both will sleep when it's time. Give up trying - if you can't sleep then get up. The more you fight it, the worse it'll feel. Staring at the ceiling makes it worse (for me). So does the iphone. Reading a book is cool. Standing outside is also good.
I’m sorry to hear this. I had a bout with insomnia years ago and it sucked. I did have a sleep study, which was fun and interesting and got myself a really sexy CPAP machine. I have to tell you, I look AMAZING with that mask on. But anyway, I hope you and Martha feel better soon!
Make sure it’s very cold when you sleep - American style air conditioning helps. And I agree with the commentor above that it’s because the world as we know it - and democracy as we know it - is on the chopping block in so many places, and I think that’s creating world-wide insomnia (for those of us who care about these things).
Hydroxyzine gave me horrific nightmares. Trazadone made me feel like a zombie. Cannabis gummies have helped tremendously. It's legal now where we are. Husband has five plants and he makes his own (A Granddaddy Purple and Bruce Banner combination.) I know it's not for everyone, but it turns the noise down in my brain. I don't have nightmares on it. I don't wake up groggy. Cotton mouth is my only complaint and I use lozenges at night that help.
Also - have either of you done a sleep study? Might be worth investigating. Good luck. Insomnia sucks.
Insomnia is the worst. It nibbles away your life. I had it for years. Then I started drinking a tea made with valerian, and it has given me back a full night’s sleep. I’ve tried other herbal teas named for being sleep-inducing, but I found that valerian and only valerian works. It’s worth trying if she hasn’t. Good luck.
Oof...that's the worst. When your sleep is off, it affects everything else.
But we're the same age, and I've struggled with the same thing, so for what it's worth: it could be a magnesium deficiency? It's apparently very common, unless your daily diet includes a boatload of chia and pumpkin seeds, and you absorb it less efficiently as you get older: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/
A liquid magnesium citrate supplement is absorbed best, so for the past month I've been putting 300 mg (1.5 tsp) in water, letting it dissolve for about 15 minutes, and taking it just before bed. The result: 8 hours of seriously great sleep. Every night.
The trippy part is that it can make your dreams more vivid, which has to do with improved REM sleep, but if that's not a deal-breaker, I'd recommend it.
Am so sorry the both of you are going through this. We just don't fully appreciate sleep, until it's taken away from us. Then the real nightmare begins.
Two things that have helped me in the past: making sure not to eat supper/food late, and getting a cheap "red light therapy" lamp. Best to ya'll!
I took Ambien 6 nights a week for 15 years, but I mentioned to my new sleep specialist that on “off-nights” without the Ambien, I was so restless that it was almost painful to just try and lie there.
He ended up prescribing Hydroxyzine, which is an antihistamine. It helps a lot. I can take it every night, and it’s not habit-forming. It doesn’t cause any hypnogogic euphoria (sadly), but it does make me just sleepy enough to fall asleep most nights (with no grogginess at all). I’ve been taking it nightly for 1.5 years. I occasionally supplement with 2.5mg Ambien (half the standard dosage), but typically I’m fine without it.
Have you read about Sentinel Theory? It’s fascinating. I only found out about it while trying to figure out my own sleep issues. Essentially:
They speculate that certain individuals tend to be more wakeful at night, which is certainly beneficial in a tribe/group because they can keep watch at night. Additionally, age-related sleep schedules seem to correlate to certain traits of that age. I’m going off of memory here, but something along the lines of teenagers being more wakeful at night because their night vision is better, etc.
Haven’t read about it in awhile, but wanted to share. Hoping you and your wife get some lovely restful sleep post-haste!
Yes. Possibly about drug induced insomnia. I’ve been listening to that song since it came out when I was preteen and played it in numerous bands. One day about 6-7 years ago, Sirius dj Earl Bailey gave the backstory and suddenly it all made sense.
When back in Savannah, maybe your wife should try to find a functional medicine physician. I had been on Trazodone for over 20 years trying to get a full night's rest. I struggled with stressful dreams. The functional med doc ran a full hormone panel on me. My PCP never did that or suggested it.
Now I am finally sleeping soundly. No more anxious stressful dreams. No more prescription meds.
It might not work for you guys, but it's an option to try.
BTW, as a resident of metro Atlanta, I adore Savannah. It's just too long of a drive to get there often. Gorgeous city. Great cuisine. Unique culture. Lucky you.
I inherited my mother’s intense insomnia. She still only gets maybe four hours of sleep a night. The only reason she gets that much is Ambien. I take Ambien as well along with an embarrassing plethora of other sleeps meds: 20mg Melatonin; 0.8mg Clonidine; 100 mg Trazadone; 4mg Ativan; 5-7 pills of Unisom.
This is without a doubt bad for my sleep cycle overall, buts it’s the only way I’ve found to get about 7 good hours of sleep. Insomnia is pernicious and creeps up in severity until It’s at a peak of wakefulness that I realize I’m having another night with very little sleep. I pray (I’m not actually going to prey, but the gesture behind a compassionate prayer is still there) that all sufferers find their way back to some semblance of a decent sleep cycle.
More like insomniawesome.
I know both depression and insomnia intimately. I'm sure a LOT of us do. I'm 55, and the depression started when I was 12. The insomnia can get worse for me during a depressive episode, or wonderfully, for no reason whatsoever. If I were to guess, you and your wife might still be on US time even though you feel like you've morphed to time over here. I moved to England from Canada 17 years ago, and it took me a good 2-3 years for my body to get used to the time difference. Also, you miss your doggies. Look forward to going home, putting your feet up and watching Georgia take down that disgusting, revolting failed former president and hand him his floppy ass.
PS - You both will sleep when it's time. Give up trying - if you can't sleep then get up. The more you fight it, the worse it'll feel. Staring at the ceiling makes it worse (for me). So does the iphone. Reading a book is cool. Standing outside is also good.
https://youtu.be/RpqSnXDjhbs
Alan Watts has a plan:
https://youtu.be/npgVq7-Fioo
I’m sorry to hear this. I had a bout with insomnia years ago and it sucked. I did have a sleep study, which was fun and interesting and got myself a really sexy CPAP machine. I have to tell you, I look AMAZING with that mask on. But anyway, I hope you and Martha feel better soon!
Also - how can that be profitable for Frito Lay?
So incredibly grateful you made a Substack. I pray you and your wife find peaceful sleep ❤️
Make sure it’s very cold when you sleep - American style air conditioning helps. And I agree with the commentor above that it’s because the world as we know it - and democracy as we know it - is on the chopping block in so many places, and I think that’s creating world-wide insomnia (for those of us who care about these things).
Hydroxyzine gave me horrific nightmares. Trazadone made me feel like a zombie. Cannabis gummies have helped tremendously. It's legal now where we are. Husband has five plants and he makes his own (A Granddaddy Purple and Bruce Banner combination.) I know it's not for everyone, but it turns the noise down in my brain. I don't have nightmares on it. I don't wake up groggy. Cotton mouth is my only complaint and I use lozenges at night that help.
Also - have either of you done a sleep study? Might be worth investigating. Good luck. Insomnia sucks.
Insomnia is the worst. It nibbles away your life. I had it for years. Then I started drinking a tea made with valerian, and it has given me back a full night’s sleep. I’ve tried other herbal teas named for being sleep-inducing, but I found that valerian and only valerian works. It’s worth trying if she hasn’t. Good luck.
Oof...that's the worst. When your sleep is off, it affects everything else.
But we're the same age, and I've struggled with the same thing, so for what it's worth: it could be a magnesium deficiency? It's apparently very common, unless your daily diet includes a boatload of chia and pumpkin seeds, and you absorb it less efficiently as you get older: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/
A liquid magnesium citrate supplement is absorbed best, so for the past month I've been putting 300 mg (1.5 tsp) in water, letting it dissolve for about 15 minutes, and taking it just before bed. The result: 8 hours of seriously great sleep. Every night.
The trippy part is that it can make your dreams more vivid, which has to do with improved REM sleep, but if that's not a deal-breaker, I'd recommend it.
Am so sorry the both of you are going through this. We just don't fully appreciate sleep, until it's taken away from us. Then the real nightmare begins.
Two things that have helped me in the past: making sure not to eat supper/food late, and getting a cheap "red light therapy" lamp. Best to ya'll!
I took Ambien 6 nights a week for 15 years, but I mentioned to my new sleep specialist that on “off-nights” without the Ambien, I was so restless that it was almost painful to just try and lie there.
He ended up prescribing Hydroxyzine, which is an antihistamine. It helps a lot. I can take it every night, and it’s not habit-forming. It doesn’t cause any hypnogogic euphoria (sadly), but it does make me just sleepy enough to fall asleep most nights (with no grogginess at all). I’ve been taking it nightly for 1.5 years. I occasionally supplement with 2.5mg Ambien (half the standard dosage), but typically I’m fine without it.
Have you read about Sentinel Theory? It’s fascinating. I only found out about it while trying to figure out my own sleep issues. Essentially:
They speculate that certain individuals tend to be more wakeful at night, which is certainly beneficial in a tribe/group because they can keep watch at night. Additionally, age-related sleep schedules seem to correlate to certain traits of that age. I’m going off of memory here, but something along the lines of teenagers being more wakeful at night because their night vision is better, etc.
Haven’t read about it in awhile, but wanted to share. Hoping you and your wife get some lovely restful sleep post-haste!
Insomnia is a bitch. I hope you and Martha sleep well tonight.
Chicago wrote 25 or 6 to 4 about insomnia. Just sayin’…
Well I'll be damned.
Really?! I have to look at this. Terry Kath?
Yes. Possibly about drug induced insomnia. I’ve been listening to that song since it came out when I was preteen and played it in numerous bands. One day about 6-7 years ago, Sirius dj Earl Bailey gave the backstory and suddenly it all made sense.
When back in Savannah, maybe your wife should try to find a functional medicine physician. I had been on Trazodone for over 20 years trying to get a full night's rest. I struggled with stressful dreams. The functional med doc ran a full hormone panel on me. My PCP never did that or suggested it.
Now I am finally sleeping soundly. No more anxious stressful dreams. No more prescription meds.
It might not work for you guys, but it's an option to try.
BTW, as a resident of metro Atlanta, I adore Savannah. It's just too long of a drive to get there often. Gorgeous city. Great cuisine. Unique culture. Lucky you.
Ahhh... I adore music trivia. Sone obvious things just go over my head. I didn’t know this! Thanks.
Went over my head for nearly 50 years. Earl Bailey deserves the thanks.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7uAUoz7jimg