Alright this is embarrassing but **** it. Ever since I was younger I have had an irrational fear of the dark....or well....the "unknown" per se. I don't know if it's a phobia or what. Anyway. Basically....at night I literally don't sleep. Let me explain. I have had a relative living with me all of my life. And this individual was always here at night for 20 years of my life. Well now this person took the night shift and it has been all hell ever since. I simply cannot fall asleep by myself. I mean this quite literally. Go ahead and get all the jokes out of the way early. Initially I stayed up to about 6 or 6:30 am until my relative came home, and then I would sleep until time for work. This "sleep" was always broken and I woke up restless, and, well, full of horrific nightmares. Frankly, I feel miserable. Now it is impossible to sleep at night. I have not slept at night since about February 1st. When I attempt to sleep, I will lay in bed for hours. I stayed in bed from like midnight to 6 am one night in attempt at a prayer for sleep. I've taken well over double the recommended dosages of various non-prescription sleeping pills/aids to no avail. I will get drowsy, but no sleep. This freaking SUCKS. The crazy thing is I feel like I am going to pass out from fatigue every time I go to work, but I always end up recovering and feeling great at work, generally full of energy. This lasts until the night, when I can't sleep, and the fatigue kicks my ass from 6 am until I head into work every day. This is like torture, man. To be honest, in the past three days, I've probably achieved maybe 8 hours of sleep. I didn't sleep last night (stayed in bed for four hours, EVEN when my relative came home) and I am simply not sleepy now, because I KNOW I cannot sleep. The thing is that I have to be "up" in four hours and I know by doing this I am ****ing my body over. Idk man.... The last incident where I made it into a solid sleep was for about two and a half hours....in which I felt tapping on my arm....like tap tap...tap tap....tap tap...in this dream state, for some reason, I couldn't open my eyes...so I got up out of my bad and felt around my house for what felt like a little over 30-45 seconds....in a blind stupor...and when I was finally able to open my eyes....I woke up in my bed....freaked the hell out. I was like f*** this. Overall, I need a resolution. I'm dying here. #cool/kinda crazy story bro
1. Have you ever talked with a professional about this? 2. Have you ever tried sleep medication? 3. Have you simply tried sleeping with the lights on?
1) Initially yes. I was prescribed Ambien.....never took that...looong story. At that time period I was having sleep issues, but they seemed resolved. Now with this adjustment, the **** hit the fan. No longer have the medication. Long story again. Generally the consensus is that the imagination and restless mind will play tricks on you. Kinda afraid to return to see my doctor. However, back is against the wall. Might not have a choice. Need to catch some Zzz's. 2) See above. 3) Yes, I have tried both methods. Dark. Lights on. Lights with television. Television with no lights. Everything.
Close to what roxxfan said. I started listening to Podcasts in bed. Tune in to something like Dan Carlin's Hardcore History or Star Talk with Neil deGrasse Tyson. It's fascinating stuff, especially during my commutes. But when I'm lying down, it lulls me right to sleep.
Definitely seems like something you should see a professional for, but in the meantime, have you tried booze? It's obviously not ideal (nor a solution to the larger problem at hand), but might not be an awful idea as a band-aid until you are able to see a doctor. Not suggesting you get loaded every night, but a nightcap might take the edge off and reduce your anxiety to a point where you're able to fall asleep. Sounds terrible, good luck and I hope you're able to resolve this problem soon.
^ That is one of the worst suggestions possible. Instead, as a temporary remedy try something simple like a video talking you down to calmness and relaxxation which would lead to sleep. Essentially falling asleep is about slowing the mind and the heart rate, both of which you can control with your breathing. When you want to sleep, practice taking 3-4 deep breaths, holding it for a few seconds before exhaling. Then try to keep a slow and regular breathing rate - this will take effort so if your mind wanders, conscientiously bring it back to think about your breathing rate. Something like the following video. Watch it once consciously to see that there's nothing weird in it, then try to follow those instructions. I think this is better than listening to music, but ideally you would pick up a really boring book and make that put you to sleep instead of a video or music. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/p8EtGMAxHbE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
You need to go to your primary doctor and tell them EVERYTHING. He'll probably give you some meds to try to help you sleep. He may need you to talk to someone who specializes in this to help, but probably not before he tries some medication in the short term. The important thing here is that your doctor sees this all the time. You're not a freak, you probably just have some anxiety, and most people struggle with anxiety at one or more times in their life. Go get help immediately, it will be a LOT easier than you think it will. In fact, you'll probably be mad at yourself that you waited this long once you do.
Why are you afraid of the dark or unknown? Previous incident that haunts you subconsciously? Just the active imagination? Maybe you need a partner in the sack to both distract your mind and give you a sense of security.
OP, among the other suggestions (please see a doctor about it), I would start a little journal. Just start writing about it, even when it's really frustrating. I don't mean writing "I still can't sleep" over and over. I mean writing about whatever you're really afraid of. I've definitely had times in life where I was too worked up to sleep well, and sitting and writing to myself this way often helped. I have no idea why. Also, a lot of the deep breathing and meditation techniques really do work. You have to activate what's called your "parasympathetic" nervous system and all those techniques really do that *physically*. If the body gets sleepy, the mind eventually follows. Also, I would double my work-out routine if I were you. And if you don't have a workout routine, start one. Finally, some people really benefit from so-called "white noise". Like just get a radio in another room tuned to nothing. Just a hiss. Good luck! And don't be embarrassed. It's just something you have to work through.
Drink a sixer of 16oz budlights a few hrs prior to bed time, if that doesnt work throw in a joint and a xanax. You can thank me later for the advise.
This isn't going to be solved by CF therapy. Longterm management with a psychiatrist and careful use of sleep aids is your best bet.
Have you ever tried reading before going to sleep? Pick a nice, long, boring book and it might help. Reading right before going to bed always knocks me out.
