Comments on: Insomnia can be absolutely destructive

By: Martin Reed

Martin Reed — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 20:20:45 +0000

You are lucky that a) you have two doctors working together to help you and b) that you even have one doctor that is taking your insomnia seriously.

I hear from lots of people that are just brushed off and made to feel as though their condition doesn’t matter and isn’t serious.

Thanks for sharing how you cope with your insomnia. I admire your positivity.

By: Ursula

Ursula — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 03:17:52 +0000

I’m lucky to have two doctors — one local, one specialist — working together. They both understand that I do not want to take pills the rest of my life. (I don’t even like to take Tylenol for aches.)

I just try to make the most of it. If I’m up at night, I do quiet stuff like laundry, reading…whatever is on my list of things to do that won’t wake up the household. Even if I don’t get any sleep, at least I have more time during the day for the stuff my son wants to do.

The only drawback is that I don’t dare drive after a bad night. Even if I feel fine, I treat my insomnia like any other impairment.

By: Martin Reed

Martin Reed — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 18:18:17 +0000

Thanks for sharing, Ursula – especially such a personal story. I’m glad you’re coping better now and can only imagine the frustration you have endured over the years. Fingers crossed your son avoids the same experience as you – and here’s hoping that the fact the doctor’s haven’t given up on you means there may yet be hope for getting you asleep at night.

Serial Insomniac – That’s exactly the kind of reaction that gets us mad – have you tried seeing other doctors? That kind of response is totally unacceptable.

By: Serial Insomniac

Serial Insomniac — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 14:34:54 +0000

I was recently told by a GP when I asked for sleeping pills that insomnia “won’t kill me” and in fact is pretty non-harmful. Needless to say, I complained, citing several articles refuting his comments.

Insomnia is possibly the worst single aspect of my mental illnesses. I cannot describe the misery of it.

By: Ursula

Ursula — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 04:32:11 +0000

I’ve been suffereing from insomnia for 12 years. The first year was the worst: I was so desperate for sleep, I took a bunch of sleeping pills and washed them down with alcohol. (I remember Oprah was on TV.) I told my fiance-at-the-time, what I had done to get some sleep, and he had the sense to take me to the hospital, where they made me eat 16 oz of liquid charcoal. Needless to say, I have avoided sleeping pills since then, and I don’t drink, but I still struggle with the insomnia.

I married my fiance, and we have been together since 1998, but the insomnia puts a huge strain on our relationship. Although he is supportive, he can’t understand it because he is one of those people who falls alseep litereally when his head hits the pillow.

At one point in time, I suffered short-term memory loss, which led to a barrage of tests. It was explained to me that my brain was shutting down what it considered to be non-vital functions in order to conserve energy during the most severe period of my insomnia.

I’ve been through all kinds of treatments, medical exams and sleep studies. All my doctors agree that something is wrong with my circadian rhythm, but they don’t know what & they are still experimenting with different medications. The pills I take now usually get me 5-6 hours most nights, but I feel half-alive during the day.

It is so depressing to think that I might never be able to sleep like a normal person ever again. The worst part is knowing that it runs in my side of the family, and I don’t want my son to develop it.