# Insomnia



## linda2001 (Apr 14, 2001)

HiI have problems sleeping and it's not getting any better. My therapist has set taks to help with insomnia and anxiety. I set aside 20 minutes each day to worry when I come home from work each day. Once I have finished worrying for 20 minutes that's it, I am not allowed to stress or worry for the evening. It's quite hard, I'm fine until I go to bed and then my mind starts thinking about things making it impossible for me to sleep. My mind just won't shut down. When I can't sleep, after 20 minutes I get up and do something for 20 minutes, housework etc then go back to bed for 20 minutes etc. I'm also listening to Mike's insomnia tape however the more I try to relax and sleep the more stressed I get! At the moment I'm getting between 2-5 hours sleep.I don't drink caffeine, soft drinks and I hardly drink alcohol anymore. I have a warm bath before I go to bed to help me relax. I'm starting tai chi next week which hopefully will help.My next therapist appointment is in early September as he is on holidays, so if anyone can offer some advice I would greatly appreciate it. I'm thinking of going to the dr. to get some sleeping tablets. I did get some a few weeks ago but they were not strong enough for me. I don't want to start taking sleeping tablets again, but not sure what else I can do.ThanksLinda[This message has been edited by linda2001 (edited 08-06-2001).]


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## cookies4marilyn (Jun 30, 2000)

Hi Linda...I am sorry to hear of your problems. I am NOT an expert on insomnia, so basically I am just here to give you support. It sounds like you are doing all the right things. One thing I thought of, and it may not apply at all, but I can speak for myself, and perhaps it will give you some thoughts...we all have natural biorhythms...circadian and so forth. My mom, my sister and myself had always been night people; so much so, that we were/are most alert, most brain active from twilight to dawn. As soon as the sun comes out...down our productivity went. (One reason why I volunteered for all night duty for some of my kid's school events.) Perhaps that is part of the problem. Have you ever had a chance to test this out? Are you wiped out during the day at work...not just from lack of sleep. Well, I don't really know what you can do about it, because I am the same way, and I know you are working with a therapist and dealing with stress and anxiety. But sometimes when you are not "allowed" to do something, that is what you most want to do!!! When you have those 20 minutes, go thru each worry thought and say: what would happen if this worry came true, and then keep going with it and address what you would do. Sometimes if you pick it apart and look it in the face it diffuses it somewhat. Then you have given it full attention, then let it go. If the 20 minutes seem like a tightrope for you, then naturally when you are trying to calm and quiet yourself for sleep, it is going to bring up "unfinished business!!!" the only other thing is if you can do physical work/exercise in the day somehow, not right before bed, but earlier, that may help a bit. Anyway, good luck..as you can see by my post...night person too!







Take care... ~ MarilynI came back to add something...I just read your other post on Shyras Introduction thread...(should have read that first!) You have gone thru so much, and you are addressing things quite well, I wish I had some concrete things to help you with insomnia, but with the loss and trauma you have suffered in your life, I can see why you are going thru these things. For me, I quietly mention that I have my beliefs and faith (not religious, just spiritual), not to offend, but that is what helps me, and also during time of insomnia for myself, I turn to that part of my life. If I offend by mentioning this, I sincerely and respectfully understand. Just mentioning what I myself do...Again, my thoughts are with you...hope you are better soon! (((HUGS))) ~ M*[This message has been edited by cookies4marilyn (edited 08-06-2001).]


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## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

Linda, Marilyn gave you some good advise.Here is some info just worth reading. http://health.yahoo.com/health/Diseases_an...ing_difficulty/ ------------------Moderator of the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Anxiety and Hypnotherapy forumI work with Mike and the IBS Audio Program. www.ibshealth.com www.ibsaudioprogram.com


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## norbert46 (Feb 20, 2001)

Linda, some of us have a paradoxical effect to some meds and respond exactly opposite what is supposed to happen. I also had severe insomnia one time after 30 yrs of shift work. Sleeping pills didn't work right on me at all. The following things did help : excercise, hot bath before bedtime, hypnotapes(don't try to concentrate just let go) some antidepressants work great, Remeron(works on the histamine receptors and will put you out) trazedone(Desyrel) also helped a lot. Some of the OTC herbs will help such a KavaKava or Valerian but you need to be careful and don't take other meds with them. Good luck, Norb


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## Mikala1 (Jun 22, 2001)

Kava Kava works for me. I"m not an herbalist and I am always skeptical about taking anything before I"m well informed so I like to research them on my own. I would advise the same to you, but from what I've read, there are no side effects unless you take huge doses. Good luck


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## jane93 (Jan 21, 2000)

That's odd..setting aside 20 minutes to worry? That would onl;y increase my thoughts to be frantic. I'm trying to set aside 10 minutes a day to meditate..to clear my mind or attempt to...at least not to attach jusdgement to thoughts.Yoga is also great for relaxation and I think TaiChi will help too.


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## linda2001 (Apr 14, 2001)

Hi Everyone







Marilyn, I think I'm actually a morning person - I'm more productive at work in the morning up until about 2.00 in the afternoon when I start to feel tired. If it was possible I would start work earlier and finish earlier. Thanks for the great advice on the 20 minutes worrying time, I think that I was trying to fit too much worrying into the 20 minutes! I was trying to focus on all my stress and anxiety at once and was not working thru each thought separately and then letting go. You didn't offend me at all with your beliefs, I respect all beliefs whether they are religious or spiritual. Many thanks for your support.Eric thanks for the reading, it has made me think twice about getting another prescription for sleeping tablets.Thanks Norb and Mikala1 on the info on Kava Kava, I will do some research on this to decide if I should take it. I have also realised I don't do any form of excercise anymore and in fact I have got very lazy! so I have decided to join a gym in the next few weeks.Jane, At first I also thought it was odd to make myself worry for 20 minutes each day! I have tried relaxation and self hypno excerises which my therapist suggested but my mind just wouldn't close down and I was getting more stressed as I wasn't able to relax. This exercise is also teaching me to let go of anxiety and stress and not to keep hold of it.Thank you so much for your words of advice and support.Take careLinda


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## AZmom1 (Dec 6, 1999)

Linda,Twenty minutes a day seems a lot to me too. Just enough time to really get worked up and anxious, and probably hard to turn off.How about packing all of your anxious thoughts into one minute? Then you can be done with it for the rest of the day.







Milton Erickson was the most famous, talented hypnotherapist in history. He had a client with insomnia that was told that everynight he couldn't sleep to get up and do the household chore he hated most. That chore was cleaning the floors. So the first night he couldn't sleep he got up and scrubbed the kitchen floor. The next night Erickson told him to clean the kitchen floors and the dining room floors. The next night, he had to clean the kitchen, dining room, and family room floors. The next night he slept all night long.







AZ


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