I have severe insomnia need ideas?

Question

I have had insomnia for at least 6 years. I have been on every med. possible. I've been to sleep clinics and have tried every home remedy known to mankind.
Can some people just have different time clocks?

Answer 1

Did something happen 6 years ago that started this problem? Think about it.

Do you have caffiene in your diet? At all? Try eliminating it completely. Do you have any alcohol after about 5pm? Eliminate that. After dinner by 6 or 6:30 pm go into calm down mode. Keep your evening as low key as possible.

As a teen I would go to sleep listening to music every night.
Now I go to sleep to the tv on low, in sleep mode. If I plan to watch something, I always go to sleep. But this gives me peaceful wind down time.

Work on purging your diet and then gently add things back to see if you can identify the problem.

With age the more meds I have to take the worse my sleep schedule is. Night before last I slept 5 hours, woke at one thirty am and didn't sleep again until 9:30 last night. Now I have been up since 4. It is a challenge.

If you have begun taking medications in recent years for any reason, these could be contributing factors.

Try going liquid diet for 2 or three days . Then eat light, small meals. It might help. I know wheat gives me a big problem and I am better when not eating it.

We are all individuals and do have different body clocks.
My husband is an owl. He goes to bed at midnight to 3 am.
I get up at 4 to 6 am. Sleeping till seven only happens to me once every 5 years or so. I now only require 5 to 7 hours a night. Then after a couple of weeks I have to take a nighttime Pm to catch up.

If you have any sort of a weight problem. Lose some weight.
My Mother in law had sleep apnea and severe snoring for a lifetime. She was only 5 ft tall and 168 lbs. Then the Dr. bumped up her thyroid meds and she droppped to 150 .With that small weight loss on her short squat frame it reduced weight around her neck and eliminated a lifetime problem.

So analyse the many things you could do and see what you can do to change the problem.

Try a Chiropractic adjustment (tell he or she the problem) It might just be s simple solution. The misalignment of the body can cause so many problems.

I would start a list and list everything you eat, ingest, what you do and how you feel. Then work on the list and try to eliminate things one at a time to find a solution.

These are all just suggestions of course, but maybe something will work. Good Luck!

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Revised on 3/29:

Have you had a cortisol test? Some people produce this stress hormone at inappropriate times, like when they should be asleep. Usually, the condition comes on as a result of prolonged stress. (There could also be a tumor on an adrenal gland, but the doctor should be able to tell what is what. However, be sure to get a second opinion if a doctor tells you that you have a tumor. ) Many doctors don't understand how to treat this kind of adrenal problem, unfortunately. But if you are producing too much cortisol, you'll need to take L-Serine, DHEA and proper adrenal gland supplements to correct it. DHEA is not something to do on your own, but it's safe to take L-Serine a couple times during the day on an empty stomach. It can be purchased at a health food store. That alone could help the problem. But DHEA and adrenal gland supplements will likely be needed for further support and to rebuild the adrenals. Hopefully you can find a doctor to check your cortisol levels. It's simply a saliva test you do at set hours during the day and evening.

With high nighttime cortisol, nothing in the way of OTC pills, sleeping pills, herbals, melatonin, etc. may help you sleep at night. But you may sleep well during the day without taking anything. Some people are unable to sleep for days until they "crash". Then they go through the cycle again. Providing proper adrenal support along with rebuilding the adrenals provides a "cure", but the sources of stress also need to be addressed. When a person has this condition, they are at risk for Addison's disease, which is deadly serious. It wouldn't hurt to at least get this checked out, if you haven't already.

Answer 4

Sleep hygiene is an approach to sleep problems in a systematic way. Some things: long naps during the daytime (> 1 hr) may limit your ability to sleep later. Limit caffeine intake, although green tea (which has a little caffeine) may also contain some sleep promoting properties. Don't go to bed unless you are tired. If you find yourself tossing and turning, get up, sit in a chair and try reading something (watching TV is direct light stimulation and may end up keeping you up later). Keep the bed for sleep and sex only. Some people with insomnia read, do homework, etc so the bed becomes associated with activities rather than sleep. Try winding down from the day by sitting quietly before going to bed. If you can take up yoga, morning exercises and evening meditation may also help with sleep. If you can afford it or it's covered by insurance, consider getting a sleep study. They may identify behavioral or physical reasons for your insomnia.

Answer 5

Perhaps you need to change the place you sleep. Are you sleeping at the same bed in the same room for 6 years?


I used to work in graveyard shifts (7pm to 7am). Therefore I need to stay awake on my off days and switch over to night shift on my working days.
I am able to sleep using the following:
- melatonin : I took 1-2mg. I have colleagues that take up to 6 mg. The average is about 3mg. This is non additive. Another point is melatonin need no doctor's prescription. You can read more from this site
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/melatonin.....
I have even read from books on melatonin that it is an anti-aging pill. Not bad. You sleep and stop growing old.
- use lavender aromatherapy. Lavender smell help me to sleep after a night shift.
Some addition tips I used
- The most important rule is not to force yourself to sleep.
- Get a boring book with a topic you want to learn. Read until you are ready to sleep. Listen to classic music as you read.
- No activity before you sleep. Avoid watching movies, reading ghost stories, pillow fights, exercising.
- Keep the clock as far away as possible. The ticking make you even more afraid and awake.

Answer 6

Insomnia (sleeplessness) is due to stress,
dietary and medical problems. By making
small lifestyle changes like having a fixed
daily routine, relaxing and eating properly,
insomnia can be cured. I found the information at

Answer 7

Yuck. Poor you. I have insomnia from years of shift work. Meds don't solve the problem. :( Try some melatonin. You can get it at any health food store. That might help. Worked for me for a little while. :)

Answer 8

I sleep better after going to the gym in the afternoon,

I don't have insomnia, I just wake up every couple of hours if I don't run on the tread mill before going to bed

Answer 9

if you cannot sleep refuse to sleep. in such way you can add many hours of time for your job. maybe you should change your approach. when you had enough of wake hours, you will sleep naturally, I think.