He peered down my throat and then motioned for his assistant to come over. Oddly enough, it was my dentist, Michael Gelb, who diagnosed my problem when I went to get a new one. Nothing worked.Īnd then I crunched through the night guard I wore to stop me from grinding my teeth at night. I tried giving up wheat, dairy, sugar, and- finally, painfully-wine. I tried sleeping in a different room from my husband. I took lavender baths, hung blackout curtains, wore a sleep mask and earplugs. I followed all the "sleep hygiene" advice: no naps, getting out of bed at the same time every day, no caffeine, no screens an hour before bed. I went to a psychiatrist, who diagnosed anxiety and prescribed sleeping pills, which did not help me get more sleep but did make me feel more cotton-headed the day after I took them. I went to a gastroenterologist and a nutritionist, who failed to find anything wrong with my stomach or diet. (I gave birth to my fourth child during this period-another red herring that threw everyone off: "Of course you're tired! Of course you feel crazy! You are crazy.") I went to my general practitioner: Was it cancer, Lyme disease, hyperthyroidism, early-onset Alzheimer's? He tested me for all of them. I went to my gynecologist: Was it perimenopause? No, she said, just stress and postpartum hormones. I am fortunate to have good health insurance, and I put it to use. It became hard to eat out because everything but the plainest food made me sick. My body began to break down: My ankle gave out mysteriously, and I had to wear an orthopedic boot for months. Now I could barely keep my mind on a task for 15 minutes. In the past, I'd prided myself on being an efficient, hard worker. I'd always been an insomniac, but this was a new level of hell. The episodes started in my early thirties and went on for years, gradually progressing in severity and frequency until, according to my Fitbit, I was averaging only four hours of sleep a night. And my life! Was I dying? This gasping and sweating in the night- something was wrong with me. Even the happy scenes curdled in this film-I was screwing up my children, ruining my marriage, wasting my life. I'd then proceed to lie awake for hours, my life flashing before my eyes-but only the sad, bad, mad parts.
#Insomnia help reddit skin
My heart would be racing, my skin clammy, my organs suffused with grief and fear, like I'd been pickled in some bitter brine while I slept, and now, at 2 or 3 a.m., I was fighting my way out of the jar.
#Insomnia help reddit professional
Depending on the cause of insomnia, a referral to a mental health professional may help some people.I'd wake in the middle of the night, gasping for breath as though surfacing from a near drowning. Your doctor may prescribe medication and have you try other strategies to get your sleep pattern back on track. To determine the cause and best treatment for insomnia, you may need to see a sleep specialist. If you keep having sleep problems, talk to your doctor. Also, treating insomnia may help depression symptoms improve faster. Treatment for one of these underlying conditions may be necessary for insomnia to get better. In some cases, insomnia is caused by a medical condition such as sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome or chronic pain, or by a mental health disorder such as depression. Go to another room and read or do other quiet activities until you feel sleepy.
Don't engage in activities other than sleeping or sex in your bedroom. Keep light, noise and the temperature at levels that are comfortable and won't disturb your rest. Gentle yoga or progressive muscle relaxation can ease tension and help tight muscles to relax.
Avoid prolonged use of electronic devices with a screen, such as laptops, smartphones and ebooks before bed. For example, drink a cup of caffeine-free tea, take a warm shower or listen to soft music.