Crazy, crazy sleep.

[bluecloud87]

My sleep problems are back. Induced by stress from my break up and possible over exercise too. Constant waking up, every 2 hours, at times no dreams at all, then really vivid dreams going extremely fast where I feel half conscious. Also, it seems to disturb any sort of nocturnal erections.

Anyone else getting this? some of the crazy vivid dreams prey on my anxiety, which shows stress has probably gotten to me.

[BP7667]

When I came off for 6 weeks, I would go to sleep at midnight and wake up at 4:30 am like clockwork everynight. I wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep and wouldn’t feel tired at all throughout the day.

Then using clonzepam I was able to get more sleep but I would still wake up around 4-5 am but I would be able to get back to sleep for a few hrs.

No dreams throughout this thou.

Now 4.5 months off, I am getting considerably better sleep thou still not the same… I sleep maybe 7 hours (which used to never be enough. used to need 8-10) and only might feel slightly tired throughout the day. Dreams have returned occasionally. This has been a considerable improvement.

[venceremos]

Sleep is so important to everybody and especially to us with our conditions, you need to adress your sleep problems ASAP, this should be your priority now. Before going to benzodiazepines (highly unrecommended) you could try stuff like GABA or other gabaergics like phenibut (beware of acquired tolerance with chronic use, with rebound of anxiety afterwards), theanine (good stuff for anxiety), herbs like bacopa and ashwagandha, maybe 5-htp (but do some research on it first) or L-triptophan, of course melatonin, also ZMA helps some people to sleep and zinc and magneisum are good for us anyway. Also phosphatidylserine if you have high cortisol levels at night (which could be the reason of your sleep problems… but too low cortisol at night also give sleep issues!)

adrenalfatigue.org/adrenal-fatigue-related-health-conditions/sleep-disruptions.html

Stress and adrenal function affect sleep, particularly the circadian pattern of cortisol secretion by the adrenal glands. Circulating cortisol normally rises and falls throughout the 24 hour daily cycle, and is typically highest at around 8 AM and lowest between midnight and 4 AM. Both high and low nighttime cortisol levels can interrupt sound sleep.*

Stress normally causes a surge in adrenal hormones like adrenaline and cortisol that increase alertness, making it more difficult to relax into sound sleep - especially when they remain high or rise and fall irregularly through the night. Frequent or constant stress can chronically elevate these hormone levels, resulting in a hypervigilant state incompatible with restful sleep.*

If this is the reason for poor sleep, anything that reduces stress and enhances the ability to handle stress may improve sleep. This can include relaxation, breathing and/or meditation techniques, certain yoga postures, healthy lifestyle changes, and stress-relieving life alterations. Refraining from vigorous exercise in the evening and taking time to consciously relax before going to bed may calm the adrenals and help lower cortisol and adrenaline levels.*

When the adrenals fatigue, adrenal hormone levels may become low, leading to another possible source of nighttime sleep disruption – low blood sugar.* Cortisol plays an important role in maintaining blood sugar (glucose) levels around the clock. Although blood glucose is normally low by the early morning hours, during adrenal fatigue cortisol levels may not stay sufficient to adequately sustain blood glucose.* Low glucose signals an internal alarm (glucose is the main fuel for all cells, including brain cells) that disrupts sleep so the person can wake up and refuel.

Low nighttime blood glucose can also result from inadequate glycogen reserves in the liver. Cortisol causes these reserves to be broken down into glucose that is then available to the cells. When low cortisol and low glycogen reserves coincide, blood glucose will most likely drop, disrupting sleep.*

Waking between 1 AM and 3 AM may indicate low blood sugar resulting from inadequate glycogen reserves in the liver, low adrenal function and cortisol, or both. This is often the culprit when panic or anxiety attacks, nightmares, or fitful, restless sleep occur between 1:00 and 4:00 AM.

If low blood sugar is disrupting sound sleep, supporting healthy adrenal function and dealing with the adrenal fatigue may contribute long term to sound sleep.* Also having a healthy snack before bed can help fortify the body’s nighttime energy reserves. The snack should be one or two bites of food that contains protein, unrefined carbohydrate, and high quality fat, such as half a slice of whole grain toast with peanut butter or a slice of cheese on a whole grain cracker. Eating or drinking sugary, refined foods will only aggravate the problem. Sometimes exercising before bed can help, since exercise tends to raise cortisol levels.*

Try to get your hands on some of the supplements I mentionned ASAP and use the ones that work for you, seriously.

[bluecloud87]

My sleep is still a mess, it’s really annoying because it was pretty good after a while of been off the drug. I am taking melatonin and 5 htp again, I have tried GABA and a source naturals product which is meant to be really good but that doesn’t do anything.

[bryce54]

yeah, i used to wake up exactly every 5 hours after i fell asleep on the mark… which was pretty crazy, then i couldnt fall back asleep again. then i stopped dreaming, but my dreams started to come back after i started taking liquid cod liver oil every day.

[bryce54]

to you guys who have sleeping problems, can you share what vitamins/supplements/extra stuff you take that isn’t food? more specifically, are you taking vitamin D by any chance and how much?