re: Insomnia. What can I do about this? Will I die?

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I can't really figure out what's going on with me but if I have another night where I get 2-4 hours of sleep, I'm gonna lose it. For reasons I cannot explain, I wake up around 2:30, 3 am every single night and then I lie there thinking about everything imaginable. Then I start to feel some general anxiety because of fear of no sleep, and then it's just off to the races. I'm wide awake and sleep is just something I'm going to have to do without.

Anybody here ever experience long periods of insomnia? If so what did you do about it? I'm worried about prescription sleep aids because you always hear about these nightmare scenarios, but honestly at this point I feel like the pros would outweigh any cons. I know I may wake up in the back yard at 4am cutting the grass or something but if it gets me 8 hours of sleep, I'm game..

What would the OT do?

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Yes, lack of sleep will kill you. All of your body functions suffer. Address your sleep issues immediately. Go see your doctor ASAP and get it fixed.

Poor sleep has wrecked my life.

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What would the OT do?

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If you really want to tackle this and put in the effort:

1. Exercise or stay on your feet as much as possible through the day. In short, wear out your body.
2. Cut out alcohol completely. This alone will improve your sleep quality.
3. No screens within an hour of sleep. Read a book before bed. Don't watch anything on TV that can cause anxiety. It can impact your brain's processing of the day during sleep IMO.
4. Ambient light/temperature: get this right. Sleep in a dark room with ample air circulation/lower temperature. If there's unavoidable light, cover your eyes with a small blanket or sleep mask. This has a big impact on my sleep. Some people swear by sound machines as well. I think it has to do with brainwave patterns but idk all the science behind it.
5. Get up early. It may reset your clock and get you extra sleepy for nighttime.
6. Eat whole foods. Cut out processed carbs and sugar. Minimize caffeine or limit your caffeine intake window.
7. Drink lots of water/stay hydrated during the day. Cut liquids like 2 hrs before bedtime.
8. Cut alcohol out completely.

Source: someone with bad night terrors who had to figure some shite out. I sleep pretty well now.


ETA: do you drink? When I drink even 1 glass of wine I'm up at 2:00 AM with anxiety. If you do cut it out, I would think this alone could very possibly solve your problem

If this was a real problem, your time stamp would be between 2 and 4 am.

but I find that a thc gummy about an hour before going to sleep works wonderful.

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GABA

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Is this an OTC gabapentin knock off? I'm having the same exact issues as the OP and need relief. I've used gabapentin before for nerve pain and it really helps with insomnia.

My suggestion is to go to a sleep doctor and have them assist in diagnosing your issue. It could be many things. No one here can give you a sure fire answer. You may not have insomnia. If this is new, you may be developing sleep apnea. Many other good suggestions in the thread but, as noted, all we're doing is guessing. The doctor will discuss everything going on in your life....snoring, stress, drinking, drugs, work, health, etc.

Just a word of advice, if you have to have a sleep study done, be prepared to pay hefty unless you've met your insurance deductible. These studies can be expensive. If needed, the CPAP is also expensive. If you're not close to meeting your deductible then I'd wait till January to have that billed to insurance so you've met the deductible for the year.

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Fatal Familial Insomnia? Check it out.

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Dude clearly has anxiety. Don’t post that shite.

Go to the doc and get some pills. Otherwise, get some full spectrum CBD. My nightly cocktail for Restless Leg is gabapentin and 10mg THC 20mg CBD gummy. Seventh Hill and Five CBD are good online brands. No idea about gas station stuff.

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Take 10-20 mg and it'll knock ya out for sure.

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10-20 mg of edibles will absolutely wreck some people. 5 is a ton for me

To me all the supplements, avoiding screens, sleep hygiene, etc etc is bullshite as it just puts more pressure on you to sleep.

I’ve had some periods of insomnia and it’s was always because i was fighting not sleeping too much and making too big of a deal out of it.

The less you fight it and not care the quicker it’ll go away.

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I can't really figure out what's going on with me but if I have another night where I get 2-4 hours of sleep, I'm gonna lose it. For reasons I cannot explain, I wake up around 2:30, 3 am every single night and then I lie there thinking about everything imaginable. Then I start to feel some general anxiety because of fear of no sleep, and then it's just off to the races. I'm wide awake and sleep is just something I'm going to have to do without.

Anybody here ever experience long periods of insomnia? If so what did you do about it? I'm worried about prescription sleep aids because you always hear about these nightmare scenarios, but honestly at this point I feel like the pros would outweigh any cons. I know I may wake up in the back yard at 4am cutting the grass or something but if it gets me 8 hours of sleep, I'm game..

What would the OT do?

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2-4 hours is not ideal but many people live for years without sleeping longer than that at a stretch. It is not healthy but people do it with no overt negative side effects.

I slept 2-4 hours from about the 10th grade until I was in my early 30s so about 15 years. Never knew it was strange until my wife mentioned it when I was about 22 or so. I have had periods of several months to a couple of years since where 2-4 was about average. I can not sleep more than about 7 under any circumstance and never have been able to...my son and daughter can sleep 20 hours straight LOL...I have never been able to...no matter what time I fall asleep as soon as the sun is up I am up.

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My suggestion is to go to a sleep doctor and have them assist in diagnosing your issue.

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It's probably worth it to make some healthy lifestyle changes first just to see if those will help.