I have insomnia. For those of you who don't know, insomnia is a sleep disorder that either prevents people from falling asleep or makes them wake during the night, unable to continue sleeping. Insomnia can be caused by many things including: stress, work/school schedules that disrupt the body clock, poor sleep habits, eating late, anxiety disorders, other mental illnesses, another sleep disorder, caffeine/alcohol/drugs, medical illnesses, ageing, and even nightmares.
Insomnia can be short-term and last under 1 month, or be clinical and last anytime longer than one month, or may last for life. Sleep medication is the most common treatment for insomnia. The main people at risk of developing insomnia are those over 60, women, people under a lot of stress, those with mental illnesses and people with irregular schedules. Most adults will experience insomnia at some point but you don't need to go to a doctor unless the symptoms are long lasting and effect the way you function.
Symptoms include:
- Difficulty falling asleep at night
- Tiredness during the day
- Lack of focus
- Anxiety about sleep
- Waking during the night
- Being awake too early
- Increased depression
- Worsening mental state
- Making mistakes due to fatigue
- No quality of sleep
- Nausea in the morning
- Irritability
So how did I know I had insomnia?
Personally I was having trouble falling asleep and would have a crazy amount of energy until about 4am. I would be up listening to music, dancing, playing video games, drawing, doing make up and really doing anything but sleeping. This became a larger issues when I would then go t bed a 4am and wake up at 5am having to do a whole day of school and falling asleep around 3pm everyday. I knew something wasn't right but never thought it was bad enough.
I was seeing a psychologist in a mental health hospital and she was concerned about my 'foundations of mental health', this means food, exercise and sleep. After telling her about my experiences she sent me to a psychiatrist who put me on melatonin. Melatonin is a medication used for insomnia and other sleep disorders. I was only put on a homeopathic dose of melatonin as my psychologist was weary to put me on anything stringer as I just stared antidepressants at the same time.
These tablets helped for a little while but I was eventually taking the highest dose I was allowed (6 tablets a night) just to sleep okay. This was obviously an issue as my body was adapting to the medication too quick and I was becoming addicted. That was 3-4 years ago. Since then I have been on various sleep medications and seen several psychiatrists until recently. My most recent psychiatrist was not right for me and I didn't get anything out of our sessions. She told me that she couldn't do anything to help my sleep and I should just accept that I can't sleep well again.
Needless to say that I stopped seeing her. I am going to start with my new psychiatrist at the end of August and he will hopefully be able to give me something to help.
Other than medications I have tried meditation, night yoga, reading before bed and having a set night routine. The most helpful thing that I found was meditation. I typically use 'body scan' techniques and focus on each part of my body slowly feeling heavier and I think I'm sinking into my bed. This makes me more comfortable and helps me feel safe and calm. I also have a sleep routine so whenever I go to bed (no later that 10.45pm), I have my meds, go to the bathroom, say goodnight to everyone in my house, call my boyfriend, check the last of my notifications and lay with my fairy lights on for about 5 mins. Then its lights out. By having a routine it gets your mind ready for sleep and lessens anxiety.
I still have trouble with waking up during the night and wake up at about 3am everyday but I know that its no where near as bad as I use to be. Some nights are worse than others but overall I am doing okay. If you want to know more about my medications, journey through psychology/psychiatry, other conditions, or anything else then please let me know over on my instagram @diaryofapsycho1 and I will do my best to get the information out there for you.
Remember that I am not a professional and this is just MY experience so take everything with a pinch of salt.
I hope you are having a wonderful day and thank you for the support.
Jen xx
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