Posted by Larry Hoover on August 19, 2004, at 11:12:38
In reply to Larry Hoover, severe insomnia?, posted by taylor18 on August 19, 2004, at 2:29:41
> I was reading through one of your old posts where you described yourself as having severe insomnia:
>
> http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20040613/msgs/367124.html
>
> I was hoping by now you might have fixed your problem and could impart some knowledge to me of how I could repeat what you did. If not, possibly offer some helpful things to try.
>
> My biggest problem is that "I can't stop thinking." At night, in bed, I can't shut off the thought processes. Thoughts and ideas just keep connecting, recycling, and emerging. I also feel very "anti-sleep". Not in the sense that it's a waste of time or that I don't want or need it. But in the sense I don't feel the precursors to deep sleep, ever. There is no inner calmness, happiness, or peacefulness. My temperament is anxious, fearful, paranoid (for lack of a better word), and creative. I wish something would just turn down the volume, filter all the noise, and help me think clearly and rationally. When I do get to sleep, it's always very light. I'm easily disrupted by the light coming in through the windows, the air conditioning which I can't shut off, the position of the covers, and the prospect of family members waking me up. As it is now, I'm up through the night (because I can't sleep) and what little sleep I do get is during the day. Intuitively, I would think myself as having been born with mild autism and/or epilepsy. I am overly shy, have trouble making out words to songs, hear distant sounds overly well, have chronic anxiety, have had panic attacks, have had phobias, am prone to magical, whimsical, and creative thinking, amongst other traits, symptoms, and indicators. As you can tell from the unintentional breadth of this post, initially reserved for a single, primary symptom of not being able to stop thinking, I can't control my thought processes to a degree that allows me to sleep at night. I feel my body is warring against my wishes, and I'd appreciate any and all help anyone may have.I totally sympathize. Try not to "pathologize" insomnia, OK? Most of my own symptoms get under control when I get the sleep under control.
I call what you describe "brain hum".
> In case you're wondering, I tried taking 1/4 a normal dosage of standardized Passionflower in tincture form. Instead of helping with my insomnia, see here:
> http://www.remedyfind.com/rem.asp?ID=6787
>
> ... all it did was enhance lucidity and calm my thinking enough to write something like this post.I don't know of an alternative approach that is likely to help significantly, other than melatonin.
There is a distinct sleep disorder which involves the failure of an involuntary system. Remaining alert through the day is the hard-wired process. Cognition has to give up control over the brain for sleep to occur. It isn't a decision you make. There's a mechanical glitch in your brain, which prevents your cognitive brain from "standing down" from its alert status.
For some people with this disorder, hypnotic drugs are the only answer.
> After reading a few recent posts, I am thinking of trying 500 mg of Niacinamide each day taken with a B-100, along with 200 mg Magnesium Glycniate before bed, and possibly 1 capsule of Lithium Orotate in the evening. I don't have much money to experiment with supplements, i.e., Passionflower.Melatonin is cheap. It's a natural part of that "letting go of consciousness" process. Unfortunately, finding the right dose can be tricky. Too much works as poorly as too little. I only need about .5 mg/night, whereas someone else just told me they need 6 mg. Standard pills are 3 mg, so you have to break them if you need smaller doses.
> The most damning and prevalent thought about my whole situation is that it's permanent and can't be changed to a satisfactory degree with supplements.It's still something I haven't yet got under control. I'm still working on it. Until then, I use temazepam (Restoril) 30 mg at bedtime, along with trimipramine (Surmontil, a sedating tricyclic antidepressant) 25 mg at night, along with melatonin.
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:379348
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20040815/msgs/379446.html