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Hello everyone , Lately i have been suffering from severe insomnia. I haven't slept in three days...lol... I am getting very worried. I have tried every possible remedy yet no positive results. I tried nyquil , benadril , chamomile tea , codeine , jogging , etc... It is odd because i have been going to work these three days yet i dont feel tired or exhausted. As a matter of fact , I feel indefatigable. Any tips , solutions , opinions or remedies etc...???? I know that seeking professional medical help would be wise but i currently dont have any medical insurance and am short of cash. All input is appreciated.
chris
I am by no means a doctor, nor am I a medical professional, but it sounds to me like a manic episode, I have the same trouble. You might be suffering the effects of Bipolar disorder (also known as, Manic depression) It usually is a genetic disorder in my experiance, in my case I got it from my mother. You might want to ask around your family, and find out if any one you're related to might have the same problem, and if so, fin out how they deal with it. If not, maybe you should look into increasing your intake of Omega 3 fatty acids. They usually don't help with the insomnia, but thay will help alliviate the chemical depression that comes when you inevitably "crash."
You might this to be helpful: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/
I don't know if that helps any, I would look into Stress disorders ect... But good luck with that!!!
wishing you the best
*Shin*
I'm sorry to hear that. I have been dealing with insomnia for years. Mine is related to an anxiety problem. Forget medical doctors, the best treatment would be had from a psychiatrist. The number one illness they treat is insomnia. For me, I am a zombie on less than 6½ hours sleep.
Since you don't have medical insurance I'd spend my extra awake time researching the internet for more information on it.
It's all a matter of how much it affects your quality of life as to how much money you are willing to spend to find relief.
Good luck.
Peace
Hi Chris,
Sorry to hear of your insommia problems. I, too, have insomnia, but a different type than yours. I fall asleep readily, but wake up many times in the night, tossing, turning, and worrying about things--I also dream a lot EVERY night. (I have a fair amount of stress right now) I was wondering if you have any stress that could be contributing to your sleepless nights--possibly dealing with the stress might help. I personally have never taken medications for insomnia, as I never know what long term effects they might have. Best of luck.
David
Chris, it really sounds like bipolar to me, also. Most cities have a mental health service that charges based on your income, or call your local United Way.
BTW, mental health disorders are nothing to be ashamed of or worry about. They often manifest themselves after puberty. You can also check out NAMI.org. My organization's Web site is samentalhealth.org. Good Luck!
TLH
If you are in college, you might check with your school to see if they have any free or low-cost counseling services, at the very least to get evaluated. My sister was able to get some help at her college when she needed it.
Mouse
Hi Chris,
You mentioned a while ago that your heartbeat at rest was very high and that you consume a bit of caffeine. The problems your having now may be related. Caffeine can do that.
I had been a coffee junkie for many years with no problems. Then last March I started to get short of breath with an elevated heartbeat and very high blood pressure. I'm 51 so I thought I was having heart trouble. My doctor checked me out and give me a clean bill of health but said to cut back on the caffeine. I quit drinking coffee "cold turkey" and my pulse and blood pressure returned to normal.
If you had told me that caffeine could do that to me in the past, I would have told you that you were crazy. But let me tell you, it made all the difference!! Sure now I drink a little coffee now and then, maybe 1 or 2 cups a week, but certainly not the potfull a day that I was consuming before.
Give it a try, what do you have to lose?
Take care,
Bruce
omg Chris...you should go see a doctor!!like Scooper said,it might be related to the caffeine,but I consume a butt-load of caffeine yet I can't go beyond 24 hours without sleep without feeling like a zombie!!
I have a friend that's like that too...he sometimes goes a whole week without sleeping!!I don't know...it could be genetic!go seek some proffesional help and good luck!
sorry..misread your post...yeah..I don't have medical insurance either it sucks..
anyway,now that I think about it..maybe your case isn't that serious...like I said..I have a friend who sometimes goes without sleep for a whole week!!maybe it's just genetic..
U sure someone hasn't been spiking your drink with speed o.0
Sometimes I have insomnia - I just keep going until I crash - then sleep for 24 hours! Nothing else seems to work for me... If you don't feel tired or sick maybe its not too serious.
1)You haven't slept in three days??
-my friend, u are now legally insane.
2)I sometimes have a less severe insomnia thats been haunting me since I was very little. What always works for me is listen to music. I put on my headphones and within a few songs, im ready to fall asleep, at any time of day. You could also try reading a book...but thats not my thing so i dont do it. What also works for me is shocking but true: for some reason, every time i think of me and some insanely beautiful woman going out on a date, i fall asleep before i can imagine the end of it, almost instantly!
weird, i no....but im not really sure if i was any help to you b/c u seem to have it really severe.
-Gio
i was researching on bipolar disorder and seem to have a FEW symptoms. My god , I cant beleive i have gone insane. Im gonna go seek some medical help and see what happens. By the way , I havent slept at all , yet. I posted this around 5 am and it is currently 3:03 pm over here in miami. Thank god i dont work today because i think today i might sleep later on. :-)
Chris, you are NOT insane! One out of every six people have a mental illness in a given year. This includes depression, bipolar, schizophenia, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders, and many more. There are several mlhh members with different illnesses about which they've spoken.
It is always possible that it is a physical and not a psychological problem. No matter what, we are all here for you. Hang in there and keep it growin' and flowin'.
TLH
One more thing in regards to medication. The over the counter drugs don't work very well at least for me they just make me feel drugged.
I have used ambien and am now using lunesta which is approved for long term use and seems to work fairly well for me.
Good luck.
Hi Christopher,
you seem to stay awake for up to three days and function more or less normal. If people around you are not telling you that you react in awkward ways, then you may be quite o.k.
Thomas Alva Edison (the inventor) ran on about 4 hours of sleep per night, and Albert Schweitzer (the doctor who founded the jungle hospital in Lambaréné / equatorial Africa) did, too. When someone complained to him that he only slept for five hours, he quipped "and you didn't get bed sores?"
If you function and work and study o.k., then I'd say, you're probably healthy after all - I'd just spend a bit of money for a blood test called "TSH" to check your thyroid gland. If the TSH level is low, you've got thyroid OVERfunction, and that can cause sleeplessness. Thyroid overfunction can be treated.
Sorry, I can't help much, since I'm not a psychiatrist, but, maybe not that much is wrong after all.
Wishing you all the best, good sleep and good hair growth!
Hans-Uwe