Texting in your sleep?

[greenpassion]

Wow. I kind of figured I might have hit a hotspot here. JScott, that is exactly what I'm afraid of. As we speak my dog Loki has had effusive bowel movements on my robe my couch my bed. And I think it's because in my sleep last night I ate squash, a lot of it and I think I obviously shared it with him. No memory of this. This has to stop. It's as far as Opera- that would put me on the ceiling more than anything. I used to be very good at self-soothing but that has fallen away over the years. And as I work in the mental health field haha what a joke there, I cannot be sleep deprived when I come to work with these patients. That's as dangerous as showing up for work drunk or something.

[Arizona Jeanie]

Wow, I don't think the ambien is good for you! Please talk to your health care provider, get some help! There are some pretty standard "sleep hygiene" steps you can take, but you have to DO them for them to work. Here are some things that have helped me: Completely stop caffeine and alcohol, keep to a schedule, don't nap, eat right, make the room dark and comfortable, listen to self-hypnosis sleep and relaxation tapes instead of watching TV. What really helps me the most is exercise during the day. What has made it possible to do these things is retirement from an overly stressful job with irregular hours. Sometimes I'll still sleep poorly, I just read or work a puzzle until I can get back to sleep, at least it's not all the time. Melatonin gave me a pounding headache, OTC sleep aides left me hung over for hours, and I'm afraid to try the prescription stuff--my doctor won't prescribe it anyhow. If you have other physical or mental health problems, get appropriate treatment, that will help. Sleep is a vital part of a balanced and healthy life, it's worth working on. I highly recommend you do that for yourself.

[estación seca]

rbarata is right. You need to find specialized help. It's so important he posted it twice.

There are many different causes of insomnia. Sleep disorders may be complex, reflecting our circadian rhythms and sleep control. There is no one treatment effective for all kinds of insomnia.

You need to see a physician who is trained in sleep disorders. Most primary care physicians are not up to this task.

Sedating drugs like zolpidem (Ambien), trazadone (Desyrel), alcohol, barbiturates, benzodiazepines such as diazepam (Valium) and midazolam (Versed) affect large parts of the brain, with many negative side effects, and the brain rapidly adapts to their effects. Many of these interfere with normal sleep, and regular use makes sleep more and more difficult. Combining them usually makes things even worse.

They are rarely effective for sleep other than occasional, one-night use. People with chronic sleep disorders are much more often harmed, rather than helped, using drugs like these to sleep.

Reports have appeared regularly for the last 40 years in the medical literature of people behaving like automatons while under the influence of these drugs. Many people take them to sleep on international flights, often with very bad results - such as getting off the plane in the wrong place.

Unfortunately, many of these drugs induce dependency in chronic users, and quitting cold turkey can lead to withdrawal that can cause severe illness, and even death. Alcohol withdrawal kills many people each year.

Common causes of insomnia often occur together. Some of them are inadequate exercise, alcohol use, caffeine use, tobacco use, depression, anxiety disorder, severe life stress, post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic pain, obstructive sleep apnea. In addition many mental illnesses other than depression can affect sleep.

Again, you need to see a sleep specialist.

[greenpassion]

Wow. I need to put in here prior to 2016 I was a distance Runner Trail runner for over 30 years. When a personal tragedy happened in my life last year I upped my time in the woods to over 2 hours a day, and eventually fractured my foot. I have arthritis and it hasn't healed and as a result, I have not being able to run at all. It has been one year since I've been able to run. I have other physical problems that have prevented me from getting the kind of exercise that I have been used to, because the long day or evening I should say at work leaves me in too much pain. And I do believe that not having an outlet physically, on top of the emotional trauma that I have had, and am in, has caused this insomnia. I do not drink coffee. I do not take any stimulants. Well okay that's not really true. I have one cup of coffee in the morning between 9 and 10. I used to get up at 8 a.m. That is over. now I don't get up until I need to. I do believe that the lack of working out and exercising has really affected me. I was actually on an infomercial for P90X 6 years ago. That said I realize that I have been through an awful lot, and yes I will get ahold of my doctor and again try to find some way that I can sleep without something that could possibly ruin my life. Thank you all.

[estación seca]

Overtraining (exercise addiction) also causes frequent injuries and severe insomnia. Overtrainers then become hooked on drugs trying to maintain the overtraining (opiates for pain, stimulants for more energy, sleeping pills to sleep.) Don't fall back into that trap.

[greenpassion]

Yeah. I get that. But I am still grieving so many losses. The least of which is physical activity that kept me buoyant for so many years.

---------- Post added at 11:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:30 PM ----------

This is the OB. I really apologize for getting so personal about stuff. It's a big Downer. I need to watch my mouth or maybe I should say my fingers! I will back off. I promise.

[charlesf6]

good night, try to sleep tight

[camille1585]

Don't be sorry for posting, and you got many kind replies. I hope you will be able to find the peace you need, someday, and get some sort of a normal life back. And I hope your doctor can help you find something else to help you sleep, without all the crazy side effects. (I had no idea that sleeping pills could do that!)

Have you considered swimming? I don't know what level of pain/discomfort you have, but a very low impact activity like swimming may be a good place for you to start being active again.

[AnonYMouse]

At minimum, go back to doing your self-soothing. Meditate, it doesn't have to follow a particular structure, just focus on breathing or your heartbeat. Visualize doing a simple task while sitting in a comfy chair. The basic idea is to disconnect from outside stimuli.

[Dollythehun]

From experience, it is common to substitute one addiction for another, even healthy things can be addicting...even the OB itself.

Swimming, perhaps biking, yoga, pilates on the ball, there is an exercise out there that will work. But moderation is key. Physical therapists will tell you many clients are injured by suddenly throwing themselves into exercise.

Please see a counselor and a physician. While we care as a community, we cannot give you the help you need.