do you suffer from insomnia??

I do, horrible. Well, thing is, I enjoy it LOL. Don't enjoy much waking up the next day, but I am definitely an owl.
How do I manage? I have a "time" to go to bed (usually around 2), then I take my Ambien 10mg, NOT 5 (Lunesta might as well be water for me). I put something on TV and set up the sleeping mode for 90 minutes, hug a kitty and bye bye.

I'm more of a night person, than a day person. I don't sleep good at night, something will always wake me up, and then I won't be able to go back to sleep. I can sleep during the day with no problems.

I don't know anything about sleep medicines, I've never taken them. But if the 1 you are on now doesn't work for you, you should try another 1.

I too am a total insomniac. At my worst I almost never sleep, and when I do I have sort of a nocturnal pattern.
What does help me are the regular meds I take for anxiety, so I have no advice about sleeping medication. I will say, though, if what you're taking now is not helping you, definitely see your doctor. Maybe you need to take a higher dosage, or you need a different brand.
It might sound weird, but I also recommend chamomile tea. It helps me relax, which in turn helps me sleep. Maybe it would help you, too.

I'm usually asleep before I hit the pillow.

Seriously, sometimes I don't even remember going to bed Hubby jokes and says I could sleep 24/7 which isn't true...I go to bed around 11, up at 7 and I like to have a 2 hr nap in the afternoon

I don't always get my nap in though....but I can sleep anyplace, anywhere. I feel for you guys, I don't know what I would do if I couldn't sleep

yup im a nightowl too, i got to sleep at around 3 this mornin and was up at 7, i havent slept right since i moved back to my mothers house im fine when im on holiday

ive started to put the laptop off at about 2 sometimes earlier, then use my phone to use the net it makes my eyes sleepy then i set my tv to switch off after an hour sometimes it helps

I used to sleep very well. but not these last couple of years!! Must be my age and changing hormones. So I am lucky if I get about five hours here and there overnight. I have been staying up later and have been taking Sleep MD and that seems to be helping me. That Unisom did nothing....... Even though I am not getting as much sleep at night, I am not tired during the day at all, so I guess I just don't need as much sleep as I used too.

I do know alot of people with insomnia and it really causes probs for them functioning during the day. At that point, I would go to the doctor for something STRONG

I have suffered insomnia for years. I fall asleep fine, but I awake about an hour and a half later. Then I can't go back to sleep usually until around 5-5:30 then I have to get up at seven. I have fibromyalgia no sleep means lots of pain.

Stop patching the problem with potentially harmful meds and make sure there's not an underlying cause for it. I had sleeping issues like that in my teens when my celiac disease was already in full swing. I could stay up all night if I wished, but during the daytime I was like a zombie, even with sleeping at night I couldn't stay awake during the day.
There are lots of things that can seriously throw off one's circadian rhythm and the average doctor won't look into anything unless you force them. Writing a script is easier.

I am a night person and used to do all my work and studying at night. However, I cannot do that anymore - cannot concentrate much but also have trouble falling asleep. So I get incomplete sleep but have to wake up early to feed the kitties. I can sometimes sleep during the day but not always.
I was speaking with my acupuncturist and she suggest no computer, TV for a couple of hours before going to bed since the exposure to light messes ones senses. I check my mail on my cell phone (I justify since it's less light - lol). On her suggestion I also picked up a bottle of melatonin at Trader Joe's (for about 4$ for 100 peppermint flavored chewable) I really like it. It does make me fall asleep. I am a light sleeper but can usually go off to sleep even if I wake up at night.

I'm a Vampire also LOL. I stay up untill 1:00 or later then lay awake in bed for ever it seems like. Then come daytime and I could sleep the day away. I have been like this since a teen.. Both my sons are the same way. Come night I am full of energy ready to clean the house do laundry ect.
Poor hubby is sound asleep around 7ish and up at 4:00 ...He can't understand how I can sleep the day away..I wish I wasn't this way but its just the way I am..

While I disagree that meds are something you should get rid of if they really help you, I agree that maybe you should get checked out. I had a sleep study done once. There was nothing wrong found, but it was worth the peace of mind. Of course I couldn't fall asleep in the office, but they gave me a sedative that wouldn't interact with the reading.

Taking into consideration utopia's past posts on here, I think something is being missed. She's repeatedly made posts about sleep issues, weight, and anxiety for starters... Something isn't right and a sleeping pill (which a person can build up a tolerance to) isn't going to fix it. I'm not sure if she's taking anything currently for the anxiety, but it's pill combos like that end up killing people.

I've seen too many of your posts to know these are just simple issues going on.
What sort of hormone related tests have you had? If at all.. Thyroid (not just TSH)? cortisol? Anything to check any of your other adrenal function? Even reproductive hormones can do crazy things with out of whack. Thyroid issues are well known for causing some extreme mood issues is some - bi-polar like, in fact.

Another insomniac here. I'm tired all day but as soon as it gets dark I 'wake up'. I've been like this for as long as I can remember (affected my schoolwork badly). The best time for me to go to sleep is around 6-7 am and I wake up few times during the morning and actually get up around 12-2pm. I think I hit my 'most alert' moment around 3am. Sometimes I just don't sleep at all.

Doctors are aware of this but they can only suggest medication, and I have very high tolerance for almost anything so they really don't work and I don't want to take 'that road'. Tried two different ones at the same time last spring for few weeks.
I'm going through (and have gone through) lots of medical issues and have been examined from lots of things but nothing explains this.

I have bad insomnia. My solution? Drugs. Not the best solution for everybody, I won't get in on that discussion. Best solution for ME. Ambien for me also. 10mg. Out cold in 30 minutes or less. There is also an extended release formula for people like you who have trouble staying asleep called Ambien CR. You could ask your doctor about that, but people I've known to have the same problem have been able to just take the regular Ambien and be out all night.

You have to be careful to go to bed once you take it though and not stay up and do things like make phone calls or get on the computer, because you can have memory loss of actions while on the medication. One time I went on my phone and downloaded $50 worth of mp3s and didn't know it until I saw the receipt in my email the next afternoon...

Me too. Sleeping comes naturally. I love those late nights though and hate mornings.
I can easily sleep 12-14 + hours. And any naps are not these short 10-15 minutes things.

tonight VERY bad afraid I will miss getting up for a vet appt and anxious as its for the dog...so 130 now and need to be out by 940 ugh...i spent a few nights up already past week so not sure. HATE driving lack of sleep tho.

for ambien those storys scare me of the I woke up driving or some odd thing.

Wow. I am so glad someone posted this.
Yes. I have suffered from insomnia for about 9 years now.

I have tried every sleeping pill out there (my Dr. even had me taking 2 10mg of Ambien a night) and none of it has helped. I've also tried every anxiety med out there, and loads of anti-depressants. I'm not a depressed person, so the antidepressants have either not worked, made me feel suicidal, or made me shake. Of course, the sleeping & anxiety meds I've now built up a tolerance to. I suppose they did help for a week or so.

So when I'm really feeling sick, and dizzy from lack of sleep, or if I have something important to do the next day - I'll take a couple of ambien and get 6 or so hours. I only do this once every two weeks or so as not to build up tolerance again. The ambien are a lifeline for me when I have something important to do, or if I've been up a few days straight and MUST get to sleep.

I've been to multiple sleep studies, head to toe physicals, hypnosis, accupuncture. You name it!

Sometimes, I am up for 3-4 days straight. The longest I stayed up was for 7 days and I was hospitalized. No dozing or napping either. It's extremely frustrating.

My dr. has spoken to me about taking a drug called Xyrem, but it's pretty heavy duty and I'm too scared of the side effects. Anyone here familiar with it?

Insomnia has ruined my life. I had to quit my job that I loved, I have no social life because I frequently have to cancel plans because I am just too exhausted to go out. On days when I feel as though I can sleep - we check Marc into a kitty hotel for the evening, because he howls most of the night. We were checking him in once a week every week for a while - but that became a pretty expensive habit. Don't worry though... Marc LOVES the kitty hotel. He loves the attention he gets there, and playing with the other cats. He eagerly jumps into his carrier when I take it out, thinking he's going to his "retreat" as I call it.

I really feel for anyone with these problems. Truthfully, I feel that many people with insomnia aren't taken seriously enough by Dr.'s to get the treatment they need. The drugs to treat it are pretty addictive & most true insomniacs will quickly build up a tolerance when they have to take it every single night for months (or years) on end. Many of these drugs aren't meant for long term use, and those that are stop working eventually too.

If anyone out there wants to PM me to talk more in depth about insomnia, feel free. I'm always looking for people who really understand what I'm going through. It's so hard for others to really "Get" my problem.

I don't have insomnia, per se, but I do have issues with going to sleep and staying asleep. So, it's no wonder that it's 3:15am and I'm responding to a thread on TCS instead of being sound asleep in my bed...

For me, there are a lot of issues at play. To begin, I have severe anxiety as well as issues with post-traumatic stress disorder relating back to abuse and other situations. So, sleep is a very scary time for me. I also have OCD and, when not under "control," I can find myself up at all hours of the night. I then also have an eating disorder and that certainly can make sleeping difficult depending on the night. I am on medication to help with these issues and see professionals as well, but it's certainly not a cure all. Not by a long shot.

I also have some health issues that have caused sleep disturbances as well as the inability to fall asleep or stay that way. I won't go into all of the details, but I will second what others have said as far as having testing done to rule out issues such as thyroid and hormonal problems. I have chronic pain and a chronic health condition (interstitial cystitis) which also rears its ugly head at night. It's not uncommon for me to get up to use the restroom 10+ times per night. And, there are times where it gets far worse than that. True sleep disorders have been ruled out, but I do have health issues that influence the quantity and quality of sleep I get. So, I do the best that I can.

I am on medication. And, it's prescribed to me by my doctor. However, I went through many different avenues before settling on using some medication. I will NOT use a sleeping pill such as Ambien, Lunesta, or the like. It's my personal preference. But, along with an anti-depressant to help with my anxiety, I do take Valium (as needed) and Trazodone for sleep. I'd like to not take the Trazodone, but due to night terrors and flashbacks along with severe anxiety, I don't have another option right now. But, I should also mention that I see my doctors and counselors regularly and labs are taken at pre-determined intervals as well. Everything is monitored. It's not ideal, but it is what is working for me now and has been working for some time.

Are drugs the answer? No. But, before I took them, I didn't sleep for days on end. My body would finally take sleep and it was a dangerous and scary time for me. I still struggle today, but it is managed for the time being. So, while I may not have insomnia, I do understand and relate to the frustration. And, all I can suggest is to talk to your doctor and continue doing so until you receive some answers and some help. And, if your doctor won't listen, find another and another and another...until someone does. It doesn't have to be this way. And, please, don't be afraid to explore other options with your physician. It may not be insomnia at all. But, regardless, have faith that it can get better (and that goes for everyone reading this). There may not be an ultimate cure, but, with help, things can improve. Good luck .

Wow.

I saw that was listed as a side effect of Ambien. Memory loss.

Exercise exercise exercise.

More and more research now is showing that simply exercising and maintaining a healthy diet and physical condition provides a HUGE improvement in insomnia cases as well.

Its not intuitive in the least, I mean what could running everyday have to do with brain chemistry, but they are finding its very much linked.

One of the primary causes of insomnia is an excessive release of stress hormone without appropriate trigger. Aerobic exercise actually increases this further, however, a few hours after it decreases and w/ regular exercise stays at reduced levels w/ also aids in overall body health (and thus hormone production). And naturally more physical work during the day wears you out. Unfortunately, the 'diet and exercise' prescription doesn't exactly cost anything, so some doctors may lean towards expensive pharmaceuticals since thats what they are training in and use to treat (same reason most wil simply write a script for blood pressure medication rather than advising to reduce salt intake and exercise more), but a good question to directly ask. Most will strongly advise against sleeping pills though due to long-term health effects.

another insomniac here. I am lucky to get 3 hours a night - also usually very broken sleep as well...it is never 3 hours in a row. Poor Echo sleeps on my legs and gets offended when I disturb his rest.

Sleeping pills and homeopathics don't work for me. Meditaion doesn't work. Exercise doesn't work. They ran a gambit of test and just say I have an active mind. I am so busy in the day that night time my mind runs around thinking about things I didn't get a chance to all day. And I don't always think about probnlems.

I never thought a person could live on 3 to 4 hours of sleep continuosly...but they can.

I'm not that bad; but sometimes it's really annoying. I've always been a night owl. It's no big deal for me to stay up till the wee hours of the morning; but waking up is always a chore if it's because of an alarm clock. Seriously!

Last night I fell asleep on the couch around 1 and got in bed around 3:30 or so. DH woke me up when he went to the bathroom around 4 and my daughter woke me up just before 5; highly unusual for her to wake up like that. I was up with her till 6 when she was fighting sleep (I know her; she has to be alone to go to sleep...even if she has to cry a bit). So I lay in my own bed listening to her cry for a good 30 minutes; then every little noise kept me up. I was still awake when DH got up for work. Normally I don't hear a peep out of her till close to 10; so it really was the middle of her night. I normally sleep till at least 9.

So that was last night; but I've had a few nights recently where I fall asleep on the couch and it takes me a bit to get back to sleep in bed. I don't feel comfortable taking anything to help me sleep because I'm afraid I won't hear my daughter if she needs me. Benadryl is the best sleep thing for me; but I have nights I would love to take a Tylenol pm because my back is hurting. I'm just afraid to. Maybe when she's big enough to come wake me herself if she needs me I can do that from time to time.

I didn't sleep a wink last night thinking about all of us who can't sleep. I know it is not a laughing matter, but I was seriously concerned for all of us last night!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sleep Please

I slept great if that helps you at all

Does it count that last "night" I went to sleep after 9am and woke up at 11.30am? It's now 10.30pm and I'm actually starting to wake up..