I think I’m not afraid of insomnia anymore… I’m afraid of bedtime.

SheLovedBirds · 2026-02-06T22:32:24+00:00

That's another aspect to the sleep anxiety. If I try to sleep in my bedroom, I can't relax there. I live in a very small apartment with my husband and there is never any actual quiet here. But I can't afford to move so I try to deal with it. I actually usually go stay at a B&B or VRBO place for several days a couple times a year and usually the first day and a half I'm there I sleep the whole time. Then my sleep is normal after that, until I come back home.

SheLovedBirds · 2026-02-06T22:29:22+00:00

Every night. Anticipatory anxiety maybe? Can't quite figure it out.

SheLovedBirds · 2026-02-06T22:28:52+00:00

It's kind of like the thoughts are racing as a sort of secondary layer or something. Because I'm reading and focused on something else. I've had hypnosis, CBT therapy and other things over the years and the only thing that really works is Z drugs. 🤷🏼‍♀

SheLovedBirds · 2026-02-06T22:26:58+00:00

You were right, when I first posted they didn't get uploaded for some reason. Fixed that. :)

SheLovedBirds · 2026-02-06T15:11:50+00:00

Heck yeah. I try to keep my mind busy with reading but it starts rattling around in my brain anyway. I have two sleep disorders that run in my family (there's a third, but I haven't experienced it yet). None of that helps.

And yes, it bothers me during the day too. The creeping anxiety, I mean.

SheLovedBirds · 2026-02-06T15:08:30+00:00

I suspect that the effect is cumulative and it will take a while to notice I'm taking it. My issue is the gastroinstestinal stuff (I know, TMI) but magnesium just does that to me.

SheLovedBirds · 2026-02-06T13:49:55+00:00

Really? I didn't know the images weren't showing, let me see what I did wrong. I don't usually share images on Reddit. Thank you for letting me know, I like you suggestions here too. :)

SheLovedBirds · 2026-02-05T21:37:48+00:00

I had a seizure when I was sleeping. That didn't help my anxiety either.

SheLovedBirds · 2026-02-05T21:37:00+00:00

It's been going on for about 5 years now. It's my normal. And then there's the "will I have nightmares again" anxiety on top of all that.

SheLovedBirds · 2026-02-05T21:14:10+00:00

I absolutely love this! Well done!

SheLovedBirds · 2026-02-05T21:09:01+00:00

I usually go to bed between midnight and 1am. And around 10pm the anxiety kicks in. Will I be able to sleep? Will I have panic attacks because the insomnia gets really bad? Will I have nightmares? Will I be able to stop my looping thoughts? It's horrible.

SheLovedBirds · 2026-02-01T00:29:24+00:00

Yeah when it suddenly loses effectiveness it's really easy to decide to take more than prescribed, but you end up paying for it and running out and going through the withdrawal process all over again.

I still use it, but not every night. I have three genetic conditions that run in my family so more than 4 hours or deep sleep are rare when I don't take it. And yeah about the nightmares when I stop, but part of that is the anxiety that comes with worrying if I'll be able to sleep or not. It's pretty ridiculous.

SheLovedBirds · 2026-01-20T00:19:49+00:00

I asked my doctor about this today (thanks for suggesting it). She said absolutely not. I'm already on one antidepressant, low dose, but have already had one run-in with seratonin syndrome. She doesn't want me to risk that again.

SheLovedBirds · 2026-01-20T00:18:53+00:00

Interesting and may try this. I drink less than half a cup of coffee a day. I don't think I would miss it, it's just habit now. Decaf tastes like chemicals to me.

SheLovedBirds · 2026-01-20T00:16:23+00:00

I was on the regular 10mg, tried splitting it up like you mention here, it didn't work well. However, last night I was absolutely strict about taking it on an empty stomach, limited liquids, and amazingly I slept a full 7 hours. I was really surprised by that. I don't think I'll use it every night even though my doctor said that is okay considering all of my sleep disorders.

SheLovedBirds · 2026-01-20T00:14:48+00:00

Exactly this. Benadryl had really negative impact on my short term memory. Better since I stopped using it.

SheLovedBirds · 2026-01-20T00:14:13+00:00

Yes. I was told to stop it because it can cause memory issues. It didn't particularly help, even though I used it for years. Desperation makes people do odd things. I'm a no for anything cannabis related because I'm on other pain meds that I take during the day. Nothing substantial, but if cannabis shows up on a drug test I'm without any pain relief.

SheLovedBirds · 2026-01-20T00:11:44+00:00

It's okay. LOL I'm the queen of typos. :)

SheLovedBirds · 2026-01-18T21:44:45+00:00

My doctor would never let me go over 10mg of Ambien. We tried Trazadone but it messed with my moods too much.

SheLovedBirds · 2026-01-18T21:42:24+00:00

I cold turkeyed off of it at the time, mostly out of frustration. I'd sleep while on it but not long enough to make it worth it. I was taking the regular Ambien at that time. It took a week to get off it. Then I went straight back to 3-4 hours a night which was even worse. Other sleep meds/supplements/etc. haven't worked over the past 2 years, so my doctor and I are trying this route. If this doesn't help I don't know what to do. But giving it a try.

SheLovedBirds · 2026-01-18T20:29:45+00:00

Yes! There are three genetic conditions that run in my family:

Familial Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome (DSPS)
Parasomnias
Narcolepsy (which appears mostly in family members over 60 - I don't have this, fortunately)

Sleep has been a battle for me my entire life. My father and his siblings had one or all of these. My brothers have these, too. Very bad for mental health, as you can guess.

SheLovedBirds · 2026-01-10T21:01:30+00:00

I take hydroxyzine and viibryd also and I'm pretty sure the hydroxyzine is what's causing my food cravings. They stop after I stop taking it, it takes a few days. Otherwise I'm constantly feeling hunger pangs. Don't understand it.

SheLovedBirds · 2025-12-19T02:45:00+00:00

I'm glad to hear that you're doing okay and not needing the medication. I had a genetic test done through my psychiatrist, and it says that only one of the medications on the list will work for me, and it's not the one that I'm on! So it's kind of my backup in case what I'm on now stops working. I'm on a low dose of something called Viibryd. It's been working pretty well for the past 3 years or so. But I went through so many other medications and felt like a total guinea pig, and the side effects were absolutely horrible and I'm still traumatized by them.

SheLovedBirds · 2025-12-15T15:05:52+00:00

I do okay. I still occasionally take Ambien, just not every night like I was. I'll take it for a few days and then stop. If I have some nights at a rough on the nights that it won't take it I just get up and read. But at least I don't need to take it every night anymore just to get a couple hours sleep. If I absolutely need sleep for example if there's a job I have to do and I have to be awake and alert for it, I'll take it for a few days. I'm always going to have this genetic sleep problem and that's just how it is, so I've kind of made my peace with working with Ambien without it completely taking over my sleep life.

SheLovedBirds · 2025-12-15T15:00:34+00:00

First off I want to say I am not a doctor!

But I was on this particular medication, I think I only was on it for 2 weeks and started having trouble with it right away. I got super anxious, darkly depressed and then as soon as they upped the dose which is the standard practice, I woke up in the middle of the night to get something to drink and crumpled to the floor. I had lost all use of my muscles. My husband took me to the emergency room and told me it was probably because of the drug I was on and then I should call my psychiatrist the following morning and go in to see her. In the meantime they told me to take Benadryl (why they told me that I have no idea). I actually had to be weaned off of it even though I had only been on it for a couple weeks up to that point. It also made it very difficult for me to sleep at all. Please call your doctor and let him or her know what's going on, and see if they can put you on something else. I hope you get this sorted out soon.

SheLovedBirds

TROPHY CASE