# Any Axiety/Depression Sufferers, How Do You Get To Sleep?



## Rook (Jun 24, 2012)

Hey all,

I post here cos most of you don't know me haha.

How do any people how have insomnia of any kind try to get to sleep?

I'm bipolar (2) and periodically go through phases of just having no hope of getting to sleep til after 3am, and I'm bound to wake up about 7am. It wouldn't be so bad but I'm useless til at least midday when this is the case.

I've been the way I am for a fairly long time, and this isn't new, but I'm finding that my old tricks n stuff aren't having the same help as I get older, I was wondering if anyone here in a similar situation has stuff they do that helps?

It's not a massive deal I guess, and my doctor offered me medication but after having seen my dad be see severely allergic to so many drugs it's not a route I wanna go down for something I'm so used to now.

Anybody?


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## leonardo7 (Jun 24, 2012)

What would happen if you just took a Benadryl and 3mg of melatonin around 11pm? Sometimes if you can just sit still in preferably complete quiet and darkness with eyes closed for 3 minutes then you will find that your heart rate slows and you calm down.


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## VBCheeseGrater (Jun 24, 2012)

i used to have trouble sleeping, and have suffered from anxiety/depression at times. I would think treating the anxiety & depression should be priority - but who knows if it's from lack of sleep? 

Anyway, my way of dealing with insomnia was to just enjoy the time awake. Now I'll just grab a bowl of cereal and watch whatever's on TV or read a book. These days i stay up pretty late, but never have trouble falling asleep when i turn out the lights and lay my head down. Good luck!!


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## wizbit81 (Jun 24, 2012)

Panic attacks and General Anxiety Disorder for 16 years dude. Totally understand...I deal with the sleeping side of it by tiring myself out.

Gym 4 times a week, football twice (competitive) and running twice a week too. (4-6 miles per time) that'll put you too tired to stay awake worrying, plus raise endorphins, lower cortisol etc. Exercise is an ideal way to deal with it. 

If that fails spank the plank  then you're definitely off to never never land


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## Rook (Jun 24, 2012)

you guys are awesome hahahaha

To clarify insomnia is as a result of the bipolar not the other way round, I see therapists and all that, they can only do so much when it comes to the practical stuff.

But yeah, the 'enjoy the time awake' thing is basically where I've been the last 9 months or so, I'm doing exactly what you just said right now, got the tv and a bowl of cereal on the go  The thing I'm finding harder and harder to manage at the moment is the completely useless heap I am in the morning despite not being able to get back to sleep.

I guess a better question would have been 'how do you wake up' 

But yeah I hit the gym 4 times a week usually and have a pretty active job, it definitely helps. Hydration keeps me from getting too stimulated, naturally or chemically. 

Dunno what I was hoping for really, nice to know there are more out there watching crap tv at 3am


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## theo (Jun 24, 2012)

Im currently seeing a therapist for severe syringe phobia which is a form of anxiety, ive also gone through a fair portion of depression. I'll gladly send you some audio files which I have been given for the purpose of learning to calm down and relax. They put me to sleep 7 times out of ten. Even when im not tired.


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## steve1 (Jun 24, 2012)

One of my problems is that Im used to not being able to sleep much, so i assume I won't be able to sleep, so I don't bother going to bed.


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## Rook (Jun 24, 2012)

^yeah I totally get that man


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## Evil Weasel (Jun 24, 2012)

Anything that releases endorphins should help. Exercise, sex etc. Maybe it is just me being a lightweight but I don't drink very often and when I have a couple of glasses of wine with dinner I am usually ready to snooze pretty soon after. You seem to be sorted on the exercise front though.

Sleeping pills are not a good route to go down. You get tolerant pretty quickly and they are really addictive. 

As for waking up in the morning I have no idea how to help. I used to get up at 5am every weekend for my job and the thing that got me properly awake was the 20 min walk to work. If you are not a coffee drinker already you could try drinking a cup in the morning every so often or any other caffeine containing drink. The problem with almost everything that helps you sleep or wakeup is they are nearly all addictive!


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## devolutionary (Jun 24, 2012)

Exhaustion. That's all that works when I hit that point.


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## VBCheeseGrater (Jun 24, 2012)

Fun111 said:


> I guess a better question would have been 'how do you wake up'



haha, not too well actually  I typically feel like shit in the morning, get to work a few minutes late (no biggie, that makes me "early" at my place of work) and feel better after a yogurt and banana. But then when 11:00pm rolls around, theres too many guitars to be played or alien documentaries on the TV to waste time sleeping!!!


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## skeels (Jun 24, 2012)

Coffee.

Climb trees.

Repeat.



I just realized I'm out of coffee.

I'm screwed.


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## theo (Jun 26, 2012)

Ripped those files to my PC, If anyone want's them I'm happy to throw a dropbox link their way


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## FireInside (Jun 26, 2012)

I'd love to check those files out.


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## theo (Jun 26, 2012)

Give me your email address and I'll send you the dropbox link now


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## groovemasta (Jun 26, 2012)

just practice! it's what I do most of the time hah


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## FireInside (Jun 26, 2012)

theo said:


> Give me your email address and I'll send you the dropbox link now




Pm'd.


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## JStraitiff (Jun 26, 2012)

I usually dont go to sleep until 2-4 unless im really tired because i simply cant. But one of the tricks i have is when im having a panic attack before bed or i need to fall asleep, ill take valerian root. Get it at a health food store. it helps calm your thoughts which makes it a lot easier to fall asleep.

When im left to my own devices however it is sometimes difficult to fall alseep at a reasonable hour. My main trick is to try and focus on nothing. Clear my mind of thoughts. Ill listen to my breathing or if theres a fan in the room the sound of that. I try to focus on blackness. Before i know it im asleep.


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## butterschnapps (Jun 26, 2012)

For anxiety, depending on how bad it is, I normally meditate to clear my mind. As a precaution, I parachute one or two 3mg of melatonin dissolvables. Labeled Gluten-Free (Food & Supplements) - NOW Chewable Melatonin
just my preference. 

With more debilitating anxiety, I had to take prozac, but that didn't always work and sometimes made things worse. Depression too, but it didn't take affect for nearly a month, up until then I spent about 18 hours a day laying in bed, only getting out to grab ramen noodles or walk out of the room to yell fvck b*tches. You know how that goes though.

As far as depression goes, there's this great thing called Tumblr, and you can find people on there who are also dealing with depression and talk to them. I found that it helps to talk to people going through the same things you are, but are also strangers. It doesn't feel right talking to people ya know in person about the stuff.


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## AgentOrange (Jun 26, 2012)

I'm Bipolar aswell , The anxiety gets to me alot after i've come back home from chilling with a few friends or even if i go out for a walk sometimes. And nowadays i barely get any sleep what so ever the longest sleep i've had this week is most probably 3 hours which was from 9am onwards. I used to lie down and say to myself i should sleep now orelse i'll be tired the next morning and won't be as active but that doesn't affect me anymore. Try not to have a ciggarete if your a smoker cause that's what sometimes usually gets to me aswell. Take meds prescribed by your therapist/doc aswell. And try speaking to someone who has depression aswell , usually helps quite abit.


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## Ryan-ZenGtr- (Jun 26, 2012)

_More time for dreaming_
I've got no skill at sleeping, never being able to "switch off" or stop thinking, despite the fact I'm pretty good at dreaming; 
you know, go and see your favourite band line up and watch concert, visit unusual places, nuke demons, chat with long dead philosophers, gossip with celebrities and general adventures in a science fiction future or a prehistoric past. 

An especially good one was visiting my children on another planet from another incarnation, but the locals told me it wasn't a responsible thing to do (poltergeist behaviour) so I agreed and left. Trippy, huh? 

_Top tips_
Remembering the dream is the hardest part 
If you're falling, always remember you can fly OR move the ground (which is more fun) 
If things harass you have a chat with them first, if they seem hostile nuke 'em with white light
If you need to wake up quickly wiggle your toes, if you need to wake up some one else squeeze their ear lobes (soft/hard depending on how much you like them and how quickly you want to see them jump in the air  )

I listen to songs I'm going to write sometimes, too. Quite good for ideas. 

_Who knows, maybe our real life is while we are sleeping?_
After all, in a universe of pure energy perhaps interpreting in only 2 dimensional dream state is better, rather than 3 + 4th time and the primitive limitations of memory. 
Creation through will. Hmmm.....

Perhaps the human bodies abilities in the dream state are significant in the grand scheme of things. My best guess is my alarm clock in dream land hasn't gone off so I have to stay awake. 

Anyway, no solutions to offer. Think of it as simply having more awake time and put it to good use with study, practice and character development. No need to withstand shit TV (90% of it) though. Get rid of that TV! It's pure psychic poison, no wonder you guys can't sleep. 

Best of luck!


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## leftyguitarjoe (Jun 26, 2012)

Tell your doctor and get ambien. I am mentally unable to sleep without help, and ambien is more acceptable than my old method of getting drunk/stoned every night to sleep.

I'm a heap of mental problems. Depression, anxiety, agoraphobia, and dissociative identity disorder. Trust me. Ambien is my new god.



Fun111 said:


> I guess a better question would have been 'how do you wake up'



This is not a problem for me. Well, in a way it is. I have non stop racing thoughts. I mean literally all day, every day. As soon as I wake up, my brain takes off like a rocket. Its overwhelming, but hey, once I'm up, I'm up


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## Brill (Jun 27, 2012)

Multi-personality. depression. Depresionilization. ADHD. OCD. Disassociation. Paranoia, Anti-social. Anxiety 

Either my parents yell at me and take everything away and I just lay around until I pass out, I take Sleeping pills, I black out for no reason(which I don't think is sleeping), I feint(from lack of nutrition), I collapse exhausted(my day is 15 hours of school).

Also I'm on a lot of medication(Anti-depressants, Anti-pyscotics) and I'm vegan so I feel very tired and my mind feels very Fogged, So I just can't think without getting a massive headache.

It scares me to sleep, I'm very paranoid and think that there are people following me, and will do stuff to me while I sleep. Recently I'm always asleep, which is amazing :/


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## Konfyouzd (Jun 27, 2012)

It's not legal (albeit relatively harmless)... Use your imagination.


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## Leuchty (Jun 27, 2012)

Live when I'm alive, sleep when I'm dead...

I get about 4 hours sleep a night and have done so for about 7 years. Don't know why, never tried anything to fix it.

I have heard Valerian herbal tea/capsules are a safe and natural way to calm things down and help you sleep.


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## leftyguitarjoe (Jun 27, 2012)

Loxodrome said:


> Multi-personality. depression. Depresionilization. ADHD. OCD. Disassociation. Paranoia, Anti-social. Anxiety



Dude, we're almost mind-twins.


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## Labrie (Jun 27, 2012)

Get a small child to take care of. If that doesn't make you want to sleep...nothing will.


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## morrowcosom (Jun 28, 2012)

Check out Kava Root. It is a strong sedative, if you get the good stuff off of the internet. Read about it, it is pretty interesting, and legal. 

Or to ease the anxiety, how about drinking a little whiskey at night?


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## tacotiklah (Jun 28, 2012)

I have severe PTSD and chronic depression, as well as having really nasty bouts of insomnia. There are times where I literally cannot sleep until the sun starts to come up, and just the other day I was up for almost 30 hours. I found that exercise really does help, as well as just getting some sun. I remember reading webmd for this and since I'm kind of a hermit, I found that this was a part of why I had insomnia. So I got out more and this has helped.

Keep the room cool, dark, and completely dead quiet. Get a good mattress and some quality pillows. Don't drink any caffeinated beverages within 4-6 hours of bedtime. (this includes soda)
If all else fails, 5 double shots of everclear with wholebottleofnyquil chasers.


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## Divinehippie (Jun 28, 2012)

ghstofperdition said:


> If all else fails, 5 double shots of everclear with wholebottleofnyquil chasers.



holy shit jess, that's some tanking sleep meds xD. i think op wanted to sleep, not die. ahaha i kid i kid =P.

anyways i have anxiety/social anxiety and some depression issues. i used to be on medication for it but found i really didnt like how i felt after a few years of taking it. and after watching prescription drugs ruin my mother (oxy's are the most vile thing) i decided i wanted a more natural alternative. and i know it's illegal but a good hit or two of that green stuff really does the trick. it calms my mind and makes me relax enough to actually focus on sleeping. usually i just lay in bed for hours and worry about having a heart attack and dying. but after hanging with my girl marry for a bit i find i dont even think of all that silly stuff and can relax. more legal methods would be a nice cup of (non-caffinated) nighttime tea (Love me a nice cup o hot tea) and if all else fails Nyquil is always on tap at my place xD. just my


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## tacotiklah (Jun 28, 2012)

Divinehippie said:


> holy shit jess, that's some tanking sleep meds xD. i think op wanted to sleep, not die. ahaha i kid i kid =P.
> 
> anyways i have anxiety/social anxiety and some depression issues. i used to be on medication for it but found i really didnt like how i felt after a few years of taking it. and after watching prescription drugs ruin my mother (oxy's are the most vile thing) i decided i wanted a more natural alternative. and i know it's illegal but a good hit or two of that green stuff really does the trick. it calms my mind and makes me relax enough to actually focus on sleeping.



Yeah, I actually wanna talk to a doctor about stopping the ativan I'm taking for insomnia in favor of a medicinal marijuana card because that is pretty much a sure-fire way for me to go to sleep. Less dangerous to my digestive system too.


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## Pav (Jun 28, 2012)

I had a prescription for celexa...POWERFUL shit. Would knock me out within minutes for 8-10 hours solid. Decided I would much rather get a grip on my anxiety and depression than just sleep off pills though, since that stuff can be addictive. One of the best decisions I've ever made in my life.


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## Blake1970 (Jun 28, 2012)

Benadryl always seems to work for me.


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## Adam Of Angels (Jun 28, 2012)

Using nyquil, benadyrl, etc. is a terrible idea. The DXM is horrific for your brain.

Using Whiskey or any alcohol, or narcotics, is also a horrible idea.. not only because it fucks with your GABA levels, among other neurotransmitters, but it also does damage to your liver. Your liver is your greatest detoxifier, and if its at all compromised, your anxiety will likely worsen as a result of sluggish digestion (something like over 90% of your serotonin comes from your gut - when that isn't working as well as it can, you can fully expect anxiety, depression, insomnia, etc.). Your body heals itself very efficiently, but when your digestion becomes sluggish, it starts a sort of vicious cycle that is all too common these days.

Try reading about eating very healthy, exercising the right way, breathing properly, and positive affirmations. If you do all of that, you'll be off to a very good start. Doctors can certainly be helpful, but don't let them lead you to believe that you can't help yourself, because you absolutely can - the body is a magnificent, self-healing thing.. you just have to take the reins.


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## tacotiklah (Jun 28, 2012)

^Oh I agree with you there man, I'm just kidding around. 
There's plenty you can do that doesn't involve taking any substances. 
I can say though that some of the Rx shit you can get for it is pretty horrible stuff. My pshrink tried getting me on seroquel for insomnia. Even on the lowest dose, I slept continuously for 18 hours. It was pretty bad...


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## Blake1970 (Jun 28, 2012)

I believe Benedryl contains the active ingredient Diphenhydramine. I just don't want people to get it mixed up with Dextromethorphan. Adam of Angels solution is the best though.


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## Labrie (Jun 28, 2012)

Blake1970 said:


> I believe Benedryl contains the active ingredient Diphenhydramine.



You are correct. It's an antihistamine used to treat allergy symptoms whereas DXM is used as a cough suppressant. Diphenhydramine does have sedative properties but if you have trouble sleeping due to mental illness, there are better drugs on the market suited for that purpose.


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## Ryan-ZenGtr- (Jun 29, 2012)

You can always tell when there are Americans around; they all compare their medication as soon as they've settled in their seats.



I have to admit that US pills a friend brought back from holiday got me through some severe dental pain over several months as it's stronger than non-prescription pain killers here. The warning on the packaging sums it up pretty thoroughly _"May cause severe damage to kidneys, Liver and stomach lining. Long term useage may lead to heart conditions and other severe side effects."_


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## butterschnapps (Jun 30, 2012)

Adam's right about DXM, shit was scary as fuck.
I'd try switching up your diet as well, I had horrible issues sleeping and once I became vegan a lot of my sleep related issues went away. I used to have nightmares about people trying to kill me and I'd end up killing them, but try to save their lives in the end. Weird stuff, but for a bit I went back to eating meat, the nightmares returned, and when I got back to the states, I went straight back to veganism because I had the options available. Now, I'd rather starve than eat meat.


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## 7STRINGWARRIOR (Jul 3, 2012)

Get some Melatonin at your local pharmacy, take it an hour before you want to pass out. It will calm your nerves and you shouldn't have any issues sleeping. It's pretty cheap too.

I have bad anxiety and schizophrenia to throw into the mix.


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## Stealthdjentstic (Jul 3, 2012)

Just a bit of oxy, crushed and snorted.


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## TRENCHLORD (Jul 3, 2012)

Stealthdjentstic said:


> Just a bit of oxy, crushed and snorted.


 
This and the MM card are the best things 4sure.


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## Don Vito (Jul 13, 2012)




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## prashanthan (Jul 13, 2012)

A friend was talking to me about his insomnia the other day...said he's had no problems ever since he bought Paul McKenna's "I Can Make You Sleep". He mentioned something about it including a half hour recording which he's never been able to listen to through to the end because it sends him to sleep (in conjunction with whatever techniques the book prescribes, obviously). Possibly worth a look into?


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## Brill (Jul 14, 2012)

I got Introduced To Valium while I was in the Mental Hospitle...... Oh my god that stuff is the most amazing stuff ever!....

So yeah valium  Cause the doctors gave it to me while I was in the Hospitle for Depression... Doctors Tick of Aproval?


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