I have suffered from insomnia for years

Have you considered complementary therapies? Massage, reflexology, acupuncture, homeopathic remedies, all of these I believe have some history of helping with a number of ailments. You may find that if you find one that helps your insomnia, it may as a by-product even help with being bipolar. I'm a great believer in many of those, and have friends who swear by them. I know a lot of people think they are complete bunkum, but quite frankly, if you don't try things, how do you know?! Something as simple as a herbal tea (chamomile for instance) and a warm bath with lavender oil taken shortly before you want to sleep might even do the trick. I wish you well.

I don't know a lot about your condition so I don't want to comment on something I don't knwo anything about. I were just wondering... Are you sure the medicine has a lot side effects? If it was me I would take whatever the doctors told me could help my condition :-)

well i would also say my prayers for you and wish you the best its not easy being in that condition and i will also engage you to pray more..

That used to be a worry for me as well as I found it very hard to get to sleep and sometimes I had to really force myself to get into the 'I am not awake phase'. Sometimes I pop my coat on and go for a long walk to get rid of some of the energy that has built up during the day. I also try to concentrate on some different thoughts in my mind that I do not normally think about, like sheep in the fields eating the grass and I try to count how many there are but not too many as I might end up sleepwalking.lol. Many years ago I was told that when in bed you must concentrate on relaxing your whole body, starting at the feet and relaxing each part all the way up each leg one at a time, then the arms and then all the way up the body making sure that all of your body is relaxed. By doing that you should be asleep long before you get anyway near your head.

I don't really suffer from insomnia but I do suffer from bipolar. I know we discussed this in one of your other dicussions. I had a doctor while I was in hospital once tell me that a manic stage can be worse or more dangerous than the depressive stage. She said if you have been awake for more than 4 days you need to go to the hospital or see your doctor. I stay awake and my mind just races. I try and stay in bed but it is hard. I know you don't believe in meds. What kinds have you been on? They put me on Lithum and I had to stop. I took olanzapine and it worked great but the weight gain was horrible so I stopped. I started on epival. This worked pretty good for a while and I did gain alittle weight. They had to add topomax in after a while. After my last hospitalization I know have clonazpan, serquiel, and lamotrigine add in. But I was there for 3 weeks and the doctor kept playing with combinations and doses. I really feel we have to take meds to keep our bipolar under control. I went many years undiagnosed and it caused alot of pain and suffering in my life. At least now with the meds, the symptoms of the bipolar are less. I agree with you that there are problems with the meds. Sometimes I have the shakes, they make my mouth dry and make it hard for me to wake up in the morning if I am in a normal state. But for me, that is the better option. Everyone has to decide which is the best for them. Weigh out the pros and cons. How long is it since you tried meds. Are you just totally against meds or have you just not found the right kind. Do you have a doctor or therapist who can help? I know it has taken me along time to get to where I am in this place with my bipolar. And as I have said before I still have ups and downs, just not as sever.

I salute ur course of action to the problem ..rather than being concerned and worried abt the disease ur actually trying to minimize and overcome it by productively trying to utilize time rather than constantly being worried abt it.........gr8 ,really serves as an example to the otehr people who are suffering from same problem.

then u take medicines so u will cure early it is my suggestion ......................u just keep on taking medicines have a nice day ............

Sorry to hear you are not enjoying better health .. I have many bouts of insomnia as I have Fibromyalgia Syndrome and sleep problems are just one of the many symptoms .. I gave up worrying about it long ago though .. like you say I just get back up and do something productive .. house work is a favourite then it's done and out of the way .. or now I have found MyLot I can come in here and post :o)

I have suffered from insomnia and chronic depression since I was 13, when I experience a major trauma. I try not to compare myself with others in their ability to sleep. For myself I feel there is a part of me that thinks it needs to be alert to protect myself. So I've stopped fighting it and I've come to embrace it. I'm trying to view it as a gift. I spend a lot of good time alone when I can't sleep. Try to collect my thoughts, journal, do laundry, cook, clean, just whatever. I'm just more accepting of it now and that seems to help a little. I just don't fight it anymore.

i think that you are lucky. actually people get to sleep when they are tired. it mean that you will never tired at all. you are strong. people get nothing when they sleep but waste their time. you should be happy you do not have to sleep. sleep is nothing.

Its really hard to sleep now adays. I thinks its because of the climate,the stress of work, and some other factor....

oh!

I have tried every thing and yes they just cause more problems than they are worth. I have tried Ambian cr...did nothing, took more than normal people nothing, lunesta, nothing, tempazapam, nothing, klonipin nothing. It did nothing for me. I have lyme so maybe that has something to do with it? Any way, I an now 50pd over weight becuase of them and my hormones are out of wack. lovely huh?

I also have the same problem. One thing that works for me and is all natural is Melatonin. Melatonin is a natual hormone the penial gland in your brain is supposed to create and dispense when it gets dark. The hormone is supposed to tell your brain to get tired. Some people just don't generate enough to get tired and they need a supplement. I've been taking it for quite some time now and I really like it. I don't have morning hangovers and my sleep pattern is getting better. You could talk to your doctor about it but in my opinion is completely safe on all levels. They only thing you need to worry about is that if you are on birth control, it will tend to interfere just a little since it is a hormone, other than that, there are no reports of bad side effects. One other option that I would suggest is also Lunesta but it's an actual prescription. It's not a benzodiazepine tranquilizer like the others though and it's much more gentle. I hope that you have found this to be helpful. Good luck.

yah,,you have to undergo on medication,because its not a normal maybe you will also suffer other complication because of that...

am an insomiac to. i inherited it from my mom. there are just nights when i am awake until the morning. although this scenario doesn't always happen every night. i don't take medications. im afraid it might affect memory. am still studying so i dont wann take the risk involve in terms of side effects. ive learned though that there are foods that actually make one sleep, such as milk, banana, bread, raisins, etc. these foods relaxes our mind and body and help us get drowsy. you may also try not to stay always in your room. go in your room only when you are sleepy. this way your body and mind is set that your room is nothing but a sleeping are. hope these will help you.

well try to start excercise and set ur priorities in life other than sleeping or eating etc... if u plan ur next day at the end of last day, i am sure is gonna work.. cheers

got the same problem also...hope this one works...consult a pysician and request for a sleeping pill or ask for atiban(im not sure of the spelling). If you're afraid to take meds..try this one. Focus on one obejct in you room for about 30 secs until the whole area looks dim then relax your whole body.

got the same problem also...hope this one works...consult a pysician and request for a sleeping pill or ask for atiban(im not sure of the spelling). If you're afraid to take meds..try this one. Focus on one obejct in you room for about 30 secs until the whole area looks dim then relax your whole body.

try to eat two apple before sleeping. you can eat with watching tv at night. Remember this is not snack,its medicine. eat it for 1 month,2 apple x 30 days. you will findadvantage from this.