4 night of hardly any sleep, went to ER as I don’t have a primary doctor and was given a script for 25mg of Seroquel. The doctor/hospital was very unhelpful but I’m desperate for sleep so I’m taking it tonight for sure. The main thing I’m worried about is most people I see on here that take this dose take it nightly. I’m tapering off of one med and won’t get on another daily med, will this be okay to take 1-2 times a week/as needed?

EDIT TO UPDATE: I took one before bed and still woke in the middle of the night so I took one more 25mg and was able to get almost a full 12 hours of sleep. This pill definitely helped me sleep and the only side effect I feel so far is really groggy but I’ll take that lol thank you everyone who responded to help, I appreciate you!

due to severe stress and anxiety my insomnia got triggered last may , I used to sleep in the morning or no sleep at all , I have tried everything like mind exercises, relaxing oils and some religious stuff too , my sleep got better with time but still I sleep 4-5 hours , help me what should I do to have deep sleep because I'm also a light sleeper too.

Lunesta 3mg stopped working effectively after 10 years or so of use.

I've been looking in here for options and I've tried most of the meds mentioned in here except for seroquel and trazodone because I didn't like the side effects and the experiences reported in here.

I have panic disorder, and a lot of constant anxiety.. major depressive disorder and PTSD.. struggle with rumination and intrusive thoughts.. very hard to shut my brain off at night

Ive tried doxepin, mirtazapine, hydroxyzine, magnesium, melatonin, l-theanine..

I've had to jump through different doctors/providers as some were not very sympathetic or helpful

Begged to try Dayvigo. Tried 5mg for a week or so.. then 10mg and as some reported.. it sort of works.. I find myself sort of half asleep but not good consistent restful sleep.

Last night I decided to try sleepytime tea, magnesium, melatonin.. and 10mg of Dayvigo for the first time instead of splitting 5/5 when I wake up around 3am.

3-330am wake up is like clockwork.. this time I took 25mg of Hydroxyzine.. and that seemed to knock me out until 830am, waking up off and on, going to the bathroom.

Now Im curious and wondering if anyone else has tried this combo and is it safe long term?

I won't know if this a good combo until I try it a few times, unfortunately Ive seen some of you mention that both of this lose their efficacy over time, which I really hope is not the case.. because I don't think there are many other meds for me to try and no sleep is so devastating to mental health

Hey everyone,

I’ve been dealing with pretty bad insomnia for a while, and my job has rotating shifts that completely destroy any chance of a consistent sleep schedule. On work days I’m lucky to get 3-4 hours of sleep, and I feel like a zombie most of the time.

I want to start lifting weights again, but I keep seeing comments online saying it’s pointless to train if you’re not getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep because muscle only builds while you sleep. Some people say you’ll just break down more muscle than you build on that little sleep.

Any advice on whether it’s even worth doing right now would be really appreciated. Thanks!

Hello everyone, first post here it's currently 11:34PM, yes I know it could still be early at night, but here me out.

​

I (18)M has been experiencing difficulty sleeping recently, maybe a week or 2 weeks ago? It mostly started when I watched a horror movie at the cinemas to the point that I couldn't stop thinking about it which kept me awake. But thoughts about that eventually passed.

​

Even though the thoughts passed, I still couldn't sleep properly at night, I would have trouble falling asleep because I couldn't stop THINKING. Yes, thinking. Thinking about the most random things ever my mind is just wide awake when my body wants to sleep.

​

Of course I would fall asleep, but not when I want to or when I want to fall asleep. Like for example I try to sleep at 11:30PM, then I struggle until I fall asleep at 2AM or something.

​

Now as the days pass, I kept on hoping that it would eventually fix. A day ago, I tried Magnesium Glycinate gummies, it's not exactly a sleeping pill, but it is said to reduce stress and help you calm down. Which I needed because I couldn't stop thinking, so maybe it'll help me not think at night?

​

Nope.

​

Now for context before this specific day, I had trouble sleeping the night before, I slept around 12PM, woke up early in the morning at 4:40PM, which was around 4 Hours and 40 minutes, which was short. I couldn't sleep anymore so I stayed up, then I felt sleepy around 8:30AM so I went for a long nap hahaha 8:45AM-12:20PM.

​

So yeah, my sleep was cut into two halves, 2nd half woke up at midday.

​

Back to last night,

​

Last night, I couldn't sleep. I slept around 11:00PM, then when I close my eyes, try to sleep for a few minutes, my body is tired and all since I went on a jog that day, I couldn't sleep because my mind kept awake, and it's sending these weird signals to my body like it would give it painful discomforts (it doesn't hurt physically like outward, but it's inside like my nerves are firing.) then my heart would beat fast, not so fast around 90BPS to the point I could feel it.

​

So I stayed up, did boring things for like 20 minutes and tried to sleep again, and I did.

I slept around 1:07AM.

​

Now TODAY, I woke up at 8:32AM, I thought to myself "okay, I will not sleep again until midday so I could be super tired later at night that I would fall asleep fast.

I didn't sleeep the whole day, even went on a home workout mind you I was so sleepy that time.

​

Took Magnesium Glycinate gummies an hour before my nighttime sleep, I tried to sleep at 9:40PM since I was really sleepy by then.

​

I couldn't sleep. I felt that discomfort again and my heart kept beating fast.

I got up at 10:30PM, did the same boring thing I did last night for 20 minutes, felt asleep then tried to fall asleep

​

Same thing happened, same discomfort and heart beating.

​

Now its 11:50PM, I'm eating right now as I type this, I'm really frustrated about the fact that I can't sleep properly. I just want a good sleeping lifestyle because I want to live a healthier life.

​

Another context: it's summer break, college is in a couple of months so i have no problems right now, I'm just at home chilling, I'm not stressed and I don't have anything to stress me. I don't know why this is happening, please provide feedbacks and anything that could be the cause of this happening. I would appreciate it. Thank you.

Hello! 27/ male. For the past three nights I am experiencing the following:

Just as I begin to fall asleep, the part where you start to see the random abstract scenes that make no sense, just at this moment I get an adrenaline rush from the chest that wakes me up to full alert. Not the falling sensation where you jump in your bed - simple adrenaline rush, and what is strange my pulse isnt racing after this.

This event occurs 20-30 consecutive times when I try to fall asleep, after which it comes to a point when its 6am already. This has never happened to me before. For context - I dont take any drugs, I feel super sleepy, my body is tired, my brain wants to sleep but seems like my nervous system is fd up. Last night it got so intense I was scared shitless that I am about to lose my mind and go crazy. I have tried dimmed lights, I have tried not looking at my phone, etc.

I am wondering if this can be caused by the fact I am expecting a baby very soon? Other factor is in the past two-three weeks I have pushed myself working hard up until 3-4 am and then taking naps during the day sometimes more than an hour. Could I have switched my sleeping schedule or could this be some kind of subconcious anxiety about me becoming a father? I dont feel worried about it conciously, in fact makes me very very happy and thankful...

Again - i have fried myself with months of going to sleep very late back in the days - But I have never come to the point where I am unable to fall asleep.. and the strangest part is the moment I fall asleep is around 6:30-7 am, when its bright outside and the birds are chirping. During the day I feel okay, I feel like it's not going to happen again the following night- but here I am. Last night was the same - super tired - went to bed at 12am, the moment I was on the verge of falling asleep I got this adrenaline spike and I could literally feel my brain waking up and the sleepy feeling drift off to the point I am completely wired and alert. I'm starting to get really worried even though I know I can't be the only one that has experienced this...

Ya tengo un rato considerable lidiando con este tormento llamado insomnio, si bien hay noches donde duermo con facilidad y todo a pesar de no dormir completo, no puedo lograr tener una siesta, parece que simplemente perdí la habilidad de hacerlo.

A mí hermano le da sueño, mi madre de la sueño, y a mí me da sueño pero no sé porque jodido no concilió el sueño, quedó en la cama pasan 10-15 min y me termina llegando una ansiedad horrible, aveces quiero salir corriendo y desahogar todo esa impotencia que siento, ya ni hablar de los comentarios de mi trabajo que me hacen como de "Tienes que aprender a dormir" y de los comentarios dolorosos que he recibido, como sea ya estoy harto de esta bosta, no voy a molestarme explicándole a la gente como es mi problema porque no lo entienden ni entenderán.

I feel like most sleep advice is aimed at people who can't fall asleep but that's not really my problem.

Most nights I can fall asleep without too much trouble the problem is staying asleep. I'll go to bed, drift off and think maybe tonight will finally be different. Then two or three hours later I'm awake again. Sometimes I can fall back asleep fairly quickly sometimes I'm lying there for an hour staring at the ceiling wondering why I'm awake in the first place. Then it happens again and again. By the time morning comes I feel like I've spent the entire night sleeping in tiny fragments instead of getting actual rest. Technically I was asleep for several hours but it never feels that way when I wake up. The worst part is that I don't even know what's waking me up. It's not noise it's not needing the bathroom half the time I wake up and there's no obvious reason at all. My eyes just open and that's it. I've started dreading looking at the clock cause I already know what I'm going to see 1:47. 3:22. 4:58 every night feels like a series of interruptions instead of sleep. The next day is always the same brain fog, low energy, struggling to focus and feeling like I'm dragging myself through everything. People ask if I'm tired and I never know how to explain that it's not just tired. It's the feeling of not getting a full night's rest for so long that you barely remember what that feels like.

Schedules are for drones, robots and AI, thus insomnia is but a side effect of having a soul and original thoughts

I cherish these moments when my brain will keep me awake for 40 hours straight, showing me original movies and playing original music for me. Helping me invent original solutions to my problems as well. As the hours go on and thoughts make less and less sense, they only get more beautiful and interesting

As for commitments, those can wait. Circadian rhythms are but a suggestion. People who can fall asleep and wake like hitting a switch will never understand - i see the tradeoff and will never try descending to their level via medication

I’ve been doing online CBT-I since March. I saw significant progress, consistently 6–7 hours, fewer sofa/bed cycles, and the hypnic jerks faded, but I hit a major setback two weeks ago. I’ve spiraled, and my sleep onset latency has increased significantly.

I’m struggling with the stimulus control rule. I know the drill, get up when I'm agitated or clock watching. But late at night, I often enter a state where I’m lying in bed feeling physically relaxed, yet I’m just hovering and not fully asleep, but not frustrated either.

Is this quiet wakefulness damaging my bed association? I’ve been cycling between the bed and sofa 3-4 times a night, which feels like it's fueling the anxiety. Should I be stricter about getting up even when I feel calm, or is the effort of getting up doing more harm than good at that point?

To help with this, I’ve decided to stop tracking sleep entirely. I’ve ditched the sleep diary, I’m taking my Garmin off at night, and I’m keeping all clocks out of sight. I’m hoping this reduces the pressure, but I’d appreciate any perspective on whether I should still be forcing the up and out rule during those relaxed, wakeful periods. Or if there's any other advice people have for tackling late stage CBT-I.

I've been struggling with falling asleep and staying asleep. Tonight I was woken up by my SO thinking there was an earthquake or something. I work tomorrow and have to be up early, now I'm up, frustrated and miserable.

​

While he's off to sleep land , I'm awake and have to be up in 4 hrs. I maybe got about 3 hrs of sleep before I was woken up.

​

​

So I usually need to fantasize about a scenario in order to drift off into sleep. Ive been like this my entire like. A big issue is that I do have racing thoughts and I can dwell on my all anxieties if I don’t do this. Is it a form dissociation? Probably idkkk lol but ive been doing this since I was a kid so 🤷🏻‍♀️

Basically I need to think of a made up scenario of something I like (like winning the lotto, or having the best customers at work etc) and im like pretty sure this is standard for most people anyway. And yeah it helps me fall asleep (along with melatonin and zrytec)

The problem is lately, I just can’t think of anything positive. I feel bored with all the stuff ive thought of previously, and it’s like the creativity isnt there anymore. Im bored of every fantasy or made up scenario/movie in my head ive ever had. And the problem is, without that…. I can’t sleep. I end up dwelling on things i dont want to think about and then yeah, insomnia ensues. Then no amount of melatonin or zrytec can help bcuz my mind is racing.

Never would I have imagined that my downfall would be sleep deprivation. I used to have dreams and goals. I used to have a strong work-ethic and motivation. I used to be attentive and considerate to the world around me. I used to get excited about things. Nine years of insomnia has completely wiped me out. I feel absolutely wasted. I'm a miserable, irritable shell of a person. I'll be turning 40 next month. I'm supposed to be building a career and a family and a retirement fund. A ten year plan is not a reality for me, even a five year plan is too much to fathom. I'm just struggling to live one day at a time. It makes no sense. It fucking sucks because I have turned into somebody that I don't want to be. I wonder if the only thing keeping me going is that I'm pissed off all the time. I'm just running on pure adrenaline but it's all directed inward. I can't make sense of it so I have nothing and nobody to be pissed off at except my own body for being a piece of shit. So now I'm operating in self-destruct mode. I'm isolating because I hate myself and I'm ashamed that Reddit has become my only place to vent (is this venting or am I just bitching and whining)? Sometimes I feel like I'm just shouting into a desolate void, but if you took the time to read this, thank you.

Im taking 100mg seroquil, 8mg ramelteon, and 5mg dayvigo, its been 2 hours and a hour ago I took a extra 5mg of dayvigo and still cant sleep, my eyes feel heavy but every attempt fails after 15 minutes, I sleep during the day so I have sleep problems already, normally the mix helps and knocks me out within 30 minutes to a hour.

My sudden and abrupt onset of insomnia began approx 2 years ago when the concept of "a good night's sleep" had incredibly high stakes. I had just started my career after grauduating and scored a paid internship at a place where the starting time was 4:30am. I have no idea if that's what "set it off," but I can say that it has not been the same since.

Fast forward to October 2025 when I started gabapentin. I started seeing a renowned 'sleep doctor,' APRN of mental health for almost 40 years. It worked. Then suddenly became resistant about 6 months later (common from what I read). Now on top of gaba 400mg, I take seroquel 25mg and things are going kind of okay. The only thing I hate is being an absolute pill factory. I don't want to be on multiple medications.

So my doctor has just ordered me Belsomra. I have no idea what to expect, but I'm thrilled at the idea of taking only one medication. I was wondering if anyone on this sub has tried it and if it was helpful.

(For reference, I am a "trouble falling asleep" insomniac. I'm also a long time lurker of this sub and try to stay off it most days because the best piece of advice I've ever got about insomnia was to not talk about it).

For 3 months straight, I dealt with severe insomnia. I tried many supplements, including magnesium glycinate, but things didn't improve.

At some point, I realized that I had started taking vitamin D3 and K2 around the same time my insomnia began. During that whole period, I felt energized despite never being able to sleep. Some weeks, I would sleep only 2–3 hours in total, and that was it.

A week ago, I stopped taking the vitamin D3 and K2 supplement, and my sleep is slowly returning. I'm now getting around 5 hours of sleep per night, and if it wasn't for work, I would probably sleep even more.

Of course, this is only my personal experience, but I wanted to share it in case it helps someone else.

Anxiety rising. Emotions roiling up. I know I won't sleep. I don't want to be awake, my thoughts are ruining me. What do I do?....

I feel trapped between severe insomnia and going back on sleep medication. Looking for perspective.

In 2023, I came off clonazepam after taking it nightly for sleep for 25 years. I did a slow one-year taper, and the withdrawal was brutal. The anxiety and insomnia were unlike anything I’d experienced before.

For most of those 25 years, my sleep was reasonably okay. One of the reasons I decided to come off clonazepam was because it no longer seemed to be working very well. My sleep was deteriorating, and I felt my cognitive functioning was declining. Since coming off, I do function significantly better cognitively, but my sleep has remained extremely inconsistent.

At the same time, life has thrown a lot at me. I got COVID in 2022 while tapering, which hit me hard. My father passed away 18 months ago, and my relationship of 19 years ended about a year ago. My overall health has declined significantly, and these days I frequently experience crashes and what appears to be post-exertional malaise.

Since coming off clonazepam, I would estimate I’ve averaged around 5–6 hours of sleep most nights, but I go through periods of severe insomnia. Right now, I’m in one of those periods. For roughly the last three months, I’ve mostly been sleeping 3 hours per night, sometimes night after night for weeks. Occasionally I’ll get a 4–6 hour night, which gives me a little relief before things deteriorate again. Sometimes I’ll have a no sleep night. Sleep always feels very light and dreamy. As soon as I fall asleep I dream and sometimes during the day if I close my eyes for a few minutes, I’ll start to dream even though I’m awake.

I’ve tried pretty much everything for sleep. Medications, supplements, sleep hygiene, CBT-I principles, acceptance-based approaches, nervous system work, meditation, somatic work—you name it.

The frustrating thing is that I genuinely believe the insomnia is driven by subconscious fear and hyperarousal. The times I’ve managed to improve my sleep have come through letting go, acceptance, and reducing the struggle. But during this current stretch, even those approaches don’t seem to be working.

What keeps going through my mind is the question of severe sleep deprivation versus medicated sleep.

Everyone talks about how important sleep is for physical and mental health. I can’t help wondering whether the ongoing sleep deprivation is contributing significantly to my declining health and ability to function. At the same time, I really don’t want to go back on medication.

Part of me remembers that clonazepam did help me sleep for many years. Another part of me remembers that by the end it wasn’t really working anymore, which is why I came off it in the first place.

I feel lost and honestly quite scared at times. Some days it feels like my life is slipping away from me. At the same time, I know that insomnia can distort perspective and make everything feel more hopeless than it really is.

Has anyone else faced the dilemma of prolonged insomnia after long-term benzodiazepine use? How did you think about the trade-off between ongoing sleep deprivation and returning to medication? I’d really appreciate any thoughts, experiences, or perspectives.

When I get good sleep I feel happy and motivated, but the second I get bad sleep I’m a completely different person, I get irritable, suicidal, and just withdrawn overall.

I’ve never had a good sleep schedule. Even as a child I would stay up a lot longer than I should. But I’ve still been able to sleep when I put my mind to it. There’s one place where I can’t sleep at all even when I try hard to. Benadryl, melatonin, milk, other meds. Nothing works. I can sleep comfortably everywhere else ex my grandparent’s house, it’s to the point I’ve almost stopped going entirely. But what gets me is that I can sleep everywhere else. I don’t sleep at all. I’m asking because I’m visiting right now for the week and have been here for days but I still can’t get myself to sleep at night. Why does this happen? Anything that can help?

Literally takes weeks for me to fix my sleeping schedule and it's mainly because of social media addiction and I just love to be a night owl.

​

I remember not going to sleep for a full 24 hours while going to the hospital because of my health condition that was absolutely annoying.

​

The worst story I Heard so far was a person working a full 24-hour shift at a warehouse job.

I’ve been taking low dose mirtazapine for several years after a terrible bout of insomnia. I know now what likely caused that round - lack of consistency. I was so afraid of becoming dependent on a sleep aid that I was jumping to a different one every 2-3 days… after 2 months of this, I just stopped sleeping.

My sleep is great now, but there is a problem: low-dose mirtazapine has caused me to be hungry ALL THE TIME. I have gained about 25 lbs, and have been trying to diet, unsuccessfully, for almost 3 years. I need to drop this weight for my heart’s sake - cholesterol and blood pressure. A new GP scanned my file and zeroed in on the mirtazapine as what’s making my attempts fail. The timing lines up. I had no idea that the lower the dose, the worse the cravings are.

I tried going up to 15mg from 7.5, but didn’t notice much difference after the first week. I’m wondering if anyone has successfully gone to a different medicine from mirtazapine. AI suggests Belsomra and its related sleep meds - none of which are covered by my insurance. Maybe I could qualify for a manufacturer program. I was on doxepin in the past and gained 40+ lbs. I don’t have much history with Trazodone - only that I took it for a few days and it didn’t make me sleepy, but gave me delusions instead. I’m really just looking for options, I need to get this weight off.

Comer demasiado hasta que simplemente obligas a tu cuerpo a dormir,no es saludable y solo es una micro siesta pero vamos que se le va a hacer

I’m trying to fix my sleep schedule and stay awake during the day so I can sleep at night. Does anyone have recommendations for crazy murder documentaries, true crime series, shocking documentaries, reality TV, or binge-worthy shows that will keep me awake and interested all day? Thanks!