Has Anybody Had To Give Up Work Due To Insomnia?

[Ian1]

Every day going to work seems to be like climbing Mount Everest. I don't want to give up work just yet but I feel I can't carry on like this. For years I've been on Mirtazapine but give these up because they cause mood swings. I've tried herbal tablets but these knock me out.
I've been to the doctors but they suggest the usual stuff like going to bed at the same time, warm bath, milky drinks etc.

[Buenchico]

I've had odd sleep patterns all my adult life. (For example, in my early 20s I only slept 10 hours per week: 3 hours on Tuesday nights, 3 hours on Thursdays and 4 hours on Sundays; that was all I ever needed. These days I tend to be awake all night and trying unsuccesfully to sleep all day).

As I'm not working regularly I can usually cope with my odd sleep patterns but when I get casual work, requiring me to be up at 0500 (when I'd normally be thinking about trying to get some sleep), it can be a bit of a strain!

CBT might be the way forward for you:
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Insomnia/Pages/Treatment.aspx

[jennyjoan]

i too have insomnia but I don't think you should quit your job as getting up early and physically working tires you out. If you were to give that up I would think the insomnia would get worse. by the way I only took insomnia when I was medically retired.

[ladyalex]

Getting up at the same time every day no matter how little sleep you have had is usually more beneficial than going to bed at the same time each night.
It can be hard to do sometimes, but can 'reset' your internal clock .
Good luck. Insomnia is awful.

[Eve]

I've found Mirtazapine very helpful though limited by dose as it loses the sleep effect at higher doses, if that could be an issue?

I suffered really badly from insomnia at university. I have a strict regime now, bedroom is for sleeping and getting dressed etc..., no TV, very rarely read in there etc... I have a routine of going round the house making sure everything is locked up and all the other pre-bed things I need to do so it's a bit like a ritual, my body knows what is coming. Similarly with getting up. I don't lie in, get up at the same time weekdays and same time weekends. I don't lie around in bed on weekends if I wake pre-alarm unless it's stupidly early.

I suffer very badly from fatigue and have been trying to find ways of making my "enforced" fatigue less unpleasant, such as having a shower when I get home with relaxing shower cream (don't like baths) and then use baby night time lotion, have a cup of camomile tea etc... so I'm still exhausted but more comfortably tired, if that makes sense? I try to avoid caffeine near bedtime and rarely drink alcohol but for me a milky cup of weak sweet tea is really comforting and relaxing.

At one point, I used to have a TV in the bedroom and used to put Sky News on really quiet which, as often quite repetitive, would help me drift off as I zoned out (you're a bit screwed if there is a major breaking news or something though!). The radio could work like this too, or music which makes you daydream more and relax and drift off - don't try to focus too much on sleeping, just relax and let your mind wander. I then later moved to no TV as had got a much better sleeping routine.

I've also had "visualisations" like thinking of a really nice comfortable relaxing happy place I can feel nice in, for me as a girly thing, say being pampered, being in a lovely hotel and ordering room service for whatever you need, having a Jacuzzi etc... Just tricks to relax you and you may drop off as you are so relaxed.

If you are worrying about stuff, I find visually (in your mind) shutting them away, like putting them in a box or filing cabinet which is then shut and they are put away until you want to get them out.

Just trying to focus on being comfortable and relaxed can help you at least get some rest and may help with sleep.

[craft1948]

I've suffered from insomnia for years, I could sit and cry sometimes just because I feel so tired and giving up work hasn't helped one bit, and neither has Mirtazapine...

[Retrochic]

I've been given zopiclone to help me sleep due to stress and probable Rheumatoid Arthritis and its fantastic -I sometimes only take half a tablet but I'm not laying in bed at night now 'waiting' to go to sleep. I did not realise how insomnia can impede on your day to day existence until it happened to me it is awful. Hope you can find a resolution Ian.

[woofgang]

Have you tried melatonin? Honestly I am not sure how giving up work would help.

[Eve]

I should say that I've only had mirtazapine since certain health conditions and it does help me get better sleep (due to pain etc...) but I get so tired now with chronic fatigue. We did trial upping it but I felt so jittery and that did affect my sleeping and I felt awful so it was put back to the level at which it helps me sleep.

[Hopkirk]

Definitely try melatonin, but I'm not sure you can buy it in this country.
Things may have changed, but in the nineties I know it was freely available in the USA, but not here.

It isn't a drug, it's a hormone which naturally occurs in your body. A small amount at the right time can have a dramatic effect.

[Eve]

I found zopiclone of no use to me, was given it when my insomnia was at its worse and had exams and such. I had to take more than I was prescribed to even get a little effect out of it so they wouldn't give me any more. Same with temazepam from memory.

I think it differs for everyone. I remember Valerian tea being quite effective for sleeping, but I'd feel awful and groggy and irritable in the mornings, and it tasted vile.

For general relaxation and a bit of extra help for me if something is on my mind, I like Kalms tablets and they do day and night time ones. Just be careful about taking more than one thing at a time, herbal or more medical.

[Captain2]

Hopkirk is right I think. My wife suffers quite badly from insomnia and has tried loads of things. We found melatonin on the shelves of general stores in USA a couple of years ago and they worked to a degree but results tailed off after a while. It isn't licensed in this country yet but we did manage to buy and import it from USA.
Good luck

[ladybirder]

I swear by Melatonin. Get the 1mg to start and see how you go. I only take 1mg a night when I need it and not every night.

http://www.biovea.com/uk/category_dispatch.aspx?cid=22592&scid=22599&deptid=1

[jennyjoan]

do hollands and barretts not have it - looked there doesn't seem to.

[woofgang]

no jj, it can't be sold in the uk but its quite legal to buy it from abroad.

[Hypognosis]

I don't get insomnia, as such, but I developed an abnormal sleeping pattern as a knock-on effect of chronic fatigue syndrome. My sleep/wake times shift by up to two hours per day, so booking a doctor/dentist appointment is a problem, as I can't stay awake into working hours, half the time.

Needless to say, if I got a job, I'd be fired within three days and put on the "poor timekeeping" blacklist.

GP declined to prescribe melatonin, when I asked. NHS does not approve it for anyone under the age of 60. I do not know the rationale behind that, whether it be safety concerns (of long-term use) or whether it is only supposed to be older people who suffer sleep disturbance problems.

The brain produces melatonin naturally but it involves a good dose of daylight __on the retina__. I emphasise that only to stress the difference between it and exposing the skin, which is about making natural vitamin D. I'm only repeating what I heard (on the news) and no mention was made of the effect of wearing sunglasses (pricey ones block UVA and UVB to prevent eye damage but who knows whether UV is what is required to stimulate the melatonin production?)

With regard to work, it becomes a vicious cycle where it becomes harder to make it through the day, you develop performance anxiety and suffer stress. I would generally collapse on the sofa by 6/7pm and not have any energy to go out and enjoy myself, de-stress with friends and so on.

The Mount Everest analogy sums it up perfectly. If you get severe headaches, on top of the fatigue, get a carbon monoxide detector. If it triggers, you will not to stop using all your gas appliances immediately. Since it is summer, now would be a good time to book a gas engineer to do the servicing.

[Ian1]

Many tanks for all your answers, it is much appreciated. I mentioned to my wife I was going to buy some melatonin off the internet and she went mad saying that I should never buy drugs off the internet as you can't trust if they are legitimate. I guess I'll have to accept the insomnia and soldier on.

[Hypognosis]

*
If it triggers, you will need to stop using all your gas appliances immediately.

How 'need' became 'not' I have no idea. That's not what I typed.

[Samuraisan]

You can buy Melotonin here in Spain. No as strong as the US, apparently, but just take two instead of one. I also sufre from insomnio, but Inhave discovered listen in to a boring podcast helps. There are so many to choose from, one I like is Sleep with Me, the podcaster is intentionally trying to get you to sleep, talking many a load of amusing rubbish and then talking slower and slower. I have never got to the end of his podcast. When I wake up at 3.00 or 4.00, on it goes again. Only negative thing is that I need my glasses to read my iPod so end up groping around. Mr.Sam goes to sleep listening to fishing podcasts.

[Samuraisan]

Sorry for the typos ate beginning, my keyboard was on Spanish.

[woofgang]

Ian, I get mine from vitasunn, have been using it for my dogs for more than three years now with no ill effects. Biovea also sell it and they are a reputable firm. The NHS guideline is actually 55 and not 60 according to the NHS webpage
http://www.nhs.uk/medicine-guides/pages/MedicineOverview.aspx?condition=Insomnia&;medicine=melatonin&preparationMelatonin%202mg%20modified-release%20tablets