I was convinced I had it at one point, long dark hours alone at night and at its worse no sleep for days. Hi, I know how you feel and it is difficult to not scare yourself stupid with Dr Google. These boards are littered with young men who did just that and were dismissed out of hand by their doctors who, knowing the virtual impossibility of this diagnosis, then refused to take them seriously and investigate other causes. But please don't go into your doctor's office saying you think you have fatal insomnia. It might be useful to get a general check-up anyway, with blood work, to make sure your general health is OK. However, they paradoxically cause insomnia in some people while they're actually taking them, and insomnia is pretty much inevitable if you subsequently try to stop them.Īnother alternative would be to see your doctor and ask to be referred for CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) which can sometimes be very effective. These very effectively suppress REM sleep, where dreams arise. However, if you're very concerned about this you could ask your doctor to prescribe an antidepressant. Dreaming a lot doesn't mean you're not getting restful sleep. I don't think you should worry too much about the dreams. And don't overdo the dose, as they can make you feel hungover the next morning. I used to take them for two or three nights every 10-14 days. You can quickly develop a tolerance to them, just like sleeping tablets, and they'll stop working. If you do decide to try antihistamines, don't take them for more than three consecutive nights. If you take one on going to bed you'll still be awake an hour later, the anxiety will kick in again, and the antihistamine won't be enough to counteract it.īut a word of warning. You need to take antihistamines about an hour before going to bed, as their sedative effect is quite mild. Not the new generation - they don't make you sleepy. These are promethazine (Phenergan), diphenhydramine (Benadryl) and chlorphenamine (Piriton). I used to take a small dose of one of the first-generation antihistamines just for a few nights at a time after a run of bad nights. Obviously the usual sleep hygiene measures apply - no coffee in the afternoon, a reasonable amount of exercise but not at the end of the day, absolutely no phone or computer use of any kind in the last hour before bed etc. Since this has only just started, you have every chance of breaking out of it yourself. If my reaction so far has seemed somewhat flippant, it's because of exasperation at hearing this fatal insomnia story once too often. It wasn't fatal insomnia, btw - I'm 72 now and still going strong. I therefore know what it's like to go on day after day in a demanding job, not getting enough sleep, and getting into a state of panic at the approach of every night. In my mid-20s, I found myself unintentionally taking part in a pilot scheme to "improve" nurses' work schedules, which involved working to a lunatic schedule which comprehensively screwed up my sleep pattern for at least the next ten years. I was never a good sleeper, even as a child, and could easily go several nights in a row without sleeping at all when I was stressed. That's what you need to be addressing, rather than wasting your energy on speculating about fatal insomnia. You've actually put your finger on it when you say you've developed sleep dread. Much as I rely on it myself, I sometimes wish the b****y internet had never been invented! All have exactly the same symptoms as you - which are, of course, the symptoms of anxiety as well as those of fatal insomnia. There are currently at least five other young men on these boards also convinced they have fatal insomnia. Health anxiety is a very real illness, which can rarely be cured by reassurance, but needs psychiatric help. Not because you have Fatal Insomnia, the incidence of which is about one in a billion (seriously - I'm a former neuro-trained nurse) but because you've developed health anxiety as a result of your exhaustion. I just can't shake the feeling that I really have Fatal Insomnia. I think I've developed a fear of sleep or sleep dread. My job requires a ton of thinking and my anxiety is fine until the moment I get home and begin to wind down. I'm never aware I'm asleep, done it for years. I've gotten maybe 7 hours total the last 2 nights and I'm scared.Īlso when I do achieve sleep, I feel as if I don't and have vivid dreams. My heart pounds, I feel short of breath, and I feel as if I'll vomit. As I begin to doze I feel weird sensations. My anxiety has been rearing is ugly head. I'm scared to death I have Fatal Insomnia! I've always made it on 5-6 hours a night and been fine. I've had sleeping problems before but this is different.
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