Help!

Some of you who read this will probably know that I've been suffering from depression and really strong anxiety and stress since February. I've also had insomnia since GCSE's, but I think it's developed to chronic insomnia since I started A2. You may also know that I split with my boyfriend about 2 weeks ago.

For the last 2 weeks after I dumped my boyfriend I felt better, and people said I looked better than I had been. However all of this week, even though I take Zopiclone and write down what bothers me, I haven't been getting enough restorative sleep at all. I've been getting quite a lot of nightmares, usually based on or around things that I'm worried about. I wake up exhausted every day even though I do get sleep and although I am still revising, it's even harder than it used to be. As a result, I'm thinking that I may have to pull out at the last minute.

I am seeing a counsellor, and she thinks I've made progress. I'd only just started sleeping badly when I mentioned it, so I don't think she thought much into it. I'm gonna bring it up, because one of my teachers had a word with me yesterday. She said she thinks that I'm trying to block out all of the stress to focus on my A Levels and that it's taking it out on me this way. I don't have much longer with this counsellor though- I'm on the 9th session out of 12. I've been offered a specialist who will transfer locally for me, but I usually have about 2 or 3 appointments with acupuncture, counselling and sometimes doctors appointments, so I think that having another would take up my revision time and make me more stressed.

I also have hydrocephalus, and I'm supposed to have the shunt checked every 6 years or so. I haven't had it checked since I was 6, so a lot of people are wondering if these are early signs of shunt malfunction. I'm going to the doctors on Monday, so I'll ask her to refer me as soon as possible.

In the meantime- can you think of anything which might help me get some better sleep? I don't know how much longer I can take it.
Thanks in advance.

Reply 1

Sidhe

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=272480

Thread about insomnia, do a search with key word insomnia as well there's a few of these threads with some really tip top advice.

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/search.php?searchid=941981

Sounds like your managing the depression. Good luck on your exams, and remember they aren't the end of the world. I failed mine because of depression. I did them again at college, it's not the end of the world and because I picked subjects I'd already studied I spent the first year of college sitting on the field mostly and then just took the exams at the end. Wonderful days of indolence.

Reply 2

hannah_dru

I'm probably not gonna drop out, unless I get so bad that I can't even move around. I can still work, but sometimes walking up the road to school is really hard cos I feel so faint.
I think that the exam boards know but I'll double check. I haven't told either my firm or my insurance uni yet either, but I guess I should.
The doctor gave me Zopiclone, first on a small mild dosage, and then again about a month ago on the highest dosage possible. I'm not sure if that is making me drowsy or not sleep so well either. My Mum thinks I'm addicted and my body has started to react to it. I take Bach's Rescue Remedy every night and use Lavender oil, and I do sleep, but it's just not the restorative kind.

Reply 3

theredsox

Oh, you poor thing! That sounds absolutely horrible.
I can't think of anything to help, though. Sorry.

Reply 4

hannah_dru

My Mum told me that I should mention that to her. The doctor who originally prescribed them said they could be a slight problem, but not much.
I do still have some Zopiclone left overs from the smaller dosage, so I might try taking those instead.
I'm definitely eating enough. Normally I don't tend to eat much at all, but if I have exams or I don't sleep well I tend to eat a bit more. I'm not 100% happy with that to be honest.

Reply 5

BabyBee

have you tried things like night nurse? im not sure what they can and cant be mixed with. or herbal sleeping tablets. massage can help. soft music, dim lights etc.
i know how u feel i often have nightmares and insomnia when im stressed. my excema also comes out. just breathe deeply and keep fighting through. i think u can do it.

Reply 6

hannah_dru

I haven't tried Night Nurse, no. I tried herbal tablets several years ago and they did nothing, so that's why my doctor gave me Zopiclone, as it's proper sleep medication.
I'm doing the breathing excercises which I think helps me sleep, but obviously they're not taking away the problems. I think I need some professional help, so I will be seeing the specialist. I'll ring her on Monday. Hopefully I'll get cognitive behavioural therapy or something. I just hope I manage to get the high grades I'm predicted.

Reply 7

wackysparkle

Hi Hannah,

I'm sorry to hear that you are having these problems - I thought it was improving. Clearly the A levels are having a toll on you now as it is just increasing stress for you.
However, as you have already said, I would seek the help of that professional so that you can at least get a good night's sleep.
As for the Insomnia, I don't have it as such, but I always had a tendency of sleeping only 4-5 hours every night in my first semester. Thankfully that has stopped now as it was just tiring me out. What I did was: begin to go to bed everyday one hour earlier than the previous night - it would mean lying in bed awake for about 1 hour, but gradually my body became used to the change and I was able to sleep.
Another thing I used to do was to read a book - for some reason I would always get sleepy or even a hot mug of milk.

I hope you do well in your exams, and I'm sure you will - you put in a lot of hard work time and time again as I have gathered from your previous posts.
Good luck for them :hugs:

Reply 8

hannah_dru

I thought everything was improving too. Clearly not.

I don't know to what an extent she'll help to be honest, but if I have the time then I'll go. Time is getting really difficult though, there's just so much work to do all the time. According to the doctor who dealt with this, the specialist only wants me to have counselling to make me better. Which I've already nearly finished. I don't know that she'll be able to help me with one of my main problems anyway.

I'll give that a shot. My problem is though that not much seems to help me at all. If I've had one nights bad sleep, I'll have so much adrenaline I can't sleep the next night. I think with my Hydrocephalus then I'm worse than the average person. In the hospital they used to have to give me double the anaesthetic to knock me out. I'll have to get an appointment with the neurologist asap.