Hi hopeful I'm an insomniac too. I've had trouble getting to sleep for as long as I can remember. When I do get to sleep, I am usually disturbed by scary and/or weird dreams that make me feel very uncomfortable. I wake up many times in the night. Because of this I can "sleep" for 8 hours and still feel like I've been awake all night. People who haven't experienced insomnia don't understand at all, when you are so tired you can hardly stand up, can't make simple decisions, can't remember anything, can't even think in a straight line, it's very hard to be cheerful and happy. There's no wonder we're depressed. I don't have any answers on how to sleep better. The only thing I find that works a little sometimes is warm milk before I go to bed. I guess it's worth a try. Anyway, I hope you find something that works for you.

thanks Anne Marie. Your reply helped more than a little. I appreciate your help.

I'm glad my reply helped a little, Hopeful. I am not a therapist so I can't advise you on the abuse question except to say that the awful baggage imposed on you as a little child was not ok at all and that you have the right and the duty I feel, to question it and to rebel against it. I agree with you that perhaps reading about it during the morning or early afternoon might be far better than in the evening though. Good for you for taking back your life.

Anne Marie thank you so much for the post. I definitely recognize myself in a few of your scenarios. I will start to work on this today. It was nice to get a down to earth explanation for at least one of the things the doctors say and then gloss over. I will take your advice to heart. I want to help myself. You have helped me realize that I have to work on the factors I can control first. Could I bother you with one more question? I am working with a therapist on physical and sexual abuse I suffered as a child. The sexual abuse occured during the night when I was supposedly "asleep". Is there a chance that I am afraid to fall asleep or stay asleep? I have always had sleep problems since a young age just never as bad as right now. I have been reading a book about abuse that the therapist recommended. I usually read it at night but I will make an effort to read it during the day instead. My psychiatrist told me that he thought that it might be too much for me to deal with the abuse at the same time that I am recovering from depression and hospitilization....but the flashbacks and nightmares are coming now. I told him I can hadle it (I'm not sure though). I just want to deal with all this stuff and get past it....I am eager to start living a normal life. The therapist assures me that if I deal with all this stuff and talk about it that I can get past this. A good portion of my life has already been ruined by the past. I just want to fix myself and move on. Sorry to bother you again, but you seem to have some sage and down to earth advice. Thanks so much.

Hi again. When doctors talk about the other half, they sometimes mean the factors that "you" control, those things you do that influence sleep, both positive and negative. Maybe this is what your doctor means? Here are some ideas to help you think about this and to discuss perhaps. "The other half" your doctor is talking about may mean the part you contribute, those actions that factor into either a good night's sleep/or a disturbed one. Here are two examples of people I know who used to have troubled nights: 2) One liked to watch tv and snack all evening on high fat and high salt foods, such as processed foods like cheese slices and packaged foods, pretsels, cheesies, chips and dip, things that are high in fat and salt. He watched TV shows about crime and cops if possible, etc. He loved them. He smoked like crazy in the evening during those high-tension shows and often cooked his supper somewhere in the break between 10 PM and midnight. Then he hit the sack as soon as the news, followed by a late night horror or action film ended. 3) A second person liked to chat all evening. She met a constant chat partner online and she thought she'd finally found a true friend. However, when they left the chat room, the two of them usually gossiped for an hour or so about someone else and there was a lot of negative criticism and judgment and complaining. This second person would sometimes then fire off some angry and sometimes quite mean-spirited emails if she was upset enough. When bedtime came, she popped a pill and crashed, usually in a troubled mood. That was their suppertime to bedtime routine and pattern. What can be done? It can help if people with disturbed sleep examine their supper-to- bedtime routines to see 1)what activity level 2)what food 3)what liquids come into play, and yes, even 4)what thought patterns and behaviors happen during the evening that could interfere with sleep. (This list isn't complete. It's off the top of my head.) What can they do to help themselves? That's really important. First, think of your own supper-to-bedtime routine. What is your own pattern? Make a note of some of the ideas if they apply and of the possible things you could do to help yourself. Can you 1) lessen or 2) change some

I am seeing my psychiatrist on Friday. I have been on so many different pills and combination of pills and nothing touches the sleep problem. The psychiatrist says that the pills will only take me half way. I don't know what the other half is. I am either so tired I can hardly move or so hyper that I can't stand it. But still no sleep.

Hi, Hopeful. Sliip disturbances no matter the cause ffect your whole day. If your med is not working, way not notify yout doctor of this and ask him for further help?

Hi Does anyone else who is suffering from depression of ptsd have insomnia. I am going on about 1-2 hours of sleep every night. I am on two different anti-depressants that are not helping at all with the sleep problem. I was taking zyprexa to help with anxiety, rolling thoughts and the sleep thing. I came off them because I read that they make you fat are very addictive and can lead to diabetes, etc. They were not helping so I figure why take it. I think I would be able to move forward with my illnesses more if I could just sleep. I have really vivid and scary nightmares. I sometimes wonder if I am afraid to fall asleep because I tried about six different sleep aids when I was in the hospital and none worked. The shrink told me that one of the sleeping pills he prescribed should knock out a 500 pound man for 24 solid hours. I got only 2 hours before becoming wide awake after a nightmare and I am a 150 pound woman. When I was a child I was molested most nights between the ages of 5-7. Is this why I might be afraid to sleep? Is anyone in the same boat? Has anyone figured out how to get a good night's sleep? I am getting really desperate and the negative thoughts are returning. I am tired all the time and I can't remember anything short term. Sorry for the rambling. thanks