Insomnia

I have written about my struggles with insomnia previously, thankfully though its not been something I have struggled with since around 2016 when I was prescribed melatonin and the antidepressant Mirtazapine . Both have improved my sleeping habits immensely. I also take a low dose of amiltriptyline to prevent migraines and again this helps me sleep....until last Sunday night (18th November).

Sunday nights have been a sleeping issue for me as long as I can remember. I think the sleeping problems started over the anxiety of going back to school on the Monday. Throughout my school years I was bullied, so going to school was a cause of anxiety. If ever anyone says to me their school days were the best of their lives I want to punch them in the face. For me they were a source of misery and I never knew who would be gunning for me next. Primary school was particularly awful, comprehensive school was slightly better but I just felt so out of place there having come from a tiny school of less than 400 pupils to then be amongst over 800.

After school I then had the Monday morning work anxiety. I would be ok on Sunday until about 5pm and then I would begin to worry about events that would take place at work during the week. Again I was the target of two bullies unfortunately both were my boss and when one left the business the other one jumped right in and took their place. I loved my job and was good at it but it did absolutely nothing for my mental health.

So now after years of Sunday night anxiety its ingrained in me and I can never sleep or settle down for sleep very easily on a Sunday evening. So when it happened this Sunday I just shrugged my shoulder and thought oh well I'll sleep Monday. Yet when Monday came around the same thing happened no sleep. I put Mondays lack of sleep down to having bloods being done on Tuesday morning. Its always a drama getting blood out of me. It was it took 2 people three attempts. I've got a lovely blown vein on the back of my hand. 

Tuesday was also dramatic as our washing machine broke down, well died to be more accurate. It was about 5 years old and had been a really good machine - washing machines don't seem to last very long in this house. Probably due to the dogs stuff that fills the waste pipe with sand. I have a Rug bag  which is what horse owners put their horses rugs in to stop all the dirt etc going into the machine - its a bit like a lingerie bag for horses lol! A new machine was ordered and set up for delivery the following day. We can't be without a machine when we have two elderly dogs who have accidents.

So when I lay tossing and turning last night I presumed I was anxious about the new machine being delivered. I wasn't remotely anxious I just couldn't drop off to sleep and if I did drop off I was only staying asleep for ten minutes or so. Today I am exhausted three nights of very little sleep has destroyed me after being used to sleeping again. On all three nights out of desperation I have increased my melatonin, added in an extra amiltriptyline and then last night I toyed with taking my last diazepam which is my emergency pill for either the dentist or when my neck pain is off the charts. I don't have the doctors until next week  and I will ask about an additional prescription of diazepam as when the neck pain is bad its the only thing that relives it.


Last night well technically this morning I didnt drop off until gone 02.30am , at 7am I received a text message to tell me that our new washing machine would be with us in 20 minutes. So bang went any chance of managing to sleep for a bit longer. Jay has gone back to bed. He can fall asleep pretty much whenever and wherever he wants. I am unable to do that and I am always terrified if I sleep during the day I wont sleep at night. So today I will push through until I can't go on any longer. My plans of using my embroidery machine have gone out of the window. I am so out of it I'd be a danger to myself holding a pencil let alone using machinery. If I didn't have a load of things being delivered today I would have crawled back into bed right now, regardless of not being able to sleep tonight.

Insomnia causes my pain levels to increase, my mood to plummet and makes me thoroughly miserable. I hate not sleeping because the knock on effects can last weeks. Its been so long since I have had a run of three nights that I had forgotten how bloody awful insomnia makes me feel. 

Fingers crossed that at some point this week I fall asleep before 2.30am!