Insomnia – Lifey

<span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span>
Here’s a free collection of resources about insomnia- Insomnia blogs, videos, support groups, first-hand experiences and advice from people who have insomnia, etc.

Jump to:

Insomnia Blogs

Here’s a list of insomnia blogs- blogs written by insomniacs, or are about insomnia.

****Email alexbalinski@gmail.com to submit your blog to this list.***

National Sleep Foundation	sleepfoundation.org/insomnia	2017
WebMD	webmd.com/sleep-disorders/..insomnia	2017
Mayo Clinic	mayoclinic.org/..insomnia	2017
Insomnia Land	insomnialand.com	2017
Medical News Today	medicalnewstoday.com/articles/9155.php	2017
Wikipedia Article	en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insomnia	2017
eMedicineHealth	emedicinehealth.com/insomnia	2017
The Sleep Doctor	thesleepdoctor.com/blog	2017
MedlinePlus	medlineplus.gov/insomnia	2017
SHUTi	myshuti.com/news	2016
Insomnia Relief Almanac	insomniaalmanac.blogspot.com	2010

Insomnia Support Groups

Insomnia Support Groups On Facebook

Other Insomnia Support Groups And Forums

Insomnia Survey

We’re surveying people about their experiences with insomnia. Here will be a collection of their responses.

*This information is not meant to replace medical advice, and the information gathered via surveys may or may not be correct. Hopefully it will be helpful to you!

*Response format = Answer (Name, Age)

**Click here to share your experience with insomnia**

Insomnia Symptoms

What symptoms have you experienced?

Restlessness. (Hollie, 22 years old)
Sleeplessness, pain, confusion, vertigo, anxiety. (Sarah, 22 years old)
Chronic inability to fall asleep, taking 2-3 hrs per night regardless of number of hours slept the night before. (Taylor, 24 years old)
Inability to sleep from 2-5am, waking up early in the morning if I do sleep around 5-7am, tossing and turning, bad dreams. (Nya, 25 years old)
Relapsing insomnia and oversleeping, chronic fatigue, brain fog, sleep pattern disruption. (Marie, 29 years old)
Maintenance insomnia. (Shimon, 29 years old)
I can’t sleep at night, thinking. (Sophia, 36 years old)
Insomnia, fatigue, feeling distracted, frustrated. (Mel, 38 years old)
Unable to fall asleep most of the time. Sleep depravation and 4-5 hours sleep a night most nights over the course of 34 years. (Jeanne, 39 years old)
Not being able to sleep, or stay asleep. (Joanne, 39 years old)
Chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, restless leg syndrome so too many symptoms ones that keep me awake are night. Itchy skin, night sweats, restless leg syndrome get in legs and arms, air hunger at times … according to my Fitbit I don’t go into deep sleep very often when I finally go to sleep it’s all R.E.M and light. (Becca, 40 years old).
Trouble falling asleep. If I don’t take pills, I am awake all night. (Rozemarjin, 45 years old)
Waking up at 2.30 and can’t get back to sleep (Sandee, 45 years old)
Difficulty falling asleep. (Dan, 46 years old)
Tiredness (Wendy, 48 years old)
Restless, no sleep for days at a time, sometimes I go a whole week without sleep. Nervous. (Denise, 49 years old)
Wake every hour & half don’t sleep much longer than that fatigue constant struggle. (Alan, 52 years old)
Light unrefreshing sleep. (Seema, 52 years old)
My body likes to sleep between 3 am to 10 am. This is not conducive to a normal life. (Tammy, 53 years old)
Frequent awakenings, mild apnoea, reflux, irritability unable to return to sleep. (Gillian, 55 years old)
If I have 1 to 2 hours I feel dizzy, fall over, cannot eat feel sick all the time, I cannot function, I feel emotional. I just cannot do anything. (Karen, 55 years old)

Insomnia Causes

Is there anything you believe contributed to your insomnia?

Media distractions. (Hollie, 22 years old)
I’ve had it since I was a young child so I’m not sure. (Sarah, 22 years old)
Anxiety, potential undiagnosed ADHD. (Taylor, 24 years old)
Not that I know of, it has been like this since I was a child. (Nya, 25 years old)
Definitely CFS and fibromyalgia. (Marie, 29 years old)
PTSD. (Shimon, 29 years old)
My hubby’s bipolar disorder and my anxiety. (Laura, 30 years old)
Family issues. (Sophia, 36 years old)
Depression, anxiety. (Mel, 38 years old)
Stress. (Joanne, 39 years old)
Restless leg now and I’ve never slept deeply or refreshed ever since I was a teenager. I remember tossing and turning every night wake numerous times in the night and always feeling so so tired in the morning since I was around 13. There were times I was getting 8 hrs, never deep sleep though, always disturbed and light but now I find it hard to either get off to sleep or stay asleep and on the other hand I am also always feeling lethargic and tired and can fall asleep during the day given the chance. (Becca, 40 years old)
Anxiety about sleep. The fact that I had delayed sleep phase syndrome: always fit and tired at the wrong times (fit in the evening and tired in the morning). That puts more pressure on trying to fall asleep, because you quickly realize how important sleep is when you don’t get enough of it!! (Rozemarjin, 45 years old)
Stress (Sandee, 45 years old)
Too much studying, then no regular hours to go to bed, and wake up. (Dan, 46 years old)
No. (Wendy, 48 years old)
Yes. (Denise, 49 years old)
Fibromyalgia (Alan, 52 years old)
Intelligence. High sensitivity. Childhood domestic environment not good. Competitive studies. (Seema, 52 years old)
I’ve had insomnia since I was five years old. My father had cancer and would often times go to the hospital in the middle of the night, since I was a child I would get taken to a relative’s house, the next morning I would wake up not knowing where I was. It was very upsetting. (Tammy, 53 years old)
Medications and kidney disease. (Gillian, 55 years old)
Yes my son had two cancers but he’s fine now, I’ve had counseling for this but my sleep never came back. (Karen, 55 years old)

Insomnia Facts

What are some interesting facts about insomnia?

My brain doesn’t shut up. (Hollie, 22 years old)
Insomnia can be caused by any number of factors, it can be a primary condition but more often presents as a secondary symptom of unrelated disorders. (Taylor, 24 years old)
There are different types of insomnia. (Nya, 25 years old)
Insomnia can be due to many things, but sometimes it can be due to a hormone imbalance or deficiency, so everyone should check that before they start taking pills. (Shimon, 29 years old)
It sucks (Jeanne, 39 years old)
It sucks, and affects anyone, no matter the age. (Joanne, 39 years old)
It’s doing my head in! (Becca, 40 years old)
It sucks. It causes you to be tired during the day, and everything costs a lot more effort, so you get less done. Also it’s a huge time-waster: first hours and hours trying to fall asleep, and then more during the day because you’re too tired to get anything done. (Rozemarjin, 45 years old)
More people have it than you realize. (Sandee, 45 years old)
Tried fatigue all time but can’t sleep. (Alan, 52 years old)
When I married my current husband, my insomnia left for several years. (Tammy, 53 years old)
No matter what you do it changes nothing. It impacts on daily living. (Gillian, 55 years old)

Insomnia Pain

What’s your experience with emotional and physical pain?

It hurts. (Hollie, 22 years old)
Oh I have tons. I’m diagnosed with fibromyalgia as well as borderline personality disorder and severe anxiety along with the insomnia. (Sarah, 22 years old)
Any interruption in life emotional or physical can make symptoms worse, though not all experiences create same level disruption. (Taylor, 24 years old)
I get stressed and frustrated when I can’t sleep or sleep regularly. (Nya, 25 years old)
I am in a constant low level of pain, and suffer from depression. (Marie, 29 years old)
It’s a bit more physical than emotional. (Shimon, 29 years old)
Have had pain since I was a child (Jeanne, 29 years old)
I’ve broken bones. (Laura, 30 years old)
Have had lots of emotional pain, a bit physical as well. (Joanne, 39 years old)
It hurts and I have it. (Becca, 40 years old)
Not too much, thank God. My biggest problem is insomnia and OCD; also I definitely care too much about what other people think and how I come across. I also easily stress at work because I’m a perfectionist. Thank God so far not too much experience with close loved ones dying… (Rozemarjin, 45 years old)
I had some emotional pain, but insomnia was there much before. (Dan, 46 years old)
Isolating myself from friends and family, depression, severely high anxiety. (Denise, 49 years old)
Depression. You worry you can’t sleep, clock watch makes you worse, have headache 24/7, general pain all over. (Alan, 52 years old)
I had an ulcer at 7 years old, was diagnosed with depression at 16 years old, I’ve also been diagnosed with two herniated discs, asthma, hypertension, diabetes, anxiety, sciatica, IBS-C and fibromyalgia. (Tammy, 53 years old)
I have had both and believe I deal with it well. (Gillian, 55 years old)I been through a lot of emotional pain and physical, I lost my grandson at 9 months old and been in abusive relationships, I’ve had counseling for them. (Karen, 55 years old)

Insomnia Difficulties

What are the hardest aspects of living with insomnia?

I have no energy for the next day. (Hollie, 22 years old)
Working, having a social life. (Sarah, 22 years old)
Social stigma and the inability of others to understand. A chronic lack of sleep often impairs every other aspect of daily life which is difficult to understand unless you have experienced it yourself. (Taylor, 24 years old)
Being up alone all night. (Nya, 25 years old)
Not being able to think straight sometimes, and having low levels of energy. (Marie, 29 years old)
I wake up too early in the morning and can hardly sleep for six hours. (Shimon, 29 years old)
Not sleeping. (Laura, 30 years old)
Tired and can’t sleep (Jeanne, 39 years old)
Controlling the crankiness. (Joanne, 39 years old)
Knowing it’s making me physically and mentally ill and knowing if I don’t sleep my condition gets worse and I can’t do things with my son or absorb the things I need too. (Becca, 40 years old)
Too tired during the day! Too tired at the times you need to be fit & function. Getting major dips at the wrong times, such as during lectures and while sitting in traffic. Also insomnia is bad for your health, which only puts more pressure on trying to sleep when it is bedtime. (Rozemarjin, 45 years old)
Exhaustion, not thinking clearly (Sandee, 45 years old)
Working the next day after no sleep, lack of concentration, power, transpiration and even pain. (Dan, 46 years old)
People do not understand the depth of being tired. (Denise, 49 years old)
Trying to work full time when I’m tired all the time. (Alan, 52 years old)
Being tired all the time, being irritable for no reason. (Tammy, 53 years old)
Fatigue.(Gillian, 55 years old)I feel I have no life and very emotional. (Karen, 55 years old)

Insomnia Advice

What encouragement/advice can you give other insomniacs?

Turn off all distractions to get the most sleep possible (Tv, computer, cell phone). (Hollie, 22 years old)
We are all here for each other. (Sarah, 22 years old)
Find a routine that works for you, stick with it. (Taylor, 24 years old)
I don’t know. (Nya, 25 years old)
Sleep whenever you can, if you are able to. An hour nap in the middle of the day is better than no sleep. (Marie, 29 years old)
Live with it, and learn how to manage it. Don’t let it consume you and become a source for stress and depression. (Shimon, 29 years old)
Take meds. (Laura, 30 years old)
Just keep swimming (Jeanne, 39 years old)
I have none, because it sucks!! One thing I can say is that it doesn’t affect your overall health as much as you think it does; as for myself I am majorly affected by insomnia in the sense that I am super tired when I don’t sleep enough; however in the big picture I do catch up on sleep at certain times – in other words, you won’t die from it. (Rozemarjin, 45 years old)
Try and relax and not stress about not sleeping (Sandee 45 years old)
Try to have regulate program as much as possible. (Dan, 46 years old)
Find a relaxer- like music or books. (Denise, 49 years old)
Just bought coloring in book try keep mind occupied. Tried to read, I’m not much of a reader. (Alan, 52 years old)
Be less intellectual and more physical. (Seema, 52 years old)
Keep looking for solutions. (Gillian, 55 years old)

Insomnia Diet and Exercise

What’s been your experience with diet and exercise?

Inconsistently committed. (Hollie, 22 years old)
It doesn’t help me much. (Sarah, 22 years old)
Exercise helps to some extent, diet I find to be relatively unrelated. The more tired you are the better off you’ll be in an attempt to sleep and exercise helps increase mental clarity- but neither is likely to completely resolve the disorder. (Taylor, 24 years old)
I don’t have a good appetite, working out helps me be tired. (Nya, 25 years old)
I haven’t found either help long term. (Marie, 29 years old)
I am average and not an alcoholic. (Shimon, 29 years old)
Doesn’t help. (Laura, 30 years old)
Currently 6 months into weight loss. Excerise 5-7 days a week 8k+ steps a day. No effect on sleep. (Jeanne, 39 years old)
Very little. (Joanne, 39 years old)
I walk everywhere but can’t exercise due to my chronic fatigue syndrome as it can make me bed-bound if I overdo it to that extent my diet isn’t good due to the lethargy and exhaustion although I do try to buy organic fruit and veg. (Becca, 40 years old)
Not much. I am super skinny so I don’t have to watch my diet; however I do try to eat healthy, and definitely have been cutting down on the sugar as I notice it makes me extra tired. As for exercise, I have tried for months to do things as bike riding for several hours a day, hoping it would cure my insomnia or make it easier to fall asleep at night, but it didn’t make much difference. (Rozemarjin, 45 years old)
Doesn’t help a lot unless your lifestyle is really bad (Sandee, 45 years old)
Exercise in the evening makes insomnia worse. (Dan, 46 years old)
Both diet and exercise have been okay in moderation. (Denise, 49 years old)
I go to exercise class every Sunday, bootcamp, out door diet, tend to eat chocolate in middle of the night when can’t sleep. (Alan, 52 years old)
Exercise is wonderful. There are foods good for sleep. (Seema, 52 years old)
I eat a healthy diet and exercise daily. (Gillian, 55 years old)
Very poor diet and I tried the gym to see if that would help but it did not. (Karen, 55 years old)

Insomnia Treatments

What’s been your experience with treatments (medication, etc.)?

Ambien is the only thing that works for me. (Sarah, 22 years old)
With the exception of sedatives medications haven’t been very useful for me. Many low dose antidepressants are prescribed to aid in sleep but they give me headaches/migraines. (Taylor, 24 years old)
None. (Nya, 25 years old)
Amitriptyline helps me with my pain and insomnia to a point. I can’t feel sleepy without it. (Marie, 29 years old)
I took quitapine and valdoxan for two months, and then quit cold turkey and now my sleep is let’s say, just ok. (Shimon, 29 years old)
Meds work. (Laura, 30 years old)
Ambien is why I don’t blow my brains out (Jeanne, 39 years old)
Medication. (Joanne, 39 years old)
Don’t work and add to symptoms, tramadol can sometimes keep the restless leg at bay but then can make my skin itch and breathing funny. (Becca, 40 years old)
I first tried all the natural medication such as passion flora, hop, melatonin and valerian, but no luck; they had no effect on me at all, even in large doses! As for sleeping pills, I currently rotate ambien, ativan, seroquel and lunesta. It took me a long time before I resorted to sleeping pills, because I really hate taking pills; but it’s better for your health & sanity to take a pill than not to sleep all night. Regarding therapies, I tried acupuncture, hypnotherapy and CBT. None helped; CBT actually made me really angry because they tried to tell me it’s not important to get enough sleep at night – well for me it is! I get the point, they are trying to take the pressure off, but it just made me mad that they didn’t get it. (Rozemarjin, 45 years old)
Trying but little success (Sandee, 45 years old)
I take pills from time to time, but the next day (night) after the pill, it’s impossible to sleep. (Dan, 46 years old)
It doesn’t work. (Denise, 49 years old)
Don’t or haven’t found right treatment as off yet still trial error on 3 different meds at moment. (Alan, 52 years old)
A homeopath gave medications 2 years but in vain. (Seema, 52 years old)
I was put on sleeping pills at age 8, and to this day I will not take a sleeping pill. (Tammy, 53 years old)
Reluctant to take any medications. Have used clonazepam and a dopamine antagonist for restless legs. (Gillian, 55 years old)
I’ve tried everything and nothing works for me. (Karen, 55 years old)

Insomnia Recommendations

Anything you’d recommend for someone who has a hard time falling asleep?

Disconnect from the Internet. (Hollie, 22 years old)
Talk to your doctor!! (Sarah, 22 years old)
Aromatherapy is helpful, doesn’t resolve it but does help. Create a pre-sleep routine, manual therapies such a massage can help. Self massage is just as beneficial. Hands, feet, pressure points. (Taylor, 24 years old)
Deep breathing. (Nya, 25 years old)
Don’t stay in bed tossing and turning, get up and do something. (Marie, 29 years old)
Learn to live with it, and manage it. (Shimon, 29 years old)
Take meds. (Laura, 30 years old)
Melatonin. (Sophia, 36 years old)
Try otc and behavior therapy first. Herbs, light deprivation and therapy. Don’t just jump to meds. (Jeanne, 39 years old)
Don’t do work and have lots of clutter or electronics in your bedroom. (Becca, 40 years old)
Try to not fret over it, like they tell you in CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy), but for myself, that does not help, because I do need at least 7 or 8 hours of sleep a night to feel good & function well. So if that works for someone and takes the pressure off, then great, but it didn’t work for me. Other than that, of course first try sleep hygiene (dark room, not too hot, no activities other than sleep in the bedroom, reading a quiet book, no computer several hours before sleep, and no caffeine after 12). For me, none of those helped, except reading a really boring book sometimes does help. (Rozemarjin, 45 years old)
Deep breathing exercises sometimes work (Sandee, 45 years old)
Try to have regulate sleeping program. (Dan, 46 years old)
Music, dark room. (Denise, 49 years old)
I find the group on face book very helpful there is always some one to chat or ask advice. (Alan, 52 years old)
I try exercise. No screens after 5pm then long slow walk then 2 bananas. Still my sleep less than ideal. (Seema, 52 years old)
Don’t fight your body trying to go to sleep. (Tammy, 53 years old)
Milk. (Gillian, 55 years old)

Insomnia Resources

What specific resources have you found most helpful?

Classical music stations on Pandora. (Hollie, 22 years old)
My doctor, other people’s experience. (Sarah, 22 years old)
Google, YouTube rain sound videos. (Nya, 25 years old)
YouTuber bignoknow. (Shimon, 29 years old)
Meds (Laura, 30 years old)
Research (Jeanne, 39 years old)
Massage and tramadol (Becca, 40 years old)
None, unfortunately sleeping pills, thank God they exist. First try everything else, but if nothing else works, it is great that they are there. In Europe, doctors are not as easy about prescribing sleeping pills as here in the US (I am originally from the Netherlands), but I tell them – are you going to pay my rent? Because when I don’t sleep, I can’t work. (Rozemarjin, 45 years old)
Youtube breathing exercises (Sandee, 45 years old)
Go to bed before 1AM. (Dan, 46 years old)
For myself, music. (Denise, 49 years old)
Facebook been my savior. (Alan, 52 years old)
Knowing you are not alone. (Gillian, 55 years old)

Insomnia Stories

Share your insomnia story.

Every night I lay thinking for a solid hour about things of the past when I’m trying to sleep. Eventually I transition into a consistent train thought when I finally get to sleep. (Hollie, 22 years old)
Just trouble waking up so early before the alarm, I almost killed myself three times, took escitalopram to manage depression and my sleep. Remained the same, but I’m no longer frustrated about it. (Shimon, 29 years old)
I would love to, but don’t have much time at the moment; however, most of it is here (above). I’ve basically developed it gradually over time. Once you realize how hard life is when you don’t sleep, it only becomes worse because you try even harder to fall asleep at the right times. The best thing of course would be to rotate freely, but this is almost impossible for a variety of reasons. For myself, my insomnia is so severe that I can only teach part-time, and only when I set my own hours (no mornings, of course), which has been a challenge. I do not think there are many things that can affect your life so severely as insomnia. (Rozemarjin, 45 years old)
I’m pretty new to this only suffer real bad 4/5 months. All started from fibromyalgia. (Alan, 52 years old)
Twenty-five years of kidney disease, 25 years of insomnia. (Gillian, 55 years old)