Post natal insomnia- please help Post Reply

[daisydaisy]

I am currently running on anything between 0-3 hours sleep a night. It started when I would lay awake waiting for my baby to wake for his night feed (which my husband sometimes does) but now I can be awake all night. My baby sleeps for 12 hours with one wake up so I should be getting loads of sleep and waking refreshed but I just can't get there. My GP prescribed me sleeping pills, which did work but I am hesitant to rely on them. I was just wondering if anyone else has experienced this.
Thanks

[bear12]

Hi

I totally sympathise, I had exactly the same thing. I think at the beginning I was almost scared to go to sleep because I knew I would be up in a few hours to feed and the thought of only sleeping a few hours at a time was so stressful it kept me up. I didn't ever get sleeping pills in the end because like you I was worried about becoming reliant on them but I do think that you need sleep so using them for a short period of time isn't a bad thing.

I definitely got myself into a cycle of worrying so much about not sleeping that I couldn't, it's so frustrating. You have to break the cycle! I found that going out with friends for the odd evening meant that I wasn't constantly thinking about not sleeping which relaxed me meaning I slept better and then wasn't so worried about it.... If that makes sense!

I know the above may not be hugely helpful but just to assure you it will get better, I don't have a problem with sleeping anymore and at some points I never thought I would sleep again!

[erinisle22]

I wonder if something like this might help?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Relaxation-Stre ... gie+howell

It is a Maggie Howell Relaxation and Stress Management CD. She is the woman behind Natal Hypnotherapy preparation for childbirth and I used to listen to my CDs and often fell asleep while doing so, they were so relaxing so maybe something like this with a focus on deep breathing and something else to think about and listen to might help?

[AmeriMummy]

That sounds terrible; I'm so sorry for you. It can be a vicious cycle; worrying about not sleeping can keep you from sleeping. Do you think you may be suffering from any sort of depression / anxiety or can you just not shut off? Did you talk to your doctor about your concerns re: relying on the pills?

A few options are to set yourself a deadline for using the pills -- for example, if you use them for two weeks, and after that, if you still need them & can't get past the "I CAN'T SLEEP" anxiety, then try something else.

Otherwise, try to get out as much as you can during the day; sunlight will help your melatonin production regulate. If you can exercise during the day, you may be able to get out some nervous energy. I don't know your budget, but you may try massage or acupuncture.