Severe Insomnia?

karlee05

I'm calling it severe insomnia because I have gone a week with very little sleep- a few nights I got zero sleep. I was prescribed an anti-depressant for the anxiety associated with the insomnia and given a few ambien. I am someone who won't even take a tylenol while pregnant, so this is complete desperation. I've broken everything in half before taking (and they are the lowest doses possible). Last night I took a half an ambien and slept only 2 hours. 

At this point I don't even trust myself to drive. This is completely ruining my life currently- and no, I'm not being dramatic.

Does anyone have experience with really had insomnia while pregnant? Any tips, tricks, etc. Welcomed.

luckyduck42

So sorry to hear you can't sleep. Not medical advice, just my opinion, but to start, I would probably take the dose the doctor prescribed. I get it, it can be unsettling and scary to take meds while pregnant, but sometimes we have to balance the risk and benefit.  For example, I am currently taking a beta blocker to bring my heart rate down, per ob and cardiologist. This can cause growth defects, so my dose is low. But not taking it can put too much stress on my heart, and reduce the amount of oxygen to baby. So, I'm taking the heart meds.

Lack of sleep can have some big challenges, too, for you and baby. Hopefully after getting a couple nights of decent sleep, you will reset and not need to take anything. And if the prescribed dose doesn't work, you can talk to your doc about next steps and other options.

Also, I like magnesium lotion. I rub it on my calves at night, and I do sleep better.

karlee05

@luckyduck42, Thank you. My Dr actually suggested breaking the pills in half, but I talked to her nurse today and told her how non-existent my sleep is still and she said to take the full dose. Praying I can sleep normally again asap!

I take liquid magnesium every evening but have not tried the lotion, maybe I will.

taknpgmnn

@karlee05 Im so sorry you’re not sleeping. This has been the most frustrating thing for me personally so I completely understand. I will share what I’ve done to improve my sleep over the past month and I’m sleeping much better now (still not as good as I would like, but I’ll take the win).  

This first one might seem silly, but a good nighttime wind down routine might help. I started researching this when my insomnia was so bad I would only sleep 1-2 hours, and so many studies show that what you do and eat before bed has a huge factor on sleep. Screen time is a big one, try to avoid for at least 1 hour before bed (this was super hard for me). Meditation was another one that consistently was mentioned. Food/drink was the 3rd. In addition to the meds you’ve started, you could try some more natural ways at home to relax and wind down. I’ve now incorporated baths before bed into my routine which I love but also I’m always so tired that I sometimes it’s hard to get myself to take one. 

The other thing I’ve started recently is counseling. Anxiety is always a symptom of something greater, and sometimes we don’t even realize that our brain is reacting to whatever is causing the anxiety and that can attribute to worse sleep. Getting to the root of why you have anxiety may help in general. I assumed my pregnancy was the reason, but in hindsight I realize that there were several things in my past and present that was truly causing me anxiety. Being able to talk to someone about this has also helped me not only understand why I have anxiety, but put in some practical ways to manage it without meds. I have 2 kids at home so at first I thought this would be impossible, but I found an online option that has worked great for me. 

I hope your sleep improves and I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this!  

karlee05

@tkmpmn, Thank you! I have started a nighttime routine as well but I need to get much better about screen time before bed, that's a hard one! I'm going to attempt to sleep tonight with just a little unisom- we'll see how it goes🤞

karlee05

Thank you, I will definitely try it! Would love to ditch my half a unisom pill every night.

pregnantinthepnw

I’m an insomniac for the last 13 years. When pregnant, my routine is: I drink a lot of water after dinner and stop drinking water at 8pm. I take 2 unisom at night right when I lay down at 9:30pm. I’m asleep by 10pm. Also: I don’t eat large dinners and I eat them pretty early (by 6pm). I avoid red meat at dinner as it’s harder to digest when sleeping. I hope this all helps.

karlee05

@pregnantinthepnw, this is your routine while pregnant?

pregnantinthepnw

Yes! I take 2 whole unisom tablets, approved by my OB due to my insomnia. It’s not the one with diphenhydramine. It’s the one with dox succinate.
When I am not pregnant, I take stronger medication to sleep.