Anyone with sleep issues\disorders?

I was wondering if other BPDs has sleep related issues. Something like- hard time falling asleep, nightmares, waking up too early, insomnia, DSPD (When you fall asleep near morning, and that your inner clock...).

Do you use meds, methods to fall asleep?
Do you know why you have sleep related issues?
Any tips and advices would be nice, as well as sharing stories.

Yes massively. I should say I'm not diagnosed BPD, I just personally think I have a lot of traits.

Partly its self destructive - I stay up late watching television, drinking wine and go to bed very late.

Partly its genetic or something - even if I don't do that - exercise, no caffeine, no alcohol - I find it hard to go to sleep and tend to wake about 4 or 5am and then at 9am when I should be getting up want to sleep.

I don't use meds as fear addiction. I have enough problem sleeping without sleeping pill addiction. Occassionally if I have a cold at night I take Night Nurse (combined cough/flu remedy - paracetamol, cough suppressant and something that helps you sleep). That really works for me - totally knocks me out - but feel groggy in the morning. I ONLY ever take it if I have flu though.


Something I find helpful is listening to a self hypnosis mp3 in the dark when I'm in bed. It's really relaxing and helps you drift off. But very boring and you need to be in bed for 30mins listening to it.

Yes - I personally suffer with insomnia.
When I'm on a good schedule I feel better, however these don't last very long and I'll have a few days without sleep and then begin going to bed at 5am.
It's a cycle I wish I could break.
I find Promethazine Hydrochloride or Diazepam is helpful sleeping. I don't have any issues getting to sleep, it's the ability to solidly want sleep and sleeping through the night/day. Being around people who have a good pattern is very helpful.

absotively. i go through either insomnia or sleeping like a teenager. i also have issues waking up at 3 and staying up until 6 or 7 then going back to sleep until 10. wreaks havoc on my schedule.

My sleep patterns are all over the map. Even went to a sleep disorder clinic due to insomnia and when I could sleep I would always have sleep paralysis which is terrifying. That was 4 years ago, before my diagnosis. But ever since my teens I've suffered from relentless bouts of sleep paralysis. Sometimes so horrible that I have to will myself awake and remind myself "in dream" ( hard to explain how) what's happening. There's been times when after I wake up from a bout of sleep paralysis, I'll turn on every light in the house I'm so terrified and will stay up until it's light out and go back to sleep then...

I'm trying to get into a routine and get to sleep by midnight and awake by at least 10am ( I'm on disability up here as work is currently out of the question.) but it never works. Sometimes I'm up until 3 or 4am listening to music, video journaling, playing guitar or video games. Despite my medication which usually puts me out like a light; it's becoming more frequent that it doesn't.

Also, I feel more alive when it's dark. I almost feel safer at night than during the daytime when it's full of chaos and noise. But I've always been a night owl since I can remember....

I started taking Trazodone for sleep about a year and a half ago, and it's been a godsend. before that, all my life, it would take me an hour or 2 to fall asleep, I'd sleep SUPER lightly, the tiniest noise would wake me up, and I'd always wake up in the morning exhausted and would hit snooze a million times before actually getting up.

I doubt I'll ever be able to get a good night's sleep without sleeping pills.

Yes, I take 2 different prescriptions at night to be able to sleep, even then I often cannot sleep, fall asleep, and can never stay asleep longer than a couple hours. I have been a severe insomniac since early childhood. I have been on every sleeping pill imaginable. i would give anything to be able to sleep like a normal person. I have gone to a sleep disorders clinic, i have completed a Sleeping CBT program. nothing seems to help.

rainbow_sprinkles wrote:I started taking Trazodone for sleep about a year and a half ago, and it's been a godsend. before that, all my life, it would take me an hour or 2 to fall asleep, I'd sleep SUPER lightly, the tiniest noise would wake me up, and I'd always wake up in the morning exhausted and would hit snooze a million times before actually getting up.

I doubt I'll ever be able to get a good night's sleep without sleeping pills.

that stuff ROX!!

I have a difficult time staying asleep for the entire night. Sometimes even getting to sleep. This most often happens when my thoughts are racing. Which of course seems to most want to happen at bedtime. I suppose it is because that is when things are most quiet and there is less stimulation to distract me.

If it happens for days on end where I have disrupted sleep I will sometimes take Tylenol PM or NyQuil.

I too have difficulty with sleep. I have found it helpful to practice "sleep hygeine."

I make myself to go sleep and wake up at the same time no matter how tired/not tired I am.
I only use my bed for sleep/sex. No TV or reading in bed!
I have a sound machine that I use which has helped me to fall asleep also.
I don't allow myself to take naps no matter how tired I am.

If all else fails I do have a PRN (atarax) that I can take that will help me sleep.