Cannot sleep, horrible nightmares, behind in school, help

Hi,

I have always had trouble falling asleep, but it has gotten much much worse lately.

Over the last 6 months or so, at least once a week I would not be able to fall asleep until 2 or 3 AM having to get up at 6AM. It was very annoying, but I could deal with once a week.

However over the last month or so, the problem has gotten worse. It started happening about 2 or 3 times a week.

Now over this last week, I have not fallen asleep before 1AM a single time. The two nights before last, I did not fall asleep before 4AM, again, always having to get up at 6AM. Finally, last night, I literally did not fall asleep for a single second.

This lack of sleep has started to severely affect my school. I can't pay attention in class, and I'm much less productive when working on assignment. My assignments are beginning to pile up and up and I can't concentrate enough to catch up. All of my spare time has now been filled up with trying to catch up, and all this is being caused by my lack of sleep.

My day is essentially as follows: get up at 6AM, class til 3ish, homework til 9ish, go to bed, struggle to fall asleep for hours and then get up at 6AM again.

I literally don't have time to even go grocery shopping and haven't been in 2 weeks. My lunch is essentially a single gronola bar, except for the days when I buy food.

I have tried everything. I turn off the lights for an hour or so before going to sleep, get off the computer, and everything. I've tried sleeping with the fan on or off, I've covered up every single light in the room, I've turned off every single device in the room, etc. I've even gone so far as to literally start sleeping in a different room as my girlfriend.

I have tried using over the counter sleeping pills and they just don't work.

I don't have a doctor, as all doctors around my area tend to be booked up for months in advance.

My little sister also has severe sleeping problems. I'm not sure if these things are genetic.

Also, I have horrible horrible nightmares usually weekly. My nightmares are so bad that my girlfriend gets woken up by my talking/whimpering and has to shake me awake.


Please, if anyone has any ideas, you will be greatly appreciated. All I need to do is catch up on my sleep, and then I should be able to catch up on my homework no problem.

Hi I have tried this sleeping schedule and now I'm pretty good with it.
I 'm not sure if it will help but I think you should try it
Stay up all night if you don't sleep and try to stay up most of the day.
I continue that pattern and pretty much you should be able to go in regular hours.

Hope it helps ,
Caitpika

Tips that have helped me:
- Create a desired schedule; stay up all night then start at desired time.
- If laying awake, move eyes across room left to right. With every other "click" of your eyes name something you see 5x, then smell 5x, then hear 5x, repeat until drowsy.
- If still awake get up, go do something really boring like read about neurobiology. Actually try to read it. Then find yourself asleep drooling on the book. Move to bed.
- Listen to sounds when falling asleep ie. babbling brook, rain, forest, etc...
- Listen to ASMR or Hypnosis. Youtube has a massive free collection:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2CfhIl1qdE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zk7SQ6ZZxUM

As far as school and studying goes, you are not alone. Sleep problems also affected my life in this area during my graduate school studies. I met a psychologist who obtained his Ph.D from research on how biolateral sounds increased brain activity and enhanced both physical and mental performance. Below is the website he recommended me. I'm too cheep to actually but a CD, so I just listen to the free samples over and over. They really do work for studying as you may see.

http://biolateral.com/catalog/downloada ... teral-mp3s

I've had it as bad as that before, I'm 40 and have been struggling with sleep issues for as long as I can remember, it does seem to go in stages where it gets so bad I don't sleep at all for 2- 3 nights and feel like I'm going insane(though it's been a couple years since it's been that bad), then it eases up and I sleep okay for a bit, then not so good - repeat pattern. I have had nightmares like that but not weekly, I woke my husband up twice because I was screaming at the top of my lungs, I don't recall the screaming but he would wake me up all frantic and I was sitting up in bed and my throat was sore. I've had other very real feeling nightmares in which I jumped up in bed and tried to get away from something. Anyway,
2 things I've picked up are a white noise machine and drinking chamomile tea a couple hours before bed time. If you can find a doctor then a sleep study would be a good idea, I have yet to do it and my doctor suggested it like 6 years ago. Light exercise before 5 p.m. might help. Of course cut out stimulants like caffeine as much as possible, I can't go without my cup of coffee in the morning but that's it for me.

There was a period of time, about 8 years, in which I took amitriptyline(an antidepressant) and slept pretty well with that. It quit working for me the day my mother killed herself. Even several months afterward i tried taking it again and it just made me feel weird but didn't help with sleep. It's been a struggle ever since.