Insomnia with DSPD?

[u/insufficient_nvram]

I’m going on 24 hours of no sleep after getting ~5 hours the last time I slept. My body is tired af. I’m super doped up right now after 1000mg Gabapentin, 75mg Hydroxyzine, 1mg Ativan, 1mg Xanax, and smoking a 1G joint. But my brain is wired!

I was recently diagnosed ADHD/ASD/Alexithymia/Sleep Apnea. I take 30mg Lisdexamfetamine. Need at least 50mg to regulate.

Stimulants are not the cause, as this has been my normal cycle for as long as I can remember. 3-4 days of 5.5 hours to 7.5 hours of sleep starting no earlier than 2am, followed by 3-4 days of very fitful sleep to no sleep. I’m in my mid 40’s. This is worse in fall/winter and under stress (double whammy right now).

I have night terrors too when I do sleep. I’ve accidentally hit my wife during one of those fits. She’s scared to sleep next to me sometimes and usually build a pillow wall between us as well as sleep on my arms, on my stomach to restrain my self in case I have a terror.

I do not wear a CPAP. My Apnea is mild and is well controlled by exercise and keeping my weight down. I do not have PTSD. Severe RSD though.

Is anyone else like this or have any ideas to deal with this? I’m tired literally and tired of this cycle.

[u/Mindless_Baseball426]

This happened to me occasionally when I was younger and tried to adjust my sleep schedule to “normal” hours. I would flip into an N24 or insomniac cycle.

Nowadays (late 40s) I’ve settled into a fairly regular cycle; during the week I am asleep around 2:30-3:30, up at 7:30 for work (4-5 hour sleep). Friday night fall asleep naturally after about 3ish, awake at 11-1pm (7 hour sleep). Saturday night asleep 3-4, awake after seven hours. Sunday night back to the 4-5 hour sleep. I’m chronically sleep deprived because I work. I have fitful sleep because anything wakes me.

With your sleep apnoea, if you are prescribed a cpap, I think it might help a lot. But aside from that I’m afraid that while we are working, and with how treatment resistant dspd is, this is something we end up having to endure until we can retire and sleep on our own schedule. I’m so sorry for how you’re feeling, it’s really debilitating.

[u/insufficient_nvram → u/Mindless_Baseball426]

Thanks. I tried to keep an almost identical schedule to yours when I worked a regular job. All of 2020 caused me to hit untreated ADHD/ASD burnout and I could no longer work. Now I WFH freelance, but that loss of schedule almost made my sleep worse.

My Dr. said CPAP was optional, but I don’t think I could do it anyway because one of my reoccurring dreams is being tied down. If it gets worse, I’m going to try to get the implant I feel jet lagged no matter what.