r/insomnia • u/LeBonQuoix • 1d ago

3 hours a night - Feeling hopeless

TL;DR - I've never had insomnia before and for the past week I've had 3 hours a night.

Six weeks ago, my gorgeous wife gave birth to my beautiful son. With this has obviously come some sleepless nights and disruptions to sleep, which is expected. However, we started to realise it has been taking a toll on me mentally and physically, as Im a naturally light sleeper.

We decided to try sleeping in seperate rooms. And doing shifts for feeding. For the past week, I have been getting approximately 3 hours of sleep per 24 hours, and its killing me. I've gone to the GP,, and Ive taken Melatonin and Temazapan; they assist in getting me to sleep, but then I wake up and hour later, and maybe get an hour or two after.

I recognise that I have stressors occurring at the moment, like selling our house and becoming a father, but right now, my biggest anxiety is not sleeping. I am so scared.

I believe I am practising good sleep hygiene as well, so I dont believe this is the issue. It feels as though my body is all messed up; Im utterly desperate to sleep.

Any tips or encouragement are welcome.

2 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

5 comments sorted by

1

u/IcelandGalaxy 1d ago

Dont have much tips but i feel you my guy. I hope everything improves. Im dealing with 1-2 hours or less per night for 5 days! It's TERRIBLE. Going to doctors asap and get a sleep aid for short term solution. Trazodone worked for me 3 years ago so im hoping it'll work the same way it did before. Btw though, id ask for something light, ur taking a benzo, those are dangerous long-term.

1

u/LeBonQuoix 1d ago

Thank you so much man. Yeah I'm aware the Benzo's are no good - but what scares me is that it doesn't work for me. I will book another GP appointment in a few days and see what the can do.

It just feels good to hear that there is someone else who understands. I feel like an emotional mess all the time.

I hope you sleep well too.

1

u/IcelandGalaxy 1d ago

No worries man, if i were you these medications are absolutely safe short term: Trazodone, hydroxyzine, and mirtazapine. These DONT cause addiction or dependence. Long term those meds are also safe except hydroxyzine as it can cause dementia later down the road.

1

u/polika77 1d ago

It sounds like you’re going through a really challenging time with the transition to fatherhood and the sleep disruptions that come with it. When stress and anxiety affect sleep, it can become a vicious cycle. In addition to sleep hygiene, you might want to consider looking into natural sleep aids or transdermal patches like Nectar. They can provide consistent, gentle support for your sleep without the risk of waking up after an hour. If you’re still having trouble, try implementing deep relaxation techniques before bed, such as deep breathing exercises or progressive muscle relaxation, which may help calm your body and mind.

1

u/TraditionalMeet5006 1d ago

feel for you my guy thats tough. something thats worked for me and other community members is the QSleep app, even if you have good sleep hygiene there may still be things to improve but good luck man