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advice

Hi there, 24/f.
This is a bit of a long history, but I'm running out of ideas.
I've had sleeping problems for the majority of my life. I remember when I was a kid and my mom would cuddle me to help me fall asleep, and she'd fall asleep and I'd be awake still.
Somewhere within my first few years of college, I caved and went to see a sleep specialist, because the insomnia was getting in the way of - well, everything. It used to be that I just couldn't fall asleep, and as a result frequently found myself awake for 24 hours or longer. Being a vocal performance student, that doesn't fly. So my doctor and I tried a few things, the best of which turned out to be Ambien.
I know it's not typical to take a sedative-hypnotic for long periods of time, but everything else I've tried gives me a feeling of being trapped in my dreams - somewhat like sleep paralysis, except I can't wake up, even though I'm consciously aware that I'm dreaming, and I wake up exhausted. I should've been diagnosed with a nightmare disorder, and I still have it (yay PTSD). My dreams are VIVID, and more often nightmarish than not. I get flashbacks to them throughout the day as if they really happened. I'm a writer, so I try to embrace these events and use them, or re-interpret them to be used in my work, but that doesn't always help.
Anyway.

Ambien has been my best friend for quite some time in the sense that it allows me to fall asleep. It doesn't knock me out, or cause me to sleep, it ALLOWS me to sleep. Lately I'm finding, though, that it doesn't last all the time. Last night around 10pm, I took one. I went to bed a little after 12, and woke right back up at 3:30. I'm exhausted. My eyes burn, and all I want to do is sleep...
I know I shouldn't worry about how I can't sleep, 'cause the stress will keep me up, but it's very frustrating.
I've tried just about everything and I have good sleep habits - dark room, only use my bed for sleep and sex, etc.
I'm tossing around the idea of just giving up - not fighting the insomnia anymore and hoping it runs its course and I can sleep again before I start feeling the effects of deprivation.

What would you do? Have any of you had this problem? Do you think I should try not trying?
I don't have a job or school right now, so this is kind of the ideal time to mess with my circadian rhythm. I'm just afraid it'll make my nice chronic pain condition worse. :\

Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to read and try to help... I'm a mess. :(

HEY! I feel you girl, I am 20/f in college and also have irregular sleep problems. And the ambien and other sleeping aids can make you dependent, which will make it even harder to fall asleep without them. It's a vicious cycle. What I would suggest is using natural sleep aids, like melatonin and valerian root. I have used both before (as well as other things like ambien), and while they're not as strong, they are NOT habit-forming.

I also always sleep with ear plugs in. I play something in the background, such as white noise or ocean waves. Here are some links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KaOrSuWZeM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1QQajfobPw

Also, a good idea is to start working out intensively in the evening. Such as around 5pm. Like 45 mins of cardio, and a lot of strength conditioning/weight-lifting. This will legitimately physically exhaust your muscles, which signals your brain that they NEED to rest. Whenever I work out in the afternoon I tend to sleep like a baby!

There's also meditation, which I practice 5x/week. Now if you're open to learning how to meditate, just drop a question in my inbox. I could literally write a novel on it right now, but only if you are interested!! It is a great way to relax & calm your mind which makes it easier to fall asleep.

I hope you find some ease falling asleep. As a fellow insomniac, I know what you are going through. The exercise is really the best bet.
Let me know if any of the above work for you, or if you are interested in learning about meditation!
Goodluck:) xx

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(Rating: 5) You just described what I've tried. Lol. Except the melatonin and Valerian root, that is. I might give them a shot, but my problem is more that I don't stay asleep, or sleep deeply enough to rest. Thank you for your tips though. :)
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