Sudden return of insomnia / non-restorative sleep

jb1994 said...
Be careful with glycine if you have GABA glutamate imbalance because it can turn into glutamate which is excitatory.

Hmm, well I do have an imbalance and take “glutamate scavenger” in am and pm. Actually that is what the magnolia helps with. I’ll proceed with caution!

I take glut scav II in morning:
http://conners-clinic.shoplightspeed.com/prof-health-products-glutamate-scavenger-ii-90-cap.html

And glut scav III at night:
http://www.clinicalnutritioncenters.com/glutamate-scavenger-iii-by-php-professional-health-products-90-dr-capsules/

I get them through Bob Miller based on my genetics. Helps a little but still get those weird insomnia spells where nothing helps.

Wow, there's a lot in this thread, and I'm arriving to it late....

Sandyfeet, your description sounds to me like high cortisol - basically enough energy despite barely sleeping, and some brain fog. Or rather, when I have felt that way, I attributed it to cortisol issues. ;) There was a period of about a year (pre-child) that I don't remember sleeping. I know that I must have slept a little or I'd be dead, but I'd lie in bed for eight hours every night, seemingly conscious the whole time, and then function throughout the day, albeit with reduced access to my brain. Super freaky. My system was stuck in fight or flight, and I did a lot of work to get out of it - meditation, breath work, massage, visualization - stuff that takes time and focus and often solitude, which is not easy for many of us to find. (I was undiagnosed then, so wasn't treating Lyme or anything else, at all.)

I hear you about kids affecting your sleep. I'm sure that my child's horrible antipathy toward sleep is one of the reasons I relapsed - not that I blame her! But it was a factor.

Another idea for sleep is L-theanine. (The neurotransmitter that makes GABA.)

Also essential oils. I have not had any sleep issues since placing a handkerchief by my pillow at night, with a few drops of frankincense, peppermint, lavender, and myrrh. I did this for a few months, noticed I was sleeping great, stopped the handkerchief thing, and continued sleeping well. This trick also works if I have something I'm anxious about the next day, like the night before a doctor appointment, I will bust out my oils again, and sleep still happens.

Girlie, it's so cool that you had a store! I worked my way through college at a natural foods (and supplements) store, and I adored it and learned so very much. It was a small independent store in urban Ohio, where most people didn't have health insurance and used us as their doctors, a responsibility we took very seriously. In a way, I think that background helped me hugely in the sense that when I became sick with Lyme, I already knew about the limitations of conventional medicine, and the benefits of nutrition, herbs, and a low-toxicity lifestyle. I still think it would be fun (but a ton of work!) to have my own similar store one day.

Wishing you all sweet dreams.

It's good to be safe I think, well I know I have to because like I said they cause rebound anxiety for me and seem to wear off over time. Valerian did that for me too.

https://www.holistichelp.net/blog/how-to-increase-gaba-and-balance-glutamate/

^^^^^^

That link is rich in information, just wanted to say thanks! That's a pretty in-depth article on the subject of glutamate. I have known about glutamate sensitivity and its role in many processes (and disorders), but that article is on a next-level of insightfulness.

My basic approach for when I eat too much wrong processed foods (MSG-laden, it is in so many, many foods it is astonishing...) masquerading as "yeast extract" "natural flavoring" and dozens of other synonyms on nutrition labels that don't always explicitly state "monosodium glutamate" which I try to avoid almost entirely.

Whatever of these that I have on hand I will take, and it usually has a calming effect: L-Theanine, Magnolia Bark Extract, Taurine, relaxing not necessarily sleep-inducing. But enough about glutamate, though yes it can make one's heart and mind race and well that doesn't help insomnia either...so speaking of insomnia...

vvvvvvvvvvvv

For sleep: Happy to say I poached a well-known LLMD's (MR formerly of Seattle) recommendation for lyme n co related insomnia:

Trazodone 25 mg at bedtime
with my sad goofy apnea "sleep snorkel"
and essential oils Lavender and Peppermint
I also take Doxepin 10 mg at bedtime which at these small doses initiates sleep (I think).

v^v^v^v
(bedtime for me is sometimes in the daytime as I work/sleep odd hours now as energy permits)
v^v^v^v^

Trazodone from what I understand helps Lymies enter and maintain the all-important healing REM-stage sleep.

I had been having what most of us are familiar with: non-restorative, non-refreshing sleep.... dreamless, or sometimes a nightmare or two.... and waking feeling like I hadn't slept at all.

Trazodone (and Doxepin) are both super-cheap and readily-available and have been around since before the 1950's...but they require an Rx and I had to both research it myself extensively online then ask for it explicitly from psych doctors. (How's that for self-advocacy! Sad that I had to be my own doctor virtually, but happy I found a temporary fix! Why don't they know about this! Gotta consult with LLMDs!)

Trazodone and Doxepin might not work for everyone to get sleep, but it works for me, for now.

And when I can afford it, and when I get stronger, I will augment with well-known Indicas...for sleep, relax, or CBD

and other herbal, holistic things (as now permitted in several states medically and/or recreationally) and possibly Bee Venom too....

Gotta self-advocate folks!

insomniaaa, hey!

Trazodone and Doxepin are maybe counter-productive, I like to wash-out from them, and I feel better. They are a crutch, though. Just read a very specific scientific study about doxepin and quality of sleep. It does the trick for now. I like both of these because they are known quantities, well-studied over decades of use, so there is a plethora of anecdotal and scientific data available to verify exactly what they do.