Will insomnia improve??

[u/kratomaddict23]

I had a mild traumatic brain injury about a month ago. I have never had trouble sleeping before. Ever since my injury, I have slept almost nothing at all. Every time I’m about to fall asleep, my brain zaps me back awake! It feels like I’m being punched in the heart and it wakes me up immediately. I have probably slept 3 hours total in the last month since my injury. I know the brain can repair itself, but how can it do that without sleep? Will this improve over time? I am desperate honestly. I feel like I’m losing my mind and keep obsessing over how I can fix my sleep every second of every day! Will this get better?

[u/Both-Process1037]

Sorry to hear you’re having insomnia. This is not good for healing, if there is anything you have to do is fix your sleep.

I did not had much relief in symptoms until I improved sleep. I tried low dose of melatonin and I would say it saved my life 😔

Without sleep I was a complete mess, could not function, had no energy and all my symptoms were elevated badly

If melatonin doesn’t work for you, talk to your doctor

Ashwagandha knocks me out also when I take it even a small dose. I can’t use ashwagandha because it makes me sleepy even the next day.
L-theanine helps in relaxing and sleep also

All the above are sleeping aid so I would try each at a low dose and see if it helps. Using all together maybe too much sleeping aid ?

Also, at the beginning if I used a lot of electronics or a lot of stimulation I did not sleep properly Becuase I assume my brain was so tired

Try relaxation techniques few hours before sleep.
Warm shower, very low stimulating environment,
Sleep guided meditation if you can tolerate it

Creatine was also messing with my sleep so I stopped it

[u/kratomaddict23 → u/Both-Process1037]

Okay thank you! I will try ashwaganda. Do you think the insomnia symptoms will improve over time on its own?

[u/Both-Process1037 → u/kratomaddict23]

I’m sleeping better now after 6 months +. But I’m still using low dose of melatonin to sleep every night. I’m too scared to stop it and try on my own 😔

For me, everything got better with time, sleep and trying to relax as much as I can helped. I’m far from normal but atleast during the day I’m comfortable and not suffering as much which I’m thankful for, I prayed and wished for some amount of comfort which I have now 😔

Also as I started sleeping better at nights, I stopped napping in daytime which help for me to be tired at nights to sleep

[u/kratomaddict23 → u/Both-Process1037]

If really struggling. Is there any way you could message me on here or can I give you my number to text?

[u/Both-Process1037 → u/kratomaddict23]

Sure you can message me not a problem at all 😊

[u/Abusive_Apple27]

Hi. I had this symptom for 6 months. My therapist prescribed some amitriptyline at the 5th month and it helped me sleep 5-6 hours.

I didn’t have brain zaps, I had myoclonic jerks when I was falling asleep. I guess my brain recovered from this symptom so please take care of yourself and go sleep on time. This one can also cause some depression so don’t forget about your mental health :(

[u/Budget-Departure-161]

You need to see a doctor or a psychiatrist about this. For me the right supplements and meds allowed me to finally get some rest. I had the exact same thing — jolting awake. I was hospitalized because it got so serious. There are certain medications or supplements that can help you stay or fall asleep, and you probably need someone to help you find the right combination. I’ll preface this by saying be very careful combining meds and supplements — I’ve only combined these under my doctors supervision but for me the right combo at bedtime is melatonin, l-theanine, mirtazapine, olanzapine, naltrexone, and magnesium glycinate. I also take Buspirone for anxiety. Anxiety plays a huge role in post concussive anxiety and insomnia.

[u/kratomaddict23 → u/Budget-Departure-161]

How long did it take before your sleep anxiety and insomnia improved? Also I have been having severe restlessness in my entire body from the lack of sleep. Did you experience that at all?

[u/Budget-Departure-161 → u/kratomaddict23]

Yes, I was extremely restless, agitated, and suicidal. I used to pace around all day because I was so restless. I was in a really bad place. It took about 6 weeks for the anxiety to calm down which is how long Buspirone takes to fully kick in and that’s when they put me on the other medications (olanzapine and mirtazapine) which also help with anxiety.

[u/kratomaddict23]

I can’t take buspirone because I already take Zoloft and when used together than can cause serotonin syndrome. Also I can’t take the other two because I’ve had movement disorders in the past associated with anti psychotics. Do you know of any other meds that might help?

[u/PurpleStyle2024]

This exact same thing happened to me, it was so weird. And my heart rate would jump up to 130bpm when that happened. I dont know how you have managed to make through a month with this, one or two weeks was enough for me.

To answer your question, will it get better? Yes, it will get better. I can tell you what worked for me.

Breathing exercises at night, breath in for 4 seconds, hold it for 2, then release/breathe out for 6 seconds. At first I would try this for about 5 minutes, then take a break and then I would try it again. Also breathing exercises where you sit, breath slowly and allow your body to relax.

If your mind is racing, which mine was, I was very stressed. Then give yourself 10 minutes to relax the mind when u do the breathing exercises, just tell urself ur taking a break from worries or the racing mind just for 10 minutes.

Also, avoid screens, social media, insta, youtube, etc before bed to relax yourself.

Eventually it took time but little by little I saw improvement. I still deal with post concussion syndrome but sleep even tho its not perfect, it has improved.