Personally I think the insomnia has been my worst symptom of all. Not being able to sleep for extended periods of time will make you feel like a basket case and like your losing your mind. During my darkest days there were times I only slept 8-10 hours in a week. Luckily things have gotten better but it still seems to come and go as it pleases and faithfully appears for two or three nights right before my menstrual cycle begins each month. Sometimes my insomnia is caused by my other favorite symptom...anxiety. When my anxiety is high I can't fall asleep at all. Other times I fall asleep okay, I just can't stay asleep. Either way it's miserable and I've literally tried every drug, natural sleep aid and old wives tale out there to control it.
The drugs I've tried:
Trazodone had too many side effects.
Lunesta did nothing.
Ambien put me to sleep for 4-5 hours and then left me with a hangover.
Prozac made my anxiety better but the insomnia worse, go figure.
Lexapro helped both the anxiety and insomnia but made me fat among other unpleasant side effects and I had to ween myself off of it after six months.
Buspar made my anxiety shoot through the roof which in turn made the insomnia worse.
Klonopin has been the only drug that helps without awful side effects for me. I use it very sparingly, like once or twice a month, as it can be addictive and as with most drugs it's hard on your liver.
The natural stuff I've tried:
Melatonin did nothing.
Chamomile tea tasted good but no sleep.
Formula 303 has valerian root in it but didn't really help.
NaturalCalm kept me regular but still no sleep. I should note here that NaturalCalm is a great source of magnesium which most of us with Candida are lacking among other vitamins and minerals. Even though it didn't cure my insomnia I still use it regularly for it's other benefits. I like the original flavor best.
Chinese herbal tea from an herbalist just made me have to pee...a lot.
Bio-identical Progesterone Cream made me extremely depressed and fatigued but didn't make me sleep. Turns out Candida loves progesterone and many women with Candida react poorly to it. Lesson learned the hard way.
5htp helped control my anxiety after I weened myself off Lexapro which in turn did help my sleep but it wasn't like I took it and half an hour later fell fast asleep like I've heard people claim. I used it for about 18 months at 200 mg per day in time release tablets. I used the Natrol brand which they sell at Costco. I still use it for short periods when I'm under extra stress.
I also tried meditating, acupuncture, exercising, yoga, reading, practicing good sleep habits, giving up caffeine entirely, eating protein before bed, listening to calming music, keeping a fan on, a sleep mask, sleeping in different rooms of my house, sleeping at my parents house and probably several other things I can no longer remember but none of which really helped. I have managed to get my anxiety under control with therapy, supplements and a treatment called NAET which I will talk about in a future post. Getting my anxiety under control has gone a long way in reducing my bouts of insomnia but I don't think I'll ever really get over it until I get the Candida under control.
*A note about acupuncture: I love it, still do it and it has helped me with other symptoms, just not this one.
**I am not a medical professional and do not claim to have any medical expertise. All of the above information is based on my own personal experiences and opinions. The things that worked or did not work for me does not me they will or will not work for you. You should consult with your Health Care Professional before taking any herb or supplement.
Have you tried spiritual deliverance? There is a spirit called Insomnia and also there are tormenting spirits. I would seek out a Christian ministry (not the Catholic Church) that operates in spiritual deliverance.
ReplyDeleteNothingtolose if n pastor would be able to exorcise people they wouldnt be asking for a catholic priest every time one of them get posssed.i couldnt sleep well this past 2 days.what i did was i pray 2 rosaries the rosarie of the blood of christ and the divine mercy.i slept very well
ReplyDeleteI have had similar experience to what you outline above. Only a benzo helped. Recently I was rxed fluconazole for a tinea skin infection, which is similar fungus to candida. I took it at night because that's when my skin bothered me the most and found to my surprise that taking the fluconazole was making me sleepy at night. Then I noticed some eye pain I have had cleared up and some heaviness over my heart, that I thought was from lack of sleep, lifted, so now I'm thinking systemic candida and will see the doctor about, and that candida might make one more wakeful, perhaps a connection between nervousness and candida. Now the nervousness and sleep problem came first but the drag on my immune system may have caused me to develop the systemic candida and they may aggravate each other. I get about 5 hours with medicine but some times I don't sleep. I'm not sure how much longer I can handle this.
ReplyDeleteAdding this to check off the 'notify me' button.
ReplyDeleteHow long did it take you to get at least 6-8 hours og sleep?
ReplyDeleteNot being able to stay asleep usually means bad dreams or anxiety filled dreams. A hard thing to change. Perhaps you need to identify things that may be causing you to be anxious and see if you can make some changes.
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