Back to sleep meds after a year off - second thoughts

Jan 15·1 min read

I stopped taking my melatonin + occasional ambien about a year ago because I wanted to "beat" my insomnia naturally. lol. That did not work. I'm back to sleeping like 5 hours a night, which tanks my mood and makes everything worse. Started back on the meds yesterday and slept 8 solid hours. Feeling like I need to stop trying to tough things out and just use the tools that work. Why is that so hard to accept?

5 comments239 views

Comments(5)

SSteve Q.RegularJan 16

Talk to your doctor about this before doing anything. They know your full history and can give you actual advice instead of guessing.

TTrevor L.New DadJan 16

Being sleep deprived makes literally everything harder including parenting and work stuff. No shame in taking meds that help you function.

BBen L.RegularJan 17

The fact that you're having second thoughts after a year means your body is probably trying to tell you something. There's no prize for white-knuckling through insomnia.

IIan P.RegularJan 18

Going off sleep meds to 'beat' insomnia is kind of like going off glasses to beat bad eyesight. Sometimes your brain just needs the help and there's nothing wrong with that.

DDerekNew DadJan 18

I tried the same thing a couple years ago. Made it about 4 months before I realized I was just exhausted and being a worse dad to my kids because of it. Back on low dose melatonin now and actually present again.