I know how insomnia can do a number on your body and mind.
I have had a life time of insomnia. I actually at one time in my life went a full week with no sleep. I was younger than and so use to not sleeping that I was still able to work, although I did not drive. I finally went to a doctor who in harsh words told me how dangerous it was in no uncertain terms to not have slept for such a long period of time. Now mind you, that was a full week of no sleep and by then I was hallucinating...
I was so used to it that when I got Fibro it didn't bother me so much. It has been more of an issue the older I get since when I do not sleep my pain level escalates and I cannot bound back as easily. I do know how horrible she feels.
I too take ambien and a muscle relaxer. One of the things I went back to is Melatonin, a natural substance in our bodies that is usually in low doses when we are not getting enough sleep. I have found that even with taking a sleeping medication and relaxer, they do not work well enough for me unless I take Melatonin with it. You can get melatonin in most drug stores in the vitamin section and of course in health stores and such.
I too get the racing heart, I wonder if it is our bodies trying to run on adrenaline since we are not getting enough rest. Tell your friend that if her doctor isn't helping her with sleep problems, she may need to see a new one. No sleep or little sleep equals more pain and more anxiety. Being too tired to sleep makes a lot of sense to me, and for most of us FMr's, sleep is a constant problem.
Tell her she must be her own advocate in many ways with her health and if she is not finding the right guidance she may need to seek it elsewhere. I stress this since it is so important to have a doctor that listens and can help with sleeping. For me it is very critical.
Good luck, sometimes eventually our bodies will let us sleep. I know it sounds silly, try not to worry about it and you will get more sleep. As Glojer suggested, she might want to look up some of the old threads on sleep.
I hope you friend gets some good rest. Even when I cannot sleep, I feel that since I am at least laying down and resting my body it is helping. A lot of this is mind tricks I have learned to use through out the years of not sleeping.
Peace and love, Hangin
