Death of Friend - Sleep Disorders Message Board

triumph92 · 01-29-2001, 01:02 AM

Two weeks ago, My best friend was very violently murdered. Her parents did not want to identify her body, so they asked me and my other friend to do it. She died of a gunshot wound through the back of her head, so a lot of her face was missing. Since then I havent really slept more than a few hours a night. When i start to fall asleep. i have nightmares, but they arent really nightmares, i just see her in my mind, and i will start moving around, and making noises, and then i will finaly twitch real hard, and make a noise and wake up. I cant take melatonin, cuz i have bad reactions to it(i know this from the past), and i dont want to take sleeping pills. Is there anything that i can do to help myself sleep. natural ways, without seing a shrink, ive done that many times before in my life. i mean like meditation or anything like that? anything i can drink. exersices? any help would be great. thanks.

lukec · 01-30-2001, 10:26 PM

triumph,
I would say start taking vitamin b 50 mg a day,, this could very well help your sleep patterns,, also this is probably anxiety due to this horrible numbing experience,,
try saying a pray before sleep by sitting up and praying for sleep,, find good scripture or even phrases that enlighten you and keep your eyes closed as you sit up and repeat these phrases,, while you repeat one time, inhale,, repeat again and exhale,, do this for about 20 to 30 minutes then try to sleep, hope this helps

[This message has been edited by moderator1 (edited 02-07-2001).]

triumph92 · 01-31-2001, 02:05 AM

THANKS A LOT MAN

dharley · 02-16-2001, 06:10 AM

I am so very sorry that this has happened to you. I am having almost the same problem. My grandmother passed away the first week of January and I was the last family member to see her alive. One week after her funeral, my cousin attempted suicide and was life lined to one of the hospitals here. He is still alive but all the emotional trauma has taken it's toll on me and I was having nightmares, etc. and not able to stay asleep during the night. I was alos experiencing mild panic attacks when I would wake up. I called my dr. who prescribed Restoril but I couldn't take that for more than a couple of days...it made me feel very strange during the day. I am now taking Ambien...only a half. It helps me get to sleep and helps me stay asleep without feeling weird the next day. Melatonin didn't work for me either. My thoughts are with you! Doreen

dharley · 02-16-2001, 07:47 AM

I forgot to mention that I also tried meditation before I went to bed and also tried taking Valerian Root and Kava Kava pills (natural sleep aids), neither of which worked for me. I also tried different types of tea. I guess that some of this works for others but I personally had to get a prescribed sleep aid to help me. This is a very traumatic thing that has happened to you and perhaps a sleep aid...on a temporary basis will help you get back into your normal sleep pattern. I know that you don't want to try sleep aids but perhaps talking to your family physician would help. Again, I am sorry for your loss and am just sharing my information with you. I hope that you have someone to talk to about this...friends maybe? I thought I was going to have a nervpus breakdown after my grandmothers passing and then my cousin attempting suicide. I visit him almost every other day and saw him the night this happened. It is a horrible vision I will never forget. Please talk to someone about your feelings. This may help. Doreen