Insomnia SUCKS. I had repeated, extended bouts in law school. (I've had short bouts my whole adult life, but two days of insomnia is really different than four weeks of it.)

I haven't tried CBT but I'd definitely be up to try it if I had another extended bout. I've had pretty good luck with Sonata and other drugs as a one-night or two-night sleep aid that kicks my sleep cycle back into its normal setting. But those weren't so good when I had the looooooong bouts.

NYTimes link at the bottom is misdirected, btw.

I've had insomnia for many years and it's getting worse, but I think a sleep study would be more appropriate than just assuming I need therapy.

@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!): Thanks - fixed.

Also - attention alcoholics - $25 is a LOT less than the amount of booze you'd have to down to pass out every night!

Insomnia is one of those disorders like OCD or ADD that everyone diagnoses themselves with because they had a couple sleepless nights (or they like being organized or they can't always focus). I get annoyed when I hear people say things like, "I have insomnia, I didn't get to sleep until 12:30!"

For me, it has become increasingly severe in the last 7 years. It used to be once or twice a week, but now it's every night. I've been prescribed lunesta, rozerem, trazodone, temazepam, xanax, and ambien. I'm currently taking the last 3 to mixed results (not all together). I've tried a host of herbal supplements that worked occasionally. The Lunesta worked best but I had to drop it when my insurance switched to generics only.

Psychiatrist recommended a round of therapy as he thinks "there has to be something" keeping me up at night. Sometimes it is, like being unable to stop thinking about work or whatever, but other times it's as simple as a song running through my head. I am not exaggerating when I tell you that Beyonce's "Single Ladies" has played in my head more than it has on the radio.

I agree with shoelace that sleep studies are probably the best way to go but they take a lot of time.

Side note, GOOD CBT costs around $200 a session. There are a lot of people out there who don't know what they're doing. And most insurance doesn't cover it.

Second, less significant side note, cognitive therapy isn't the same as cognitive behavioral therapy.

@youbastid: And unfortunately, the generic ambien did not give me generic sleep sex, but it did give me generic piss in the corner of my girlfriend's bedroom at 4AM.

@youbastid: I've updated the headline to include "Behavioral." I also lol'ed at your pissing in the corner story, although I feel your pain (as someone who's been experiencing hardcore, up-two-days-at-a-time insomnia for half a year now).

@Yoko Broke Up The Beatles: Don't know about that. If you aren't picky, you can get three bottles of bottle shelf vodka for about $25.

Most people that complain of insomnia and go whine to their Doc for Ambien, have no idea what insomnia is. Except for Youbastid up there. Sounds like we're in the same boat man.

Insomnia is when you've been awake for 5+ days and still can't fall asleep. So far the only thing that works for me usually on day 3 is Ambien and Xanax, topped off with Valerian. Sometimes on certain weeks this doesn't work. By day 7 you'll find yourself crumpled up on the floor wishing you were never born.

@Chris Walters: Still broken to me. At the bottom, in the NYT article name in quotes--it links to the cbt site and not the NYT.

@krispykrink: Yikes, I take it back. I guess 2 days isn't so bad, then.

@Chris Walters:The 5+ days only hits me every other month or so. Most times it's just 2-3 days.

According to my doctor, someone like you, where 2 days is your extreme CBT and mild natural alternatives would be your best bet. Melatonin, and Valerian.

I'm actually impressed with the advancements in the drugs for insomnia these days. Back in the 90's I had to use Halcion. THAT will seriously screw with your head.

@krispykrink:

Be careful. You don't want to end up making a possibly fatal mistake.

I haven't had insomnia in a long, long time (thank God!). I had it pretty bad during a bout with some pretty intense depression. But I have that stupid sleep paralysis every once in a while. I HATE that. I know what it is now so I don't get scared anymore, but it still freaks me out to wake up and not be able to move.

HATE HATE HATE HATE that.

@youbastid: It sounds like the problem that I have. I take 50 mg of trazodone nightly and it does the trick.

@floraposte: Clear your cache.

Ha ha, just kidding. That's always my favorite web troubleshooting response. Actually, my favorite is one time when a coffee wholesale website wasn't applying an email coupon code correctly, and I called them to ask if they could apply it to a phone order. The woman who answered said no, it was for online orders only, and that I needed to turn off my computer and turn it back on. She grew really angry with me when I laughed at her and told her no, I would not do that.

As for the persistent error, I still have not figured out how Gawker-hosted websites cache things. I changed the first photo on last Friday's Fickr post and as of this morning it *still* hadn't updated on the front page view.

@youbastid: I'm sorry to hear of the problems you're having. That said, after reading your second comment I'll be cleaning soup off my monitor, my keyboard, the carpet, and every vertical surface in a 10' radius now.

The problem of therapy is that you have to believe in it to get results. Sort of like religion or cults based on bad sci-fi, where you have to have faith in it for it to work for you. If you know it is just some sort of money making scam you aren't going to be taken in.

@Shoelace: CBT is not the same thing as psychoanalysis.

Cognitive behavioral therapy is kind of awesome. I recommend checking out this book if you're interested; your library probably has it. If you're having the sort of anxiety or insomnia that everyone gets from time to time, it's great. Obviously, if you are having serious issues (like some of the commenters above), you need to see a doctor.

@krispykrink: Melatonin is awesome. I had problems with my sleep cycle slowly flipping on its head, and melatonin helped that a lot.

@bohemian: I know, but I doubt any kind of therapy would help if I turned out to have something like narcolepsy (which I suspect is part of the problem).

@HogwartsAlum: That has happened to me a few times, thankfully not lately. Scary vivid dreams, wake up paralyzed, try to mentally fight myself awake, get sucked back into sleep, repeat process 4 or 5 more times, eventually wake up groggy and with a splitting headache that lasts at least half a day.

Extremely unpleasant.

As someone who has suffered from insomnia due to restless leg syndrome for the past nine years, I have to agree it's crucial to find a cost-effective way to treat it. Being physically unable to sleep is hell, especially when you have a high-stress job.

@krispykrink: Really sorry to hear that. That sounds horrible.

@krispykrink: I hear you, dude. I work the later shift for our group because I'm not going to have a problem staying up as long as I need to. The only thing that's ever worked (ambien, lunesta, etc do nothing) is trazodone. I've got to be pretty strict about adhering to a sleep schedule to even make that work though. I haven't had a full night of sleep since I was a kid, and have been up for a week at a time. It's pure hell.

I never knew CBT was helpful for insomnia. I know that it's commonly used amongst OCD, PTSD, Bi-Polar and Borderline patients.

I do have to agree with someone up there, though, that good CBT is expensive. A lot of people really don't quite know what they're doing. It also really depends on the person.

Also, a lot of insurance won't cover it and I don't quite think that 100-150$ a session is quite as cost effective, since you're probably paying the same thing for a bottle of Ambien or Xanax.

I couldn't sleep for years, tossed and turned all night, and always woke up with back pain. I bought a memory foam bed last year, and since I've gotten it, back pain is gone, and I can fall aseep and stay asleep. Getting out of bed is the hard part now...

Worth the money? Oh hell yeah. They're not too expensive from Costco...

All these mentions of CBT's usefulness have a whole new meaning when you know what it really stands for... (Er, use the Google. I'll spare you the mental image.)

(Psst: the Census lister training? Same thing. People, find a new acronym without any painful connotations.)

@krispykrink: actually, insomnia is "the inability to obtain an adequate amount or quality of sleep." you don't have to be awake for days at a time to get a diagnosis of insomnia!

i've got pretty bad intermittent insomnia and have taken various medications for it, done therapy, meditation, etc etc. when i lost my insurance i'd mix benadryl and nyquil so i could get some sleep. i'd sleep some every night--i was never awake for days at a time--but it was still hell. i'd never wish insomnia on my worst enemy. its horrible.

sign me up!

@HooFoot: Regardless, the hangover will make you useless. Alcohol can't fix a sleep problem.

I am not exaggerating when I tell you that Beyonce's "Single Ladies" has played in my head more than it has on the radio.

@youbastid: Ever wake up to the noise in your head? I've had that happen a few times.

I just take the ambien.... No sleep sex yet sadly...

@youbastid: I feel your pain. I've suffered with insomnia for most of my life--as long as I can remember at least (I'm 32). It used to be trouble falling asleep, but in the last 5-6 years it's been waking up constantly all through the night with severe exhaustion during the day b/c of it.

I've had 2 sleep studies which showed nothing but the fact that I woke up constantly during the night. I've tried Ambien & Ambien CR--I just woke up at 2:30 am & spent the rest of the night drugged off my ass. I tried Lunesta & Trazodone & I may as well have been taken nothing as they did nothing. Rozerem didn't help me sleep at night but I was a zombie during the day. Restoril gives me about 2-3 hours of sleep & then I'm wide awake.

My sleep specialist is now trying to get me to do a clinical trial studying GHB (yes, the date rape drug) for sleep problems. No thank you!

I'm a lost cause.

@Boogaloo2: Oh yeah, I also tried CBT & the guy kept trying to get me to admit that my husband (boyfriend at the time) was abusing me and that I was subconsciously afraid to sleep.

@I Love New Jersey: I don't think you understand what cognitive behavioral therapy is.

@Boogaloo2: CBT is about becoming more aware of your own thoughts, not having someone else tell you what you are thinking...so it sounds like this guy wasn't really helpful. When seeking treatment, you may have to try multiple therapist to find one that is helpful to you. Don't give up just because of one bad experience. I wish you the best of luck. =)

@youbastid: "other times it's as simple as a song running through my head. "

I've had that happen, and it honestly feels like the first step on the road to insanity. I used to bite my husband's head off when he would hum a phrase of a song when I had the really bad insomnia because I knew I'd be hearing it for the next three days while getting no sleep at all.

@Jessica Haas:

Yes, CBT is sometimes used but more often DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) is more effectivel for those with mental issues (especially BPD).

@Micromegas: There are some drugs that can relieve the symptoms of RLS. Ask your doctor for Requip (or its generic). That has helped me out tremendously.

i worked in the sleep industry for 3 years in college, and i heard a LOT of success around CBT, even for people who were semi- addicted to sleeping pills and had been taking them for decades.

me? i literally count sheep every night, i rarely get above 20, and i sleep like a baby:) i highly recommend it.

@I Love New Jersey: Yes, therapy is exactly like a cult.

Awesome.

@Chris Walters: Then you pull out the big guns with "It hasn't propagated yet." Mysterious yet informed at the same time.

@anthonyhasp: I take trazodone on a semi-regular basis and am suprised at how little of a "hangover" i get from it, but it makes me sleep drool like crazy

I cannot stay asleep. Falling asleep is usually not a problem (usually), but staying asleep is. It's ridiculous. I'm 28. I shouldn't be waking up every hour or two, like clockwork. Some nights I can get 4 hours of solid sleep in, but after that I'm awake every 45 minutes. I fall asleep, and literally wake up as soon as I start to dream. It's driving me batty.

OTC sleep meds just make it worse--mys leep is even more disjointed and I feel like ass for hours upon hours the next day. Benadryl and I are not friends.

Once I had two (large) glasses of wine, a xanax, and two somas (muscle relaxers) because I was exhausted but couldn't sleep. Still woke up every hour. It's ridiculous. (And one reason why I'm afraid of Ambien: It probably wouldn't work, and I'd just run around outside naked all night.)

@Samantha Brown: "counting sheep"?! Um, yeah, no.

@I Love New Jersey: Did you just compare therapy to a cult? Are you high?

@HogwartsAlum: I get the sleep paralysis where I swear someone is spooning me and whispering sweat nothings in my ear as a group of men with heavy boots are running around my apartment, just to annoy me. It's creepy.

@krispykrink: "Insomnia is when you've been awake for 5+ days and still can't fall asleep"

No, it's not. It really infuriates me when someone says, "LOL, I have it worse off than you, I have *this*, clearly you don't REALLY have *thisproblem* because I am way worse off than you, shut up, stop saying you have insomnia, I don't care if you've been diagnosed, you're not as bad as me, it's not insomnia!!!"

Come on. I've been diagnosed with insomnia. I don't stay up for 5 days in a row, but I literally cannot stay asleep. I'm up every hour, on the hour. If I sleep for more than 2 hours in a row, I'm in awe. This basically means I rarely get to deep sleep. I have insomnia. Stop making it some sort of contest.