Insomnia and adrenal fatigue? How strong of a link?

[insomniac]

44 old male who has suffered from chronic insomnia since mid 20s. I’m not sure what triggered or changed in my life but it’s been a escalating and painful battle ever since.

My experiences with doctors has left me frustrated… My sleep specialist only wants to give me an antidepressant or anxiety medication and has told me unless it’s sleep apnea there is nothing really to test because the blood brain barrier, etc.

My memory is horrible, stress is always high, internally irritable, quick to temper at times, have muscle pain in several areas, and cannot get to sleep without something with sedative properties. I’ve tried a lot of things to try and fix the problem from meditation, acupuncture, diet, exercise, quit tobacco, limit caffeine, supplements, teas, etc.

My wife said one day I should read Julia Ross’s books and I could not believe my eyes. Granted it seems my symptoms are common among many issues but to find another strong possibility has given me hope. I have just had my cortisol/dhea saliva test done and I am waiting for the results.

I’m desperate because in the past 8 months on top of my insomnia I am now having a lot of muscle pain and discomfort in my lower back, arms, hips, etc and I don’t know if this is separate or further escalation. I have had an MRI and been to the chiropractor 12 times and no help. I can’t relieve the symptoms except with full body stretches and release points with a ball at home.

It’s hard because on the inside, I am struggling every day. On the outside I am a successful person, wife, home, make good money and have friends and family that support and love me. In the past 4.5 years I became the father of two sets of twins and I am trying everything I can to find a solution to my insomnia and now my pain so I can be the best dad possible and live a good life.

Thanks for this great site, it really is a tremendous resource. This may be another dead end, but who knows, maybe this the beginning of the end of my struggles. Any thoughts are appreciated and sorry for the long post.

[Annabel]

Hi insomniac, and thanks for sharing your story. Chronic insomnia can be such a hard condition to live with. Yes, adrenal fatigue can definitely cause insomnia. Usually, the most important thing is to address the cause of whatever stress is behind it.

Do you think the insomnia causing your stress, or is the stress causing your insomnia? Perhaps you’re a type A kind of person who gets easily stressed? Having two sets of twins in a few years must have been tremendously stressful too.

Do you often find yourself biting your nails, fidgeting, grinding your teeth, or exhibiting other tell-take signs of stress? If so, it might be worth revisiting therapies like meditation, perhaps with a guide this time. Some stress counseling could help too. Giving up caffeine, or at least switching to something like green tea, would be a good choice.

Fawne also wrote an awesome post with lots of tips for sleep hygiene. It sounds like you’ve probably tried most of them already, but you might find one or two new ideas. You can find it here:
http://adrenalfatiguesolution.com/essential-guide-to-sleep-hygiene/

Let us know how your cortisol/dhea tests turn out. Hopefully you got the 4-sample cortisol test so you can see the way your levels change through the day?

Sorry that I can’t offer any more specific ideas, but I hope this helps a little?

[Author]

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