How long until post breakup insomnia goes away?

[salmagund1]

I'm 5 weeks post breakup and...I have not slept more than 5 hours since then.   Most nights it more like 3-4 hours.   I spend the rest of the night staring at the ceiling and listening to my thoughts churn in my head...

Has anyone else dealt with this kind of sleep deprivation and how long did it last for?

Thanks!  

[Gaeta]

I've let that go on a couple of days then I went to the pharmacy and bought something to sleep you find on shelves. It worked for me. I'm the kind of person that needs her 7-8 hours a sleep otherwise I can't function so I did not let this go on. 

[salmagund1]

yeah I actually got a prescription and it helped...barely...it got me to sleep but I would still wake up with my mind spinning at 4 in the morning... 🙄

[salmagund1]

So the answer is...about 5-6 weeks...

 

🙄

[Beachead]

Hey OP,

It depends on the nature of your breakup.  Whether you were the one who broke it off or the one who received it.  It also depends on you, how you deal with your problems, how much trauma you've faced in your past, how your general life is going etc. 

If you want a time reference, I can only tell you how long it took me but bear in mind, this only applies to me.  It might different for you.  So for me, the insomnia ended about a week or two in because my body simply couldn't take the sleepless nights anymore, and shut me down.  The sleep was still broken after that though.  I had Bad dreams.  I'd wake up with the worst chest pains, all the thoughts would pour into my mind and then I'd be up all night.  I'd be so tired during the day, I'd sleep.  I didn't have motivation to do anything.  I didn't exercise.  I didn't have an appetite.  I lost my humour and what made me me.  All I ever did was look at my phone and hope for a call or a message from my ex.  At the time, it was very difficult to imagine myself feeling any other way than what I felt then.  But as time went on, those initial physical symptoms like the insomnia subsided.  In fact, it's the first to go away.  By 6 months I was eating well, sleeping okay and working out again. I wasn't anywhere near 100% but I was functioning again.  

It was the mental part that took much longer.  It took a lot of internal work to get myself back to the point I needed to be at.  The rest was time and living life.  

Be patient with yourself.  Too many people attempt to rush it by trying to get back to life asap.  It doesn't work like that.  Your soul is wounded and just like any wound, will require time and patience and nursing, to recover.  So just let the process be, accept you will feel f'd up for awhile, and carry on as best as you can.  Don't date anyone for atleast 6 months.  Don't drink or resort to drugs to quiet it down.  None of these things are helpful.  They're just pain killers that'll give you temporary relief.  You're better off letting it in, journalling, and talking it through with someone occasionally.  If I were you, I'd document everything I feel in a journal and try to experience the process and learn about it.  It's an opportunity for you to get to know yourself during the most stressful, painful moments of your life.  I used that self-discovery to rebuild myself from the ground up.

If you want some tips on how to do that, I'll gladly provide. 

Stay Strong

- Beach

 

Edited October 2, 2021 by Beachead

[monkeynuts]

Oh I’m currently going through these nights ( 2 weeks into the breakup )

I become so exhausted I fall to sleep only to wake with my ex on my mind. Then I can’t get back to sleep.

I feel it does get easier. If you think less of them during the day then they shouldn’t be on your mind at night.

Have you tried the app ‘headspace’ very good for switching off etc. I have been told meditation can help though ive yet to try it.

I understand what you’re going through though. Hang in there. Just remind yourself before you met this person you slept fine. And you will sleep fine again soon. You just need to allow time to do it’s magic of healing