This is my first time post. I suffer from both anxiety and depression, and have always been a bad sleeper, even as a child.
I am 62 years old and have been on sleeping tablets every night for about 4 years, which I am not happy about as I am now addicted to them. Prior to 4 years ago, for about 5 years, I would only take the tablets if I felt I needed a good night's sleep to cope with the next day's activities. But during this time both my parents passed away, and there was a lot to sort out, and as I am the oldest one in the family, and retired, I was left with immense responsibility, and consequently I started taking the tablets more often.
The only time I have really slept well is when my children were young and I was a stay at home mum (1970s). I loved my time with the children and kept myself really busy during the day, so was glad to get to bed at night and have some sleep.
Over the years, even whilst working full-time, I would manage to get myself to sleep by reading. This sleep would only last for a couple of hours, then I would get up and read for a few more hours to get myself tired again, and go back to sleep until I had to get up for work.
Nowadays I take tablets and sleep for at least 8 hours (most nights), and wake up feeling fine and no side effects from the tablets. I have tried cutting down and/or going off the tablets for periods of time, but it doesn't work. As soon as I put the light out at night, my mind is constantly thinking - not necessarily depressing thoughts, but about everything. If I get up in the middle of the night to read, my husband then can't stay asleep.
My husband is a snorer, so if I don't take a tablet I lay there listening to him snoring and this just gets me mad. It's certainly not calming!
Obviously there is a lot more to my story, but I am just trying to condense it to get started. I would love to get off the sleeping tablets but I don't know how to achieve it.
