Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Psychological and Health problems caused by bed bugs (besides bites)
Cannot sleep
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natalie729
newbite
Joined: Aug '09
Posts: 5
Posted 3 months ago
Tue Aug 11 2009 23:44:30
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Tonight is the first night I've slept in my bed since two weeks ago when I saw my first, and only, bed bug. Since then, the bites have been explained, a PCO has treated, stuff has been washed, encasements are on my mattress/box spring, etc. I've read all the info and followed all the steps, but somehow, this doesn't do much for my peace of mind. I just tried sleeping. I did for an hour, woke up and felt itchy. It's to the point where I can't tell if I'm actually being bit, if something really is crawling on me or if maybe I'm just going insane. How long did it take for everyone on here to relax again? I feel like I can't even live in my apartment even post treatment. Sitting on my futon freaks me out, I slept in my bathtub last night and now, at 12:45 a.m. I'm writing on here ... from bed ... still convinced my life will never be back to normal. This is ridiculous. The government, responsible citizens, someone needs to do something. This really interrupts your life when it hits. Any tips on how to fall asleep? And yes, I've already taken an OTC sleep aid ... three hours ago.
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buggyinsocal
oldtimer
Joined: Jun '08
Posts: 1,130
Posted 3 months ago
Tue Aug 11 2009 23:57:52
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I had insomnia before this all started. Bed bugs didn't exactly help in that department, and it took me a long time to reduce my levels of anxiety about bugs and sleep.
Here's what worked for me:
Strict policy about not reading the boards here for several hours before bed time. I only allowed myself to read here during the day (as a hopeful note, please note the current time--although I'm in the Pacific time zone, so it's not so late here. I can read the boards and go right to bed no problem, but it took me months to get that way.)
Distract myself with a story strong enough to make me forget and lull me to sleep. Sometimes it was a book. Sometimes it was a television show. I would dim the lights as much as possible (obviously off if watching television, dim as I could stand without straining my eyes if I was reading.) I esp. find that programs with "soothing narrator voice" (pretty much anything on the history or history international channels, discovery, national geographic channels) worked really well at this.
Take a shower right before bed (I didn't wash or wet down my hair because I have thick, curly hair, and it takes forever to dry) to minimize the creepy crawly feelings.
Remind yourself that this is actually a perfectly normal reaction to a highly stressful and anxiety-producing event, but that no matter how anxious you are now, it will get better over time.
General insomnia-hints that I stuck to along with the above:
Get on a sleep schedule. Try to go to bed at the same time every night. (I do realize the irony in saying that, but I have found that it takes a while to get it going, but once you do it, it works well.)
Develop a routine that helps convince your body it's time to start winding down. Mine involves dimming the lights.
Eliminate distractions. I use both earplugs and a sleep mask because my bedroom window faces east and I have very thin walls.
Use visualization or meditation once you're in bed to help the mind slow down.
If you're lying in bed awake and unable to sleep, after a certain amount of time (I forget the guidelines, but I usually give it 45 minutes), get up and do something because lying there is only going to make you more frustrated. Sometimes just getting up and watching television in another room or reading a book will help you spool down the racing in your mind.
No caffeine after noon, and possibly no caffeine at all. (I gave up caffeine about 12 years ago now, and it helped me.)
Regular exercise. Pick a kind of exercise that you enjoy. Remember that stress and anxiety basically cause a physiological response that preps us to fight or run away. If you don't burn that physical tension and stress off somehow, it has a nasty habit of coming back to bother you when you're trying to sleep. You don't have to take up marathons--even a walk in the evening after dinner will help.
None of those--either the bed bug specific ones or the general insomnia ones--will work immediately. It's going to take a while for you to be confident that the bugs are gone. But it will get better over time, and each day that goes by without a bug will make it a little easier.
Hang in there.
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