insomnia

This is day eleven of my altered sleep pattern. Last night I went to bed at about 12am, and woke up at 330am, unable to get back to sleep. I felt a weird feeling flush across my arms and upper chest and I had to jump out of bed and went to the living room to sit on the couch for a few minutes. I checked my pulse and it was going at about 90bpm. My normal resting pulse is about 70bpm, so it was definitely elevated though not quite racing.

I drank some cold water and tried some deep breathing, but the thought of another night of no sleep kept creeping into my head and I got stuck in this positive feedback loop. Despite the name, positive feedback loop, it has nothing to do with positivity. Basically variable A produces more of variable B, which produces more of variable A. In my case, this inability to get 6-8 hours of straight sleep creates more anxiety, which in turn feeds my inability to get back to sleep. I guess it’s better known as a ‘viscious cycle’.

I took an OTC melatonin and went back to bed and tried to focus on breathing and finally fell asleep at about 530am. I don’t know if it was the melatonin working or if physical and mental exhaustion finally kicked in.

I’m unsure what’s causing this insomnia and anxiety. At first, I thought that it was a byproduct of the Rx medication I’ve been taking. These sleep issues started only after my surgery. But, I’ve been eliminating and/or swaping out medications and the problem hasn’t resolved itself. Right now, I’m wondering if it’s maybe a lack of sunlight or a lack of exercise, since I’m getting little to none of both. Maybe I’m worried about my knee’s recovery?