I also take Klonopin; I know I've been on it for quite a while, but it still works at the same dosage. I just have a horrible time relaxing enough to get to sleep without it. They're saying now that we really need to have 8 hours of sleep for maximum health and that lack of sleep can be one cause of excess cortisol, which causes weight gain in the belly. Chronic stress can do that and it would make sense that if you have that going on, you're probably not getting enough sleep.
I would think that if you're able to do some meditation, it might help calm your thoughts. Also, I've listened to some relaxation recordings, especially one that does a "body scan" and found it's hard to stay awake until the end.
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Before I started taking Saphris in November, I had not really slept well since I was in my early teens. I am now 52. I would go to bed at 10 and get up at 4, but the sleep during those hours was fitful at best and I often went through my day feeling fatigue. I believe that the quality of sleep I now have with Saphris (am also taking Klonopin and Trazodone) is good quality. I have good dreams instead of nightmares. I don't take 2-3 hrs to fall asleep. I don't awaken every hour to go to the bathroom. Every night, I get about 7 straight hours of sleep now...unbroken sleep. And I wake up feeling refreshed, although it is still early.
For me, I truly believe that the quality and quantity of sleep I am now getting contributes to my sense of wellbeing. I think it improves my energy level, too, and there is less fatigue during the day leading to less feelings of confusion and poor cognition. If I miss the Saphris even one night, I once again have poor quality of sleep and must make up for it with several naps the following day. Isn't it amazing what one pill can do? Of course, this enables me to make other good changes to my routine, like exercising more, socializing more, feeling more positive about what I can accomplish, and generally enhances wellbeing.
Now, I'm not saying that Saphris will do this for everyone. I take it mostly for the symptoms of schizophrenia. For me, however, it has revolutionized my life and enabled me to feel whole again.
Your descripton sounds life enhancing Donna, especially when compared to your previous sleep pattern. It must be such a relief. I'm one of those folk who, if they can't get their full quota, feel pretty grim the following day. What it must be like to have consistently disrupted sleep I can only imagine.
Now, I can tell you I gradually became more and more agitated and restless and anxious on Saphris. I started having problems with insomnia. My pdoc switched me to Latuda. Initially I had wonderful results as with the Saphris. But within a couple of months, I was climbing the walls with akathisia and anxiety again. Many nights I do not sleep at all. I don't even lie down because I am "wildly awake." Ordinarly I follow all the "rules" of good sleep. I don't nap during the day, I try medication and calming exercises for an hour before I actually start trying to sleep, to calm my brain down, and the other things you mentioned. A very very good night's sleep is 6 hrs. Normally it is less. Sometimes just a couple of hours. It feels like it's wrecking me mentally and physically. I have resorted to taking prescription sleep meds but only when the need becomes imperative (like at 2am when I still haven't slept.)
My doctor's answer is to switch back to Zyprexa. Then, however, I will be sleeping 14+ hrs a day of sleep and feeling like a zombie the rest of the time, not to even mention gaining enormous amounts of weight. I was on it for 13 years and can't go back to that less-than-alive state. But is the anxiety and insomnia better? I don't want to get addicted to Klonopin, either.
That was supposed to read "try MEDITATION for an hour" not MEDICATION!