Omg. Bless you. Ditto, ditto, ditto! I can't believe there isn't more information out there on this side effect. You have to rely on youtubers. Crazy. The weird thing is that I've been using it for more than 20 years with no issues. Just in the last few months but it is def connected to retinoid. Maybe it is brand specific? I'm using Stieva right now. Thank you! ❤
Right! It’s insane. And derms will be like, no that’s not a thing. Even though it is clearly documented as a side effect. I have used a few diff brands. I used Taro and Obagi.
i love retinoids, i started with retinol, and wanted to switch to a stronger tretinoin. a month after using tretinoin gel i experience weird sleep pattern like i wake up every hour. it seems that it irritates my nose trills to the point it would wake me up every hour. i tried using it in the morning but still having trouble sleeping. tried switching to a different brand this time its Tretinoin cream but still waking up every hour. and when i stopped the sleep problem stopped. even if i like trinoin i cant use it because of this. :(
I know, it sucks! AHA/BHAs are great alternatives. Rosehip oil has natural Vitamin A in it as well. I really looked older not sleeping because of tret which is the exact opposite affect anyone is going for!
I had terrible insomnia from tretinoin too and thought i was crazy! Ordered a lower potency and will try using a small amount to ease back into it cause i love the results its a love/hate relationship
Hi Candice, I’ve been using a retinol night cream (0.1%) for two years with no problem. Then in February I increased the dose to 0.3%. In late February, completely without any warning whatsoever, I developed an horrific insomnia where I simply could not fall asleep all night. And the night after that. And then every single night since for almost three months. I’ve never had insomnia in my life beforehand. Needless to say it’s been utter torture and quite possibly the worst experience of my life. I’ve systematically eliminated all the possibilities I could think of and started an excellent sleep hygiene regime but none of it worked at all. Then, I discovered a number of Reddits and TH-cam channels reporting retinol creams can also cause horrific insomnia, so I stopped using retinol ten days ago. My sleep hasn’t improved yet. How long did it take for your sleep to return to normal after ceasing the retinol?
This is very similar to me! I did CBT-I therapy because after months of insomnia I had actually developed a fear of not sleeping. This helped me get my sleep back on track. If I use retinol or something with high vitamin a now, I will not sleep at all that night. I would say my sleep returned pretty quicky but like I said, since I had now developed a sleep disorder, I did have to correct that too. The Insomnia Coach on TH-cam has great resources.
Yes- I used tretinoin cream, very low concentration from Agency skincare dermatologists. It made me quit sleeping- like 0 hrs, mind racing- and then I didn’t understand what was causing it. One night, I was exhausted, knew I’d sleep like a baby- did my skincare and it was like a drank a pot of coffee. My face was warm- I knew it was the tretinoin. I googled and found your video. I’m still trying to get it out of my system. I squeezed it into the toilet- the tretinoin bc I knew I’d use it again.
Isn't it the strangest thing!! I also had to toss it because I knew I would be tempted to use it again. I told my husband to make sure I dont lol. Every single time I get the same reaction.
Unbelievable, what you're telling me, I had also suspended tretinoin in the meantime, but still had the extreme sleep disorders, that's why I had continued with it again, can you tell me how long you left out tretinoin in one piece until finally this sleep disorder disappeared? And yes, it's a vicious circle, you're already afraid to go to bed and not be able to sleep again and get that adrenaline rush.
Yes - I know the feeling so well. My sleep was so disordered that I went to a CBT-I therapist. During that time (About 6 weeks) I did not use tretinoin or any skincare really and was sleeping well. I was finally cured! I thought...then I tried using tret 1-2x a week...and would not sleep well again on those nights. I would recommend stopping Tret then trying some CBT techniques to correct the sleep problem. The two main things to do are 1) Wake up at the same time everyday, no matter how tired you are! including weekends... and 2) Only stay in bed for the length of time you are averaging asleep. So if you are averaging only 6 hours of sleep a night, go to bed at 12am and wake up at 6am, everyday, for a week! No naps before 12am. You're sleepiness and calmness in bed will return and this will reset your circadian rhythm. Then you can extend your sleep window to 7 hours for another week (11pm-6am)...and then 8 hours (10pm-6am). I went to CBT therapist Motty Varghese who does online consultations.
Hi, thank you so much for your video. I am using tretinoin since 2 month and have very hard problems considering with sleeping. I didn't know exactly if it comes from tretinoin because I'm taking different supplements like MNM, Alpha ketoglutarat etc.. I have a question my sleep problem is so hard that I get adrenaline rushes every time until I fall into sleep. Did you had similar effects? Thank you so much
Yes! That is the exact feeling (adrenaline rush). It is very odd! And after months and months of not sleeping, I just started to have adrenaline rushes when getting into bed. Like I have conditioned my mind to see the bed as stressful. I never get this feeling anymore now that I have stopped using Tretinoin. If I ever get a bad night of sleep from something else, it feels much different and I know I will sleep fine the next night.
I knew it!!! Thank you so much for this!! Every time I use it I can’t sleep and I knew it was more than just a coincidence. It all makes sense
Yes - it is the strangest thing!! I am surprised people aren't talking about it more on TikTok or wherever.
Omg. Bless you. Ditto, ditto, ditto! I can't believe there isn't more information out there on this side effect. You have to rely on youtubers. Crazy. The weird thing is that I've been using it for more than 20 years with no issues. Just in the last few months but it is def connected to retinoid. Maybe it is brand specific? I'm using Stieva right now. Thank you! ❤
Right! It’s insane. And derms will be like, no that’s not a thing. Even though it is clearly documented as a side effect. I have used a few diff brands. I used Taro and Obagi.
i love retinoids, i started with retinol, and wanted to switch to a stronger tretinoin. a month after using tretinoin gel i experience weird sleep pattern like i wake up every hour. it seems that it irritates my nose trills to the point it would wake me up every hour. i tried using it in the morning but still having trouble sleeping. tried switching to a different brand this time its Tretinoin cream but still waking up every hour. and when i stopped the sleep problem stopped. even if i like trinoin i cant use it because of this. :(
I know, it sucks! AHA/BHAs are great alternatives. Rosehip oil has natural Vitamin A in it as well. I really looked older not sleeping because of tret which is the exact opposite affect anyone is going for!
I had terrible insomnia from tretinoin too and thought i was crazy! Ordered a lower potency and will try using a small amount to ease back into it cause i love the results its a love/hate relationship
I know, same, loved the results but so happy to get proper sleep now. Let us know how the lower dose goes for you!
I'm started using tretinoin cream 0.025 once a week can't sleep night.... How do you cure insomnia..did you continue tretinoin cream with insomnia
How did you in a lower dose? I only used it 3 times before I realized it was causing sleep issues so now I’m trying to find a hack or an alternative…
Hi Candice,
I’ve been using a retinol night cream (0.1%) for two years with no problem. Then in February I increased the dose to 0.3%.
In late February, completely without any warning whatsoever, I developed an horrific insomnia where I simply could not fall asleep all night. And the night after that. And then every single night since for almost three months. I’ve never had insomnia in my life beforehand. Needless to say it’s been utter torture and quite possibly the worst experience of my life.
I’ve systematically eliminated all the possibilities I could think of and started an excellent sleep hygiene regime but none of it worked at all.
Then, I discovered a number of Reddits and TH-cam channels reporting retinol creams can also cause horrific insomnia, so I stopped using retinol ten days ago. My sleep hasn’t improved yet.
How long did it take for your sleep to return to normal after ceasing the retinol?
This is very similar to me! I did CBT-I therapy because after months of insomnia I had actually developed a fear of not sleeping. This helped me get my sleep back on track. If I use retinol or something with high vitamin a now, I will not sleep at all that night. I would say my sleep returned pretty quicky but like I said, since I had now developed a sleep disorder, I did have to correct that too. The Insomnia Coach on TH-cam has great resources.
Yes- I used tretinoin cream, very low concentration from Agency skincare dermatologists. It made me quit sleeping- like 0 hrs, mind racing- and then I didn’t understand what was causing it. One night, I was exhausted, knew I’d sleep like a baby- did my skincare and it was like a drank a pot of coffee. My face was warm- I knew it was the tretinoin. I googled and found your video. I’m still trying to get it out of my system. I squeezed it into the toilet- the tretinoin bc I knew I’d use it again.
Isn't it the strangest thing!! I also had to toss it because I knew I would be tempted to use it again. I told my husband to make sure I dont lol. Every single time I get the same reaction.
Unbelievable, what you're telling me, I had also suspended tretinoin in the meantime, but still had the extreme sleep disorders, that's why I had continued with it again, can you tell me how long you left out tretinoin in one piece until finally this sleep disorder disappeared? And yes, it's a vicious circle, you're already afraid to go to bed and not be able to sleep again and get that adrenaline rush.
Yes - I know the feeling so well. My sleep was so disordered that I went to a CBT-I therapist. During that time (About 6 weeks) I did not use tretinoin or any skincare really and was sleeping well. I was finally cured! I thought...then I tried using tret 1-2x a week...and would not sleep well again on those nights. I would recommend stopping Tret then trying some CBT techniques to correct the sleep problem. The two main things to do are 1) Wake up at the same time everyday, no matter how tired you are! including weekends... and 2) Only stay in bed for the length of time you are averaging asleep. So if you are averaging only 6 hours of sleep a night, go to bed at 12am and wake up at 6am, everyday, for a week! No naps before 12am. You're sleepiness and calmness in bed will return and this will reset your circadian rhythm. Then you can extend your sleep window to 7 hours for another week (11pm-6am)...and then 8 hours (10pm-6am). I went to CBT therapist Motty Varghese who does online consultations.
Hello Candice, thank you sooo much. But sorry what is CBT-I ?? (I'm from Germany) :D thank you! @@candicefoy
@@ergomatze9677 It is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and the I is for insomnia. It’s therapy to help correct sleep issues :) It’s very helpful
Ahhh in German I already read about that. Thank you. 😊😊😊👍
Hi, thank you so much for your video. I am using tretinoin since 2 month and have very hard problems considering with sleeping. I didn't know exactly if it comes from tretinoin because I'm taking different supplements like MNM, Alpha ketoglutarat etc.. I have a question my sleep problem is so hard that I get adrenaline rushes every time until I fall into sleep. Did you had similar effects? Thank you so much
Yes! That is the exact feeling (adrenaline rush). It is very odd! And after months and months of not sleeping, I just started to have adrenaline rushes when getting into bed. Like I have conditioned my mind to see the bed as stressful. I never get this feeling anymore now that I have stopped using Tretinoin. If I ever get a bad night of sleep from something else, it feels much different and I know I will sleep fine the next night.
I'm using tretinoin cream can't sleep night..how to use safely