Insomnia Is the WORST (Full Version)

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literarylady -> Insomnia Is the WORST (8/20/2010 12:04:49 AM)

I occasionally have insomnia. Nothing seems to cure it. I have drugs for anxiety, which I use sparingly. I've tried tea. I've tried a good, stiff drink. Nothing works. Any advice? Or, better yet, anyone awake to keep me company?

What do you use to get to sleep? What do you think about those hours as you lie awake? Right now, I'm thinking of an 8 am meeting...yawn....



literarylady -> RE: Insomnia Is the WORST (8/20/2010 12:43:28 AM)

Okay, well... what do you like to read? And yes, I know there is a thread about this somewhere.



areallivehuman -> RE: Insomnia Is the WORST (8/20/2010 2:04:48 AM)

I don't have much of an insomnia problem. Lots of physical work, a couple of beers after dog walk, I can't keep my eyes open between 10PM and 4 0r 5 AM.
Love Johnny Cash.



VaguelyCurious -> RE: Insomnia Is the WORST (8/20/2010 2:18:36 AM)

I'm like that too. Have you tried a hot water bottle? Sometimes it works for me, sometimes it doesn't.



sirsholly -> RE: Insomnia Is the WORST (8/20/2010 2:34:50 AM)

Melatonin. You can get it at any drugstore.

I have insomnia that is pretty chronic and hits in cycles of 4-7 days at a time. Nothing works other than finding ways to cope with the effects (ie by the third day i know not to drive if possible). I wish you luck.[:)]



dreamerdreaming -> RE: Insomnia Is the WORST (8/20/2010 2:46:43 AM)

FUCK YOU.

LOL! Just gettin' ya back, for your avatar pic... [:D]



DarkSteven -> RE: Insomnia Is the WORST (8/20/2010 6:17:21 AM)

I once read PG Wodehouse stories to relax and get to sleep.  An odd drug, but it worked.



BeIgnited -> RE: Insomnia Is the WORST (8/20/2010 6:43:57 AM)

I recommend yoga.

I had trouble falling asleep for pretty much my entire life (and it had gotten particularly bad that summer I started), but I never slept as well as I did once I was doing yoga 3X a week. Even now, when I don't practice regularly, I still sleep much better,



pahunkboy -> RE: Insomnia Is the WORST (8/20/2010 7:01:50 AM)

Yes-  drink a gallon of water during the day time.

You body is dehydrated.   So you are not able to sleep.

I did this for a week and slept great.  even tho I got up to pee it was a deeper sleep cycle.



OohAahMrs -> RE: Insomnia Is the WORST (8/20/2010 7:33:14 AM)

It's a tough one, probably best to keep regular hours, like bed before midnight, no eating after seven, ease up on the evening fluid, unless you want to be at the john all night!



igor2003 -> RE: Insomnia Is the WORST (8/20/2010 7:50:02 AM)

Usually when I can't get to sleep it is because my mind is working overtime, so what often helps me is to have some background noise...the radio or tv turned on, quietly but loud enough to distract whatever is on my mind at the time.

My mother told me that what my step-dad does is to murmur "sleep, sleep, sleep...." to himself under his breath.  Pretty much just boring himself to sleep I guess.

Long term...regular sleep habits and exercise.  But do the exercises earlier in the day or evening.  When I exercised too close to bed time I usually had a harder time getting to sleep.

By the way, you don't have a sleep apnea problem do you?  I used to have trouble getting to sleep quite often, but since going on the CPAP machine I haven't had any trouble what-so-ever, though my apnea was quite chronic.  It showed in my sleep study that in my worst hour I had an apnea 84 times...stopped breathing more than once a minute.  And stopped breathing over 400 times for the whole night.



pahunkboy -> RE: Insomnia Is the WORST (8/20/2010 7:56:44 AM)

This time of year- I often have a fan on.  It can drown out other noise and is sim to white noise.

Fresh sheets will help- the right pillows.   The arrangement of the room- the bedroom should only be sleeping - not other things.

a shower can relax you.  at various times I have simple stayed up- the whole night to reset.



DesFIP -> RE: Insomnia Is the WORST (8/20/2010 7:59:16 AM)

I find 20 minutes or so of sudoko before bedtime helps reduce the anxiety to a low level. I go to bed seeing number grids but that's better than worrying.



LadyHibiscus -> RE: Insomnia Is the WORST (8/20/2010 8:03:13 AM)

I have terrible insomnia, some nights worse than others. I think a lot, plan stuff, get lots of mental work done. Might as well! I am not a person riddled with worries or anxiety, it's just part of my delightful sleep disorder that keeps me out of REM sleep too, unless I am OUT for over six hours.

Older antihistamine drugs like atarax work for putting me OUT if I am desperate, but all sleep aids make me jittery, then don't let me wake UP, so YMMV. Valerian, cammomile, kavakava, melatonin, all worth a try, since everyone's body is different.




SeanPony -> RE: Insomnia Is the WORST (8/20/2010 8:14:24 AM)

Bog's lifesaver is great for sleeping :)

quote:

A cross of SubCool’s JCB and my BOGBubble.
This was my first truly Medical strain and it has good pain killing properties.
Potent and relaxing, LifeSaver also helps with sleep.


Bog's LifeSaver



windchymes -> RE: Insomnia Is the WORST (8/20/2010 8:21:02 AM)

Lunesta worked for me when I first took it, but you do have to remember to take it on an empty stomach, because it won't work if you have eaten something fatty or greasy before, like popcorn. It's not available generic, though, so it became kind of unaffordable.

My doctor recently switched me over to Ambien, which has been a life-saver. I had a little trouble at first getting the dosage adjusted, but it's great now. And, since it's available generic, with my insurance, it only costs me $5 a month. It seems to have a little more of a "punch" than Lunesta. With Lunesta, I just fell asleep, with Ambien, I feel it kick in, lol.



WhipsAndGiggles -> RE: Insomnia Is the WORST (8/20/2010 8:25:28 AM)

Have you tried adding exercise to your daily routine?



praetorian1974 -> RE: Insomnia Is the WORST (8/20/2010 8:29:16 AM)

Something to consider. Electromagnetic screens can disrupt your circadian rhythm, which control the sleep/wake cycle. Laying off the computer or TV a few hours before bed can greatly reduce your chances of suffering from insomnia.



WhipsAndGiggles -> RE: Insomnia Is the WORST (8/20/2010 8:35:44 AM)

Also, do you live with someone who might be willing to massage you before bed? My significant one will often give me a massage or pet my skin gently and slowly. This helps relax me and puts me to sleep. I used to have a slave who would use lotion and massage my feet. That almost always put me right to sleep.

Other things:
---An episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. (The old black and white series)
---Ensuring I ate dinner a couple/few hours before.
---A hot HOT shower.
---Closing my eyes and counting 1, 2, 3... not just counting though. Imagining the numbers coming into my vision. They are always 3-D to give my mind something dull and methodical to focus on. If I get distracted and start to think of OTHER things... back to 1. That's been a good standard so far.
---I'm not sure if this is even a healthy habit to be encouraging, but sometimes if I'm really desperate I'll tell myself about some LONG, horrible, tedious chore and I'll say "Okay. If I'm not asleep in such and such minutes I'm going to get up and go do X. At least I'll be productive while I'm sleepless." Something about that tends to 'touch' some laziness button that makes me feel PRETTY sleepy indeed. [;)]
---Meditation and calming yoga. Gonna have to confess that this is probably the LAST thing I do.
---Petting my kitty. Literally I have a cat and I pet her. Its soothing and studies prove its stress relieving.
---Petting my 'kitty' in the OTHER way. Or otherwise orgasming. But it has to be accompanied by vigorous activity. Otherwise I'm just wide-eyed and possibly ready for more.




samboct -> RE: Insomnia Is the WORST (8/20/2010 8:40:17 AM)

Some tips on sleep hygiene from another insomniac...

If not caused by something obstructing the airways, odds are the cause of insomnia is something in your noggin. Nightmares can cause insomnia- you become scared to fall asleep. Alternatively, you've got too much on your mind, and you just don't get sleepy- your mind is racing. But what it sounds like is that you're tired, but not falling asleep.

Pahunkboy has given you some good tips. I'm going to expand a bit.

1) Don't use the bed for anything other than sleep or sex. This means no TV in bed. If reading before bedtime normally puts you to sleep (try a text on economics), fine- but if you're not asleep within 20 minutes or so (best estimate) get out of bed.
2) If you're not asleep-get out of bed. Don't stay in bed trying to get to sleep. You're conditioning your body to sleep when in bed.
3) Sex can work great for men, doesn't seem to have the same soporific affect on women.
4) White noise or music can help- not a radio- something like an album side or a short CD.
5) If you can't sleep and you're out of bed, reading something, or better yet, doing something physical beats watching TV or sitting in front of a computer. Some people keep a journal and write down what happened in their day.
6) Exercise during the day- preferably within a few hours of bedtime. Something that elevates the heart rate and blows some more oxygen through the brain- an evening walk is probably not enough. Calisthenics, biking, jogging (if you must) swimming, etc. all help.
7) Room temperature helps. Some people find a warm room helps nod off, I'm the other way around.
8) Recent research- if you're in bed and not sleeping- focus on staying awake. Try being a night watchman. See if you're successful.
9) Alcohol may help you fall asleep, but generally doesn't work well to keep you asleep. It can also upset your tummy. Warm milk still remains a better bet.
10 OTC stuff- try a little Benadryl with either aspirin or acetominophen. aka Tylenol PM. Caution- Benadryl can leave you with something of a sleep hangover. My grumble with any pharmaceutical sleep aid is the dependence issue- you become dependent on the stuff, then you start needing larger doses, so I tend to avoid this stuff unless I'm willing to fight off the withdrawal issues.

HTH

Sam



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