Insomnia, it sucks

[Sainters7]

Lots of good advice here, thanks guys. Reason #1074 why CP rulz. Sounds like some new pills I need to check out too.

Haha and Frank MM, I concur. I actually was a pretty semi-regular smoker through a lot of college, but since I graduated this year I've pretty much cut it out of my life, save for the occassional weekend. Funny how in the months since, my insomnia has returned. Hmm...

[Sr. Mints]

I've always had a hard time sleeping, but it's brutal now due to nerve pain in my legs from a spine injury. It keeps me awake all night sometimes. No tips on dealing with it from me, unfortunately.

I bitch tweet about it often.

[Weiser Wonder]

-Make sure your bed is comfortable enough. That's really important actually. I didn't believe it until I upgraded mattresses and it made a huge difference.

-If you are having trouble sleeping, don't be afraid to take sedatives. I keep dramamine around the house and occasionally have sleeping pills. This keeps your sleep schedule somewhat regular, which will help you sleep tomorrow night.

-This is one is less in your control, but I've found intimacy to be very important in calming me. Huge dry spells usually bring about some insomnia for me.

-I tried the no TV in the bedroom thing and it didn't work at all for me. My mind likes to go into overdrive if I don't have something to keep it occupied so I'll watch Seinfeld or some other low key show while falling asleep.

[ricosuave]

melatonin, gaba and valerian root...

good place to buy such things:

swansonvitamins.com

[Sainters7]

Does anyone who takes melatonin here find it actually backfires on you sometimes? It's definitely good stuff, my family's relied on it for years. But I find every so often I'll take it and it'll actually give me insomnia. I'll just feel all shaky/jittery, and I'll wake up feeling as much every couple hours.

I hate that feeling, when it does happen I'll get that jittery feeling about a half hour after taking it, its a horrible sign for what's in store for the rest of the night. I find it usually happens if I take it too often, like 2 days in a row. I always try to space it out now whenever I use it, I always give myself at least a one night break after taking it.

[ma-skis.com]

Originally Posted by Weiser Wonder

-This is one is less in your control, but I've found intimacy to be very important in calming me. Huge dry spells usually bring about some insomnia for me.

-I tried the no TV in the bedroom thing and it didn't work at all for me. My mind likes to go into overdrive if I don't have something to keep it occupied so I'll watch Seinfeld or some other low key show while falling asleep.

master of your domain?

[MoneyGuy]

Ask your doctor about Tazodone. It's not a sleeping pill and isn't addictive at all. When you fall asleep it keeps you asleep.

[Beerfest]

Went to bed at 8:30ish, planned to wake up at 6 to work on a project, slept till 1:30, lay in my bed till 3:45ish trying to get back to sleep and cant....grrrrr!

[Notorious Honey Badger]

I cant sleep either. I feel like sober drunk dialing.

[Flashpoint]

I just get up and do something. No use lying in bed fretting about it.

This morning I woke up at 4am. I got in 3 hours of Skyrim and then went to work. I probably could have gone back to bed at about 5, and gotten a couple hours extra sleep, but that would have meant not playing Skyrim.

But I can go home in about 5 hours... and play more Skyrim. Here's hoping I get more insomnia tonight. It'll be a good excuse.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Sainters7

Does anyone who takes melatonin here find it actually backfires on you sometimes? It's definitely good stuff, my family's relied on it for years. But I find every so often I'll take it and it'll actually give me insomnia. I'll just feel all shaky/jittery, and I'll wake up feeling as much every couple hours.

I hate that feeling, when it does happen I'll get that jittery feeling about a half hour after taking it, its a horrible sign for what's in store for the rest of the night. I find it usually happens if I take it too often, like 2 days in a row. I always try to space it out now whenever I use it, I always give myself at least a one night break after taking it.

Yes, i get exactly what you described sometimes. Do you also sometimes feel really tired the next day when you take it? Like you get a good amount of sleep, but you have a weird tired feeling, and you're really sluggish?

[Sainters7]

Originally Posted by flameswin

Yes, i get exactly what you described sometimes. Do you also sometimes feel really tired the next day when you take it? Like you get a good amount of sleep, but you have a weird tired feeling, and you're really sluggish?

Hmm, not really. In fact I find it does the opposite, if I only got about 5-6hrs it makes me feel like I got closer to 8 (at leas the first day. 2nd day in a row I'm a zombie regardless). I definitely get the way you described if it was Mercyndol though. Just makes you sluggish all day, no matter how much sleep I got.

[Sr. Mints]

I've been taking a pill called Rhovane the odd night for the last two weeks and it has the worst, bitter taste that lasts all through the next day.

I've found swishing lemon juice when I wake up helps with that a bit.

That's the only next day side effect; I don't get to sleep any easier, but once I do doze off, I don't wake up until my alarm clock shakes the windows.

[Hack&Lube]

Got a question for you insomniacs - what does it feel like to have insomnia? I know the feeling of wanting to out of all rational thought to go to sleep but not being able to and just getting up after a few hours of tossing in frustration...

But eventually exhaustion will take over and I will just fall asleep nomatter how much willpower I put against it.

What is it like as an insomniac? Could you just stay awake for days at a time without REM sleep? How does it affect your daily functioning?

I'm about to pull an all-nighter right now for an exam but would definitely rather be sleeping right now and could pass out right away if I wanted to.

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Got a question for you insomniacs - what does it feel like to have insomnia? I know the feeling of wanting to out of all rational thought to go to sleep but not being able to and just getting up after a few hours of tossing in frustration...

But eventually exhaustion will take over and I will just fall asleep nomatter how much willpower I put against it.

What is it like as an insomniac? Could you just stay awake for days at a time without REM sleep? How does it affect your daily functioning?

I'm about to pull an all-nighter right now for an exam but would definitely rather be sleeping right now and could pass out right away if I wanted to.

Can't speak for the younger guys but as I hit 45 I started having sleep problems mostly due to back pain, so I will doze on the couch watching TV from 6 or 7pm onwards, but go to bed and it takes me hours to get to sleep, even if I'm exhausted, and then I wake up tired at 5 or 6am and doze for another 2 or 3 hours half awake and half asleep.
I'm always tired, always nodding off but never really get a decent sleep.

[Sainters7]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Got a question for you insomniacs - what does it feel like to have insomnia? I know the feeling of wanting to out of all rational thought to go to sleep but not being able to and just getting up after a few hours of tossing in frustration...

But eventually exhaustion will take over and I will just fall asleep nomatter how much willpower I put against it.

What is it like as an insomniac? Could you just stay awake for days at a time without REM sleep? How does it affect your daily functioning?

I'm about to pull an all-nighter right now for an exam but would definitely rather be sleeping right now and could pass out right away if I wanted to.

When I go through bad stretches, I think the quote by Ed Norton at the start of Fight Club sums it up well: "When you have insomnia, you're never really asleep, and you're never really awake".

You do tend to get used to it after awhile though, to the point now where 5-6hr sleeps feel more like I got 7-8. Too many of them in a row will just wear me down eventually though. And 3-4hr ones are killers, I'll just be dragging my butt around all day. Still, its amazing how used to it your body gets, to the point where you can function pretty normally off just a few hours sleep. I'd imagine I've shaved a couple years off my life with these though, it can't be good for you.

As for your questions, I can't speak for everyone, but for me anyway, no its not days and days on end with no sleep. I've actually never really had a problem with falling asleep, for me its staying asleep. I'm at least getting a few hours sleep every night, even if its only 3-4hrs.

[missdpuck]

Originally Posted by ResAlien

Has anyone suggested chewing some valerian root?

Thanks Dr Fight Club.

[ben voyonsdonc]

Originally Posted by flameswin

Yes, i get exactly what you described sometimes. Do you also sometimes feel really tired the next day when you take it? Like you get a good amount of sleep, but you have a weird tired feeling, and you're really sluggish?

I've definitely had that experience. When I first started taking it, it worked very well but after a while I had two side effects: 1) feeling ridiculously awful the next day, 2) dreams that were too vivid and I started "thinking"/obsessing too much in my sleep. As a result of the second side effect, I would wake up and couldn't get back to sleep. I woke up several times at 3:00 in the morning and stayed awake feeling miserable. I've cut out melatonin and am trying alternate ways of falling asleep.

I sleep with a fan. It helps me sleep in spite of being a very, very light sleeper. However, I still struggle to actually get to sleep because my brain just does not turn off.

[missdpuck]

I usually sleep well except for Sunday nights when I just dread falling asleep and waking up to it being Monday. After trying all kinds of sleep machines I found one that has train sounds. I just love that .

[calumniate]

Hate to say it - but it seems alot of you insomniacs are also gamers? Think their are lots of studies on this. Cutting down on the skyrim would certainly help?

Thankfully my comp is now too old for these new crazy games. I'll just play an old one for an hour or so, then I'm doing something else.