OT - insomnia - this is getting ridiculous
I have had insomnia for most of my life. I can recall being in 8th grade and frequently lying awake all night long listening to the radio. At the time, I complained to my mother about not being able to sleep and told her I thought I should see a doctor about it. She told me I slept just fine. Huh? How would she know? She did sleep just fine!
Anyway. It is 12:30 in the morning here. I have been up since 10:00 yesterday morning. Yeah, that's just 14.5 hours... but I got up at 11:00 Wednesday morning and did not go to sleep until 8:00 thursday morning. So when I went to sleep then, I would have liked to sleep more than two hours.
I'm not on any sleep meds at the present. I have been in the past. They were not very helpful.
But how the heck is someone supposed to function on two hours of sleep?
Anyway. It is 12:30 in the morning here. I have been up since 10:00 yesterday morning. Yeah, that's just 14.5 hours... but I got up at 11:00 Wednesday morning and did not go to sleep until 8:00 thursday morning. So when I went to sleep then, I would have liked to sleep more than two hours.
I'm not on any sleep meds at the present. I have been in the past. They were not very helpful.
But how the heck is someone supposed to function on two hours of sleep?
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
i have insomnia as well. and currentlyh am not on medication for it either. the best med i found was called trazadone. it was not a sleepp med, but they prescribed it for sleeep and it would knock me out within a half hour, and i'd sleep for like 12+ hours. right now i'm suffereing pretty bad from insomnia and have been for over a year now. rightn ow sucks b/c i'm so nervous over my surgery. i can sleep during the day and take cat naps, but as soon as its past 8pm i'm exhausted and up and can't fall asleep. i would ask ur dr about some sleep meds. i'm going to after surgery
At this point I'd be happy if I could sleep all day. Two hours yesterday. That just doesn't cut it.
Plus, my back has been really bothering me so when I do sleep, everytime I start to turn over or something in my sleep, my back pain wakes me up.
Plus, my back has been really bothering me so when I do sleep, everytime I start to turn over or something in my sleep, my back pain wakes me up.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
i figured that's why you've been posting the last few days late at night too... so much fun isn't it? sleep meds don't do anything for me either, xanax helps occassionally but then i'm exhausted the whole next day and i don't have time for that lol. the guy i've been talking to for the past few weeks is telling me he'll help me fall asleep, i don't have the heart to tell him my ex used to kick me out of my own bed when that didn't help.
my mom's best story of my insomnia is when i was like 4 years old and she stepped outside to talk to a neighbor at like 10 and she heard me screaming 'help, i can't sleep out the window' like a crazy person
my mom's best story of my insomnia is when i was like 4 years old and she stepped outside to talk to a neighbor at like 10 and she heard me screaming 'help, i can't sleep out the window' like a crazy person
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I hear you. I have constant insomnia. Coupled with the fact that I have to wear a c-pap machine at night, I do not do sleep well. I have sleep apnea. I had a much higher setting prior to surgery and it has been reduced three times with sleep studies each time. Sleep apnea was first discovered in my in 04. It was not until 06 that I was found to be so overweight that I was tending toward pre-diabetes. Wearing a forced air machine, has been an experience that is not at all pleasant but necessary.
My mom and sister have sleep issues. My sister lives in WV and found herself nodding while driving. It was not something that I would want to do riding those mountainous roads.
I told my doctor that I was not sleeping. She had prescribed Lorazepam previously in 09. Back then, I had work related issues that were making me very fragile. It was a big stress. Yet, I have had lack of sleep most of my life.
So, I have the prescription filled again. It helps me to sleep longer when I do sleep.
But like I told my friend, it is a little pill. It does not pick me up and place me in bed. I took it for almost 6 days skipping about 4 days since I bought it.
There are times that I will go like you with next to no sleep for days. I can stay up for more than 24 hours and sleep barely at all. I can then awaken in 4 to 4 1/2 hours.
If my daughter calls at 8 am, which she often does when she is bored at work, I am up from then on.
The problem is not only getting to bed but falling asleep. Lying in bed and not sleeping like you did as a child reminded me that I would often do that. I did not necessarily have a radio on or anything to keep me awake as a child.
I know that I will not get enough sleep next weekend, I am going away. I have been hoping to get full night's sleep 5 out of the six nights prior to the trip. I know that we cannot stock up sleep nor make up for lack of sleep.
The oddest thing that has been happening to me since taking the pill is feeling exhausted right after supper (6 pm) and almost passing out. I had my blood tested. It is not a sugar issue either.
It is far too late the next day to be related to taking the pill at ten or ten thirty.
It is also far to early to go to bed at 6 pm.
It is not good to nap. And, once that wave of exhaustion passes, I am good to go perhaps 10 hours more.
Linda
My mom and sister have sleep issues. My sister lives in WV and found herself nodding while driving. It was not something that I would want to do riding those mountainous roads.
I told my doctor that I was not sleeping. She had prescribed Lorazepam previously in 09. Back then, I had work related issues that were making me very fragile. It was a big stress. Yet, I have had lack of sleep most of my life.
So, I have the prescription filled again. It helps me to sleep longer when I do sleep.
But like I told my friend, it is a little pill. It does not pick me up and place me in bed. I took it for almost 6 days skipping about 4 days since I bought it.
There are times that I will go like you with next to no sleep for days. I can stay up for more than 24 hours and sleep barely at all. I can then awaken in 4 to 4 1/2 hours.
If my daughter calls at 8 am, which she often does when she is bored at work, I am up from then on.
The problem is not only getting to bed but falling asleep. Lying in bed and not sleeping like you did as a child reminded me that I would often do that. I did not necessarily have a radio on or anything to keep me awake as a child.
I know that I will not get enough sleep next weekend, I am going away. I have been hoping to get full night's sleep 5 out of the six nights prior to the trip. I know that we cannot stock up sleep nor make up for lack of sleep.
The oddest thing that has been happening to me since taking the pill is feeling exhausted right after supper (6 pm) and almost passing out. I had my blood tested. It is not a sugar issue either.
It is far too late the next day to be related to taking the pill at ten or ten thirty.
It is also far to early to go to bed at 6 pm.
It is not good to nap. And, once that wave of exhaustion passes, I am good to go perhaps 10 hours more.
Linda
I'm sorry I don't have anything that can help you, but I do realize it's horrible not being able to sleep. You CAN'T function on two hours of sleep.
After I had chemo the first time 6 years ago, it shut down my ovaries and threw me very suddenly into menopause. I couldn't sleep, and if I put covers over me, I would have a horrible hot flash and have to push the covers off. Then I'd get cold, and I'd pull the covers up. Then another hot flash and... Between never being comfortable and having insomnia anyway, it was awful. I had always been such a good sleeper, so I felt like I was being tortured.
My dr prescribed Effexor for my hot flashes, and she said it would help the sleep too. I decided I didn't like the way it made me feel, so I went off cold turkey. Bad mistake. For 3 months, I was really lucky if I closed my eyes for two hours a night. Total sleep deprivation. I had to tell my boss that if I started crying or acting strangely at work to just ignore me. Luckily it did get better, but I still don't sleep like I used to.
Sorry to go on so long, but I thought reading this might put you to sleep!
After I had chemo the first time 6 years ago, it shut down my ovaries and threw me very suddenly into menopause. I couldn't sleep, and if I put covers over me, I would have a horrible hot flash and have to push the covers off. Then I'd get cold, and I'd pull the covers up. Then another hot flash and... Between never being comfortable and having insomnia anyway, it was awful. I had always been such a good sleeper, so I felt like I was being tortured.
My dr prescribed Effexor for my hot flashes, and she said it would help the sleep too. I decided I didn't like the way it made me feel, so I went off cold turkey. Bad mistake. For 3 months, I was really lucky if I closed my eyes for two hours a night. Total sleep deprivation. I had to tell my boss that if I started crying or acting strangely at work to just ignore me. Luckily it did get better, but I still don't sleep like I used to.
Sorry to go on so long, but I thought reading this might put you to sleep!
Carol - RNY July 11, 2011
Oh, you can't quit Effexor cold turkey! I went through that once. It's a long boring story but unexpectedly I was unable to get my prescription refilled. I tried to taper off what I had left but I didn't have enough left to do it slowly enough. I can't recall if my insomnia was worse during the withdrawal or not. My sleep was so bad then, I probably couldn't tell.
I was in so much pain, though. I just ached all over. Getting in and out of my car was excrutiating. I was nauseous, crying all the time, but I think the worst thing for me was the pain.
I was in so much pain, though. I just ached all over. Getting in and out of my car was excrutiating. I was nauseous, crying all the time, but I think the worst thing for me was the pain.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
I suffered from insomnia since I was about 11yrs old. The things that helped (some) as an adult was to have a very strict routine.
When I got home from work, I took a slow walk with the dog. A bite to eat (usually always the same thing - flavored oatmeal-since I was getting home after 1am). Feed the dog, read or light computer stuff for 20 minutes, shower with my "night-time" body wash and shampoo (had a different scent for my "wake up" shower). Fans on and my favorite blanket available - no matter the weather.
Notepad and pen by the bed so if I thought of something I could write it down instead of fretting.
It got me from 0-2 hours sleep up to about 4. If I ever fell asleep I would be fine but usually I didn't doze off until time for the alarm to go off.
When you can't sleep don't "reward" your mind by doing computer, TV, radio etc. Lay still for 20minutes, then get up and read or sit quietly in a different darkened room than where you sleep.
If you can tolerate it, peanut butter helps put some people to sleep (takes at least 1hr for tryptophan to kick in - calcium helps with the effects). Our high protein diet contains enzymes that perk up the brain.
When I got home from work, I took a slow walk with the dog. A bite to eat (usually always the same thing - flavored oatmeal-since I was getting home after 1am). Feed the dog, read or light computer stuff for 20 minutes, shower with my "night-time" body wash and shampoo (had a different scent for my "wake up" shower). Fans on and my favorite blanket available - no matter the weather.
Notepad and pen by the bed so if I thought of something I could write it down instead of fretting.
It got me from 0-2 hours sleep up to about 4. If I ever fell asleep I would be fine but usually I didn't doze off until time for the alarm to go off.
When you can't sleep don't "reward" your mind by doing computer, TV, radio etc. Lay still for 20minutes, then get up and read or sit quietly in a different darkened room than where you sleep.
If you can tolerate it, peanut butter helps put some people to sleep (takes at least 1hr for tryptophan to kick in - calcium helps with the effects). Our high protein diet contains enzymes that perk up the brain.
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