OT: Activities for insomniacs?

Thanks to some work stress and an incident that caused a flare-up of my PTSD, I have mot been sleeping more than afte hours any night the past week. Tonight I am still not sleeping despite a combination of Ativan, Tramadol (just for knee pain, not for anything sleep related), and Lunesta. I fall asleep for 2 or 3 hours and then am awake again.  The problem is that I am like a zombie... difficult to focus my brain enough to read or do anything mentally demanding (it takes me forever to type out responses here, especially with Apple's annoying auto-correct, LOL!) and I am too physically clumsy to do anything useful like cleaning house.

200 cable channels and not a stinking thing worth watching at 2am... so I end up playing solitaire or something else on my iPad, or re-watching reruns I have recorded on the DVR.  Just listening to music gets boring and just makes me more frustrated that I am not sleeping.

Suggestions?

Lora

what does OT stand for?

 OT means off topic, not weight loss surgery related. Sometimes we just have to reach out with a question or comment that is just plain off topic :)

I am sorry you are experiencing insomnia.  It must be maddening to be so tired and not able to sleep.  I tend to surf the web when I'm up late and can't sleep. That's how I found this site.  Ya need someone to take you out for a ride so you can get sleepy in the car.  Hang in there!

I NEED my Netflix on my iPad for times like these. My sleep problems are pain related. There is nothing like an episode (or 2 or 3) of Law & Order SVU to get me through. I don't even need ear buds since I sleep alone 

LOL.  I have been watching NCIS re-runs.  No ear buds required here, either... sigh.

Lora

It's 6:40 AM and I've been awake since 3:30 AM.  About 4:45 it dawned on me that after not having caffeine for nearly 18 months, maybe Cafe Patron isn't a great choice for a night cap!  Doh!    Have you tried meditation CDs?  Sometimes that helps. 

I didn't have my ear buds nearby but since I just bought a new toy - the EmWave by HeartMath, I thought I would come down and set it up on my PC.  Haven't gotten there yet, decided to check in here for a bit since I'm not around much.

Sorry to hear about the PTSD episode & stress, hope things get better for you and you can make up for some lost sleep since it's a weekend.  

i've been there.....instead of midnight eating i've tried other venues like having a sound machine next to me on a timer (homedics has a good one) on top of a good puzzle book like sudoku or jumble. and if i still cant sleep i'll put on some devotional songs on youtube, leave the computer on battery and soothe myself to relax (and not force myself to sleep thinking i HAVE to get rest. i dont need the added pressure). hang in there. :)

order groceries online
read
watch DVR tv (no commercials and it's stuff that interest me)
play with my dog
cook weird things
read OH
talk to other night owls

 Lora, I'm really sorry you're having a PTSD flare and hope things start settling down in your mind soon.

Well, with those meds, activities involving fine motor skills are out so..... How about walking around your home? That would burn calories. Playing with your dog? Doing yoga? Paint your toenails?

I used to do business work when I had insomnia. I would apply to insurance panels, revise paperwork, improve my website...... mainly because it was worry about starting a private practice that was making me insomniac in the first place, so those activities helped me do something with the anxiety. Of course, that was before I discovered Ambien!

- Nicole