Do you have a lot of trouble sleeping?

[fourstringdrums]

I have a horrible time sleeping. If I try to go to bed early and I'm not tired, I usually just lay there. If I wait until I'm tired, usually that requires that I stay up longer than I want, so by the time I have to get up I'm not getting enough sleep (4-5 hours). More than not, I'm SO tired that I just can't go to sleep..it's like my body fights it. A lot of times when I try to go to sleep I may be tired, but the act of laying down hurts. I have Carpal Tunnel pretty badly and my arms ache a lot at night which keeps me up.

So usually, I stay up until 4am, and then by that put I'm absolutely exhausted and my body gives up. But, it then wants to sleep for 12-14 hours so I wind up waking up in the late afternoon. I'm on SSDI and don't work, so I'm sure that having no schedule to speak up doesn't help. I deal with depression as well, so that doesn't help, but not sleeping enough also makes me more depressed...vicious cycle.

I can't take melatonin because it makes me physically and mentally tired but my brain never shuts down so I feel like I'm being tortured with sleep deprivation. I've tried going to the gym at night, but by the end of the day I have no energy to do that.

Has anyone else dealt with anything like this? I need to make an appt. with the doctor but because of how I react to medicines, I don't expect much help.

[T-Bird]

Hi.

First of all, I really feel for You.


I'm something that could be described as a polar opposite, some people claim that I can fall asleep at will (which isn't exactly true though, I can't ).
I do have had started snoring before my head hits the pillow on an occasion, but usually it takes me a minute or so to fall asleep.

I rarely have any pains though, but on the rare occasion I do, it just slows down the falling asleep a bit.

The "method" I developed back in the army where we had a pretty erratic training patterns, and even the 5 minutes of sleep on every break would increase our performance considerably, was to give my brain the most difficult task I could think of. Somehow that works every time.

For years it was the geometry of cam-ring operated radial engine valve-train ( don't laugh, I'm a BEng with a facination of any engine design there is), but any brain teaser I've tried to solve has been a success.

I also completely relax all my muscles, any tension prevents the falling asleep to begin.
For me anyway.

I won't claim it'll work for everyone, but could be worth a try.

Regards
Sam

[NickTej22]

I've had nasty allergies for the past week. Perfectly fine now, except I have a bad bronchitis like cough ONLY when I'm trying my hardest to sleep. I haven't slept in about 5 days for more than a couple hours in the morning. Most frustrating thing in the world.

[skychief]

Originally Posted by fourstringdrums

I have a horrible time sleeping... I need to make an appt. with the doctor but because of how I react to medicines, I don't expect much help.

The bad news is, yah, you definitely have a sleeping disorder.

The GOOD news is, theres many doctors who specialize in sleeping disorders and really can nail down whatever your specific issue might be,. and medicines may not be required!

diet, work environ,, neurologic,,,etc...


He/she can nail it down for you. Its important to get a handle on it.,, Your body needs to use this down-time for repair/replenishment.


Best of luck//...

[phangtonpower]

I'm with you. I've had sleeping problems since I was a child. When I was in high school I would ask my parents if I could seek medical help, and all they would say to me is that, "all they're going to do is run tests on you."
34 now, no medical insurance, living in a foreign country with a girlfriend who snores as soon as she hits the pillow sucks.
I usually take a tall shot of cheap 50% whiskey before bed and that helps sometimes. Otherwise I just deal with it :/

[fourstringdrums]

I'd probably deal with it easier if I worked. But I don't have to be up for any reason..and even if I did, I still can take a long nap in the afternoon which just makes things worse.

[Ziltoid]

I have a lot of trouble falling asleep but once I'm asleep I'm good to go until whenever. About once a week or so I just can't fall asleep and end up pulling an all-nighter.

[phangtonpower]

Originally Posted by fourstringdrums

I'd probably deal with it easier if I worked. But I don't have to be up for any reason..and even if I did, I still can take a long nap in the afternoon which just makes things worse.

I live and work in my cafe, so I can pretty much wake up when we open at 11. Plus Japanese don't really like foreign food, so business is slow. I have a lot of time. I usually take naps as well, but will try not to nap past 3pm and for no more than 30min. I also try not to drink caffeine past 3. Another thing that may work, which I can't do, is to spend time some where other than your place. I've heard spending a lot of time in the house, especially in the room you sleep, can have effect on your sleep cycle. I do try to go cycling for an hour a day if the weather is ok. That will take away from my nap time. I love sleep, but I'd rather try and sleep when I'm supposed to.

[Avalon]

Hey, at 3:28AM, I am here to tell ya. Yep, you aint the only one. But hey, it takes time to wind down from the workdays I have lately.

LIke that other poster, I've always had these problems. In my case, I suspect that it could be a form of depression. I've learned to manage it though. What really helps is a consistant schedule and personal motivation. Thus, if I'm not feeling motivated, I tend to fall back into that cycle.

I used to fear and fight sleep as a kid. On the other hand, I sometimes consider it a stimulation addiction. I crave stimulation when i start to relax. It's not something that you really realize about yourself until you have an epiphany. One thing you could try is meditation in the evening.

Of course, if you aren't getting up in the morning, it wont get corrected. That's the toughest part and it's why you need a motivation to do it.

[GIBrat51]

Yes, I do, but only occasionallly. You've already identified a large part of your problem; no schedule. Your mind and body need one; when they think it's time to sleep, that's what they'll do. T-Bird's advice is good; consciously trying to relax your body (starting with your toes & working up, I read years ago) combined with a mnemonic device to relax your mind & stop it from wandering all over, should work. Reading a boring book works for me; military training manuals are excellent in this regard. I'm currently using "The Portable Karl Marx"; works great. A little Internet research will undoubtedly turn up lots of other things to help you. Good luck; gotta go now - it's past my bedtime, and "Das Kapital" is calling!

[Avalon]

For a time when I was single and could do such things, I would just put the same movie in the VCR night after night. It was Groundhogs Day. I knew the story, the plot, had seen it, would watch it, close eyes to listen to it, fall aslepppp....

[CauliColin]

I don't even go to bed that late (Mostly 9-10pm, fall asleep after 30 minutes) but I always feel so dead in the morning. By mid-morning, my thoughts are barely coherent and it hurts to keep my eyes open. Granted, on weekdays I wake at 6am for school and 7-9am on weekends (I just can't do lie-ins), I feel constantly tired throughout the day.

[NickTej22]

Still here coughing my brains out!

[Jools4001]

You may also want to consider that some of the symptoms you describe are signs of clinical depression

[hrodbert696]

There's a whole center for sleep disorders over in Exeter, you should see if your doctor can give you a referral there. I snore and have a mild sleep apnea, but it doesn't sound like that's your issue. I get up at 5 am to practice, and since I set up that routine falling asleep at night hasn't been a problem - by about 9 pm I have a hard time staying up and tend to conk right out.

[hover]

Yup. Sleep Apnea. No fun.

[1958Bassman]

Originally Posted by fourstringdrums

I have a horrible time sleeping. If I try to go to bed early and I'm not tired, I usually just lay there. If I wait until I'm tired, usually that requires that I stay up longer than I want, so by the time I have to get up I'm not getting enough sleep (4-5 hours). More than not, I'm SO tired that I just can't go to sleep..it's like my body fights it. A lot of times when I try to go to sleep I may be tired, but the act of laying down hurts. I have Carpal Tunnel pretty badly and my arms ache a lot at night which keeps me up.

So usually, I stay up until 4am, and then by that put I'm absolutely exhausted and my body gives up. But, it then wants to sleep for 12-14 hours so I wind up waking up in the late afternoon. I'm on SSDI and don't work, so I'm sure that having no schedule to speak up doesn't help. I deal with depression as well, so that doesn't help, but not sleeping enough also makes me more depressed...vicious cycle.

I can't take melatonin because it makes me physically and mentally tired but my brain never shuts down so I feel like I'm being tortured with sleep deprivation. I've tried going to the gym at night, but by the end of the day I have no energy to do that.

Has anyone else dealt with anything like this? I need to make an appt. with the doctor but because of how I react to medicines, I don't expect much help.

Any caffeine intake? Cut back, or stop much earlier.

Melatonin is a natural hormone, so it really shouldn't cause a problem. You may need to use it regularly, rather than on/off cycles.

Exercise is a great sleep aid. Even if you think you're too tired to do this, you can always get on a stationary bike. Also, don't eat too late- if you eat a lot of carbs, acid reflux can/will be a problem and that's why I'm up right now. I had been exercising regularly, but the club staff have been useless WRT what they're supposed to do for the members, the condition of the place and I'm having a hard time being motivated to go to a place I really don't like. Still, I'm going later because I know it's good for me.

[Jim Nazium]

Originally Posted by fourstringdrums

I deal with depression as well, so that doesn't help, but not sleeping enough also makes me more depressed...
I've tried going to the gym at night, but by the end of the day I have no energy to do that.

I highly recommend that you find a way to get some exercise every day, even if it's just going for a walk. It's one of the best things you can do for depression, sleep, and overall health. Good luck.

[ErebusBass]

I've had problems sleeping my whole life. Make an appointment with your doctor and talk to them. Medication isn't the only option.

Good luck.

[Joelc73]

Look into Cognitive Behavioral Therapy -- it's med free and has pretty impressive success rates. Find a copy of the book 'Goodnight Insomnia' and you can learn to do it w/o a doctor.

Explore meditation. Look up Jon Kabat Zinn as a very accessible starting point.

Good luck!