innnnsomnia itP

[Jae]

I think I've seen the word mentioned a few times within the last few days...or that's very possibly another forum. I forget. But still.

SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES AND TRICKS FOR FALLING ASLEEP! and, assuming you dont literally have insomnia, why CANT you fall asleep? what'dyado to pass time?

mai story
Everyone in my house seems to fall asleep uberly early and I dont like to wake anyone up so I get to sit in my room and find crap to do online. Last night I didnt fall asleep until like threeish and then I woke up at fiveish and then I woke up at sevenish etcetcetcetckdahfkahfa. SO LOGICAL DEDUCTION MIGHT SAY well gosh dont you want to get to sleep early tonight?!?
and the answer is yessss. I very much do but I will want to punch something if i have to lay there for hours.
So, tonight, I've decided I would continue my schedule of talking on this other forum that moves so fast its kind of a chat, checking in here every once in awhile, talk to my exs little sister on aim (yeah idk why shes always up so late..??), listening to the one and only cobra starship (have you heard of my religgggionnnnnn its called the church of hot addddiccctttioonnnn...), and laughing like hysterically at this video. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pShf2VuAu_Q)And, yeah, really..HYSTERICALLY. and its not particularly funny. and then my tummy felt all wierd and butterfly ish :( lol i have been really really off today...

AT ANY RATE over the last few weeks ive discovered a few tricks that kindasordakinda help. dont count on it though?? Like uhm sometimes if im laying one way, if I just completely flip myself and sleep with my feet at where technically my head should be that sometimes helps. or if i dont sleep on my bed at all and sleep like, on the floor...
yeah i know thats wierd but it works for me sometimes. :smallconfused:

kaygo

[Don Julio Anejo]

kay mb lay off the koffi?

[Gaelbert]

I'm quite proud of my "skill" at sleeping. A lot of the time I repeat to myself, in my head, "sleep, sleep, sleep," and I synch it to my breathing.
My best accomplishment is drinking 2 Mountain Dews and falling asleep within 30 minutes of them.

[Bhu]

Have you been tested for sleep apnea?

[Hoggy]

I find that if I sit at home all night and do very litt,e I will find it much harder to sleep than if I go and be with friends - not doing anything in particular, just sitting on the beach for half an hour chatting or something.

Alternitavly, beat one's forehead against the closest wall. Works also. :smallsmile:

[Ceska]

I was a terrible sleeper for most of my teenage years. Fortunately I have meds against it now that get me at least six hours of sleeping like a stone every night. For example I missed the huge storm yesterday, or that my mother is walking and working in the room. Once they work almost nothing will wake me.
I must say, best thing that could happen to me, instead of waiting for sleep for five hours I wait for the meds to kick in and take me out. Though, to be fair, they're anti-depressants and no sleeping pills. Still work hellishly strong sometimes, though.

[potatocubed]

I remember reading somewhere that if you can't sleep you shouldn't just lie awake going 'argh, I can't sleep' but should instead do something - read a book, play video games, etc. until you feel tired.

I think this is good advice: even if the activity doesn't really help you sleep, you are making productive use of your time.

[Dallas-Dakota]

I was a terrible sleeper for most of my teenage years. Fortunately I have meds against it now that get me at least six hours of sleeping like a stone every night. For example I missed the huge storm yesterday, or that my mother is walking and working in the room. Once they work almost nothing will wake me.
I must say, best thing that could happen to me, instead of waiting for sleep for five hours I wait for the meds to kick in and take me out. Though, to be fair, they're anti-depressants and no sleeping pills. Still work hellishly strong sometimes, though.
What kind of pills are you taking?
It usually takes me atleast two hours to fall asleep. Then again I go to bed at 10.

Or I'm just nocturnal since I usually can fall asleep at day-time much easier.

[Castaras]

I don't have many problems getting to sleep for the first time.

Recently though, I've kept waking up at stupidly early hours. Then being unable to get to sleep. Stupid dreams.

Strangely, it's often on the dot of the various hours. No alarms or bells or anything nearby for calling the hour, so dunno what's doing it. Maybe I'm just weird. Probably the best explanation.

[Tempest Fennac]

I've often had dreams end just before my alarm clock goes off, but normally I wake up at random times (if I'm thristy in the night, I usually need to get up more then once to drink water, but a lot of the time I'm asleep until after 4:00 in the morning).

[SDF]

I have evil insomnia. Sleep meds make me feel awful as well. I'll get to a point where I am so tired I'm about to fall asleep, but I have things to do in the near future so I can't go to sleep for hours after. I'm really high functioning while sleep deprived though. I'm probably up 40+ hours right now. It will probably be good for medical school/residency though :P I hear they get stupid hours. I don't really mind being sleep deprived so it isn't such a big deal to me.

[Jae]

kay mb lay off the koffi?
..
i dont get it :smallconfused:


Have you been tested for sleep apnea?
me??? o___O no what would suggest I have trouble breathing when I sleep?
lol and i woke up horridly this morning so im already scared something is wrong with me and lately im very easily scared


I was a terrible sleeper for most of my teenage years. Fortunately I have meds against it now that get me at least six hours of sleeping like a stone every night.
I dont think I would ever do well with being medicated. Im ridiculously stubborn. I never take painkillers except when Im in MISERABLE pain (like the last time I both grinded(ground?) my teeth and chewed up the tissue in my sleep while sleeping..) or for a race. which is technically illegal but when its down to the seconds im not too willing to let shin splints cause my loss. :smallmad:
..that is so unrelated wth why cant i just stick on any topic


I remember reading somewhere that if you can't sleep you shouldn't just lie awake going 'argh, I can't sleep' but should instead do something - read a book, play video games, etc. until you feel tired.
But I do feel tired. I wont go to sleep until I feel tired but this doesnt change anything, still end up there for hours..

[Dallas-Dakota]

[QUOTE=potatocubed;4502399]I remember reading somewhere that if you can't sleep you shouldn't just lie awake going 'argh, I can't sleep' but should instead do something - read a book, play video games, etc. until you feel tired./QUOTE]
That's exactly what my parents want me to do.
The latter thing is exactly the thing I want to do.

[Sucrose]

I'm chronically bad at getting to sleep on time (typically hitting the hay about four hours later than I like, and adjusting my schedule accordingly), but I've recently found a trick that really works pretty well for me: tai chi. It may look silly, but if you do it right, it's absolutely fantastic at getting you relaxed, and from there, sleep is often a lot easier.

[Dallas-Dakota]

What is Tai Chi?
*googles*
Oh well, weird. They'l most likely just make me more active...

[Haruki-kun]

I had problems falling asleep ages ago, then they went away. Then this month I started having problems again. But it's OK, I remember what I did to counter it: lie down in bed and read until your eyes feel tired.

[Krrth]

..
me??? o___O no what would suggest I have trouble breathing when I sleep?
lol and i woke up horridly this morning so im already scared something is wrong with me and lately im very easily scared

My wife has it, and one of the signs is snoring. If you snore loudly, or are waking up tired, you might want to get checked. It may be as simple as using a breathright strip.

[Jae]

I had problems falling asleep ages ago, then they went away. Then this month I started having problems again. But it's OK, I remember what I did to counter it: lie down in bed and read until your eyes feel tired.
Nooo that is the WORST! then my eyes feel tired but wont always close and even when they do close, my mind still feels like its racing and its just like lying there eyes closed and NOT SLEEPING :smallannoyed:


My wife has it, and one of the signs is snoring. If you snore loudly, or are waking up tired, you might want to get checked. It may be as simple as using a breathright strip.
I dont actually know if I snore. I dont think I do, because it seems one of my best friends would tell me considering we often end up sharing a bed or the floor or something and they're not above hanging sleeping habits over my head :smallannoyed: I talk, though..
lol thats funny because for forever ive been asking around "is it possible to have sleep that makes you more tired than you were going to sleep??" and people just kind of disregarded such a question but I swearrr the more i sleep the more tired I think I get sometimes. and its wierd nobody has mentioned this to me.

is it common??

[Don Julio Anejo]

..
i dont get it :smallconfused:
Sorry about that. After I read your original post it sounded like you just had a few mugs of coffee to drink so I kinda mocked it.

lol thats funny because for forever ive been asking around "is it possible to have sleep that makes you more tired than you were going to sleep??" and people just kind of disregarded such a question but I swearrr the more i sleep the more tired I think I get sometimes. and its wierd nobody has mentioned this to me.
Happens to me too if I oversleep (sleeping for 12 hours after only getting 4-5 hours a day of sleep in the past week for example). I can barely get out of bed when it happens... Luckily on a day I can sleep 12 hours I usually don't need to get out of bed.

On not sleeping... my sleep pattern is so screwed I don't even know when I'm supposed to normally sleep. On one night I might go to bed at 12AM (early for me) and fall asleep right away, on another I wouldn't feel sleepy until 4 or 5.

PS: I've noticed that if I stay online talking to people that actually makes it HARDER to fall asleep than doing nothing. Stupid extraversion and getting excited from talking.

[Dallas-Dakota]

lol thats funny because for forever ive been asking around "is it possible to have sleep that makes you more tired than you were going to sleep??" and people just kind of disregarded such a question but I swearrr the more i sleep the more tired I think I get sometimes. and its wierd nobody has mentioned this to me.

is it common??
I have this exact same thought and situation sometimes.

[Jae]

Sorry about that. After I read your original post it sounded like you just had a few mugs of coffee to drink so I kinda mocked it.
lol i got the coffee part...kind of.
and yeah my mind was all racingracing but i dont drink caffeine. TOO RISKY


Happens to me too if I oversleep (sleeping for 12 hours after only getting 4-5 hours a day of sleep in the past week for example). I can barely get out of bed when it happens... Luckily on a day I can sleep 12 hours I usually don't need to get out of bed.
oh yeah sometimes people do that and throw it down to oversleep but im talking about being more energetic at four hours of sleep than eight hours.


PS: I've noticed that if I stay online talking to people that actually makes it HARDER to fall asleep than doing nothing. Stupid extraversion and getting excited from talking.
haha i dont think thats a problem with me because just yeah idk i dont get too much of a kick from chatting...


I have this exact same thought and situation sometimes
TY that makes me feel less wierd

[Don Julio Anejo]

oh yeah sometimes people do that and throw it down to oversleep but im talking about being more energetic at four hours of sleep than eight hours.

TY that makes me feel less wierd
It's the same with me. My own personal explanation based on what I know about neurology (I'm not a doctor so there's a good chance I might be wrong quite a bit) - when you only had 4 hours of sleep, you kinda "force" yourself to wake up so you can function, which gives you an adrenaline or possibly serotonin boost (in regards to sleepiness they would have the same effect), which makes you more awake, alive and happier than when you slept normally and didn't have to force yourself to wake up.

[CurlyKitGirl]

Let me recount my sordid past of sleep. Lack of it.
And my sordid present as well while I'm at it.
Until I was about thirteen I slept eight or nine hours a day minimum. Normally it was from ten till seven.
THen I became an early bird. Getting up at quarter to five every single day. Age sixteen I'd slipped into getting up at seven and not going to sleep until midnight generally.
Well, by going to sleep I mean turning off the light and trying to sleep. Didn't work.
Then it was sleep at two am and up at seven. Generally still is.
This past week though - try not even getting to sleep until four and still waking up at six, but napping or trying to till seven. Then napping for half an hour on the bus.
All unwillingly.
Sometimes I even come close to nodding off in class and the eye ache! Very painful. Try imagining having your head in a rot hot vice slowly, but steadily being squeezed shut with the pain radiating down your neck to your collarbones; feeling nails being stabbed roughly quarter of an inch behind your eyes and intense neck pain. It's like that.
Except last night.
I went to bed at midnight. And even though I always get up at seven on a school day (withut use of an alarm by the way) I didn't even wake till eight. Then I must have been so tired I slept from nineish till elevenish.
Reading or internetting hurts my eyes and makes it harer to sleep because of eye strain. I tend not to eat for hours before bed so now overeating problem. Always hydrated.
Mystery really.
And I intensely desire sleep. I beg for it.

[Jayngfet]

I haven't gone to sleep earlier than 1am all week, last night I could see the sun rising before I went to bed.

[Sucrose]

What is Tai Chi?
*googles*
Oh well, weird. They'l most likely just make me more active...

Well, the key is performing the movements slowly, and having a kind of loose mental focus on doing them exactly right. It also helps to have started with a little qigong, which, so far as I can tell, has a great deal of self-hypnosis involved. (There are faster forms that I haven't learned yet, and you're right, they wouldn't help you get to sleep at all...)

Essentially, if you've been trained to have the right mentality, the process forces you to completely empty your mind, killing all of that constant thought that can be going on in your head otherwise, and the qigong section also has the benefit of stretching out and relaxing your muscles, so you have no tension, also helping you get some sleep.

[/tmi]

Sorry if that seems a bit beyond the scope of the thread, but I enjoy it enough that I feel like sharing, and it is loosely connected.

[UserClone]

Mmmmmm...table sugar.

See? Now that's how you post off-topic.:smallamused:

Seriously, though, I found your post educational.

[Dumbledore lives]

I usually have a bit of trouble falling asleep, in that I can't fall asleep before midnight, Ever. I try but it just doesn't work. I won't wake up if I'm asleep though, so that's good. I don't think I've ever woken up for a thunder storm or anything like that. A Tornado could probably go past and rip the shingles off our house and I wouldn't wake up. Not that good when I need to wake up but still. Luckily if someone is actively trying to wake me up I probably will, kinda weird no?

[Quirinus_Obsidian]

I find that I have trouble sleeping when my schedule is out of whack. If I have to get up earlier the next day, or even later the next day, I find that it takes me an extra 20-30 minutes to finally reach REM mode. (No, I do not know the frequency...)

What I try to do is go to sleep at the same time every night. Set a specific time at least 9-10 hours before you have to roll out of bed. That way, your body becomes used to being in hibernation at that time, and your insomnia will be gone. I do not believe that it is a medical condition, I have always thought that it is purely psychological (and in some cases, para-psychological). There are things that can cause one to not be able to sleep (apnea, snoring, etc) but the actual condition itself is not medical.

Disclaimer: Dubious amounts of alcohol is typically a bad thing when you are trying to sleep.

If nothing at all is working, then you may want to see a sleep specialist. I do advise making sure that their degree is from a college you recognize.

[Arameus]

I haven't had a proper circadian rhythm that I can remember in my life, but during summer it all goes out of whack since I have nothing forcing me to adhere. So right now I'm on a 36 hour sleep schedule, that is, 24 hours awake, 12 asleep, repeat. Naturally, this is COMPLETELY out of sync with nature and is problematic.

[Vella_Malachite]

I don't think I've ever woken up for a thunder storm or anything like that. A Tornado could probably go past and rip the shingles off our house and I wouldn't wake up.

...My dad's neighbour did that during Cyclone Tracy. He slept through the whole thing. Of his house, only his bedroom was left standing.

Anyhooz, on topic, I've always been a terrible sleeper. I didn't sleep for eight hours in a row until I was two. I just had two-hour naps far less regularly than one would think. Luckily, I was really happy as a kid. I only ever threw two tantrums (one of them got my dad arrested, but that's another story...).

From the ages of four to eleven, I tried everything to sleep, from lying there quietly, listening to music, reading, physically trying to sleep, but nothing worked. My parents gave me a lot of advice, like just thinking of a colour and switching your mind off that way, to concentrating and relaxing your limbs in order, to not doing anything mentally strenuous just before bed and eating half an hour before you go to bed, but it didn't work. I just naturally only sleep six hours a night, maximum (I'd have an even more erratic sleep pattern, but 1) my parents would flip, and 2) my school schedule isn't that lenient.

Now, I generally go to bed at nine or ten, get to sleep at eleven or twelve and wake up at six. On weekends, I go to bed at ten or eleven, get to sleep at twelve or one and wake up at between seven and eight.

I've got a whole lot of books and a CD player beside my bed, so if I can't sleep, I just read/write and listen to music. Or, fantasy-novel-based one-player RPG's in my head. I spend far too much time doing that...:smallsigh:

[OwlbearUltimate]

I have on-off sleeping problems. For one week I would just lie in bed for hours, and then the next week be too tired to even do some reading. I recommend Fight Club as a cure. That book will show you the deep dark horrors and consequenses from a lack of sleep. Pretty much any book in general before bed helps me sleep actully.