My co-workers joke about it because they know it's a constant problem with me but man, I'm not laughing right now. It's past 5:00 AM and I have to be up in 3 hours. I'm completely exhausted and have spent hours staring at the ceiling.
Normally I'm against taking any kind of sleeping pills but am totally at my wit's end and willing to try anything. If anyone knows of any other treatments or strategies that might help I would love to hear them because this problem is driving me almost insane.
I just know it often can be a case of stress and other things bothering you, even if it isn't thinking about them that's keeping you up, just the overall stress or your brain knowing things aren't right.
and they say to try to keep your bedroom or at least your bed as a place that's for sleep, so your mind associates it with only sleeping, and not being awake.
Just be careful with sleeping pills, you can definitely have problems taking them without enough time to actually sleep, as they're often for at least 8 hours.
Thanks for the advice and sorry for whining. I just can't seem to beat this, no matter how hard I try.
You're probably right Becca, I do have an awful lot on my mind these days and even when I do sleep I often wake up after a few hours after some bad dream. I'll be really careful if I have to take sleeping pills. I work in a pharmacy so am very aware of side-effects etc. Thanks for being concerned though.
PuterBoy and Tonteau - good advice because now that you mention it I haven't had any real exercise for ages since I quit my gym. It really does help to get rid of nervous energy. Time to start jogging or getting some work as a labourer! Anyway, maybe I'll try the exercising before I resort to pills.
Ok, guess being on the computer doesn't help either. I'm going to lie in my bed and stare at the ceiling some more. Thanks again people.
shakethesheets on Oct 05 '09 at 4:18am
and they say to try to keep your bedroom or at least your bed as a place that's for sleep, so your mind associates it with only sleeping, and not being awake.
I think this might apply. You probably keep your work a little too close to where you sleep. Getting out of bed and back on the computer doesn't help either.
From that point on I was only allowed to enter that bedroom for five designated hours each night. No matter how tired or awake I was. Once I was having “efficient sleep” then we’d extend the hours a bit. I never thought it would work, because I thought it would be impossible to get my brain to switch off at night without the aid of some tepid American crime series. Part of me relished proving Professor Espie wrong: he was so laid back and confident. And he slept.
The first three or four days were tricky, but I was still getting a few hours’ sleep and it’s not like I was a stranger to feeling tired. After that it was amazing how quickly the need for sleep took over my body and brain once I trusted the process.
And that was the key: I surrendered control to Professor Espie, like I do with airline pilots when I fly. I learnt that insomnia is nothing to do with sleep, it’s all about control. I imagine that the vast majority of chronic insomniacs are, like me, control freaks. But you cannot control sleep. And that is what you have to learn to stop insomnia.
You are way more anti drug than I am but I really think there are a LOT of other steps you can take before going to sleeping pills. Most of the clients we worked with were on some kind of sleeping pill, every kind of sleeping pill. The narcotic kind, the non narcotic kind, they never seemed to really be the most beneficial thing. As Monica said, you might want to look at establishing your drawing space a little more than 2 feet from your bed. You also often times just have that little attitude problem about going to bed at a reasonable hour. There's also a lot of non narcotic/prescription things like valerian root/melatonin, etc. I could talk to you more about this on Skype or something.
Thanks so much for the advice and supportive comments people!
Think I'll try the non-drug route for now unless I get really desperate. Just have to survive this month of work at the hospital (I'm covering for someone's vacation) and then it's back to my own hours.
eskimokiss - haha, that would certainly be cheaper than sleeping pills if it worked. :)
Teco - very interesting, I've never heard anything like it! I might try something like that in November if all else fails because then I'll have the free time to experiment with something crazy.
Amy, you have some good points. I think my main problem is when I had all that time off I just totally messed up my circadian cycle. Also I hadn't even thought of it until some people brought it up but I think lack of exercise is playing a huge role. When I was going to the gym everyday and training in Karate three times a week I slept like a baby.
Alan - that's another good suggestion and combined with exercise should really help I hope. So that's my game plan now. Exercise to tire the body and meditation to calm the mind.
just do some simple breathing excercises, as well.
get in a comfy posture, sitting up right, legs crossed.
and concentrate on your breathing.
as you inhale, focus in your mind what number you are on.
start with 1, obviously.
so, inhale --- 1
exhale
inhale --- 2
exhale.
the hard part is, once you see your mind think about something other than the number of breath you are on, start over at 1.
it might be frustrating at first but after a few attempts, once your body relaxes, it's pretty sweet.
Thanks Alan, I will definitely try that tonight. I'm glad you broke it down that way and were really specific about the technique because it's a lot easier for me to learn something when I have a plan of action, and also what to do when it's not going well.
I've been through one sleep study and I'm doing another in about 10 days. I think they'll recommend a combination of a sleeping aid (I hope *not* Ambien) and the CPAP machine. I'm dreading the thought of strapping a breathing mask to my face every night but man, if I could wake up just one morning of my life and actually feel RESTED, it will be worth it!
Your meditation technique is helping Alan, thanks again! At first I tried it sitting up but I actually find it works best for me when I'm lying in bed because then I can just drift off. I used to do breathing exercises in my Karate training but the counting combined with the breathing is a good combo because the breathing relaxes me physically and the counting clears my thoughts.
Anna- do you have sleep apnea? I actually have that as well which accounts for the poor quality sleep I'm getting. Good luck with your sleep study and let me know how the mask works for you. I've heard it can really help people with sleep apnea and make a huge difference in energy levels. I've dreaded the though of wearing a mask to bed too and it's kind of prevented me from looking into it. (also they're expensive!)
I try to avoid medications but there are a few nice, naturopathic ones that work in desperate times. For the record I'm not a doctor- this is what I personally use when I need to sleep and absolutely cannot. Valerian Root in a tincture form and sublingual Melatonin tablets (like Kookaberry suggested?). They're available over the counter at your local health food store. Make sure to read the bottles/packaging completely and best of luck~
Thanks Alan and Amy. I generally don't rust naturopathic remedies because they haven't undergone the stringent testing or clinical trials that regular drugs do and are completely unregulated. However, the two that you mentioned have been in use for a long time so I would consider it if it really worked.
Man I feel your pain. I have suffered from insomnia off & on for years. It is particularly bad when I have to travel for work which is also incidentally when I need to feel the most well rested & sharp. Recently, because it was absolutely essential I adjusted to Canadian/US time & to be focused I resorted to sleeping pills. TBH the side effects were not as bad as I thought they would be. In saying that, I wouldnt recommend using them long term. Even in the short time I was using them I become somewhat dependent. Knowing that if things got really bad & if I started panicking I could always just take a pill & blammo!
Exercise seems to really work for me most times & reading for an hour or so before I hit the sack.
having kids has given me a new view on sleep in general. i never woulda thought that sleep is something that can and often time needs to be practiced. crazy
one of my best mates is a sleep technician and he reckons that with the vast majority of patents their sleeping deficiencies stem from what you would perceive as seemingly obvious bad daily and nightly habits that for some reason you are unaware of...
It might be a good idea to keep a diary of the things you do for a few days and take note of all the mundane little behavioral patterns and i think many of your problems might become glaringly obvious...
in fact i'm often sleep deprived and might try that my self...
Homeopathic medicine never WILL undergo stringent testing because the only reason anyone would bother to invest the money is if there could be a patent behind it. You really want to tell me you trust pharmaceutical companies which will attribute a new "treatment" for a medication in order to lengthen their copyrights on it?
Thank guys. Well, what's evident to me is that a lot of people seem to suffer from it. I think it's almost a side-effect of modern life. What with computers, light bulbs etc. it's a wonder anyone ever sleeps! The computer is definitely not a good idea and I'm trying to keep away from it when it nears bedtime (haha, breaking my own rule right now). Also I know exercise would help a lot, just have to get organized enough to actually do it.
hogboy - sleeping pills really work, but as you said it's easy to start completely relying on them and over time they can have really bad side-effects. I think they're best to use very short-term just to get back on track.
Alan - I know, it's totally crazy. My youngest brother has two children (I live in the same household) and he and my sister-in-law look completely sleep-deprived at all times.
Andreas - great idea to keep a diary, although I'm probably too disorganized. That's what they suggest for people having with money-problems as well. Keep a list of every little expense, no matter how mundane. People are always shocked by how everything adds up.
Amy - I'm not debating whether drug companies are generally evil and money-grubbing, they are. Also you already know how much I mistrust drugs of any kind and only take them as a last resort. However, some drugs do actually help people and save lives! We'd all probably be dead by now if it weren't for antibiotics, I know I would.
Pharmaceutical drugs at least have to go through a series of clinical trials so you get an idea of possible side-effects, drug-interactions etc. This is one of the reasons is so expensive to develop a commercial drug. Of course sometimes long-term or unexpected side-effects occur and if they're serious and result in death the drugs are taken off the market. Scary? Yes. Herbal remedies are just as scary though because there are hardly any regulations in Canada because they aren't listed as drugs, although some of them obviously are. There have been several cases of people dying from herbal products sold in Canada and sometimes the products contain other harmful substances like lead or arsenic.
Suffice to say, in either case one should be cautious and do their research.
i often have problems sleeping. i may be doing a sleep study soon to see if i'm having apnea episodes.
but, when i think of it, i try a form of meditation, as i often have a million things on my mind, particular.y when the house is dark and quiet.
what i do is
try to let go of everything in my mind. imagining a type of cleansing, whatever works, sometimes i envision a windshield wiper.
most often, i "go" to a secluded beach/island and "walk" toward the shoreline. i 'go' there becuase it's clear, beautiful and peaceful. let your mind take you wherever you find peace and happiness and 'throw away' any other thoughts.
do not worry that you'll forget to do things, due to this "clearing of the mind"...just let everything go.
this actually helps me a lot.
That sound so soothing and peaceful! Thanks, I'll have to try this "clearing of the mind" maybe combined with Alan's counting technique. I know for a fact I have sleep apnea, although it seems a little better these days. Really hope you don't have it because it can cause serious health problems.
Anyway, tonight is not going so good but my cat, Chunky, is sleeping like a rock. :)
i know someone who sleeps with a special mask type thing because he did a sleep study and they found that he stopped breathing about 65 times in 60 minutes!
scary! no wonder why he was so tired every day.
Man thanks for your comment on my sleep blog.- I appreciate it, I'm sorry you have had those similar feelings, yeah- the mind really does need it's recharging time. Really hope you start getting some better rest again. I know i need to.
A technique which has been helping me a little is to write down everything that's on your mind and everything you have to do in upcoming days- that way you have transferred it to the paper and in theory things will stop going round and round in your mind.- this kind of like littlem's suggestion i guess
Also my dad swears by hot milk or cereal before bed.
Haha at Chunky! Yeah my cat has no problems sleeping either!
kayz I guess everything has been said already here, but I'd say eskimokiss's advice (sounds weird but it really, really works in my experience - lolz I can't believe I'm writing this on a public forum) combined with some solid exercise during the day (to the tune of 1-2 hours of high-intensity workout) should help a bit. Also I guess eliminating stress would help, but heh, we'd all do that if we could, right?
I have a funny sleeping predicament these days - my husband often gets woken up by our two cats, that tend to get the cat crazies at night. Then he gets up and screams at them and wants to toss them out the window. So I tend to try and stay up as late as I can with the kitties (they're quiet while I'm up, usually curl up next to me on the couch), so I end up going to bed way later than I should..... I like that quiet night-time at the computer, drawing or messing around forums, but it leaves me insufficient time to get sleep. Then when I finally go to bed, I find myself so terrified that the cats will make a noise and wake husband, that I jump at every teensy sound. So it's this bizarre combination that the cats are sleeping, husband is sleeping, and me, the person supposedly having least trouble with sleep in the household, wide awake at 4 am and feeling decidedly jumpy!! Exacerbated by the fact that I work a 9-5 job, as opposed to husband who works from home. Sigh
Unfortunately, I think you may need the mask, but maybe there's some other alternative. It's frightening how often you gasp for air during the night and don't even realize it. :(
Everyone should jump on the bandwagon of bugging you to go to the doctor. :P
Thanks for the feed-back everyone! Seems like almost everyone has sleep isues here except for Chunky and Alan .:)
outline - wow, and I thought I had problems. That is the craziest, most brutal schedule I've ever heard of. I think you have to slow down and stretch things out a bit so you don't totally burn-out! If this means cutting down your classes and spreading them out or cutting down to part-time at work you should do it for the sake of your health and sanity.
Ben - you're most welcome dude and that's another good idea. Anything that makes a person think feel they are actually in control of their life is a good thing I think. I just had a massive clean-up of my room and totally organized everything and even something as simple as that has helped.
celandinestern - I have a really easy solution to your problem. It's called a door. Lock it! Or preferably if you live in a two-story abode keep the cats downstairs during the night. My mom has a similar problem but spoils her cats so much she can't bear to lock them downstairs. I mean, then the poor things would only have the first floor and basement to roam around in!
Denise - sorry, I know you've just been through a really rough patch and emotional turmoil is one of the worst enemies of sleep. Hope things get back to normal soon.
Music Grant Lee Buffalo, Pistol Star, Nada Surf, Beck, Sparklehorse, Iron and Wine, The Shins, Death Cab for Cutie, Elliot Smith, Modest Mouse, REM, Radiohead, Deerhoof, Neil Young, Townes Van Zandt, Arcade Fire, Mason Jennings, Mariel and Jasper, The Weepies, Johnny Cash, Leonard Cohen, Prince, The Cowboy Junkies, The Police, David Bowie, Sarah Harmer, Talking Heads, Bob Dylan, Glenn Gould, Bach, The Beatles.
Movies District 9, Casablanca, Blade Runner, Spirited Away, Ran, Ikiru, Seven Samurai, Shane, The Wizard of Oz, Planet of the Apes (original version), Vertigo, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Chunking Express, La Belle et La Bete, City Lights, The Matrix, 2001 A Space Odyssey, Alien, High Noon, The Shawshank Redemption, Star Wars, Citizen Kane, Memento, Brazil.
Reading Bashō, The Phantom Tollbooth, Italo Calvino novels, Huckleberry Finn, Wind in the Willows, Where The Wild Things Are, Shakespeare, Peanuts, Great Expectations, The Metamorphosis, Nineteen-Eighty-Four, Life Of Pi, Amy Tan novels, Sherlock Holmes, The Little Prince, Catcher in the Rye, Lao Tzu's "Tao Te Ching", Robert Louis Stevenson, Baltasar Gracian, The Old Man and the Sea.
Thanks Jon (aka Baron Von Monkey) for this fantastic birthday present!
Proud owner of:
Duke Bananas-Foster III is a classy gentlemonkey who
enjoys a fine banana split -- drizzled in chocolate syrup with rainbow sprinkles, and topped with a maraschino cherry.
Hand-crafted by my long-lost cuz Phil aka pilihp
Thank you my amigo Wences (aka walmazan) for the amazing gift!
Thank you Kerry (aka kashlen) for the wonderful whale! :)
I have in my possession the entire collection of rare buttons on their original felt cloud by the soon-to-be-famous ginetteginette You're looking at my retirement fund.
me and opifan64 in younger days
love me on emptees!
Oct 05 '09 by
