Insomnia

[superstring01]

I have insanely bad insomnia. I'm talking: not being able to sleep for two days, on numerous prescription meds type insomnia.

I hear that this is reaching massive proportions in our "artificial world" (fluorescent lighting, computer screens, odd work & sleep hours).

Anybody else?

~String

[Carcano]

Have your thyroid checked.

Insomnia is a classic symptom of hyperthyroidism.

[Asguard]

i thought this was a thread FOR inzomnia:p

anyway, how have you been feeling latly?
depressed? any anxiaty?

do you drink coffee?

[Orleander]

...do you drink coffee?

LOL, does he drink coffee? :wallbang: He's not stupid Asguard. He would have made the coffee/awake connection a long long time ago.

String, Carcano is right. :thumbsup:
Get your thyroid checked.

[Asguard]

because mental illness and caffeine are SO much rarer than a thyroid problem right?:rolleyes:

[Betrayer0fHope]

But he's GAY.

[Orleander]

But he's GAY.


Good point.
String are you getting enough sex? It puts me right to sleep. ;)

[Orleander]

because mental illness and caffeine are SO much rarer than a thyroid problem right?:rolleyes:

what?

[skaught]

I used ot suffer terribly from it too, I guess not to the extent of two nights in a row, but close. Not much I can offer in the way of advice that hasn't already been said. But you have my sympathy friend!

Maybe join fightclub!

[James R]

Do you work nights?

[Spud Emperor]

The very few times it's happened to me, I've found that taking it on at its own game works best.
In other words, I adopt a different attitude, So, O.k body, we don't need to sleep? Fantastic let's stay up for three nights in a row, fuck it four!
The body always wins.

[Repo Man]

I've noticed some things as I've aged (I'm 43). Though I'm not an insomniac, I don't sleep as easily as I did when I was younger. I go to bed between ten and ten thirty nearly every night, and get up around six. If I have any caffeine after four or five in the afternoon, it affects my ability to go right to sleep. Sugary foods within a couple of hours of bedtime, and I'm doomed to toss and turn for at least an hour before I drift off. If I had a Coke at eight in the evening, I wouldn't be able to sleep before midnight. I think back to being a kid and washing down slice after slice of pizza with glass after glass of Pepsi, then going into a coma like sleep the moment my head hit the pillow a couple of hours later; it seems hard to believe now.

If I've spent the day behind the computer with little to no physical activity, I have a noticeably harder time sleeping. Even going for a half an hour walk makes a significant difference.

I've also noticed that I cannot sleep in anymore. Maybe a half an hour to an hour past the time I normally get up, but no longer. And taking a nap on a lazy Sunday is pretty much out too. How much of this may be because of Grave's disease, and being on thyroid replacement, versus normal physiological changes associated with aging is hard to know. But my thyroid level consistently tests in the normal range, so I think it has mostly to with getting older.

[Challenger78]

I have insanely bad insomnia. I'm talking: not being able to sleep for two days, on numerous prescription meds type insomnia.

I hear that this is reaching massive proportions in our "artificial world" (fluorescent lighting, computer screens, odd work & sleep hours).

Anybody else?

~String


I don't have it as bad, but I've gotten into cycles like that before.
Eventually, my body just crashes.

[Asguard]

depressive cycles are one of the leading causes of sleeping problems. The irritating thing is that like depression itself its self perpetuating. Lack of sleep lowers mood which causes lack of sleep.

anxiaty is another major causes in acute cases (because in general anxiaty atacks are acute rather than cronic)

[John99]

I have insanely bad insomnia. I'm talking: not being able to sleep for two days, on numerous prescription meds type insomnia.

I hear that this is reaching massive proportions in our "artificial world" (fluorescent lighting, computer screens, odd work & sleep hours).

Anybody else?

~String

I mostly sleep three-four hours a day and cant remember a time when i slept more than that.

[Dr Lou Natic]

But he's GAY.
Good point. I think a lot of you are neglecting this fact.

[Challenger78]

I used ot suffer terribly from it too, I guess not to the extent of two nights in a row, but close. Not much I can offer in the way of advice that hasn't already been said. But you have my sympathy friend!

Maybe join fightclub!

Argh..

You look like draqon, but you sound nothing like him!..

Stop desecrating an icon of nonsensic thought.

[Bluecrux]

I'm like a newbie so excuse me if I seem to be bothering you . But I know you people would welcome me .
Well, I don't know how did I develop Insomnia, I have been having it since I was 12 years old . It was mild then . It's much worse now (I am 16 now ) . What I have figured out that Insomnia in my case is a result of restlesness of my monkey mind . The prime cause to my this disease is attributed to mental disorder rather than a physical one . I always push myself in whatever I do , try to do better than others , all to uplift my ego and the result is that I my mind wanders from one thing to another . With help of yoga and meditation it seemed to have taken a beating but still I am not able to have a quality sleep .

What I think is that our body has a kind of system, we can never sleep until our body sends the signals to our brain of our tiredness(Mental or physical) . That's why it happens with a person up here(on the page) who just can't sleep without the doing of some brisk excercise .

Another aspect I'd like to discuss about it is the fear. The fear of not being able to sleep . Often people get very conscious and worried if they need some proper sleep for a presentation or something that requires rest . Unknowingly , they bring up the fear , the fear of not being able to sleep . And the more they think about being able to sleep , the more the fear haunts them and they end up getting restless .
The best thing to do in such type of situations is to relax . . . and let go of whatever outcome the absence of a night's sleep might bring .
It's like the more we run after it , the more it runs away from us and more the more we run away from it, the more it runs towards us . :p

Does anybody have an idea about the effects of sleep deprivation?
I am pretty worried about that . Haha .

[Carcano]

Well, I don't know how did I develop Insomnia, I have been having it since I was 12 years old . It was mild then . It's much worse now (I am 16 now ) . What I have figured out that Insomnia in my case is a result of restlesness of my monkey mind . The prime cause to my this disease is attributed to mental disorder rather than a physical one . I always push myself in whatever I do , try to do better than others , all to uplift my ego and the result is that I my mind wanders from one thing to another . With help of yoga and meditation it seemed to have taken a beating but still I am not able to have a quality sleep.
Not being able to sleep at NIGHT is only a problem if you make up for it by sleeping during the day.

Some people just dont need much sleep.

Jay Leno only sleeps four hours a night...same with Donald Trump.

The shoulderstand (Sarvagasana) exercise in Yoga has the most powerful tranquilizing effect, as well as stretching the hamstrings.

[superstring01]

Have your thyroid checked.

Insomnia is a classic symptom of hyperthyroidism.

I've never heard that. I do have a good doctor (he's, like, English and stuff and went to Oxford).

ianyway, how have you been feeling latly?
depressed? any anxiaty?

Depressed? No. Anxiety attacks are common in my family. Men, as a general rule are less aware of anxiety attacks (we internalize emotions so much that we may be aware of an anxiety attack only as a fast heart rate and other sundry symptoms). But, I do get them from time to time.

do you drink coffee?

Never. Rarely, I will have a diet Pepsi at breakfast if I'm struggling to wake up. But I mean RARELY. I'm not much of a soda drinker. I also avoid ever eating simple carbs (like sugar or refined flour, which I may consume once a week on Sundays) and I don't eat any carbs after 4pm. I have a strict plan that I follow to a "T".

LOL, does he drink coffee? He's not stupid Asguard. He would have made the coffee/awake connection a long long time ago.

This is why I totally adore you Orly. You're extremely perceptive.

String, Carcano is right.
Get your thyroid checked.

I don't really have much of a weight problem though. The usual "daddy belly" that I struggle to keep in check. It's a good thought though, one that I've never heard during a medical exam. I did go to a sleep clinic about six months ago and they did a pretty thorough checkup. I also had my appendix out a year and a half ago and I had a colonoscopy about a year ago (I have the rear-end of an 80 year old). I keep thinking somebody would have detected such a thing (yeah, I know the thyroid is in the throat and not the ass, but all these doctors poking around... who knows.

But he's GAY.

I am. But, don't tell anybody. They'll think all crazy amounts of anal sex is somehow keeping me awake.

Good point.
String are you getting enough sex? It puts me right to sleep. ;)

Well, sometimes it bores me to sleep. I won't lie, I love--NO--I adore my boyfriend passionately. I would, however, like to bang other guys. I'd be okay if he did, but he's a little on the clingy side and can't fathom the idea of me doing other men. Damn. There are some hotties out there.

Do you work nights?

No. I rotate though. I rarely have trouble waking up. In fact, even with my horrible insomnia, I wake up at 5:30am to feed the cats and relieve myself. I'm usually up "for good" at 8am.

My work schedule rotates but consists the following shifts each week:

Two Days: 6am-2:30pm
Two Days: 8am-4:30pm
One Day: 1pm-10pm

I have insanely bad RLS (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restless_legs_syndrome). I remember thinking, "Oh, what will they come up with next???" when I first heard about it. But it's true. Embarrassingly so. My type of insomnia, as defined by my shrink is a mixture of DSPS (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_sleep_phase_syndrome) and moderate sleep anxiety (characterized by, thoughts like, "Oh my god, I have to wake up tomororw... I only have three hours to get some sleep." etc).

I also have a very hyper-active mind that I can't shut down. When I say, "can't shut down." I mean it races at like a million miles an hour. I ruminate on every subject, good or bad. Everything I've done, doing and am going to do comes in and out of my head at a fairly brisk pace. It's crazy that I've somehow ended up in HR when I can't sit through a single meeting without drifting off into la-la land.

My sleep hygiene is very good. No visible clocks in the room. Absolute darkness (windows covered by a non-transparent cloth that blocks out ALL light). Etc. It sucks and it's weird.

I'm like a newbie so excuse me if I seem to be bothering you . But I know you people would welcome me .
Well, I don't know how did I develop Insomnia, I have been having it since I was 12 years old . It was mild then . It's much worse now (I am 16 now ) . What I have figured out that Insomnia in my case is a result of restlesness of my monkey mind . The prime cause to my this disease is attributed to mental disorder rather than a physical one . I always push myself in whatever I do , try to do better than others , all to uplift my ego and the result is that I my mind wanders from one thing to another . With help of yoga and meditation it seemed to have taken a beating but still I am not able to have a quality sleep .

What I think is that our body has a kind of system, we can never sleep until our body sends the signals to our brain of our tiredness(Mental or physical) . That's why it happens with a person up here(on the page) who just can't sleep without the doing of some brisk excercise .

Another aspect I'd like to discuss about it is the fear. The fear of not being able to sleep . Often people get very conscious and worried if they need some proper sleep for a presentation or something that requires rest . Unknowingly , they bring up the fear , the fear of not being able to sleep . And the more they think about being able to sleep , the more the fear haunts them and they end up getting restless .
The best thing to do in such type of situations is to relax . . . and let go of whatever outcome the absence of a night's sleep might bring .
It's like the more we run after it , the more it runs away from us and more the more we run away from it, the more it runs towards us . :p

Does anybody have an idea about the effects of sleep deprivation?
I am pretty worried about that . Haha .

Thanks for the thoughts, Bluecrux!

Sleep deprivation is bad stuff. I've been through it a million times.

Right now I'm on Lunesta--which is strong stuff--and it works well. I'm taking double the dosage, which my doctor does not recommend but is the ONLY ting that works. I have never built up tolerance to the drug over the past year, which is great, but because the manufacturer has put a "X amount" limit per day, the insurance will only pay that amount per day (even my doctor, however, says that I should follow the instructions). Luckily, though, I don't have to wake up early more than four days a week. So, I only need to take it on the evenings before to ensure a night's rest.

~String

[greenberg]

Perhaps you have the black plague. Seriously. One of the symptoms is insomnia.

[Asguard]

string, in general sleeping pills should only be used for VERY short periods (two days for example) and only for rapid changes to sleeping pattens (for instance if you needed assistance changing from a day sleep cycle to a night one). Most doctors wont perscribe them period here.

The effects are lazy sleep pattens and a less restful sleep (no REM sleep at all), in fact its quite similar to the effects of drinking a bottle of JB before trying to sleep:p

if you say your at risk of anxiaty have you tried dealing with that?
dizapram can help with anxiaty (as can some SSRI's) and they shouldnt effect sleep quality in the mean time. Futher more there Cognative behavoral theorpy can be a good long term drug free treatment which may well help you sleep.

If the problem is as chronic as your suggesting (that your constantly taking sleeping pills) i suggest you ask your doctor for a referal to a sleep clinic

[greenberg]

I also have a very hyper-active mind that I can't shut down. When I say, "can't shut down." I mean it races at like a million miles an hour. I ruminate on every subject, good or bad. Everything I've done, doing and am going to do comes in and out of my head at a fairly brisk pace. It's crazy that I've somehow ended up in HR when I can't sit through a single meeting without drifting off into la-la land.

You seem to be someone who likes discipline, as I gathered from your description of your diet. Perhaps this discipline can transfer to other areas of your life as well.

So some suggestions:

Develop a morning and an evening ritual. It is important to begin and to conclude the day. This brings the mind a considerable rest.
Something you will do the first thing when you wake up - perhaps a bit of yoga or other exercising, or checking out your indoor plants, as long as it is not simply a matter of getting out of bed, getting dressed and having breakfast or household work. And it should be something you enjoy and doesn't take too long.
Also develop an evening ritual. Try to finish the day: make a plan for the next day, review the current day (in writing). List three good things that you did today, and three bad ones. Figure out how you could improve.

Begin and sonclude your work.
When you arrive at the workplace, have a short ritual to get you into the mood for working. Go over the plan, prepare the things you need, reflect on the importance of work.
When the time comes to leave the work place, do so attentively. Clean up your desk, write a review, make a plan for the next day.
Don't rush home, but use the way home to relax and to stop thinking of work.

Enforce being choosy about what you think about.
A topic needs to earn (either by importance or insistence) the privilege to be thought about. Explicitly work out some principles for deciding what is worth reflecting on, and how to reflect on it.


I hope this helps.

[superstring01]

If the problem is as chronic as your suggesting (that your constantly taking sleeping pills) i suggest you ask your doctor for a referal to a sleep clinic

Indeed. That's in January.

In the meantime, the drug I'm taking (Lunesta) is designed for long term use, so that's really not an issue.

I keep hearing about a light that can be used in the AM to trigger something in the brain. Supposedly it resets the internal clock that regulates your sleep pattern (circadian rhythm).

~String

[S.A.M.]

have you tried melatonin?

[Orleander]

have you tried melatonin?

I've heard good things about melatonin. It just didn't seem to work for me. Whats the dosage I should aim for?

[superstring01]

<---Don't know. VEry intoxicated right now. Call back later.

~Strin

[Orleander]

....Well, sometimes it bores me to sleep. I won't lie, I love--NO--I adore my boyfriend passionately. I would, however, like to bang other guys. I'd be okay if he did, but he's a little on the clingy side and can't fathom the idea of me doing other men. Damn. There are some hotties out there.....

http://archive.leasticoulddo.com/strips/20080308.gif

[superstring01]

Funny Orly. Very funny.

~String

[Bluecrux]

Thanks for the thoughts, Bluecrux!

Sleep deprivation is bad stuff. I've been through it a million times.

Right now I'm on Lunesta--which is strong stuff--and it works well. I'm taking double the dosage, which my doctor does not recommend but is the ONLY ting that works. I have never built up tolerance to the drug over the past year, which is great, but because the manufacturer has put a "X amount" limit per day, the insurance will only pay that amount per day (even my doctor, however, says that I should follow the instructions). Luckily, though, I don't have to wake up early more than four days a week. So, I only need to take it on the evenings before to ensure a night's rest.

~String

Well , being on drugs is always the wrong way to cure insomnia . I had one or two mild ones once and the next day I felt like I couldn't sleep without them . So I discontinued them immediately , though it took me time to recover from being able to sleep better .

I wonder if you lose your effectivity at work or energy levels due to sleep deprivation ? Or you don't think in that way and let it go .

The most effective method I've found to to counter this problem is
( you don't need to be on such pathetic drugs , pathetic in the sense that they make you feel dependent on them ) is some simple pranayams .
Just wake up early in the morning when the fresh breeze is blowing and lets your lungs dive into all the fresh morning oxygen you can .
Just do one by one (if you might like to for a change but I say that you give it a try)
Bhastrika 5 min
Kapalbhati 5 min
Anulom Vilom 5 min
Brahmari 30 rounds , 20 sec each round .

Edit: Yoga is all about simplicity and effectiveness and that's what I like about it . There are some people(no, not pointing at any one of you) who cannot fathom or do not bother to know what tremendous change it can bring in our way of living .


After I did these in order , I felt like my senses calming and when I tried to sleep the following nights, my mind didn't jump onto one thing or the other .
It just 'SHUTDOWN' on it's own and I had not to do some DEBUGGING to make it go to sleep . = p

[inzomnia]

I have insanely bad insomnia. I'm talking: not being able to sleep for two days, on numerous prescription meds type insomnia.

I hear that this is reaching massive proportions in our "artificial world" (fluorescent lighting, computer screens, odd work & sleep hours).

Anybody else?

~String


Insomnia is horrible, isn't it? :D

String, are you cold enough when you sleep? Sometimes ago I had terrible insomnia. I noticed that since I consumes more garlic. I consumes garlic to keep my body warm against winter (and it works pretty amazing!), but as a consequence, I find it difficult to sleep. Even after I switch my heater off. So what I did is, I eat less garlic and I turn off heater before I sleep, and open my window for about 5 minutes before I went to sleep (so my room is cold/fresh enough). If you have air conditioner, this will be better. But don't put it too low, you might get cold/running nose.

[amark317]

Have your thyroid checked.

Insomnia is a classic symptom of hyperthyroidism.

my mom had a thyroid problem for a long time, even still has the scar from the surgery. I was just a little kid then, but she was really messed up.
She was gaining and losing weight constantly, it was kind of scary for a 4 year old.

but yeah, just last night I went to bed at 9:30 PM and woke up around 11:45ish, so today I have to do school while running on 2 hours of sleep, and I have swimming class! (that could get scary)

[Stryder]

Well you could go silly and attempt to become diabetic.

Namely consume lots of sugary products each day for a month or two, then just stop taking the sugar. You'll body will have adapted to use the Sugar for it's energy rather thanbody fats, and the removal of sugar from your diet at that point will drop your blood sugar levels putting you into a "hibernation" state.

(In some respects you could suggest Diabetic is left over from when we evolved out of an animal state that hibernated)

There is also the potential of "Over Caffination" This means going silly and maxing out on triple expresso's, it will likely put your body into shock, it's obviously not good for the heart in large doses, however it will wear the body out. You might not be able to sleep immediately the first night, however once all that caffeine is out of your system you'll sleep like a log through exhaustion.

[Stryder]

I've heard good things about melatonin. It just didn't seem to work for me. Whats the dosage I should aim for?

Melatonin will work for some and not others. The main reason for this is as a person age's their Pineal Gland (The gland responsible for the creation of Melanin) can crystallize. When this happens it inhibits the production of Melanin, the chemical that is usually formulated by the body into Melatonin (Which can be a source of a persons hair greying).

The Pineal Gland reacts when it's dark to produce Melanin, when it's light however it can be interfered with. It's suggested that certain frequencies of sunlight can penetrate the human body and effect the gland and it's production of melanin. This is especially problematic in the elderly due to the Crystallization of the gland and potentially the gland failing altogether.

I'm sure there was something I read about the Pineal Gland also directly effecting sleeping patterns, the more light or Crystallization present the less uninterrupted sleep a person has, which is why as you get older you should technically be able to sleep less or wakeup at unearthly times.

The usual things are encouraged to sleep:
Designate a room just for sleep, a Bedroom. Make sure it's very dark and very quiet. This means really thick curtains, removing things that tick or emit glows (like LEDs), while sleeping with a window open might be good if it's hot, it can allow external noises to interrupt. Explicitly no Televisions, Radios or computers. I know some of us might love watching TV in bed or are fed up waking up at 1:30am asleep again on the couch, but those things disrupt what sleep is about in a bedroom.

Make sure your mattress is comfortable, nothing worse than springs flying off at an angle and cutting into your back or causing pains to your ribs.

Sometimes Insomniacs do prefer to sleep in relative discomfort, like on a couch, or even to go so far as laying on the floor. Sleeping rough like this for a long duration will fatigue your body (and technically some can see it as effecting the mind)

[Steve100]

Try supping a pint of Guinness before going to bed if you like it.

It seems to have the magical property that no other beer has of making me sleep like a bairn.

[Orleander]

Melatonin will work for some and not others. The main reason for this is as a person age's their Pineal Gland (The gland responsible for the creation of Melanin) can crystallize. When this happens it inhibits the production of Melanin, the chemical that is usually formulated by the body into Melatonin (Which can be a source of a persons hair greying).

The Pineal Gland reacts when it's dark to produce Melanin, when it's light however it can be interfered with. It's suggested that certain frequencies of sunlight can penetrate the human body and effect the gland and it's production of melanin. This is especially problematic in the elderly due to the Crystallization of the gland and potentially the gland failing altogether.

I'm sure there was something I read about the Pineal Gland also directly effecting sleeping patterns, the more light or Crystallization present the less uninterrupted sleep a person has, which is why as you get older you should technically be able to sleep less or wakeup at unearthly times....

Are you saying I'm too old for the Melatonin to work?:bawl:

[Carcano]

[I]Develop a morning and an evening ritual.
Yes, the evening ritual must include ejaculation.

Releasing tension from the nervous system and purging erotic imagery from the mind.

[draqon]

to cure insomnia, have two hours devoted to jogging everyday and jog than for two hours non-stop in a park or alongside road, middle pace.

[draqon]

And yes three times a day jack handling works like a charm of a newlywed widow.

[kenworth]

do some exericise 2-3 hours before bed,smoke a big joint..voila.unfortunately i am in the land drugs forgot so i am having problems.

[Terrible-Tash]

Ahhh! I'm an insomniac too! Hitting 1year in January.
For me it was like a side affect from having Bi-Polar Depression.
=[ Nothing works to get me too sleep!

If i'm lucky i sleep 3-4hours
And the longest i've went without sleeping was 5 days... i think =S

I've tried going for like 3hour runs till i crash... but i don't sleep...
drugs, alcohol, just lying down... NOTHING...

Well except for my sleeping pills, but i can't take them more then once a week (because they can be addicting... thank you doctor -.- lol)

Anyone else got anymore suggestions? =P haha