Termyn8or
Posts: 18681
Joined: 11/12/2005
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Well, if nothing mental will work there are still options.
While normally I advocate a diet that is low in carbs, I never said no carbs. I say no sugar, but nobody seems to be able to do that.
In your case one of the things to watch is sugar. I would seriously look at the entire diet, and try to stay away from it.
Then right before bedtime perhaps eat something high in carbs. Carbs are metabolised much more slowly than sugars, and should tax your system. This may enable you to fall asleep.
Perhaps a bowl of cereal (without sugar of course) or a plate of macaroni and cheese, or something with potatoes in it. Probably better off with something warm. Make it something you like.
>>>This is Dr. Terminator theory here so, have a grain of salt, but listen up.
There are two kinds of insomnia. One is when your mind refuses to slow down, the other is when your metabolism refuses to slow down. The two are interrelated greatly. The medical community treats the two phases seperately in most cases but they are starting to get a glimpse of the intricate relationship between the two.
It is important to discover which is the primary cause of your problem. This can be difficult. Thoughts running through your head at light speed can keep your body in a state of alert, and a shot of adrenalin or elevated blood sugar can keep your mind racing.
I am a gfirm believer in finding the root cause of a problem rather than just treating symptoms, that is why I do not advocate the use of drugs. A drug for this either has to make you too stupid or too tired to think. I don't see how that could be good.
Then we have what has been called "the body's clock". This is all getting back to what type of person you are. If you can not sleep but then can fuction throughout the day, and then not sleep again, that's bad. But what may be happening is that your strength of will does not allow you to sleep at times that are inappropriate. That can go a long way in making you miserable.
I would try eating something heavy, late. If that doesn't work, perhaps you can adjust your body clock by changing your eating schedule. Especially supper.
Another approach is to not fight it at all. Tell yourself "You wanna stay up MF, OK fine, we stay up". For days on end if necessary. Stay occupied somehow and just stay up. Eventually you have to get dog dead tired and will sleep, and should be able to achieve that highly coveted REM sleep.
As you and I understand (OP) laying there in bed with your eyes closed is not sleep. Lack of simple sleep is not the issue, it is the lack of what they call REM sleep. This is when your mind is released from the shackles of all physical laws, this is when you dream. The only real reason for sleep is this stage, when the mind gets a rest.
I, for one, am dubious about the efficacy of drugs in inducing actual REM sleep.
Different people need different amounts of sleep as well, and we have all red about people who haven't slept in years. Whatever makes them that way is unknown, but it is possible that your body, or more aptly put, your being, simply does not require as much sleep as others'.
I know I sleep more than I used to, and in younger day would probably welcome insomnia. I would be at work at eight in the morning and close the local bar at 2:30 AM every day. Didn't bother me a bit.
Sleep does the body good as well. Everything slows down and your digestive tract gets a chance to absorb all the good nutrients from the food you ate. So even if you never sleep, which is unlikely but it happens, it is still a good idea to take a break.
Last but not least, it might be good to look at the onset of this problem. Have you never been able to sleep ? If you used to be able to sleep what happened immediately preceeding the insomnia ? Did you start or stop eating something ? Or did a family member die, get thrown in jail or marry a dickhead ? Things like that.
That's what I am talking about when I say identify the root cause of the problem. While we must be very careful to avoid post hoc ergo propter hoc reasoning, sometimes post ergo propter hoc is correct, or can at least provide a clue.
(the latin means "if it happened before this, it caused this")
As you can deduce now, for me to go much further I will need more information. These are general suggestions and hopefully you will figure it out yourself. If not we are here. I would just like to say, don't let anyone impel you to go see the pill pushers. Do as few drugs as possible and be aware of what each is supposed to do for you and whatever reported side effects. Too many people do not pay attention and thousands die each year due to prescription drug overdoses or reactions. In short they don't know what the fuck they're doing half the time, and the other half the time they still came out of a VERY flawed educational system. Doctors, yes.
T
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