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insomnia - 10/4/2010 1:28:32 AM   
switch2please


Posts: 494
Joined: 12/5/2008
Status: offline 		Usually my insomnia goes in cycles - I sleep well for a week, shitty for two, lather, rinse, repeat...but the past couple weeks I'm not even tired before 6 am. I'll crash at 7 and be up at ten, but it's not a good habit to reinforce.
I don't like prescription sleep aids (bad dreams and I feel really groggy when I wake), the herbal remedies I know aren't helping, my diet hasn't changed and I'm off caffeine except for the occasional cup of tea during the day...help please!
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RE: insomnia - 10/4/2010 1:56:21 AM   
crazyml


Posts: 5568
Joined: 7/3/2007
Status: offline 		Hello!

I get occasional insomnia as a result of the travel I do - I can normally recover from jet lag without any problems but once in a blue moon I get "stuck" and really have trouble sleeping.

I'm in no way qualified to give you advice per se, but here's what works for me -

- Occasionally I will use prescription sleep aids, but never for more than 2 days in a row
- I really try to "wind down" at the end of the day, I write a to-do list for the next day, and basically try to clear my head
- I've used relaxation techniques (ineptly borrowed from yoga) with some success.

My suggestions (with the caveat that I'm really not qualified)

1) Go back to your Doc and have another conversation about prescription sleep-aids it could be that there's something that you've not tried that'll do the trick
2) Look at how you can bring your body and mind to the right place before you go to bed
3) Consider something like Yoga or meditation

Good luck (insomnia is a pain in the ass).



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RE: insomnia - 10/4/2010 3:29:38 AM   
wandersalone


Posts: 4666
Joined: 11/21/2005
Status: offline 		unfortunately the going to sleep at 7am for a couple of hours is adding to the problems

Instead of sleeping at 7am, make yourself stay up until your (hoped for) usual bedtime eg. ten pm.  I would suggest if you have gone more than 24 hours without sleep that you don't drive or do anything dangerous though.

Clear your bedroom of computers, tv etc, keep it as a place just to sleep so that your brain associates your bed with falling asleep.

Meditation, yoga, exercise (though not too energetic in the few hours before sleeping) all help.

If you find you are still not asleep after half an hour in bed, get up and go to another room and listen to some peaceful music, read a book etc.  then go back to bed and try again.  rinse lather repeat until you do fall asleep.

Set your alarm for 7 or 8 am and even if you haven't slept for more than a couple of hours get our of bed and stay up until your usual bed time the next night.

tips from a chronic insomniac

and yeah, it does suck


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RE: insomnia - 10/4/2010 4:56:23 AM   
DesFIP


Posts: 25191
Joined: 11/25/2007
From: Apple County NY
Status: offline 		Staying up until your normal bedtime is difficult. It's easier to stay up until noon the first day, then till five the next day and the third day you can go to bed at a regular hour. However, it is important to go to sleep and to wake up at the same time every day to avoid shifting your sleep cycles. Bedrooms should not be too hot and you should only use them for sleeping and sex. Get up and use the computer in the living room.

If after fixing your cycle and staying on it you still have problems, you may want to switch away from a digital clock as some people are sensitive to them. At least move it across the room.


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RE: insomnia - 10/4/2010 5:44:37 PM   
angelikaJ


Posts: 8641
Joined: 6/22/2007
Status: offline 		Other suggestions:

Some of the newer medications for sleeping may have issues such as vivid dreams and daytime grogginess, however there are other options such as sedating antidepressants that might be an option.
I find for me, that if I take one of those and couple that with a long acting dose of acetaminophen (650mg; I take just one) I sleep better.
I do not use that every night.

Also, walking early in the day so you get sun exposure can help reset your clock.

I have heard from my Dr and read that the blue light from both TV screens, laptops and computer monitors interfere with sleeping and the recommendation is to turn them off a minimum of 1 hour before bed.


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RE: insomnia - 10/4/2010 6:17:57 PM   
January


Posts: 891
Joined: 4/17/2004
Status: offline 		Hi switch2please,

Is it possible your insomnia is hormonal? (Decrease in progesterone?) You seem way too young for peri-menopause, but it's possible. Is everything okay in the period department?

Is vigorous exercise (in the mornings not at night) an option or interest?

January

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RE: insomnia - 10/5/2010 9:44:24 PM   
switch2please


Posts: 494
Joined: 12/5/2008
Status: offline 		Thank you all for the responses!
Today I was up til about 8 am, took an hour nap, and was hoping to fall asleep by 1 am. I hope this happens, but at the moment I am wide awake and energetic for no apparent reason. Both my apartment and B's place are spotless, I'm completely caught up on work, did laundry and read and wrote for a while...at least I'm productive

crazyml :  I'm mildly obsessive about to-do lists so this wouldn't work for me personally. Relaxation techniques make me very relaxed, which is the idea :) and I love yoga when I have time. I feel great afterward, but not particularly tired.

wandersalone :  Great advice about the electronics. I don't have a tv and the laptop is either in my office or in my bag ready to go, but when there is a tv or something it keeps me up. I love to read, and if I dive into a book I'll likely stay up later to see how the plot develops...I need something to shut my brain off. Haha, perhaps a frying pan to the head?

desFIP: My digital alarm clock does bother me, so it lives in my bathroom. The added benefit is I have to get out of bed to turn it off, so if I have a full day I can circumvent a lazy morning. The bed is used for sleep, sex, and (at B's) a shelf for castoff clothes.

angelicaJ :  I'd really rather not use medication, but I'll look into the options - there may be something worth trying. I've read similar things about tvs and laptops, and I'll be logging off in 30 minutes for that exact reason :)

January :  My sleep troubles did start about when I hit puberty, but I was taken to a doctor then and pronounced perfectly healthy. I was on depo-provera until about a year ago which effectively ceased my periods, but they've normalized since going off that form of birth control. I walk a lot (maybe 4-5 miles a day, all during daylight) and jump rope in the morning when I remember. Maybe something more demanding?

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RE: insomnia - 10/6/2010 5:14:50 AM   
Twoshoes


Posts: 1218
Joined: 7/27/2010
Status: offline 		Well, the way I fixed this is by doing intense exercise sometime in the evening. After that my mind just surrenders to the general tiredness.

If you want, try running.

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RE: insomnia - 10/6/2010 6:42:33 AM   
samboct


Posts: 1817
Joined: 1/17/2007
Status: offline 		You've gotten some good tips on sleep hygiene here (from yet another insomniac). Vigorous exercise later in the day can help too as Two Shoes noted.

I tend to agree with you on using meds for sleep. The OTC stuff I use is benadryl, but it often leaves me groggy and if I'm on it a few days running, I get aggravated too easily- generally a sign that my sleep isn't very good.

Not yet mentioned- you may want to go talk to a shrink. Insomnia is generally due to something bugging you and causing nightmares- talking out what's going on in your life with a shrink can help.

Sam

(in reply to Twoshoes)
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RE: insomnia - 10/7/2010 4:19:43 PM   
LuneRune


Posts: 33
Joined: 8/19/2008
Status: offline 		All of these tips are great but I would add that it might be a good idea to have your thyroid checked. A fast thyroid can cause some of these symptoms like hyperactivity and insomnia. And go to an endocrinoloogist. They can run a wider range of tests than the internist and it's a very good idea to rule that out as the cause.

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RE: insomnia - 10/7/2010 9:36:20 PM   
takemeforyourown


Posts: 430
Joined: 2/24/2007
Status: offline 		I just had this convo with the occupational health nurse at work. She suggested an Ipod and playing meditation tapes. The meds, alcohol and hand-wringing weren't working anymore.

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RE: insomnia - 10/12/2010 2:06:29 AM   
slavefraulin


Posts: 4
Joined: 2/20/2010
Status: offline 		I've literally tried all of the above with the exception of perscription drugs with no progress. Those appear to be my only remaining option because my lovely shrink decided I have ptsd and good luck getting that under control without drugs. :(

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RE: insomnia - 10/12/2010 3:22:34 AM   
switch2please


Posts: 494
Joined: 12/5/2008
Status: offline 		I am now, officially, on my third week of no sleep before 6 am. I've tried everything I can think of besides meds. I haven't had my thyroid checked, but that is noted for the next doctor visit just in case. It seems for the moment my sleep cycle is just kinda off, but as long as I am sleeping some I can work with it - and luckily I make my own work schedule so it's not as inconvenient as it could be. I'm hoping it'll regulate on its own. We'll see, I suppose...

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RE: insomnia - 10/12/2010 3:30:02 AM   
sunshinemiss


Posts: 17673
Joined: 11/26/2007
Status: offline 		HI There!
Melatonin -it's an herb and works wonders for me!  I only take half a pill and only on occasion, but it helps quite a lot.  I don't take the full pill because I"m groggy the next morning for a bit,and when I take the half pill, I'm sometimes awake at 4 a.m., but at least I slept for 5 hours! 

Caveat:  It does tend to give folks vivid dreams.  I find them quite a lovely gift thought, rather like the Aurora Borealis coming to pay a call!

Best,
sunshine

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RE: insomnia - 10/12/2010 3:43:42 AM   
soul2share


Posts: 7084
Joined: 12/18/2007
From: somewhere out there.....
Status: offline 		s2p, I haven't seen this suggested....get some melatonin and take it about an hour before you go to bed.  I take it and then read awhile.  Also, you might try a white noise machine.  I have a cd of the ocean that I play, I set it on repeat so it plays all day.   Yes, day.....my body clock for sleep has been backwards from before birth.  I work midnights because I can't sleep at night, fortunately, my career choice is a 24/7/365 operation, so someone actually wanting to work mids makes me a supervisor's dream come true.

Everyone is going to have suggestions about how to "cure" insomnia, threads like these remind me if the book "Insomnia" by Stephen King.  You just have to sort thru the ideas and (Hopefully) find one that works for you.  I'm not one to take prescription sleep aids because I know that it's very easy for me to start relying on them......I've gotten addicted to Ny-Quil in the past, so that makes me think twice about taking them....I burned thru a 30 day supply of Rozerem in about 8 days.  When they didn't work, I fell back on the old Benadryl.....I take 5 of them at a time and get about 4 hours sleep.  That seems to be my number,,,,,,thnen I wake up for about 3 hours, and if I'm lucky, can get back to sleep.  If I go outside, then I'm screwed...exposure to outside light makes it next to impossible for me to go back to sleep.

Make sure there's nothing medically wrong.....if it seems to follow a pattern, then it could very well be hormonal.  I've been trying to get my thyroid under control for years, it's not an easy thing to do.  Good luck, for me, the frustration's the worst part!!!!!!!  That's what makes me cry, not the insomnia.

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RE: insomnia - 10/12/2010 3:48:50 AM   
sunshinemiss


Posts: 17673
Joined: 11/26/2007
Status: offline
quote:

s2p, I haven't seen this suggested....get some melatonin and take it about an hour before you go to bed. 


Feeling invisible... *sigh*

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RE: insomnia - 10/12/2010 3:53:12 AM   
switch2please


Posts: 494
Joined: 12/5/2008
Status: offline 		Awwww...Sunshine, I see you   I have tried melatonin, and it works erratically for me. Lately it's not doing anything, but thanks for the suggestion!

soul2share: I had a white noise machine for a while and became so focused on listening to it that I couldn't fall asleep, haha.

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RE: insomnia - 10/12/2010 4:01:00 AM   
BoredAsHell


Posts: 86
Joined: 4/21/2010
Status: offline 		my doctor suggested all of the above and sometimes it helps. one thing they told me is if i'm really desperate to get some sleep at a certain time, take benadryl. it's non-habit forming, usually makes one just drowsy enough to fall asleep and you don't need a prescription. another suggestion, get a small fish tank with a light on a timer. the timer will keep you from leaving the light on all night, but the white noise from the filter and the floaty motion of something like fancy goldfish or a betta fish can be very soothing.

good luck!

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RE: insomnia - 10/12/2010 4:08:53 AM   
sunshinemiss


Posts: 17673
Joined: 11/26/2007
Status: offline 		Well I also have one more suggestion.

WARNING:  NERD ALERT

I do logic puzzles sometimes.  My problem is that I lie down and fifty things come to mind, and I can't shut off my brain.  The best thing I find is logic problems because I get so focused.  Also, turning off the computer a couple of hours before bedtime helps me.  I know there are studies that show how use of a computer changes how we think and process information.  I don't quite know it well enough to explain, but I kind of understand it.  I know the result though.  If I stay on the computer, it's like my mind keeps going tick tick tick and when I get off the comptuer, it slows down... speaking of.  Good night folks!

s2p:  suenos con los angelitos!

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RE: insomnia - 10/12/2010 6:46:16 AM   
DesFIP


Posts: 25191
Joined: 11/25/2007
From: Apple County NY
Status: offline 		I do sudoko. I don't start getting involved in them as much as I do in a crossword puzzle. They quiet down my anxieties and allow me to drift off dreaming of numbers in grids.

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