Insomnia

[partofme]

I wasn't sure where to put this so feel free to move it if needed. Does anybody else here have trouble with insomnia? I have had it all of my life. I can even remember being a child and occasionally having completely sleepless nights. I'm current taking Trazodone which is an old anti-depressant which also helps with sleeplessness and isn't as strong as the more popular drugs like Lunesta or Ambien. It works most of the time but whenever I have a lot on my mind it isn't always enough. I just started a new job and haven't slept well these past few weeks. I'm trying to exercise more but I'm wondering if any of you have any other suggestions.

[Michael]

I don't have and never have had any trouble sleeping.

Anyway, one oddball solution that I have found working for other people is the old north-south bed configuration. Apparently putting your bed east-west can disturb lots of people and cause them to suffer 'sleeplessness'. This obviously isn't the solution to all sleepless problems, but it apparently is a solution to some of them.

Apparently this has something to do with the earth's magnetic field and the human body's own magnetic field. :shrug:

I don't presume to understand this, but I do know it can solve some problems for some people.

[partofme]

I don't have and never have had any trouble sleeping.

Anyway, one oddball solution that I have found working for other people is the old north-south bed configuration. Apparently putting your bed east-west can disturb lots of people and cause them to suffer 'sleeplessness'. This obviously isn't the solution to all sleepless problems, but it apparently is a solution to some of them.

Apparently this has something to do with the earth's magnetic field and the human body's own magnetic field. :shrug:

I don't presume to understand this, but I do know it can solve some problems for some people.

I've never heard that before. I'll look into it.

[Michael]

I've never heard that before. I'll look into it.
I only mention it because I heard about it a real long time ago, I've repeated it to a few people over the years and several have been VERY pleased with the result.

Like I said, not everyone at all, just a few cases, but if it works for you, that's what counts! :)

Though, given what you said about having it all your life, this obviously isn't a likely solution. This seems to work more for people who move into a new place and then find they are having sleep problems.

(speaking of which, I've heard that 'sleeping disorders' are hugely common - I've always been oblivious to the topic)

[Americano]

I wasn't sure where to put this so feel free to move it if needed. Does anybody else here have trouble with insomnia? I have had it all of my life. I can even remember being a child and occasionally having completely sleepless nights. I'm current taking Trazodone which is an old anti-depressant which also helps with sleeplessness and isn't as strong as the more popular drugs like Lunesta or Ambien. It works most of the time but whenever I have a lot on my mind it isn't always enough. I just started a new job and haven't slept well these past few weeks. I'm trying to exercise more but I'm wondering if any of you have any other suggestions.

A close friend (now dead) was a diagnosed night owl, which is a form of insomnia. The way he explained it to me was his body clock being different than mine. I just looked on the net and found a medical definition:

"Stanford's sleep doctors investigated 312 patients over a five year period, and noted that they fell into one of three major chronotypes; night owls (late night insomnia), morning larks (early morning insomnia) and intermediate insomniacs ( mid-sleep awakening). Chronotype refers to the sleep/wake center in our brains that regulates our sleep and wake behavior. Many of us have sleep problems because this 'body clock' isn't functioning properly."

http://www.talkaboutsleep.com/sleep-disorders/2007/06/cirdadian-night-owls.htm

An interesting article for purposes of the thread.

Due to a lack of available research in his era, he wasn't formally diagnosed until in his middle '30s. He also experienced sleepless nights in his childhood. He lived with it, anyone functioning on a normal body clock knew one didn't call him unless absolutely necessary until the sun was well over the horizon in his time zone. His professional life flourished as he had no options but conformity and learning to function on four hours daily sleep during the workweek. On weekends he reverted to his night owl body clock. His personal life did suffer. Putting two compatible night owls together is very long odds.

He became expert and widely known in his business field by his early '40s and did his own very successful one-man consulting agency. With a series of admin assistant/live-in lovers with average tenures of three years. Everything but obligatory meet the boss and pick-up the checks could be done at night and he was happy. When he retired, he lived 100% as a night owl.

That's my knowledge of insomnia.

[dilettante]

I wasn't sure where to put this so feel free to move it if needed. Does anybody else here have trouble with insomnia? I have had it all of my life. I can even remember being a child and occasionally having completely sleepless nights. I'm current taking Trazodone which is an old anti-depressant which also helps with sleeplessness and isn't as strong as the more popular drugs like Lunesta or Ambien. It works most of the time but whenever I have a lot on my mind it isn't always enough. I just started a new job and haven't slept well these past few weeks. I'm trying to exercise more but I'm wondering if any of you have any other suggestions.

I had a friend in college who said he beat insomnia by never using his bed for anything except sleeping: no lounging or reading or day-dreaming or anything else in bed. He only got in bed when he was really tired and immediately left the bed when we woke up in the morning. He thought that it trained his mind to always associate being in the bed with being asleep.
Results may vary, but it worked for him.

[Greendruid]

I used to have problems with sleeping on occasion. I rarely medicated for it because I found that when I took a sleeping pill, I felt terribly groggy after waking. I even started to feel restless and jittery with them after a few years of occasional use.

I don't know precisely when my sleep problems abated but a lot of it just went away on its own when I became secure in my employment. When I was a grad student I was always having problems sleeping. My pressure to perform is no less than it was then but I suppose living on very little and never knowing if TA jobs would be available next year was a lot of stress for me. Also, I'm finding now that having a kid makes you more tired than you might expect :-) Perhaps you should have more!

[partofme]

I had a friend in college who said he beat insomnia by never using his bed for anything except sleeping: no lounging or reading or day-dreaming or anything else in bed. He only got in bed when he was really tired and immediately left the bed when we woke up in the morning. He thought that it trained his mind to always associate being in the bed with being asleep.
Results may vary, but it worked for him.

I actually do that already. I have heard that it helps quite a bit but for some reason it doesn't for me. I think the main problem is that my mind races when I'm laying in bed.

[partofme]

Also, I'm finding now that having a kid makes you more tired than you might expect :-) Perhaps you should have more!

Hell no :eek:

[Americano]

I had a friend in college who said he beat insomnia by never using his bed for anything except sleeping: no lounging or reading or day-dreaming or anything else in bed. He only got in bed when he was really tired and immediately left the bed when we woke up in the morning. He thought that it trained his mind to always associate being in the bed with being asleep.
Results may vary, but it worked for him.

I'd think that discipline could have a negative impact on his sex life.

[drgoodtrips]

Funny to see this thread here. I don't usually have trouble with insomnia, but periodically I have a night where I simply cannot go to sleep. This happened to me last night. I didn't fall asleep until 5 AM. I think the culprit for me is that I'll doze off for 10-15 minutes and then something wakes me up. Waking after what amounts to a "power nap" can cause me actually to feel artificially refreshed and restless.

I don't have any solution to offer for the problem. When it happens to me, I've learned not to fight it. Nothing is worse than laying in bed, watching the clock change and estimating how you can still get 5 hours if you just fall asleep in the next 10 minutes or whatever. So, I get up and do something. Usually I'll play a video game or read or something easy on the brain. After doing that for a while, I go back to bed, and usually then can fall asleep. If I can't, I just repeat the process. The next day tends to suck a bit, but c'est la vie.

I'm also lucky in that I can function on relatively little sleep. I like to get 7-8 hours per night, but honestly, I can get 5-6 per night all week and not really feel overly sleep deprived.

[dilettante]

I'd think that discipline could have a negative impact on his sex life.

It would just call for a little bit of extra creativity. :)

[Greendruid]

I'm also lucky in that I can function on relatively little sleep. I like to get 7-8 hours per night, but honestly, I can get 5-6 per night all week and not really feel overly sleep deprived.

You must not have small children in your life! I'm currently getting a regular sleep of 4-5 hours per night. Sometimes it's less. :shrug: All of you who believe that having children is a selfish act can bite me!

[The Drunk Guy]

I'm a nightowl and it took some dedication to get a decent sleep pattern. At first, I used living without cable to an advantage. Without tv telling me when the good shows were on, I could go to bed at 8 if that was when I got tired. As for the trouble with thinking too much, mindless activities like games help, but the best is to just not lay in bed until you're tired. It may take a while, but your clock will eventually reset.

[The Drunk Girl]

I was an insomniac there for awhile, but the prescription I was given was for depression and insomnia. I stopped taking the meds and I eventually grew out of staying up all night. I really am not sure if it was the meds that helped or the fact that I was back at home and having parents that made me go to bed and get up with my 5 and 8 year old siblings. It definitely isn't fun at all by any means (when you start looking forward to Mama's Family and Saved By the Bell on TBS in the mornings you're really fucked up! :lol:)

Have you tried talking with a doctor?

[Zedrow]

Up until about 8 years ago I always had trouble getting to sleep, usually staying awake until 3 or 4 in the morning. Since then I have a 'smoke' and, after a quick snack, I have no problem sleeping.

If I don't have anything available then my alternative is melatonin, which seems to help my mind relax enough to go to sleep. I prefer it to sleeping pills because it doesn't leave me feeling groggy the next day and I feel I've had a good rest.

[Americano]

Funny to see this thread here. I don't usually have trouble with insomnia, but periodically I have a night where I simply cannot go to sleep. This happened to me last night. I didn't fall asleep until 5 AM. I think the culprit for me is that I'll doze off for 10-15 minutes and then something wakes me up. Waking after what amounts to a "power nap" can cause me actually to feel artificially refreshed and restless.

I don't have any solution to offer for the problem. When it happens to me, I've learned not to fight it. Nothing is worse than laying in bed, watching the clock change and estimating how you can still get 5 hours if you just fall asleep in the next 10 minutes or whatever. So, I get up and do something. Usually I'll play a video game or read or something easy on the brain. After doing that for a while, I go back to bed, and usually then can fall asleep. If I can't, I just repeat the process. The next day tends to suck a bit, but c'est la vie.

I'm also lucky in that I can function on relatively little sleep. I like to get 7-8 hours per night, but honestly, I can get 5-6 per night all week and not really feel overly sleep deprived.

5-6 hours per night is about max when the career gets really wound up and multiple time zones are involved.

[partofme]

I was an insomniac there for awhile, but the prescription I was given was for depression and insomnia. I stopped taking the meds and I eventually grew out of staying up all night. I really am not sure if it was the meds that helped or the fact that I was back at home and having parents that made me go to bed and get up with my 5 and 8 year old siblings. It definitely isn't fun at all by any means (when you start looking forward to Mama's Family and Saved By the Bell on TBS in the mornings you're really fucked up! :lol:)

Have you tried talking with a doctor?

I have. That's why I have Trazodone.

[Americano]

I have. That's why I have Trazodone.

I looked it up, primary approval for treatment of clinical depression. "However, it is also often used "off-label (http://drugs.emedtv.com/medicine/off-label.html)" as a sleep aid, even though it is not approved for this use."

http://depression.emedtv.com/trazodone/trazodone-as-a-sleep-aid.html

[partofme]

I looked it up, primary approval for treatment of clinical depression. "However, it is also often used "off-label (http://drugs.emedtv.com/medicine/off-label.html)" as a sleep aid, even though it is not approved for this use."

http://depression.emedtv.com/trazodone/trazodone-as-a-sleep-aid.html

The main reason I was prescribed it is because it isn't habit forming and is milder than Ambien and Lunesta. I thought about eventually trying one of those but I would like to avoid it if possible. When my wife was about to have our second child she was prescribed Ambien and I took one for myself one night. I wasn't able to sleep but I had a very strange experience on it. Sort of like dreaming while I was awake.

[Americano]

The main reason I was prescribed it is because it isn't habit forming and is milder than Ambien and Lunesta. I thought about eventually trying one of those but I would like to avoid it if possible. When my wife was about to have our second child she was prescribed Ambien and I took one for myself one night. I wasn't able to sleep but I had a very strange experience on it. Sort of like dreaming while I was awake.

Ambien does sound like it could have significant recreational drug market value. Sorry, I don't have any solutions but changing physicians for that particular diagnosis would be my first layman's thought. The world is full of incompetency and you aren't receiving any satisfaction with your current pill pusher.

[The Drunk Girl]

I have. That's why I have Trazodone.

I guess I should have said, have you had a follow up? Or at least seen if there was more to your lack of sleep at night then not just being able to go to sleep?

I still do not sleep well at night, but some to think of it I never have been a good sleeper. I go 3-5 nights every once in a blue moon that I will sleep the whole night through. I have been taking Melatonin for almost a year now. Some nights it helps more than some, but when you have a racing mind it isn't going to help. I take it more out of habit now more than anything and I still don't sleep well consistently.

[partofme]

I guess I should have said, have you had a follow up? Or at least seen if there was more to your lack of sleep at night then not just being able to go to sleep?

I still do not sleep well at night, but some to think of it I never have been a good sleeper. I go 3-5 nights every once in a blue moon that I will sleep the whole night through. I have been taking Melatonin for almost a year now. Some nights it helps more than some, but when you have a racing mind it isn't going to help. I take it more out of habit now more than anything and I still don't sleep well consistently.

I have tried both Melatonin and Valerian. They both work a little but the problem is that after taking them regularly they lose their impact.

[drgoodtrips]

5-6 hours per night is about max when the career gets really wound up and multiple time zones are involved.

Yeah, that sounds about right when work and school are both in full gear. At times, it got down to 4. I can function, but I try to get a good amount of sleep because of the long term health ramifications.

[Michael]

I like 7.5 hours per night, everynight. I really am cranky and easily annoyed if I slip under 7 for even one night.

[Zarquon]

I sleep rather well, its just the timing that is erratic.
Tried masturbation?
works for me.

[partofme]

I sleep rather well, its just the timing that is erratic.
Tried masturbation?
works for me.

How does that work exactly?

[Michael]

How does that work exactly?
I'd venture to say it is the same effect as sex. Many males seem to have a biological urge to fall asleep immediately after sex (this is so common that women tend to make jokes about it).

It certainly is true for me.

[partofme]

I'd venture to say it is the same effect as sex. Many males seem to have a biological urge to fall asleep immediately after sex (this is so common that women tend to make jokes about it).

It certainly is true for me.

I meant how does masturbating itself work. :lol:

[Michael]

I meant how does masturbating itself work. :lol:

Either way, its probably illegal in Kentucky! ;)

[The Drunk Guy]

How does that work exactly?
:facepalm:


:wanker:

[Michael]

:facepalm:


:wanker:

Indeed, some smilies can speak a thousand words! :lol:

[The Drunk Girl]

:facepalm:


:wanker:

You want some spit with that?