Intermittent insomnia

[blueroses]

Posted: 2/9/10 at 5:35am

Anyone else deal with this? More often than not, I can fall asleep, but when my stress levels are through the roof, this is what happens. Fell asleep at 11:00 p.m., woke up at 2:00 a.m. and have been up ever since.

My body is tired but my mind is racing. At this point, screw it. I'm up for good.

[nmartin]

Posted: 2/9/10 at 5:47am

I've been going through the same thing for almost two years. I've seen a doctor and tried over the counter. Nothing works. I've been up since 2:45. I feel for you.

[verynewyorkcurious]

Posted: 2/9/10 at 6:18am

I feel for you.

I fell asleep around 9pm because I didn't get a lot of sleep the night before, and then I got up at 11 something. The time is now 6:17am and I am still up.

Like you, I too have been stressed. I'm also trying to quit smoking. I will go back to sleep eventually, but the sun will have already come up and I'll probably wake up when it's about to get dark. I am looking up bakeries that will be open soon. Did I mention that I am a stress eater?

[nmartin]

Posted: 2/9/10 at 6:33am

NYCurious, what are you using to stop smoking? I've got to quit myself, but 31 years is a long, long time.

[verynewyorkcurious]

Posted: 2/9/10 at 7:04am

nmartin, I'm not a heavy smoker. I've been an on-again-off-again smoker since high school so it's not as difficult for me, but like I mentioned in my previous post, I've been quite stressed the past year or so and of course the cigarettes help.

I got a pretty bad cold last week so I couldn't smoke, so I figured that this would be the best time for me to quit (for now, anyway). It's going to take a bit of determination. I'll let you know if I succeed. I threw out the remainder of my pack and it was practically full.

I hope you do decide to quit. It's going to be hard after 31 years, but most people don't have to smoke at all so why do you? Get through the first part and hopefully the rest will work itself out. Hypnosis might work.

[nygrl232]

Posted: 2/9/10 at 8:29am

I deal with insomnia almost every night. Have tried many things. Endocrine issues run in my family so I got my thyroid checked out, and it's underactive. Doc put me on low dose of thyroid hormone, and since then I've been sleeping a bit more, even taking naps during the day.

[SweetQintheLights]

Posted: 2/9/10 at 10:38am

Hi, my name is ______ and I've been an insomniac for over 4 years. (Mostly due to stress).

I've been on several different prescribed sleeping meds and a combination of Ambien (5mg) and Ambien CR (6.25) has sorta worked. I still only get 5 hours a sleep at night, at most!

As for the smoking- I've never smoked but someone I know has smoked for 20+ years of their life. They've tried different patches and medicine which didn't work. They were recently put on a new med (which I don't know the name) and she said it was helping A LITTLE, at best. She went to the doctors for a check-up and was diagnosed with COPD. The doctor asked her if she wanted to see her daughter graduate, get married, have kids, etc.
Within a week, she didn't have another cigarette. It's been 2 years.

Maybe you could TRY having some type of mindset like that??

[Jane2]

Posted: 2/9/10 at 10:43am

Occasionally, I can't fall asleep because my mind is racing also, Blue. It can be a happy racing because I'm looking forward to something the next day, or it can be negative and stressful, over something that already happened or that I'm dreading.

Since it's an infrequent, occasional thing, I see nothing wrong with taking medication. Either something OTC like Tylenol PM or something like Xanax which stops obsessive thoughts.

However, I don't recommend taking meds for a chronic problem.

[nmartin]

Posted: 2/9/10 at 5:58pm

NYCurious and Lights, thanks for the support on the cig thing. I know I have to quit.
Good Luck to everyone on the sleep thing.

[sabrelady]

Posted: 2/11/10 at 12:39am

I ve used zopliclone on occ w good effect. Gets u to sleep but can't keep u there.( like most seditives)sometime w effect streching/relaxing my lower jaw & tounge. then trying to get into a slow rythmic pattern of breathing concentrating on only the breathing and that has worked too.

Good luck

[Eris0303]

Posted: 2/11/10 at 12:55am

I've been an insomniac for 30 years. I've never tried any pills or anything like that. Benedryl and NyQuil kick my butt to the extent that I'm tired for more than a day. So I'm afraid of what an actual sleeping pill will do.

A big tip I have is if you find yourself tossing and turning then get up. You want to associate your bed with sleep and not with tossing and turning. So if you find that you're tossing and turning after 15 minutes get up. Do something low key like read a book or watch something kinda boring on tv. If you find that you're hungry have something light like applesauce. I find if I'm even a little hungry I won't get a bit of sleep. Applesauce is perfect because it takes care of that hungry feeling without making me feel "full" which will keep me awake.

If I find that I can't sleep because my mind won't slow down I find a book to read. Read a chapter or two and then try again.

On nights where it's really bad I find that some soothing music can help. I have a pretty decent collection of film scores, celtic music cds and such. The key is to have the volume on a level where you don't have to strain to hear it but not loud enough that you'll concentrate more on the music than sleep.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 2/11/10 at 1:00am

I'm in the same boat. I get REALLY tired around 5-6pm no matter how late I wake up. But when it's time to actually go to bed, it's like I drank a whole 2 liter bottle of soda.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 2/11/10 at 1:04am

I have taken Ambien, Ambien CR, Rozerum, and countless other things. Many at the same time...

Nothing really works.

I sleep for about three solid hours, and then I'm up and down all night long.

But after finding a dead tenant this last year who took Ambien, fell asleep and then sleep walked right into the bathroom and took the rest of the bottle, I don't really want to take anything any more.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 2/11/10 at 1:19am

Now I'm gonna be up all night after reading that! YIKES!

[ShbrtAlley44]

Posted: 2/11/10 at 3:36am

Absolutely have the same problem. I sometimes go to sleep but wake up awhile later with my mind racing and can't get back to sleep. When that's not happening I fall asleep and then wake up several times throughout the night. Often, there are night terrors and delusions involved.

[tazber]

Posted: 2/11/10 at 7:34am

I'm in the same boat. I hate taking any pills b/c then I feel hungover the next day. And the worst part is that at night ypur problems always seem so much more scary.

Miserable.

[danmag]

Posted: 2/11/10 at 8:47am

I haven't slept through the night in YEARS...I can fall asleep right away, but always wake up between 2 and 4 and am just in and out of sleep for the rest of the night. I don't want to take medication, but I would kill to get 8 hours sleep.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 2/11/10 at 1:30pm

After reading all of this, I feel so normal now.

[Jane2]

Posted: 2/11/10 at 1:42pm

I'm very sensitive to medications, so I was surprised that the time I took Excedrin PM, two of them, I fell right to sleep and felt no after effects when I woke up.

Posted: 2/11/10 at 3:32pm

Studies show that if humans have no outside stimulus or time cues (Can't tell what time it is) the natural sleep cycle is pretty much what you are all describing: A few hours sleep, a period of wakefulness and then back to sleep for a while. I try to get to bed early (10 pm) and plan that I'll wake up at 3 or 4 and spend an hour or so reading before going back to sleep till 8.

[SweetQintheLights]

Posted: 3/10/10 at 1:56am

Anyone awake?

I'm bored out of my mind and way over tired. I've been going to the hospital for the last couple days to visit my 90 year old grandmother who fell and hit her head while going to the bathroom in the middle of the night. She hit the scale when she fell and she has 2 horribly swollen black and blue eyes. On March 20th, we are having a 90th bday for her with 50 people...family and friends. Hopefully the swelling will go down quite a bit.
And, this relates to insomnia because she has A LOT of trouble sleeping and took a new sleeping pill the night she fell. Of course, they aren't sure that's the cause of the fall and now want to put a pacemaker in for safety sake...granted, her heart has been perfectly fine on the monitor while in the hospital and she's had no heart problems in the past. I suppose they just want to err on the side of caution because of the way she looks with her eyes and the bumps on her head. I'm just thinking: Why have surgery for something that you probably don't need and probably wasn't the cause of the fall to begin with.

I'm tired. I wish I could sleep.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 3/10/10 at 2:07am

Yeah, I'm still awake. I have so much racing through my mind right now about the move this weekend and I am terrified. I probably won't be falling asleep for a good bit.

Sorry to hear about your grandmother.

[SweetQintheLights]

Posted: 3/10/10 at 2:24am

DJ- your move seems like a great new start. I'm really happy for you.

Thanks about my grandmother. I hope things get resolved soon. Hospitals are absolutely insane. All the doctors have different opinions and nobody can agree on one thing. Can we have some consistency here? They are keeping her in the hospital now for no reason....well, yea, for the doctors to fight it out whether she should get a pacemaker or not. A great reason for her to be stuck in a hospital, eh? Oh, and one of her heart things came off and the screen was showing a flat line....FINALLY (after 10 minutes) one of the nurses came in and said "We see your screen is showing a flat line...just want to make sure you're ok." Well, what a great way to check...10 minutes later! Idiots.
And if sleeping isn't difficult enough...they wake her up at 3am to ask her her weight; they don't have it written in the chart. 3am wake up to find out weight? I don't think so....
I was in the hospital a few months ago. It wasn't until a day later when they took me down for an MRI and realized I didn't have a name bracelet on. I had already had a CAT scan without the name bracelet on. wtf? seriously?

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/10/10 at 5:53am

Same issue here: I fall asleep with no problem....and often relatively early...by 10pm and I am often up between 3 & 4.

Going on the computer is about the worst thing you could do as the brightness is a stimulant. Reading in bed is probably the best. I will also put BAD tv on to lull me back to sleep.

[nmartin]

Posted: 3/10/10 at 6:06am

" I will also put BAD tv on to lull me back to sleep."

That's easily done.