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Sleeping Problems

B

BigPrince

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Dec 27, 2006
2,053
111
What do you guys do to help sleep? I am beginning to lose my mind, I can't freaking fall asleep for the life of me.

I am stuck in a sick cycle. Basically, I can't fall asleep until well after 1am, sometimes even after 2am and must get up around 7:00-8:00am daily. I get home in the evening and I am exhausted. I can't stay up and function so I take a nap(unwillingly), which generally lasts 2 hours. Then I wake up, not fully refreshed, but a in much better state then I was pre-nap, however then this again causes me not to be able to fall asleep until 1-2 am. And then the freaking cycle repeats and repeats, and its driving me nuts cause its causing me to fall behind on my schoolwork. Its hard for me to concentrate during the day and I don't accomplish much after my nap. And since I am falling behind on my school work, I am falling behind on my job related work and its causing me a hell of a lot of ****ing stress right now.

How do I break this sick cycle.
 
Oh my god! You are like me! I was complaining about this last night, I swear it takes at least an hour and a half for me to fall asleep. I do not take naps, but either way if I go to sleep at 10:30 (11:30, more realistically for me) I will be asleep at 12:30-1:00. I can't stand it, my mom falls asleep in a matter of minutes! I updated my pillow situation last night, so hopefully that will help me sleep better. I want to take pills, but I would rather have my body sleep on its own... but that doesn't seem to be happening.

But about your cycle, I would recomend some coffee in the morning to help you wake up, and perhaps I would try to avoid taking a nap in the afternoon, because a nap will most likely permit your body to stay up later, so by not napping, you might be able to fall asleep eariler.
 
I have no idea of how to break it, but I'd LOVE to know how.
I always have to take some kava to fall asleep.
It only happens to me during the semester, so I think it is related to stress. Get rid of the stress and sleep better?

Good luck, man. :)
 
Trust me when I tell you it could be worse a lot worse to where you are in tears because all you want to do is fall asleep and you cant and you start running on 3 broken hours of sleep a night and no getting any real naps during the day.

My first advice for you is to not take your nap. Yes it will be hard but skipping the nap is going to be something you have to do.

2nd question, what are you drinking/ eating after 6pm? does any of it contain a stimulant?

Are you currently on any medication?

What is going on in your life that is increasing your stress?

A lot of it is just forcing your internal clock to change it time. That or you get use to running on very little sleep. I have 8am classes every day and my late nights are wearing on me and now yeah I have trouble falling asleep before 2am. Having several 3-4 amis in a row will do that to one self.

My advice is skip the nap and look at what you are eating after 6-7pm and cut out any caffeine. Also you need to take some time to relax. Some how I think you are running very high stress and the lack of sleep is making it worse and in turn making it harder to fall asleep. I would recommend against going on any medication for it because it is not sever enough to warrant it yet.
 
Rodimus Prime said:
A lot of it is just forcing your internal clock to change it time.
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Light therapy and melatonin should help you there.

EDIT: Basically make sure it is as bright as possible when you need to wake up and take melatonin around midday (avoiding stimulants after that) to help you fall asleep when you want to and get up when you need to.

B
 
I cut caffeine out as part of my new years resolution and have pretty good about that and it has made me feel better.

I generally have Cereal(wheaties) before my nap.

No medication currently.

Next week is our Reading Break and I am going to do my darnest to start back on regulating my sleep.


I have cried in the past because I could no fall asleep for the life of me, though that was not recently.
 
Do you lie there thinking of things?

When I had insomnia I listened to audiobooks to distract me from thinking. It works pretty well.


I still listen to audiobooks, even though I now suffer hypersomnia.
 
yeah cut the nap out of your day and it should help. It will take some time before you adjust but it is well worth it. Plus naps are never as good as a good nights rest. Hell on any of my naps it a very very light sleep and I will drift in and out being awake for how ever long it is so at most it just gives me a little groggy recharge. Speaking of which I need to go to sleep.
 
Alot of times when I can't go to sleep continously and not depedent on recent naps, I am usually stressed or depressed about whatever. Around Nov/Dec I had a sleeping problem and it ended up me being extremely depressed about my college situation. I'm fine now since I'm taking a semester break. Other than emotional stress, I always recommend trying other places to sleep. If I'm restless on my bed, I go to my couch. Seems to work alot of times.

Or read a book for a little bit. Calms your senses down and can keep your mind off of sleeping when you're lying down, because you don't sleep when you think about sleeping. You gotta focus on another subject, like a good book as you slowly begin to fade into your sleep. This has worked for me for a long time.
 
No, I go on the computer when I cant fall asleep, I gave up just lieing there.

Good night its 1:30 am and I need to be outa the house by 7am, whoopdeewhoop, another exhausting day ahead. Sucks that I have 2 midterms this week. Spring break and no more nap time.
 
BigPrince said:
No, I go on the computer when I cant fall asleep, I gave up just lieing there.

Good night its 1:30 am and I need to be outa the house by 7am, whoopdeewhoop, another exhausting day ahead. Sucks that I have 2 midterms this week. Spring break and no more nap time.
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You seem to be a bit stressed. That isn't going to help you sleep. Lying there trying to force yourself to sleep won't work and will keep you awake. That's your problem, you need to learn to relax.
 
I can relate. Insomnia can be a terribly frustrating thing. I've had bouts where nothing helps -- not even over-the-counter sleep aids, which can make you sleepier but still unable to sleep. The root causes of insomnia can be physiological, psychological and environmental, or a combination of these factors. Here is my advice, from experience:

First, if the insomnia lasts for less than a month, don't worry about it -- it's considered acute, not chronic. If it does go on, see your doctor. He/she may prescribe a sleeping pill, such as Ambien or Lunesta. These drugs really work, and they will come as a huge relief if you simply cannot sleep any other way. Just don't take them every night for a long time -- they can be hard to stop.

In the meantime, you need to make some adjustments. Go to bed at the same time every night. Make sure your room is dark, completely. If you currently sleep with someone, move to a bed in a room by yourself, if possible. If outside noises wake you, buy some foam earplugs. Gradually, you will probably find yourself able to sleep longer and with fewer disturbances. This takes time, maybe a week or more -- but it will happen.

I've been told that napping is bad, but in my experience, even napping isn't possible when insomnia gets really severe. At that point, even extreme tiredness does not produce sleep.

By all means, do not try to drink yourself to sleep. When I'm sleeping well, one glass of wine with dinner puts me out like a light, often while watching TV. If I'm not sleeping well, two glasses will keep me awake all night.

The root cause of most insomnia is worry. Eventually, you will have to deal with whatever is producing the anxiety. That's the hardest part, but the one you really need to do.

Hang tough. Insomnia is awful, but most people beat it.
 
Starting tomorrow, cut your nap time down to 20-30 minutes a day tops...then just try to fall asleep at a consistent time each night. That 2 hour nap is what is messing you up, but it will probably take a little while to break the habit. Get an alarm clock with a nap timer on it, then when the nap timer goes off get up and splash water on your face so you don't feel like just taking a longer nap. I also recommend finding a movie (a common suggestion is L'Avventura by Antonioni) that will just bore you to sleep.
 
I've tried reducing my nap times, I just lost all sense and kill the alarm clock.

I had to get 2 alarm clocks on opposite sides because I was able to turn one off so fast, I no longer remembered turning it off.
 
Bobdude161 said:
Alot of times when I can't go to sleep continously and not depedent on recent naps, I am usually stressed or depressed about whatever. Around Nov/Dec I had a sleeping problem and it ended up me being extremely depressed about my college situation. I'm fine now since I'm taking a semester break. Other than emotional stress, I always recommend trying other places to sleep. If I'm restless on my bed, I go to my couch. Seems to work alot of times.

Or read a book for a little bit. Calms your senses down and can keep your mind off of sleeping when you're lying down, because you don't sleep when you think about sleeping. You gotta focus on another subject, like a good book as you slowly begin to fade into your sleep. This has worked for me for a long time.
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Get a signifigant other. I used to not be able to sleep in my bed at all. I would only be able to fall aasleep on my sofa. It took getting a girlfriend now wife to get me to the bed :D and able to sleep.

Ther are tons of over the counter things to help with sleep= simply sleep is a good one as are some others. If that doesnt work, see a doctor. Sometimes something as simply as a small tranquilizer will help, like ativan or valiuum. Even a small script for like 30 days might be enough to get you back on track. but honestly 1am isnt that bad for falling asleep. What time is it now and I'm awake!
 
I once heard that, if you can't sleep, watching TV or using the computer will actually keep you awake. You're better off just lying there or reading a book.

Makes sense to me.
 
OscarTheGrouch said:
Get a signifigant other. I used to not be able to sleep in my bed at all. I would only be able to fall aasleep on my sofa. It took getting a girlfriend now wife to get me to the bed :D and able to sleep.

Ther are tons of over the counter things to help with sleep= simply sleep is a good one as are some others. If that doesnt work, see a doctor. Sometimes something as simply as a small tranquilizer will help, like ativan or valiuum. Even a small script for like 30 days might be enough to get you back on track. but honestly 1am isnt that bad for falling asleep. What time is it now and I'm awake!
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Oh yeah.. the original point of my original post was if you cant sleep in the bed, try a different location like the sofa or something. No shame in it!
 
Studies say that naps should be longer than 15 minutes. Otherwise you enter REM and wake up groggy. Picasso used a trick where he napped with a spoon resting in his hand it was over a metal plate. When his body started into REM sleep the muscles relaxed, the spoon dropped and there was a klank to wake him up.

Other suggestions for getting to sleep.
1) Use the bed only for sleep and sex
2) Avoid all use of Caffeine, no coffee, tea, soda or chocolate.
3) If you can't sleep just lie there with your eyes closed.
 
OscarTheGrouch said:
Get a signifigant other. I used to not be able to sleep in my bed at all. I would only be able to fall aasleep on my sofa. It took getting a girlfriend now wife to get me to the bed :D and able to sleep.
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This advice can't be coming from someone who has suffered from real insomnia. Insomniacs should sleep in a room by themselves. Just having to listen to someone sleeping can be very disturbing to an insomniac.

EricNau said:
I once heard that, if you can't sleep, watching TV or using the computer will actually keep you awake. You're better off just lying there or reading a book.
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Most of the sleep experts I've read advise that if you can't fall asleep in 20 minutes, get up and do something else. I usually give it somewhat longer, but that's just me. Probably reading a book or some other quiet activity is better than staring into a bright computer display or a TV, which sends your brain confusing messages about the time of day.

OscarTheGrouch said:
Oh yeah.. the original point of my original post was if you cant sleep in the bed, try a different location like the sofa or something. No shame in it!
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Right. (Why did you say the opposite above?) Not only do you need to be by yourself for your own good, but insomniacs tend to drive their bed partners to insomnia with their tossing and turning. You also don't want to associate your normal sleeping place with insomnia. Sleeping by yourself in another room is recommended by sleep experts for a reason: it works! I can also personally attest to it.
 
BigPrince said:
I've tried reducing my nap times, I just lost all sense and kill the alarm clock.

I had to get 2 alarm clocks on opposite sides because I was able to turn one off so fast, I no longer remembered turning it off.
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If you can get that clock out of your room, do it. If you must have a clock, turn it so you can't see the numbers while you're in bed.

The fact that you can nap tells me that your insomnia could be much worse (trust me!). Try taking some of the advice you've been given. It may take a week or more to get yourself straightened out, but it will happen, gradually. If it doesn't, by all means see your doctor -- you could have a physiological problem, like sleep apnea or restless leg syndrome. And figure out what's bugging you. Anxiety is almost certainly at the heart of your insomnia, and of course insomnia just causes more anxiety. It's a vicious cycle, and you must break it.
 
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