Random Insomniac Ramblings...

Well, another bout of anxiety wrought insomnia. I have to work at 8a.m., and as a result my obsessive mind will not allow me to sleep. Oh well, people have easily survived 36 hours without sleep, and I can do it too, I'm getting tired of this though...my mind that is, always analyzing everything, causing me anxiety in the times that I need a clear mind the most. Oh well, everyone has issues, some with other people, some with themselves, for me it's the later of the two. My obsessive tendencies frustrate the heck out of me, because I worry about things so much that they happen because I've worried about them so much, it's a self fulfilling prophecy. As a result of worrying about not being able to sleep and being overtired at work tomorrow, I've created that problem. I also made the decision to just give in tonight, unlike other nights in the past where I've fought, and TRIED and TRIED to sleep to no avail. Tonight I'm sitting here, staring at the screen, just finished reading all of Proverbs from the N.I.V. of the Bible, don't get to read the Bible much, or I should say I don't make myself time to read the Bible much, so that's one benefit of not sleeping...I guess. My faith hasn't been doing as great as it could lately, so I'm really trying to get back in the swing of things, trying to conciously assess the moral implications of my actions at any given moment and actually trying to care about life and how I'm living it. I've tried in the past to just stop caring, as caring leads to pain, but I just can't do that, I just care too much about the people around me...I wish I could care more about myself from time to time, but that's life...

All I really care about right now is giving myself the strength to get through the 8-5 on no sleep and having to deal with the reprecussions of how I'll no doubt treat customers in my current mindset. Also, there seems to be quite the "never stop moving" vibe from the management at work, and I just can't keep moving for 9 hours on 0 hours of sleep, even if I only got up at 12:30 this afternoon. You know what though, I've done it before, I can do it again if I have to. *sigh* 4 hours 19 minutes until I'm officially on shift - once I'm done here I think I'll go burn some more midnight oil watching Mythbusters or shooting the shit on irc, wait...no...it'll be Counter Strike for sure, or maybe BF 2142, whatever, we'll see...I wonder if I'd be able to get some food from upstairs without waking the 'rents? No doubt if I do wake them up I'll have do deal with some "hyper rational" "This is rediculous, you should just get in bed and forget things and sleep, I don't like this at all, this is rediculous, get to bed, grrr, we can do it so can you, so just do it" crap that I always have to deal with, they just can't understand the mindframe that I get into, I hate it. Lol, my brother just strolled past on the way from the washroom, "Isn't it a little late to not be able to sleep?" how profound... At this point I shouldn't even try to sleep, I need to keep myself "powered up" so to speak, if I relax I'm done for, hello falling asleep every 10 minutes on my feet at work, hello having my manager yell at me every 10 minutes, goodbye trying to have a productive day tomorrow(later on today I guess).

Anyways, I'm off, if you feel like posting here in your moments of insomniac frustration go ahead...

I work two jobs, one at a bar and the other at a newsagents. So for the former I have late nights and the latter I have early starts, so sometimes when I have to do both back to back I get little to no sleep.

I remember a couple months back, when I first started the bar job, that I forced myself to survive on about 4-5 hours sleep over three days, with me being hungover for the first. That was my stupidity, because I was taking on overtime with the newsagents just to help them out, as they were severely understaffed, even though they still treat me like shit. In hindsight I should have just told them to shove it and slept instead.

I've had to do things like these a couple of times, although never as bad as that. I find my anxiety over work keeps me awake, like you Sector. I feel fatigued and tired, but not exactly sleepy. I suddenly get moments where it's like my body is trying to force me to sleep, but when that stops after a few minutes I feel okay again.

I've been late to open up the newsagents once by oversleeping, and since then I've always been paranoid of doing it again. I get so worried about doing it that I sometimes don't go to sleep, and stay awake all throughout the night to make sure I don't oversleep again.

I don't have imsomnia, I think I'm just a glutton for punishment sometimes, or afraid of not waking up again. I'm a very heavy sleeper when I have days off, I've slept 16 hours straight before.

I feel your pain man. I didn't sleep at all last night even with all the itis I should've been getting from Thanksgiving dinner.

Seriously, consider getting some sleeping pills if you haven't done that already. Don't use them all the time, just maybe every 3 weeks or so to throw your sleep cycle back into place.

Also consider exercising and analyzing the foods you eat. This can help out a lot more than you'd think.

I have a friend who has suffers (and still does) from chronic insomnia, and I can't think of any other solution other than going to the doctor. Whatever he can recommend is surely worth a try considering how little sleep you are getting. I know some people have hang-ups about medication but I think sleeping pills are the only option really (from a non-medical standpoint, because to be fair I know fuck all about that stuff). It's at least worth a try. I have had insomnia, not to the extent you describe, but bad enough to make me take sleeping pills and the change was incredible.

Apart from the pill aspect, I'm not sure how to help you. I could suggest a large number of things for you to do, none of which, I'm sure, would be of any use at all. Talk to your doctor. It's the only thing I could suggest.

You can go to a sleep doctor, there are several sleeping disorders. I went to one and was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea. That means I don't get enough oxygen or something in my system when I sleep. I did a few tests and they gave me a machine, and I hate using it even though I might have to in the future. I'm usually always tired even with a full nights rest and I couldn't do well in school or anything...

Anyway I would recommend going to a doctor you trust and asking him if he can recommend a specialist or something. If you have serious sleep problems and it sounds like you do, go see a doctor right away.

Originally Posted by Bernard Black

I have a friend who has suffers (and still does) from chronic insomnia, and I can't think of any other solution other than going to the doctor. Whatever he can recommend is surely worth a try considering how little sleep you are getting. I know some people have hang-ups about medication but I think sleeping pills are the only option really (from a non-medical standpoint, because to be fair I know fuck all about that stuff). It's at least worth a try. I have had insomnia, not to the extent you describe, but bad enough to make me take sleeping pills and the change was incredible.

Apart from the pill aspect, I'm not sure how to help you. I could suggest a large number of things for you to do, none of which, I'm sure, would be of any use at all. Talk to your doctor. It's the only thing I could suggest.

I have, to say the least, REACTIONS to sleeping pills. All that I've tried have caused me to have insane hallucinations(and I'm not on anything else that would cause this). Last time I popped a SleepEeze I forgot where I was when I woke up in my own house and scared the shit out of myself, and that was the night before I was flying to Cuba, needless to say I haven't tried them since...

The biggest thing for me that's keeping me up seems to be knowing when I have to get up the next day, I fall asleep easier when I have no deadline to be up, when it's an early deadline I can't sleep at all.

Have you tried exercising before you sleep? Lift weights, run, play DDR, or whatever to get your body pretty loosened up. Then take a hot shower or bath, and you'll fall asleep instantly.

Originally Posted by TheXeno

You can go to a sleep doctor, there are several sleeping disorders. I went to one and was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea. That means I don't get enough oxygen or something in my system when I sleep.

I'm afraid I too may have this problem. I often wake up and find myself not breathing... quite scary. Apparently there's not much in way of solutions except that scary machine I've heard about.

Quote:

I have, to say the least, REACTIONS to sleeping pills. All that I've tried have caused me to have insane hallucinations(and I'm not on anything else that would cause this).

Get a prescription for Ambien. It is a very very wonderful drug. However, be very careful about taking it. Taking Ambien too often will cause the drug to lose its effects and can totally destroy your sleep cycle. Tolerance and dependence can be very dangerous if the drug is taken irresponsibly. Again, once every 3 weeks (preferably 6) or even longer and you'll be surely safe.

If you find that you are hallucinating with Ambien even then you definitely should seek major medical attention as you could have serious neurlogical damage that insomnia can potentially create. Hallucinations are somewhat common side effects for sleeping pills but it's usually you and your sleeplessness causing it, not the drug. You can often also get antipsychotics prescribed to help with hallucinations with the sleeping pills, but I'd suggest only doing that as a last resort if Ambien isn't working for you.

Originally Posted by S?ecter

I have, to say the least, REACTIONS to sleeping pills. All that I've tried have caused me to have insane hallucinations(and I'm not on anything else that would cause this). Last time I popped a SleepEeze I forgot where I was when I woke up in my own house and scared the shit out of myself, and that was the night before I was flying to Cuba, needless to say I haven't tried them since...

The biggest thing for me that's keeping me up seems to be knowing when I have to get up the next day, I fall asleep easier when I have no deadline to be up, when it's an early deadline I can't sleep at all.

Were they perscription pills? I took non-perscription pills and inadvertently had a rather large drink before I went to bed, and when I woke up had the most horrible hallucinogenic experience I have ever had, despite feeling like I was paralysed. Now okay that was stupid of me, but maybe a doctor's perscription can be more specific to your own needs?

Also, about the deadlines, perhaps knowing you will be far too tired from lack of sleep to make them might excuse you from even having to go, if you get my meaning? In that sense, it doesn't matter if you are up in time or not, and it should ease your insomnia. Any way you can call in sick until you have sorted this out?