Insomnia

filergirl

Does anyone here suffer from insomnia? Any suggestions as to how you manage it? Mine has been getting increasingly worse over the past six months, to the point where I am only getting a few hours sleep at night during the week. It seems that no matter now tired I am, I can never fall asleep before 2 am. By Friday I am so tired I actually feel slightly bonkers. On the weekends I "catch up" because I can sleep in.

I think this is affecting my weight loss, seeing as nighttime tends to be when my willpower dissolves. If I have dinner at 6:30 or 7 pm, and I'm staring at the ceiling at 1 am, of course I'm going to be hungry again. I don't normally overeat too badly, but I often go over my calories a bit because my stomach is aching. This is a secondary concern to the insomnia itself -- not being able to sleep worries me more than not being able to lose those last 5 lbs.

When I do manage to get a "good night's sleep," I rarely feel refreshed. More often I wake with my heart pounding, in a cold sweat. I can sleep for 10 hours and still feel exhausted. I've tried everything (except for sleeping pills, I'm scared of them) and nothing seems to work. :mad:

It's really dragging me down. It's a lot harder to have a positive outlook on things and really be energetic and give 100 % in my daily activities when I feel so exhausted. At first I thought my doing cardio after work could be the cause, but I stopped that for a few days and it didn't help. I only drink one cup of coffee per day (well before noon), I don't eat a lot of caffeine-laden foods, and I rarely drink during the week. (In fact, having a glass of wine seems to help me nod off, but everything I have read has cautioned against using alcohol as a sleep aid). I'm not on any prescriptions except the Pill. I doubt that's it, but really I can't think of anything else.

Many doctors treat insomnia as a symptom of a larger problem, such as depression or other underlying health issues. I have been through a major depression, and during that time I slept like crazy. I literally could do nothing else. This is different. During the day, I'll be really tired all of a sudden, and just have to put my head down on my desk (this happened yesterday). I closed my office door and didn't wake until a colleague was knocking asking whether I wanted a ride home. In the 15 minutes I conked out, I had been dreaming I was on a stage, playing a violin concerto that was very difficult -- one I'd never heard before. I felt even more exhausted than before. What the heck!?!

filergirl

Does anyone here suffer from insomnia? Any suggestions as to how you manage it? Mine has been getting increasingly worse over the past six months, to the point where I am only getting a few hours sleep at night during the week. It seems that no matter now tired I am, I can never fall asleep before 2 am. By Friday I am so tired I actually feel slightly bonkers. On the weekends I "catch up" because I can sleep in.

I think this is affecting my weight loss, seeing as nighttime tends to be when my willpower dissolves. If I have dinner at 6:30 or 7 pm, and I'm staring at the ceiling at 1 am, of course I'm going to be hungry again. I don't normally overeat too badly, but I often go over my calories a bit because my stomach is aching. This is a secondary concern to the insomnia itself -- not being able to sleep worries me more than not being able to lose those last 5 lbs.

When I do manage to get a "good night's sleep," I rarely feel refreshed. More often I wake with my heart pounding, in a cold sweat. I can sleep for 10 hours and still feel exhausted. I've tried everything (except for sleeping pills, I'm scared of them) and nothing seems to work. :mad:

It's really dragging me down. It's a lot harder to have a positive outlook on things and really be energetic and give 100 % in my daily activities when I feel so exhausted. At first I thought my doing cardio after work could be the cause, but I stopped that for a few days and it didn't help. I only drink one cup of coffee per day (well before noon), I don't eat a lot of caffeine-laden foods, and I rarely drink during the week. (In fact, having a glass of wine seems to help me nod off, but everything I have read has cautioned against using alcohol as a sleep aid). I'm not on any prescriptions except the Pill. I doubt that's it, but really I can't think of anything else.

Many doctors treat insomnia as a symptom of a larger problem, such as depression or other underlying health issues. I have been through a major depression, and during that time I slept like crazy. I literally could do nothing else. This is different. During the day, I'll be really tired all of a sudden, and just have to put my head down on my desk (this happened yesterday). I closed my office door and didn't wake until a colleague was knocking asking whether I wanted a ride home. In the 15 minutes I conked out, I had been dreaming I was on a stage, playing a violin concerto that was very difficult -- one I'd never heard before. I felt even more exhausted than before. What the heck!?!

mjfer123

Reading at night is a good way to get your busy mind to settle down, it helps me a lot. Also, the later I eat at night, the worse I feel in the morning, like theres a rock in my stomach. Ive also given up soda and coffee for a while now, and I noticed a trend right away of better sleep.

deanea

Ohhh, I feel for you, I work a blend of midnights and days and sleep comes rarely, five hours a day usually:grumble: :yawn: . Unfortunately I have no advice for you, but I emapathize. If you find anything that helps you please let me know, and I will do the same:flowerforyou:

filergirl

Reading at night is a good way to get your busy mind to settle down, it helps me a lot. Also, the later I eat at night, the worse I feel in the morning, like theres a rock in my stomach. Ive also given up soda and coffee for a while now, and I noticed a trend right away of better sleep.

I try to pick something really boring, but that doesn't work, so I read the better part of The Bell Jar last night. Admittedly that might not have been the best choice; it annoyed me that Plath sounded so much like Salinger, and then it made me sad, because you can tell she's depressed by the way she's writing: her words are eerily empty.

Sometimes I'll choose a "light" magazine (like a design mag or SELF or something) which would seem innocuous, but there will always be something in there to ponder, too. It is so hard to turn off my brain sometimes. Grrr.

lotusfromthemud

I feel for you. This is a major issue for me, and with my fibro., it leads to pain. . . which is badness.

I have discovered that I need a bedtime "ritual". I used to have to take sleeping meds, which I hated, because I don't like to depend on a pill to do anything. I'm not sure if the ritual is physical or mental, but it's working for me usually.

Here's my ritual:

I take a hot bath. Sometimes I drink what my grandma used to call "good night juice" which is good old warm milk with a bit of vanilla extract. Also, I have a lavender oil that I put on my bed right before I get in it.

Also, I have a white noise machine in my bedroom. This was a recent addition, as I married a snorer.

Plath would not be my first choice for light reading. Reading always wakes me up, especially something as morose as that.

Also, when my hormones are in a pms tizzy, all bets are off and I don't sleep much at all.

jessneill

I've had bad insomnia since I was in college, I'm sure it was brought on by stress. I am a pill taker, if I don't I will lay there for hours no matter how sleepy I am.

Sorry but I don't have any good answers...:frown:

bla115

I developed insomnia about a year and a half ago. It got so bad that I would literally not fall asleep for days. I headed to my local sleep lab and had a sleep study done. It ruled out things like sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, etc. but confirmed that I did have sleep problems. Even with a sleep medication that they gave me I was coming out of what they classify as sleep 40-50 times a night and not only that I was suffering from night terrors! Here's what I did with my Dr.'s help:

1. I did my room and ditched the TV from in there. One hour before bedtime is wind down time and I only either read a book or listen to soft music.
2. I did some things to my house to diffuse some of my night terror triggers (added locks, etc)
3. The doctor prescribed a sleep medication that really helps
4. I found a yoga dvd that has a specific portion of it dedicated to helping insomnia (no kidding)
5. I'm currently reading a book that is a 4 week plan to break insomnia (haven't finished yet)
6. Exercise!!!!! (It has cut down on how much sleep meds I take)

I'm in the middle of getting this figured out but if at all possible I would recommend going to a sleep specialist. Insomnia can contribute to everything from weight gain to other more serious disorders. Your body simply can't function long with no rest. Hope this helps!