Anyone an insomniac?

catshark209 · May 2012

I've had insomnia on and off since I was probably 11 or so. My son woke up around 1am last night and couldn't go back to sleep, and while I know it isn't inherited, so to speak, I still felt so bad for the little guy!
I usually get a bout of it for a few days then it goes away for a few months. This last time I was free for almost a year, then it hit for a whole week and now I'm on the upswing.
So my questions are:
How long have you had it?
Can you see an episode coming?
What triggers it for you? I usually have it around TOM, when I do.
What's the longest you've gone with little to no sleep and how did you function?

Roadie2000 · May 2012

I get it once in a while. It's all mental. Generally only happens if I'm not happy or stressed out about something. I do take over the counter sleep aids, but no more than once a week or so. They are usually just to get me back on schedule.

I also get it if I work out too soon before bedtime, so I try to do it as early as I can.

phillieschic · May 2012

I get it occasionally and it usually is when I have something heavy on my head. I have found that melatonin helps me a lot! I would only take all natural products so I can't comment about any others.

Sweet dreams, hopefully! :yawn:

PlanetVelma · May 2012

Have you ever tried Melatonin? I suffer from bouts of insomnia, as does my teenage son. We both take melatonin regularly to avoid those sleepless nights.

Talk to your son's dr about him taking melatonin. It's sold over the counter in the vitamin section...here's a link on some informaiton on melatonin.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melatonin

Also, what helps me is going to bed/getting up at the same time every day, even weekends. That isn't to say that I NEVER have issues sleeping, but keeping that regular sleep/wake schedule does help.

MissMisery1313 · May 2012

Lifelong insomniac here.

About a year and a half ago it got really really bad, and now I have a glorious sleep disorder in which my body jerks itself awake just as I am falling asleep over and over and over again (it can go on for hours). Now I have to an expensive prescription sleep aid that knocks me out so I can get some sleep.

I'm lucky like that.

Jazzyrose77 · May 2012

I've had it for about 7 years. It's every night so I just take ambien.
I have tried to get off of it but after 5 days of no sleep, I just say bump it I"m hooked. Not sleeping makes losing weight alot harder. (No sleep, no energy, not burning calories while sleep, blah blah) It sucks.:sad:

delilah47 · May 2012

I have dealt with insomnia for years. It can last for weeks and is not always "no" sleep. Sometimes it's an hour or so or a few minutes. I think mine is stress related, but I can never identify any one cause. Usually, I know when it's going to happen, because when I go to bed, I will go to sleep then wake up 10-15 minutes later feeling like I slept for a long time. Then I look at the clock and realize it was just a few minutes. That's how it usually starts. Even when I've stayed up all day for a few days without naps, it just gets worse. Usually the insomnia ends when I rest during the day and fall asleep and sleep for a few hours. It seems like it would be the opposite, but after sleeping for a few hours, I can then go to sleep again at night. Strange, eh?

Edit: For a time during my working years, I sometimes used a prescription sedative. I would use it for 5 nights, then go off of it. It helped a little, but it didn't take long to go back to my old habits. I haven't used anything to make me sleep since I stopped working about 8 years ago. It's not so bad if you don't have to get up in the morning, but is still frustrating to deal with.

Jeneba · May 2012

Oh you Poor Dears!!! I didn't sleep AT ALL last night & I am just a MESS today! Weepy, no-energy, kinda stupid... My heart goes out to all of you who have to live with this.....

RedVelvetCurls · May 2012

Yep... I'm pretty bad right now due to stress from uni... It's so bad for my diet and I get terrible dark circles under my eyes. :ohwell:

warmachinejt · May 2012

since i was a little boy, it is freaking annoying especially knowing bodybuilding requires sleep.

alliecat40 · May 2012

I had it for about 15 years off and on. About 6 months ago a doctor gave "Formula 303" it is a natural muscle relaxer made from a root. Non habit forming no side effects. I have since eliminated caffeine from my diet and switched to a plant based whole foods diet. I no longer take Formula 303 and I sleep like a baby. Best change I have ever made.

janet0513 · May 2012

I have always had a hard time falling asleep even as a kid. Since about my mid 30's, I have increasingly had difficulty falling and staying asleep. My father and gradmother had serious insomnia issues and now my 18 year old is on the same track. Although it is not heriditary (there is no 'sleep' gene linked with it), it does run in families.

Some things that help are -

Watch caffeine intake (also chocolate, alcohol have negative effects)
Avoid a lot of stimulus right before bed (tv, video games etc.)
Go to bed to sleep, not watch tv etc
A consistent bed time
Don't do heavy exercise before bed
Don't nap
Try some meditation or de-stressing techniques.
Sometimes taking a hot shower at night helps me fall asleep

I have tried melatonin and several sleeping pills and have not had much luck but they do help for some. Also, a sleep study may help if it is sleep apnea that is contributing.

giggitygoo · May 2012

I'm an insomniac too.

I've found my episodes are also related to TOM, and can also be triggered purely from stress. Sometimes from poor dietary choices too.The longest I've gone with absolutely no sleep was 4 days, and it was absolutely miserable. Little to no sleep was more than a week.

After that I was prescribed every sleeping aid you can imagine. I found that ambien actually makes me manic, and lunesta makes me hallucinate. Gah. I only take them when it's really bad.

I've found that regular exercise has helped me immensely. More than the pills by a long shot.

PlanetVelma · May 2012

I'm an insomniac too.

I've found my episodes are also related to TOM, and can also be triggered purely from stress. Sometimes from poor dietary choices too.The longest I've gone with absolutely no sleep was 4 days, and it was absolutely miserable. Little to no sleep was more than a week.

After that I was prescribed every sleeping aid you can imagine. I found that ambien actually makes me manic, and lunesta makes me hallucinate. Gah. I only take them when it's really bad.

I've found that regular exercise has helped me immensely. More than the pills by a long shot.

I've known a few folks that had "issues" with lunesta & ambien.

#1 - My best friend slept "cooked" - basically she made 2 dozen deviled eggs...in her SLEEP. She didn't remember ANYTHING, not boiling the water, not cutting the eggs, NOTHING. She saw the eggs in the fridge and realized that she had been cooking in her dam sleep.

#2 - Another friend's mother dumped out all of her medication on her kitchen counter. Doesn't remember a darned thing.

I know that sleep walking is a "side affect" but sleep cooking? Or sleep "cleaning-out-the-medicine-cabinet"? Holy smokes! The side effects I had were minor compared to these episodes, upset stomach, sleep for 2 hours and then wake up (unable to get back to sleep).

catshark209 · May 2012

I think we're both going to try melatonin. I stress a lot over work, so that keeps me up but I don't know what would keep a 10 year old up! Poor guy went to school all drowsy.
Thanks for all the input!

jad54 · May 2012

Melatonin works really well for me, but I have some WILD dreams. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. Therefore, I only take it 2-3 times a month. I was a big time insomniac in college. So much so that it lasted well into my mid-late 20s because I didn't change my sleeping habits much. I then read that turning off all electronics an hour before bed helps one sleep. Like anything else, it won't work for everyone, but it's made a huge difference in my life. Instead of going to bed with the TV on, I now crack open a book. I'm usually lights out in 15-20 minutes. Good luck!

pxpwop · May 2012

I took an ambien the other night because I had to be up for work at 3am. Other than that I don't touch the stuff. It worked pretty well. I had no dreams, no sleep walking or anything that can be a problem with Ambien. It pretty much shut my brain down and allowed me to sleep well.

fruitloopz · May 2012

Oh yes, and it is crazy going to sleep at 4:30 am, when everyone in the house wakes up at 5 to start their day .

Anyone an insomniac?

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