I know I have fellow sufferers.

Mine started about 6 months ago during a very stressful time.

I've tried Lunesta and Ambien. I've tried Alka Seltzer Night Time cold medicine.

Hot tea, hot chocolate, hot baths.

What works for you? What doesn't? And really.....sometimes, wouldn't you rather be awake reading, watching TV, posting, anything but sleeping?

i just posted the above in pet peeves Sammy.................we think alike

Heeey, there I am!

Yeah, I don't sleep well at night. I sleep in about 3-4 hour increments at night. Sooo I usually just stay up. It's better this way. I get all the peace and quiet of being home alone all day without my whole being home alone paranoia.

Cool people are up at night.

I hope I don't hurt anyone's feelings, but I would gladly give up all of you for more than two consecutive hours of sleep. My problem is called Nicholas.

Still, I've had insomia for most of my life. As a kid, I used to get in trouble for sitting under my covers with a flashlight so I could read. (This was about the most rebelious thing I ever did.)

Reading does not work. I love books too much. TV does not work. I just zone out.

There is only one thing that I've found that works, and it's kind of strange: I lie in bed and try to make up a story in my head. It must be very detailed, and then I have to work to remember all the details the second time through. It wears my brain out and I usually end up falling asleep halfway through the second round.

(Get your mind out of the gutter, people! I'm not talking about fluff stories!)

I used to do the same thing.

What?

I like to do jumping jacks until I tucker out. Laying down usually works for me. The only problem with that is that it takes me away from my computer.

I might get ten minutes of sleep when I hit the snooze button on my alarm.

are we only posting in this thread at night? are there time restrictions?

sunset to sunrise hours

People people people, Dont fight it. Embrace it. I have. You know, if i was in Japan, i would be right on time.

I find that stress keeps me up at night. Usually I'll try to figure out what's bothering me & than when I do I fall asleep. I know a few people who were extreme worrywarts & that kept them up. It's nerves.

In college I used to defend my insomnia to my friends by saying "I'll sleep when I'm dead." I figured it was just the stress from school, procrastinating on essays, or the hodge-podge of coffee and energy drinks that I drank instead of meals. Four years later I'm still not getting regular sleep. I did find that reading text books would put me in an instant slumber. I'm sure you can go to the library and check-out a text book on US Government or Astro-physics that would put you right out.

Fellow sufferer here!

Pros: I get so much work done in the middle of the night - I tend to work until 2 or 3 every morning. It also puts me on a schedule that works with Asia, which is where we do all of our printing - it's amazing how many middle-of-the-night conference calls I end up having!

Cons: After a few weeks of doing this (going to bed at 3-ish, waking up at 6-ish), I look like a ghoul. And I catch every wretched bug that is going around.

Haven't found any cures yet, and like OH, I've only had the worst possible reactions to any sort of sleep meds. It just seems to be the way my clock ticks.



Oh, MD, I feel your pain! I think that insomniacs are "blessed" with children who do not require much sleep either. Probably some weird evolutionary survival thing, but the fairness of it completely escapes me. My sister, who has always been able to snore away for 10 hours a night, got kids who slept the "optimum" 17 hours a day their first year. My daughter? Slept 17 hours total the first year. I was delusional - I can survive on three hours a night, but I only actually got about 1 hour a night. The worst moment was when I fell asleep, standing up, doing dishes.

I also wanted to give you kudos for your sleep technique. When I'm truly stumped for sleep, I think about a book I know far too well (usually a Jane Austen) and think about it, line by line, speech by speech, scene by scene. Even if I don't sleep right away, it is still restful.

Wish I could be there to spell you for a night or two of Nicholas duty - that level of tiredness actually hurts!

Of course we are.

I never got caught.

I just feel better when I get a good night's sleep, which is rare. I like to read in bed, or do Sudoku, or crosswords, but I just don't want to put the book down, or stop after 1 puzzle. For me it's mostly a discipline thing - I need to stay up all day and not take naps, and when I do, I need to go to bed at a reasonable hour. And I don't. Part of it is that it's my alone time - parents are asleep and I can do whatever I want. And sometimes I still can't get to sleep. If I take any kind of sleeping aid (prescription or otherwise), either it doesn't work, or I am so groggy I can't function the next day.

Figures you guys would start this thread the day after I start singing off at 2am.

i feel inspired to create an insomniac badge or avatar

i'll sleep on it

Yeah, because none of us will be awake during the day.

*Sigh* I've come to the conclusion that sleeping at night is overrated. Usually I consider it to be an early night if I'm asleep by 2. I've tried everything to get myself to go to bed easier, but my mind is much more active at night, and that's usually when I have my best ideas. However, if I don't get any sleep, I'm an absolute ***** in the morning, so I usually manage to fall asleep around 4 and wake up around 9 or 10....it kinda works.

Actually, the only time in my life when I don't remember having this problem was when I had a job where I worked from 530am til 130. It, however, was complete torture, and I'm not willing to repeat it just to get a more "normal" sleep cycle.

You're not even pretending to try now!

I don't think I'm an insomniac. My body loves getting eight hours of sleep. It just doesn't like to start until 3:00 a.m. or later. The problem with that is I don't get to set what time I get up. I'm still going to have to be at school or work when they say, not when I feel like it.

I don't know this song. It was one of the first hits when I put 'sleeping' in youtube's search engine.

I'm at the halfway mark now, and I'm 'bout ready to pass out.

No, tonight I'm not even pretending to try. It's too frustrating.

I have to be up in 3 1/2 hours.

Does that mean "All Nighter"? I'll bring the Frankie Valli records!

There was one idea mentioned by FWordUltimatum (Newbie? Hi, how are you? I'm Diapers) that rarely fails me. Textbooks. Or any books, for that matter. Textbooks are the worst though because I usually need to stay awake to finish that night's chapter, and I just can't do it.

I know. I almost....almost....fell asleep when I read the last line of that post.

Have you tried letting your daughter smack you with a frying pan? It works in the cartoons... Unless you're Jerry the Mouse. Then you just create a perfect mold of your entire body in a cast iron skillet.

You're the only person I'd let hit me with a frying pan. Your motives are pure.

If she wanted to hit me with a frying pan it wouldn't be for my benefit.

How about Colin Hay's "Overkill?" Ignore the fans and the backup singer (his wife).
I liked the 80's version when he was with Men at Work better, but I couldn't find the original video. Colin Hay was on Scrubs performing this song as well, I think maybe in season 2.

Lyrics:
I cant get to sleep
I think about the implications
Of diving in too deep
And possibly the complications

Especially at night
I worry over situations
I know will be alright
Perahaps its just my imagination

Day after day it reappears
Night after night my heartbeat, shows the fear
Ghosts appear and fade away

Alone between the sheets
Only brings exasperation
Its time to walk the streets
Smell the desperation

At least theres pretty lights
And though theres little variation
It nullifies the night
From overkill

Day after day it reappears
Night after night my heartbeat, shows the fear
Ghosts appear and fade away

I cant get to sleep
I think about the implications
Of diving in too deep
And possibly the complications

Especially at night
I worry over situations
I know will be alright
Its just overkill

Day after day it reappears
Night after night my heartbeat, shows the fear
Ghosts appear and fade away
Ghosts appear and fade away
Ghosts appear and fade away

I am a lifelong insomniac. I used to worry about it, but then I realized it wasn't affecting my ability to function during the day. So now I'm perfectly happy on 4 hours of a sleep a night. I go to bed at a decent hour when I have to work, but I don't go right to sleep. I usually read or listen to my "Relaxing" playlist on my iPod. I figured out about 10 years ago, that if I can't sleep, then I can at least rest. My brain usually shuts down first, but my body is on another page, so I have to allow time for it to catch up! I think the biggest key is learning not to get frustrated, it just keeps you up longer anyway!

I think ill start an insomniac list.



What are some good movies to watch when you are up past 1AM?


I think two of the best are

1.The Machinist
2. Collateral

I dont know why, but those two movies are good to watch at night


Also, good music is

1. Creep- Radiohead
2. Clap your hands say yeah
3. The Decemberists
4. New Slang- The Shins



What else?

^ ^ ^ I think every insomniac is familiar with TVLand or Nick at Night. Television doesn't get any better past 1 a.m.

....And, here's something on the other side of insomnia. I'm an EAST-COASTER fellow insomniacs....yes, it's 4:30 AM here. I get up, well...in the middle of the night, when I'm stressed out (like now, at the end of the school year). I also go to bed before 10 and fall right asleep, I swear before my head hits the pillow. Then I wake up at like 4 and can't go back to sleep.

One of my goals this summer is to start staying up a bit later a night to get up at a more reasonable time (5 AM maybe???). I've always been an early riser though, at age 7 my parents would pre-make my breakfast for me so I wouldn't wake them up at 5:30 in the morning on the weekends. So I think 5 AM is the best I can hope for.....

Anyway middle of the night/early morning is "my" time and that's when I'm on here. Like you SB, I do pretty well on a few hours of sleep a night. Whatever works, right?

One thing for sure, sleep aids (read: drugs) don't help.

I used to be an insomniac until I visited a sleep disorder clinic. One of the things I learned there is that your body will tell you when it needs sleep, and you need to pay attention to it. If it's getting to a certain time of the evening and you feel tired, that's when to go to bed. Going to bed when you're wide awake does nothing for you other than to keep you awake even longer. The body has cycles (called circadian rhythms) that go through high and low periods. High cycles are when your mind is most active: low cycles are good times to give the brain cells some time off. Track your cycles over a few days, and you may have to change your daily routine to accomodate them. But it works.

It also helps to dim the lights and keep noise to a minimum. Good luck.

Whenever I have trouble sleeping its because of work related stress. To conquer this i just tap into my other personality. I call him #3. His attitude can be summed as " I don't give a blank anymore".

Bumpage. Because insomniacs need love too.

Yes, but my boss won't allow me to sleep at work.

When I'm not on somebody else's set schedule, my body will find its eight hours of sleep. The only problem is that it likes to shut down between 3:00 and 11:00 a.m. That doesn't fit with most school or business hours.

Wasn't there a Seinfeld episode where Kramer tried to sleep for ten or fifteen minutes every hour?

Seinfeld season 7 episode 17: Jerry is being sponsored for membership to the Friars' Club, but things go awry when he accidentally walks off with their jacket. George is excited when Jerry starts dating Susan's best friend and they can double date together. Kramer tries to copy Leonardo Da Vinci's sleep patterns, but it doesn't work out the way he'd hoped. Meanwhile, Elaine is suspicious that a coworker is faking being deaf.


I cant find it on Youtube though....

but it will be on Mon. June 11 6:30 PM TBS The Friars Club #7.17

I'm so ashamed. I neglected my own thread last night. I'll be back soon.

Sadly, this is untrue. I am so sick of Cosby and Fresh Prince, I could vomit. More Roseanne, more Newsradio, more Murphy Brown, even more Designing Women. Well, not really. How about The Big Valley?

If I didn't have Discovery Health so I could see stuff like Medical Incredible, Mystery Diagnosis or Dr. G, Medical Examiner, I don't know what I'd do.

Ok, tonight I am going to take Estroven PM, "for natural sleep, with no morning grogginess." I'll let you know how it works.

We don't get cable (I know this is a message board for a TV show so it sounds ironic, but neither of us watch much TV at all), so after Conan, there's not much point. I can't easily read when I'm holding a baby, so I would probably die without my laptop.

So, are you saying I would watch less TV if I bought a laptop? heh heh

If my experience is any indication, I'd say it's true. Some nights the TV stays off.

I just took a 2 1/2 hour nap. That might be it for the night.

it is now 4:00 in the morning, and I still have yet to fall asleep. I spent the last half hour reading, and the half hour before that, aimlessly staring at the ceiling while my dog snored and drooled on me. what an exciting night...

My baby caught my cold, and now he's so stuffy he can hardly breathe. I doubt I'll sleep again this weekend. Why did I buy caffeine-free Pepsi???

Hmm. I can't sleep and I need to be up in about...2.5-3 hours for a 4.5 hour block of art classes. Go me.

I'm just glad that the Mountain Dew energy drink has at least some effect on me...


I hope your baby gets better soon, Muffy.

last night i finally fell asleep shortly after 5:30. usually that's when i get up on school days.

I think the majority of us here are adults, but I wont post this article verbatim but its gives another look about 'screwed' up sleep.



p.s. after you read the article you'll remember my double entendre

I read that this morning, how funny.

It's so funny that you say this, because as I was reading the first sentence you wrote, all I was picturing in my head was George sleeping under his desk when he worked for the Yankees.

There are days when I can not get to sleep and then there are days when I can do nothing but sleep. It drives me crazy!! I do find that I function better on 5 hours of sleep rather than 8.. The less sleep the better. Which is odd I know, but what can we do huh?

A doctor told me that 8 hours really isn't optimal. You do better in increments of 90 minutes as that is the average length of a full REM cycle. If you sleep for 8 hours you're probably going to interrupt one, and your body really isn't ready to wake up yet.

hmm so that is why I feel so rested when I take cat naps??

catnaps and coffee.. what every college gal needs!!

That makes a lot of sense to me, Sammy. Explains why I can really only sleep about 3 hours sometimes...

my sleep will have to change or something else will have to change once the kids are out of school...i just dont know what will change yet..........

p.s. where is that palm reader when you really need her?