Who here also has problems sleeping? I don’t mean every now and then, I mean chronically deprived of sleep. I get about 4-5 hours of sleep a night, 6 if I’m lucky, 7 if all the planets line up, and 8 if there’s a purple unicorn in the sky.
It’s so draining and tiring, because you never make the loss sleep up. Every day I am tired. Every day I have no energy to do anything, and nothing gets done. Its been like this for several years now.
How do you deal with it? How do you live when you can barely get up and moving? And how do you get your chores done? Like I struggle with that daily. Laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping, etc.
And then I beat myself up because I didn’t get x, y, z done…
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For energy during the day I use Nicotine gum ( replaces the chewing tobacco ) , Korean Ginseng and caffeine tablets ( cheaper than coffee or tea). At night I use Melatonin and Trazodone ( need a rx for this), and will take St John’s Wort also before the above 2 once in a while. Benadryl works for a few days to induce sleep then wears off.
I’ve never had it for long periods of time, maybe a week at the longest, mixed in with occasional single nights.
When it is an ongoing issue, I can only count on having one day where my body simply crashes from exhaustion to get any real good rest. This usually happens about three or four days in. I’ve tried otc sleep aids, and they seem to backfire after the first few doses, making me anxious and jittery.
I “need” at least four hours a night, and generally get at least six to seven.
I have anxiety triggers that can keep me awake all night, but haven’t had the issues you’re dealing with, where it’s gone on for so long. I can’t imagine.
Yes, long-term sleep deprivation is torture. Which is why I believe I am destined to a life of suffering. No reprieve.
Do you have sleep apnea?
No, not sleep apnea (which is defined as “in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts”) but I do have difficulty breathing. Every breathe I take in is half the amount of air I should be taking in, so it’s more like an invisible pillow over my nose, all day, all night, and I’m being slowly smothered. (But drs say I have NO breathing problems at all, so don’t get me started on idiot drs who know nothing).
I want to get an air machine (for daytime use), but it’s not allowed to be shipped to my state so I haven’t gotten one yet.
Oh, on top of having an issue with my nasal cavities, I also have major allergies, which cause a lot of inflammation, which causes the airflow to narrow even more.
Not being able to fully breathe is but ONE of my causes of my sleep deprivation.
Yeah, sounds like you might benefit from a crap machine. I’ve met people that love the results.
You mean a CPAP machine lol. No, I don’t want one of those. They dry your nasal passages (and mine are already dry from my allergies) and the force of the air can rip the sensitive linings.
But you’re right, they are “crap” machines. They can be made so much better, but they won’t, because they know people don’t have a choice.
Wow, total accident, meant to type cpap.
I have problems sleeping cause I wake up
In a perfect life I could sleep 24 hours a day
I do not have anything to get done but my body forces me awake after 9 or so 12 on a good day
On a good day I don’t leave bed
Ya know I take sleeping pills but when it is really bad I get frustrated and I can’t sleep I think strongly about overdosing on something that would sure pass me out
Lol. Like your attitude.
The good news is that our collective knowledge is advancing exponentially. Which means that scientists are learning more and more about sleep, and (I don’t know your age) it is not unlikely that help will arrive within your lifetime.
You have probably already done this, but if it were me, I would find the best scientific advice on how to sleep well and implement it. Things like sleeping in perfect darkness, avoiding non-essential medication as well as stimulants, avoiding screens before bedtime, or installing an app that limits blue light exposure, buying a sufficiently good bed, making sure the temperature is right, going to bed at the same time every night, etc.
If nothing helped, I would maybe badger the best researchers on the topic for help. Maybe they have some nuggets of wisdom or cutting-edge theory that has yet to be fully confirmed.
Good luck
Have you ever had a sleep study done?
Nope, but to be fair, I haven’t really felt the need. I would love to, though. Have you?
I used to have sleep issues too. It got to the point of I was always just one misstep from a serious accident and my immune system was compromised and on and on. I bought an old book called “The Promise of Sleep”. It helped me approach sleep issues and resolve them by teaching the body and brain functions behind sleep. I no longer fall asleep behind the wheel for example. My decision making got a lot better.
Also, napping for either 20 min. (short enough to not complete a full sleep cycle), or 90 min. (a full sleep cycle) during the day can be super beneficial. A good time would be between 12 and 3 p.m., where you’re likely to feel drowsy anyway.
I have not gotten above 4hrs sleep a night in roughly 20yrs.. Get about 3hrs average nightly. I used to work 80hrs a week just to have something to do in my wakefulness. I have tried OTC meds, Rx meds, vitamins/minerals, and frankly, the only rhing that really puts me down for a solid 4hrs is Turkey.. Mother F*cking turkey with it’s tryptophan.. Not sure if tryptophan can be purchased in pure form but maybe a nibble of turkey will help.. Maybe not.. I’m one of those oddballs that “normal” meds don’t work for or I have severe allergies to.
Good luck Eternal! Gobble gobble
How do you function and not be tired, and not go crazy from the lack of sleep? 20yrs is a damn long time. What happened 20yrs ago?
And is it turkey or the sauce ‘n stuff that goes with the turkey that makes you tired? Does ham work too or no? I eat a lot of ham but not turkey as it’s drier. I guess I could try. So I imagine you’d have to eat turkey only at dinner and not at lunch cuz then you’ll feel sleepy during the day?
Tryptophan. You can find it at drug stores and vitamin shops.
I heard something about that whole theory being up in the air. If I eat meat before bedtime, I don’t sleep well.
Honestly I find myself ‘blinking’ and coming to minutes later.. I am always exhausted, drink coffee A LOT.
20Yrs ago my bro had kids he couldn’t take care of.. So I managed the , my disabled father, and tried to keep on the honour roll in middle school.
Ham wont work. Turkey is awful but the tryptophan is key. Hope that helps 🙂
SleeplessMind, forgive me, I thought you were batting your eyelashes at us. Uh, yeah, so there’s that. . . .
I’ve had sleep problems for years. I have tried everything. Rx drugs. Relaxation techniques. Breathing techniques. C-Pap. I have bad sleep apnea. I finally got a device that stimulates the nerve that controls the tongue, thus unblocking my airway. It works. But I still have insomnia. I’ve tried running myself ragged. Pain medication keeps me awake. Falling asleep and staying asleep is a mystery to me. I have yet another appointment with a sleep specialist next month. I love to sleep and it’s a pleasure I don’t feel guilty about but it eludes me.
hey, same thing here pal… i’ve been getting just 4-5 hrs of sleep a day, for the past 1-2 yrs. lack of sleep drives me wild, makes me psychotic… i’m not bluffing here… don’t take my word for it, but from my personal experience, don’t rely on drugs for your mental/psychological health and i believe insomnia is no exception. however, my sleep is improving now and am feeling better ever since i started seeing a psychologist. she taught me breathing technique, progressive muscle relaxation etc. you should try seeing one, don’t let anything stop you from having a good health. at first, the techniques seemed ineffective but i gave it a shot anyway. but they worked great and am functioning quite ok now. you should try it.
Eternal:
There’s no quick fix to this, but a multilayered approach may help.
1. Try to retire at approximately the same time each night
2. Establish a routine so your mind prepares to rest
3. Don’t drink anything four hours prior to retiring and don’t eat anything for at least 2 hours prior.
4. Remove or cover up anything emitting light (this includes your clock, router, outside light).
5. Create an environment for sleeping that is comfortable (for me, it is having speakers on either side of my pillow playing a particular song on loop all night, to eliminate noise and let my mind sink into it; the ceiling fan is also on for that purpose regardless of the temperature of the room)
6. Sleep in the nude, more or less. You are less likely to wake up to shed clothing and it is surprisingly easier to stay warm. You’ll curl into your covers or throw them off without waking up.
7. Consider a sleep aid. Sometimes I use Tylenol PM or a nighttime cold remedy. Other times it’s a Xanax. Benedryl works for some people (especially those with allergies) as does OTC Melatonin (which works well for a lot of people, but gives me a bit of a headache if I don’t dose correctly. I am also concerned about how it is derived).
8. When you get into bed, give yourself time to go to sleep. Don’t expect to fall asleep right away, even with a sleep aid. It can take an hour to calm your body and your mind. Don’t entertain the thoughts that come into your head, just let them go. You can assign concerns to your brain to work on while you sleep.
9. If you do wake up in the middle of the night, don’t flip on the light or check messages or turn on the tv.
10. Yeah, one last: keep your necessities by your bed, such as tissues and volume control, and a quiet fan by your bed, just in case.
These have really helped me; I hope they work for you as well.
dream of a shark biting at you and you will sleep well 🙂