Heartfelt Posted April 9, 2004 Posted April 9, 2004 I believe I'm suffereing the worst bout of insomnia I have ever had. I've slept about 20 minutes since 9 AM Wednesday morning. I stayed up all night wednesday night doing math and decided to just go straight to class the next morning. I thought I would be able to sleep after class yesterday, but I got home, took a few tylenol PM (those usually knock me out), and I managed about 20 minutes. The phone rang and woke me up and then I couldn't get back to sleep. I've had a lot on my mind lately but this is crazy. I'm not even sleepy, and in 3 more hours, it will be 48 hours that I've been awake with just a 20 minute nap. Is this normal insomnia or a strange case? I've taken some allergy medicine the past few days but that's it.
DerangedAngel Posted April 9, 2004 Posted April 9, 2004 I don't really think this is a strange case, but I'm the biggest insomniac on the planet. It's not unusual for me to go 4 days without sleeping, but I've seen a doctor about it and got on some meds. You say you've had a lot on your mind lately, so I don't think I would worry about it, honestly. For most people, it's hard to get sleep when they're stressed. Try to relax. Have some wine. Or Tylenol PM. If it continues try some of these suggestions: [color=blue]*See a Doctor *Take a Warm Bath *Get a Massage *Listen to Music *Drink Warm Milk *Drink Herb Tea *Eat a Bedtime Snack *Avoid Caffeine, Alcohol and Tobacco *Sleep in a Well-Ventilated Room *Sleep on a Good Firm Bed *Sleep on Your Back *Get Some Physical Exercise During the Day *Keep Regular Bedtime Hours *Get Up Earlier in the Morning *Keep Your Bed a Place for Sleep *Avoid Naps *Avoid Illuminated Bedroom Clocks [/color] Give yourself at least an hour before bed to relax, do quiet things that aren’t mentally stimulating. Worry feeds on mental stimulation, so you need to quiet your mind’s activities before bed. Depending on your dietary situation you may want to eat a LITTLE dairy or carbohydrate-rich food just before bed, and have eaten some good protein at lunch (a lesser amount at dinner). Discuss the specific dietary options with your health-care provider. -Deranged
Author Heartfelt Posted April 9, 2004 Author Posted April 9, 2004 Wow, 4 days? I hope that's not what I'm about to encounter. I've already set a record for myself. But ya I've been pretty stressed. That's probably the main reason. I'm still kind of new here so it's really helping me by coming here and reading/participating in discussions. Coming here is sort of an escape from the stress, even though I relate a lot to what's being discussed. Thanks for posting those tips. I'm going to try to follow some of them. I do a lot of my school work while in bed so that should be the first thing to change. Thanks Angel
jenny Posted April 9, 2004 Posted April 9, 2004 i go through very bad patches of insomnia about every four months; i'm there now, a bit. it can truly suck, or you can use the time to study things. it's terrific alone time - you can't distract yourself if you try. take all of deranged's advice, and if does not work, decide on an insomnia 'project': is there a language you have wanted to learn? a screeplay you wanted to write? a series of era classics you need to read? ab muscles that need developing? now is the time. having something you've decided to do really helps avoid the panic that sometimes accompanies insomnia. good luck!
pav186 Posted April 10, 2004 Posted April 10, 2004 Valerian root and melatonin work for some people although clinically they have had mixed results. 5-HTP when taken with B6 can definitely help to mellow you out and will help you be less anxious in general. At night I take at least 100mg of 5-Htp, 5 mg of melatonin, and St. Johns Wort (more for depression, but it alters seratonin levels and can help you fall asleep). Or you could always get a Rx for ambien but i like taking natural stuff more. I never had it as bad as you though, I used to not be able to fall asleep until about 4am and id get like 3 hrs of sleep a night.
nikkilove Posted April 10, 2004 Posted April 10, 2004 Wow! I hope you get some sleep soon! I can't imagine going that long without sleep. The few times I've had trouble, I fortunately had some Xanax or Valium that I had gotten for anxiety on hand, and that helped........otherwise for a natural approach, warm bath, warm milk, that nighttime cough medicine.....Valerian root. Good luck, keep us posted! Hope you have good nights sleep tonight and pleasant dreams
Author Heartfelt Posted April 10, 2004 Author Posted April 10, 2004 Thanks a lot Y'all. I fell asleep about 8:30 this morning and didn't get up till 5pm. I've been groggy all day though. I had an unexpected visit from the one causing a lot of my stress. I tried to talk to her about us and how she's got me on a roller coaster that I'm trying to get off of, but she has this magical way of pulling me back in every time I start to get away. But I enjoyed seeing her. That darn love bug bit me on the butt and I can't shake it. We had a good time today, even though I was foggy. I have taken melatonin before a while back and I forgot all about it. So I'll try that again and get some 5-htp....I've never heard of that. I need to get into a consistent sleeping pattern too. If this girl would quit playing with my heart, that would help also. Thanks for the tips. I'm gonna head out for some drinks with some friends so I know I will sleep good after that
DerangedAngel Posted April 10, 2004 Posted April 10, 2004 Thanks a lot Y'all. I fell asleep about 8:30 this morning and didn't get up till 5pm. Glad you got some sleep, heartfelt. Hopefully you'll get back on a semi-regular sleep schedule soon. -Deranged
pav186 Posted April 11, 2004 Posted April 11, 2004 just one quick note, dont go for the inexpensive/store brands. i know some people will say its marketing and this and that but i definitely noticed a difference. A few moths ago I switched from Nature's Way St. John's Wort to the Vitamin Shoppe Brand and I noticed a huge difference, I actually relapsed into a pretty severe depression so I dont take any chances and stick with the brand I know. As for the 5-HTP I recommend the Solaray 50mgs (enterically coated which prevents it from breaking down in your stomach). You will need a supplement of B6 for it to really help and you can get 5-HTP's with B6 or buy a supplement. Actually the vitamin shoppe brand vitamins are ok, but I think it may be the herbs that arent as good. It wont knock you out but should be able to help relax you, and you may want to try the valerian too. It'll prob cost around $10-$20 which would suck if it didnt work but may be worth the chance. I know how much it sucks tossing and turning for hours on end.
reasontosigh Posted April 11, 2004 Posted April 11, 2004 I also take Vitamin Shoppe vitamins (they're pretty good), but haven't yet tried any of their herbal products yet. It's where I pick up my Emer'gen-C by the box. I've used melatonin before also. It seems to work. I like that "Insomnia Project" idea - I should try that!
Author Heartfelt Posted April 12, 2004 Author Posted April 12, 2004 Well, I got my hands on some ambien. I spent the night at a friend's house saturday night and he and his wife both noticed I only slept 2 hours. Then I told them about the insomnia problem I've been having lately. He said he has to take ambien sometimes, so he gave me one, but I just decided to wait and use it for tonight. I took it 15 minutes ago and I'm starting to feel it, so hopefully it works good Starting tomorrow, I'm going to get back in the gym 4-6 days a week. I always slept good when I worked out, and I've been out of the gym for about 8 months now. Has anyone read the book "Body for life"? The guy has a website too http://www.bodyforlife.com I'm going to try that 12 week program.
Author Heartfelt Posted April 12, 2004 Author Posted April 12, 2004 OMGosh..this stuff is strong! Cant finish post, hahap[ I lay downand have no problems....getting up is the problem. Everything moves a lot, like I itry to go to the bathrroom amd it hits real hard to wall. Man.me groggy.
Author Heartfelt Posted April 12, 2004 Author Posted April 12, 2004 um, my apologies for the above post. I shouldn't have been trying to post and just went straight to bed. But I got out of my chair, was going to go to the bathroom first before laying down, and soon as I started walking, that little pill hit me. I had to use the walls and the doorway to keep from falling, heh, I thought it was funny so that's why I was trying to tell ya'll about it. Looking at that post now, it looks like I was drunk when I wrote it
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