posted
Last night, I only woke up three times during the night. And that was after taking a 50mg diphenhydramine HCl. I went out and bought the sleep aid yesterday because for the umpteenth time in a row, I woke up over and over during the night. Night before last, it was at least 7 times. And by waking up, I mean enough so that I was conscious and able to check the time.
I am exhausted. Never mind the stress and depression, I am just bloody fatigued. And yes, I know that the other things may have something to do with it.
But if a knockout drop won't let me sleep through the night (an experience I recall fondly, if fuzzily), there's got to be something I can do.
Do they actually make those "Russian sleep" inducers, or is that just a science fiction concept? I don't drink or use other recreational chemicals, so that's not an option. I have some leftover vicodins in the bathroom cabinet, but that just seems like a misuse of them. And we've long since used up whatever valiums we had.
Any thoughts? Techniques? Something I can do to go away for 8 solid hours?
Posts: 12266 | Registered: Jul 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Achilles: Read OSC's reviews?
I don't think that will work. For those that agree with his politics, it will be highly entertaining. For those that disagree, it will make their eyes bleed...
Neither is good for sleep.
Posts: 571 | Registered: Mar 2001
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posted
I have severe apnea and I can't sleep well without my CPAP. When I put it on I am out for 7-9 hours uninterrupted. Pure bliss.
I had a sleep study done. When I don't wear it I never go past stage 2 sleep, and because I stop breathing for 10+ seconds almost every minute, I bounce back to stage one sleep often. It is not like I even stay in stage 2 consistently.
It doesn't sound like you have apnea, BUT have you thought about getting a sleep study?
Posts: 2445 | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
Just to clarify, I'm not having trouble getting to sleep. I'm just having trouble staying that way for more than 4 hours. Sometimes even less.
Posts: 12266 | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
Have you tried a clear conscience? That or Don Quixote in Spanish does it for me. EDIT. Everyone beat me with the "cute" answers. Your problem may well involve breathing, even without a full blown sleep apnia. I've found that a small humidifier keeps my air passages well open, and the white noise helps too. Now, if I could find a fix for old plumming (just like Dr. Pepper, 10, 2 and 4) I would be good for all night
Posts: 1167 | Registered: Oct 2005
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posted
Go to a doctor. Have a sleep study done. I used Ambien for a while to fall asleep. They make a special version now to help you stay asleep. Ambien works but it's pretty scary stuff.
Posts: 3295 | Registered: Jun 2004
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posted
Exercise. First, you'll be so exhausted you'll sleep even more. Then your body won't freak out and you'll sleep a decent time, but you'll sleep more deeply.
Aerobic exercise at least 30 minutes a day will help and possibly cure both the insomnia and the depression.
At least, it always does for me.
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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quote:Originally posted by katharina: Exercise. First, you'll be so exhausted you'll sleep even more. Then your body won't freak out and you'll sleep a decent time, but you'll sleep more deeply.
Aerobic exercise at least 30 minutes a day will help and possibly cure both the insomnia and the depression.
At least, it always does for me.
What kat said.
And the exercise will have the advantage of bleeding off a lot of the stress you were talking about in your thread from last week, Lisa. I still think that you'd be well served by getting a punching bag.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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posted
Sorry for the quick response. If staying asleep is the problem, it just may be breathing even if you don't have full sleep apena. I use a small humidifier which keeps my air passages open and the white noise helps too.
Now, if I could just find a fix for old plumbing, (just like Dr. Pepper; 10,2 and 4) I would be good for all night.
Posts: 1167 | Registered: Oct 2005
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posted
I went to to a doctor. He told me "dude, you're a stupid college student who goes to bed at stupid times." Which is true right now, of course, but hasn't always been and I've always had trouble sleeping.
Might be easier to convince a doctor you have a real problem if you don't LOOK like a stupid college kid who goes to bed at stupid times, I suppose.
Posts: 4136 | Registered: Aug 2008
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Ramond, dude, you do go to bed at stupid times. Not your fault, but still. Either way, your doc could be a little nicer .
Posts: 3060 | Registered: Nov 2003
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posted
Learn Torah. It's a game I like to play with the yetzer hara. If you wake up in the middle of the night - learn something - I often end up falling right back asleep. It's like arm wrestling your yetzer's arm - if he won't let you sleep, at least you're learn - but I think he'd rather let you sleep.
Posts: 1604 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
I don't know how much this will help, because for me the bigger problem is falling asleep, not staying asleep (though I do have problems with both). I recently went to a doctor for insomnia. He told me that sleep studies are really only good for disorders like sleep apnea, where there's something physically wrong. He also said that blood tests and whatnot almost never helped, because insomnia is usually not caused by vitamin deficiencies and that kind of stuff.
He told me to exercise 30 minutes a day before 7:00 pm and to get into a good habit of relaxing and winding down at the same time every night, though he stressed that it's more important to wake up at the same time every day than to go to sleep at the same time. He gave me a prescription for a low dose of amitriptyline, which is an antidepressant, and the difference has been amazing. I'm still having some bad nights, but they're less frequent and are usually my own fault for not sticking to the bedtime routine.
I know how much insomnia can screw up your life. Even if your problem isn't quite the same as mine, I'd still highly recommend going to a doctor. I really didn't like the idea of going on drugs, but I'm glad I went along with it.
Posts: 9945 | Registered: Sep 2002
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posted
Lisa, please see a doctor. There are any number of problems which could be causing you to wake up. If you snore, you might have sleep apnea (although you could have it even if you don't snore). Apnea can lead to other problems if you leave it untreated for a long time, so you should get it checked out.
Posts: 3546 | Registered: Jul 2002
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quote:Originally posted by Armoth: Learn Torah. It's a game I like to play with the yetzer hara. If you wake up in the middle of the night - learn something - I often end up falling right back asleep. It's like arm wrestling your yetzer's arm - if he won't let you sleep, at least you're learn - but I think he'd rather let you sleep.
If I don't go right back to sleep, I won't get back to sleep at all.
Posts: 12266 | Registered: Jul 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Shigosei: Lisa, please see a doctor. There are any number of problems which could be causing you to wake up. If you snore, you might have sleep apnea (although you could have it even if you don't snore). Apnea can lead to other problems if you leave it untreated for a long time, so you should get it checked out.
I did do a sleep study. What they found was no significant apnea except when I was sleeping on my back. Which I don't do. In fact, they had to wake me up halfway through the study and tell me to sleep on my back so that they could get data on that. I sleep curled around a body pillow.
Last night I didn't take any medicine, and I only woke up twice.
Posts: 12266 | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
If you like tea, I'd suggest Tea for Tension. When I drink this at night, I'm no good 15 minutes later.
Valerian root, one of the ingredients you'll see, is often used as a sleep aid in herbal circles. I'm no expert, but I have picked that up at least.
Posts: 691 | Registered: Nov 2008
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posted
I never or rarely sleep all the way through the night. I inevitably get up to go to the bathroom or wake because I'm hungry or because I'm disturbed.
I make a point not to check the time. The same goes for trouble getting to sleep. I find that checking the time induces more stress: "I've only slept 3 hours!" "I have to be up in four!".
I never have a problem exercising right before I go to sleep, either. Sometimes doing a few (half-hearted) situps or even just lying on the floor for ten minutes instead of on the accursed bed is enough. I don't generally have the energy to read books, but sometimes I'll scrawl a few ideas down or a list of things I have to do (often unreadable in the morning). It just helps to get the panic on paper.
Posts: 8473 | Registered: Apr 2003
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