# Insomnia



## southernfa (Jun 9, 2008)

Any other sufferers out there? Any solutions? It's 3:30am here and not sleeping is losing its attraction real fast.


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## FAinPA (Jun 9, 2008)

I'm 34 now, but been a problem-sleeper since teenage yrs. Rarely fall asleep in a bed. Much better just kind of passing out on the couch or a comfy chair, as uncomfortable as it is waking up in weird postures sometimes.

Reading a lot, meds (self and prescribed) and some herbal tea blends seem to work when I really need to get some zzz's but for the most part I just manage to get by with very poor sleep--as in not in bed and never for more than three hours at a pop.

Being a night owl really helps, too. I'm at my most productive in the wee hours.

I've left/lost jobs because of my inability to be productive in the morning (I've never done much until four digits are on the clock!) but in this day and age, there are plenty of good careers that don't operate on a "normal" schedule. As a bonus aside, I find myself seldom sitting in rush hour traffic!

a recent study suggests that 58% of Americans suffer from some type of sleep disorder and diagnosing and treating them has created a fast-growing $23.7 billion industry.

I'm sure there is work being done that tries to link obesity and insomnia, especially since we're told that late-night binge eating is a common trait among many larger folks, myself included.

Not sure if this helps you at all, Southern, but I do wish you all the best in overcoming your sleeplessness.

I see you're in NZ, so I'll leave you with the fact that one of my best nights of sleep ever came on a vacation to Queenstown like 20 yrs ago after a full day of bungee-jumping, white-water rafting and jet-boating. I do sleep well when I'm on vacation, too bad it's just a few days a year!!


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## Dr. Feelgood (Jun 9, 2008)

You don't actually need to sleep to be rested. I have read of Buddhist monks who go for years without sleeping, spending the hours of each night in sitting meditation. Having meditated for years, I can testify that it is very relaxing...and that I tend to go to sleep while doing it.

Many years ago, a doctor told me that every hour you spend lying down and resting equals half an hour of sleep. So even if you don't sleep a wink, simply lying there and relaxing will rest you about as much as four hours' sleep.


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## Dr. P Marshall (Jun 9, 2008)

Oh, boy do I sympathize with you. Whenever I have anything on my mind or any stress, I get insomnia. I've tried different things, yoga, meditation, herbal tea etc. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't. My problem is I'm really bad at getting my brain to "switch off." Lately, what has been working is turning off the lights, listening to music that is calming, but interesting enough that I knock the other thoughts out of my head and then deep, slow breathing. It works about 75% of the time. Also, I don't know how active you are, but I find the harder I exercise during the day, the better I sleep at night. Sometimes, there's just nothing I can do. I guess I need to start reading more Buddhist philosophy.


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## Jack Skellington (Jun 10, 2008)

southernfa said:


> Any other sufferers out there? Any solutions? It's 3:30am here and not sleeping is losing its attraction real fast.



What helps for me is white noise. Cds of sounds of wind, light rain, oceans, wolf howls, stuff like that. Even the hum from something like of an air purifier can help.


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## Friday (Jun 10, 2008)

A warm bath or shower, light reading (always something I like but I've already read so I don't get so involved that it keeps me up) and a sleeping pill. :doh: Sorry, I've had sleep issues literally since I was born my Mom told me. But getting off the 'puter, into bed and reading, sometimes with headphones on so as not to disturb the man really do help the pill work. Otherwise I'm up for 22-30 hours at a stretch. I think I just need a planet with a longer day.


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## rainyday (Jun 10, 2008)

I've slept like a log for almost all my life--I could sleep just about anywhere. About three and a half years ago though I developed severe stress-related sleep problems while coping with a loved one's illness and subsequent death. For about two years I existed on about 4 hours of sleep a night, even with prescription sleep meds. I was able to fall asleep, but couldn't stay asleep or go back to sleep after waking. Slowly I got it back up to about six hours, but couldn't get much further than that on a regular basis.

A few months ago I started working with a naturopath looking for a solution. I'm now off the prescription meds and able to get at least seven and sometimes eight hours a night again. The combo that's finally worked for me is melatonin at night and an adrenal support supplement in the morning. The first dose level of melatonin didn't work and had to be doubled, but now it's doing the trick.

The naturopath had me do a lab test that measures cortisol and other hormones over the course of a day to see when my body's energy cycle was peaking so he'd know what to recommend. That's how I ended up with the adrenal supplement.


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## southernfa (Jun 11, 2008)

So it's 1:30am and either I am sleep-typing or it is happening again...



Dr. Feelgood said:


> You don't actually need to sleep to be rested. I have read of Buddhist monks who go for years without sleeping, spending the hours of each night in sitting meditation. Having meditated for years, I can testify that it is very relaxing...and that I tend to go to sleep while doing it.



LOL! Me too. I have a really loud tie and it is a standing joke that I wear it during meditation because when the head starts to go down I see that bad boy coming up at me and WHOA! I'm wide awake again. Problem is, right now I really don't want to be any more aware of the mind's contents...



Dr. P Marshall said:


> Oh, boy do I sympathize with you. Whenever I have anything on my mind or any stress, I get insomnia. I've tried different things, yoga, meditation, herbal tea etc. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't. My problem is I'm really bad at getting my brain to "switch off." Lately, what has been working is turning off the lights, listening to music that is calming, but interesting enough that I knock the other thoughts out of my head and then deep, slow breathing. It works about 75% of the time. Also, I don't know how active you are, but I find the harder I exercise during the day, the better I sleep at night. Sometimes, there's just nothing I can do. I guess I need to start reading more Buddhist philosophy.


LOL again. It's not pure philosophy but I started reading "The Story of Tibet; Conversations with the Dalai Llama" tonight but it is too interesting...



rainyday said:


> I've slept like a log for almost all my life--I could sleep just about anywhere. About three and a half years ago though I developed severe stress-related sleep problems while coping with a loved one's illness and subsequent death. For about two years I existed on about 4 hours of sleep a night, even with prescription sleep meds. I was able to fall asleep, but couldn't stay asleep or go back to sleep after waking. Slowly I got it back up to about six hours, but couldn't get much further than that on a regular basis.
> 
> A few months ago I started working with a naturopath looking for a solution. I'm now off the prescription meds and able to get at least seven and sometimes eight hours a night again. The combo that's finally worked for me is melatonin at night and an adrenal support supplement in the morning. The first dose level of melatonin didn't work and had to be doubled, but now it's doing the trick.
> 
> The naturopath had me do a lab test that measures cortisol and other hormones over the course of a day to see when my body's energy cycle was peaking so he'd know what to recommend. That's how I ended up with the adrenal supplement.



That's interesting. This is probably stress-related and the symptoms are the same, easy enough to go to sleep but then wake up with a start and can't seem to relax enough again.

Thank you all for your help and understanding.


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## BeaBea (Jun 14, 2008)

My heart goes out to all my fellow insomnia sufferers  I've suffered for years and at times it's come close to driving me insane. I hate that people think its amusing or trivial...

I dont have a solution I'm afraid. I'm not one of the 'fall asleep and wake up with a start' types - I'm one of the 'cant get to sleep in the first place' ones. 

The only thing I've learned to do it to not beat myself up for not sleeping. Dragging myself to bed when I'm exhausted only to turn out the lights and then lie there with my mind racing for the next five hours getting crosser and crosser with myself was not productive. Now I just get back up and get on with normal life - I work, watch tv, listen to the radio, surf the net and since the advent of 24 hour shopping I also go out and do stuff like the household shopping at 3am too. Again though, if that means I want to go to bed as soon as I walk through the door after work in the evening then I do it - and I dont beat myself up for that either!

I think over the course of the week I probably average about five hours a night and that seems to be enough for me. The bizarre timetable does make me hell to live with - but when you look at all the other bad habits I have it's probably just a drop in the ocean!

Tracey xx


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## Waxwing (Jun 14, 2008)

I've had intermittent insomnia since I was a kid. I just recently came out of a period in which I was sleeping maybe 2 hours every 36 hours, if that.

It's really horrible and I've not yet found a reliable way to deal with it. For me it sort of comes and goes, and I usually have it for two months or so at a time.

Don't have any good advice, just lending support as another sleepless person.


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