Here we go again. Insomnia.

[Rorey]

I seem to have my biggest revelations about things in my life when I am in sort of an almost asleep stage because something woke me up. Then I start REALLY thinking about it and that's it. No more sleep.

I've never been a big sleeper, and I hate it. If I somehow manage to get seven hours in a night, I can be sure that the next night is going to suck. Four hours isn't nearly enough.

So here I am.

[yankeepants]

1. Right there with you.

[captain queeg]

2. Me too. Used to really suck when I was working, now that I'm retired it's not so bad

I remember waking up and kept looking at the clock; if I fall asleep now I’ll still get 3 more hours of sleep before getting up for work. Then 2, then just please let me doze off for a bit. Nowadays I just get up and read or surf the net for awhile, get back to sleep when I can. I can always sleep late if I want.

[Rorey]

4. I wish I could take naps

It doesn't work very often.

But, like you, sometimes I'll sit up for awhile and then be able to fall asleep.

Very frustrating.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

3. I used to think 4 hours enough to function well enough.

...when in my twenties and thirties. Then it was important to get an occasional 7-8 hours, to have that healthy, bright eyed attitude. Now, I have no idea when a good sleep may arrive. It never lasts for more than 4 hours though. So I'm back where I started.

[Rorey]

6. I've made all these rules for myself

I'm sort of okay if I can get five hours. I know it's not enough, but it's better than four. Or three. Or zero.

One thing that sometimes works for me is meditation, but I have to wake all the way up before I can get into that mode. I started doing it with sleep meditation videos on youtube, and now I'm often able to do it myself.

But tonight I first had to work through a problem that was on my mind when I was in that half-sleep stage after just a few hours of sleep.

[jaxexpat]

13. Before retirement I used my 4:18 AM shift to solve work related problems.

Sometimes it was very effective but ultimately tiring. I'd get to the job site, relay the plan to my foremen and go about my business in a daze the rest of the day. I was fortunate to have competent foremen who didn't require much follow-up.

These days it's not so easily explicable or nearly so useful to awaken at 2:00 or 4:00, ready for a day that is totally optional. It's my good luck to have a forum such as the DU to find others who identify with what I always thought were personal peculiarities. Well, they may still be peculiarities but I'm among good company. Enjoy your day, folks.

[sprinkleeninow]

5. Turned in at a more reasonable hour and here I yam on the samsung listening to music and posting

replies on DU.

Funny tho, like it's said, the bestest and cleverest creative ideas come to me in the middle of the night.

[Rorey]

7. Going to bed early is always going to be bad for me

I had a bad night last night - well, technically Saturday night - because of a disturbing phone call I got in the evening, so I was super tired. I forced myself to stay awake until 8:30, then gave in, hoping for the best.

I curse the clock.

[Silver Gaia]

8. I hear ya.

My momma said that I "fought sleep" as a baby. I still do. I don't like it, either.

I've found that 6 hours is really about right for me. Eight is too much (no way I will sleep the next night if I get 8 hours), and 4 or 5 is too little.

[Rorey]

9. Six is good.

My mom said the same thing about how I was as a baby. I don't know that she ever forgave me for keeping her awake so much. She was one of those long sleep type people.

So was my ex-husband. It drove me up the wall when we'd be on a little vacation and I'd want to do things but I'd have to wait for him to drag is butt out of bed after his minimum nine hours of sleep. It really sucks to share a hotel room with someone who wants to go to bed early and sleep late in the morning.

[Jillgirl]

15. It sounds like you may be someone who naturally doesn't need much sleep.

Sleep needs vary from person to person. Parents cannot discuss the matter with a pre-verbal child, and I'm guessing there was a doctor or a book telling your Mom how much sleep you needed, but your body disagreed. That's why you fought it.

[samnsara]

24. thats true.. I get 5 hrs sleep a night if lucky and I dont even feel the need for a nap..

...hubby NEEDS 8 hrs or hes back in bed snoozing after breakfast..

[Silver Gaia]

27. Maybe. Although, for instance, I could sleep much longer hours as a teenager,

so my needs have varied through the years. I've always been a night owl, though. My best sleep time is early in the morning. Because of this, I've lived most of my life trying to fit into a world that is at odds with my circadian rhythms, and that is really the crux of it. I am at liberty, at this point in my life, to let my own rhythms take precedence, but it is still difficult, and sometimes the old insomnia rears up, especially in times of stress, like now.

[2naSalit]

33. I used to be like that...

But now, I still want to sleep but my body won't let me. I can only handle the horizontal positions for 4-6hrs and then I have to get up and move around for a while, tired or not. So I take naps, even going back to bed after an hour or two at this time n the morning.

[rickyhall]

10. I ran out of Ambien. Refill won't be here till Tuesday. No sleep this night.

[Rorey]

11. The most potent thing I'll take (so far) is acetaminophen or ibuprophen

My ex-husband called me on Saturday night. He had a major health event over the summer and spent over two months hospitalized, and now has PTSD from the experience. He finally found a doctor who would prescribe Ambien for him, and I guess it worked. But then a few nights ago he quit cold turkey because he didn't like it. When he called me he was having tremors and a lot of anxiety. I haven't heard from him since, so maybe he broke down and took some.

I have a suspicion that he actually ran out because he was taking more than he should.

[rickyhall]

14. It extended my night's from 3 or 4 hours to 5 or 6.

It's 10 mgs but I still felt withdrawals a couple hours ago, felt like the bed was moving and then I had to force myself to move. I suffered sleep paralysis when I was a kid. No fun.

[Squinch]

18. Have you ever tried Ashwaghanda? Works great, safe, no side effects.

Over the counter.

Ambien is not a good drug.

[Rorey]

26. What strength would you recommend?

I'm definitely interested.

[Squinch]

31. The recommended dose on my bottle is 2 tablets in the morning and 2 at night. Any kind of drug

works very strongly on me - I'm a real lightweight, and seldom take anything - so I only take one in the morning and one at night when I am stressed or having trouble sleeping.

The effects seem to accumulate, so I would say try taking the two in the late morning and then two about 2 hours before you want to go to sleep.

If you notice you are having a headache, cut back or skip a day or two.

ETA: The brand my health store guy gave me is Organic India. $20 for 90 capsules.

Edited again: it does lower blood pressure, so be careful if you are on blood pressure meds or if you already have low blood pressure.

[Rorey]

32. Thank you

I was noticing different mgs, but I think I know which one you're talking about. I'll be ordering online. I don't do stores right now.

I don't have any issues with blood pressure, so that shouldn't be a problem. I also don't have any issues with depression, so I hope these don't make me so cheerful that nobody can stand me.

Thank you for your advice.

[Squinch]

34. Let me know how it works for you. I was really shocked at how well it took the stress

edge off and how well I slept when I tried it.

And as far as I have researched, there don't seem to be any side effects for it, and it seems really safe. And it didn't make me tired or anything like that.

[Rorey]

28. That's the strength my ex takes

He didn't tell me, but I have, um, sources. I thought it was odd that the prescribing doctor went right to that dosage instead of starting smaller. His primary care physician wouldn't prescribe him anything, nor would his follow-up doctor after his major medical event.

He's a world class liar, so I'm thinking he probably doubled up and thus ran out of his prescription before his refill date.

[Squinch]

17. My cousin would go out and drive around, or lose tons of money

gambling online while taking Ambien, and the next day she's have no recollection of it.

It's a terrible drug.

[Lasher]

20. I've taken Ambien for years with no problems like that.

But I understand it's not for everybody. Not good if I run out. I do better if I can fight off an afternoon nap.

[Silver Gaia]

30. Melatonin and valerian root, together or separately, depending on need, works for me.

No way I would take anything stronger, and no drugs like Ambien. That one scares me!

[Rorey]

12. I should add

He used to fall asleep in his recliner for HOURS before finally getting up and going to bed. Then the next day he'd tell me that he didn't sleep at all the previous night. I'd point out the six hour nap, complete with snoring, in his recliner.

[ailsagirl]

25. I tried Ambien once

Last edited Sat Dec 19, 2020, 05:52 PM - Edit history (1)

Really trippy-- can’t really explain it but it was definitely mind-altering.

[True Dough]

16. I function fine on 6 hrs of sleep

I can get by on 4 or 5 hours too, but over longer stretches it catches up with me and performance lags a little.

I used to fixate on trying to get 7 or 8 hours of sleep because I saw/heard/read from multiple sources that you NEED at least 7 or 8 hours. One day while at the doctor's office, I asked my doc about it because I wasn't getting the required 7 or 8 hours (not since my teens anyway). He asked me if I'm generally dragging my butt around day to day because I'm so tired. I said no. He told me to carry on then, don't worry about it.

So I don't anymore. Whatever happens, happens.

And, yeah, discussion forums are a good place to hang out when you're up at 3 a.m. and you can't exactly call a relative or knock on your neighbor's door for a game of cards.

[Rorey]

21. Most of the time I'm just fine, no butt dragging

Every couple of years I'll have a night when I'll get eight hours, or even a little longer. It feels weird.

[True Dough]

29. I also have a "broken sleep" regimen

I should refer to it as "supplemental sleep" because "broken" sounds so negative.

I'm a night owl by nature. Usually go to bed around 1-1:30 a.m. Sleep until 5:30-6 a.m. Then I'm wide awake. I've learned that if I read and remain relaxed, I can easily doze off again for another 1-1.5 hours, but it can take an hour or two for me to get to that state of feeling drowsy.

It means I'm usually out of bed and ready to start the day between 9-10 a.m., which is fine for me because I work from home and my job hours are somewhat flexible (usually between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., but sometimes running as late as 8 p.m.).

If I had to report for work at 8 a.m., well, then I'd have a problem. Some sort of new routine would become necessary and I'm sure sleep deprivation would be hard to avoid for quite a while.

[Ziggysmom]

19. Does melatonin help?

My better half was told to try it after a spinal fusion surgery. Works for him, but not for me☹️

[Rorey]

22. It doesn't work for me

Nor does marijuana. The only thing that has ever worked for me is meditation, but it doesn't always work.

[samnsara]

23. im an early riser insomniac and my dogs whining at 3 am doesnt help

...but im pacific time so I get to catch joe right from the beginning. The downside is when hubby gets up at 7 am Im ready for lunch...