Randomness

[laika]

i am now on day 22 of running on approx. 2 hours of sleep a night...
i wonder how long this can go on...
although i seem to have passed over from hysterical to euphoric exhaustion.

[genevieveryoko]

curious to know why no sleep? you must be doing something very worthwhile....?

[Sombre]

Carmel, New York has a fashion law:
A man can't go outside while wearing a jacket and pants that do not match.

[laika]

curious to know why no sleep? you must be doing something very worthwhile....?

alas, no. just a case of insomnia, the likes of which my person has not seen since senior year of college. it's really crap though...i can't even take a nap and i like naps.

[genevieveryoko]

acupuncture? helps me. also, too much time online is bad for my insomnia

[lowrey]

do you have difficulty falling or staying asleep? do you get anxious/nervous when you attempt to sleep?

I have short periods (few days to a couple of weeks) of sleep problems every now and then, its completelly stress/anxiety related with the inability to fall asleep causing further stress. I've learned to control it a bit though.

[Faust]

Laika, maybe you need sleeping pills. :-( I hate the idea of chemical intervention, but sometimes you just have to do it.

[theetruscan]

alas, no. just a case of insomnia, the likes of which my person has not seen since senior year of college. it's really crap though...i can't even take a nap and i like naps.

I've been able to fix this with time-release melatonin. Seems lower impact than full-on sleeping pills, and works wonders. It has made me groggy now and again, but it's fairly inocuous.

[munch]

gaaaaaah. I really need to stop eating late-night snacks. my stomach feels all messed up and I think I'm eating excessively much, I've gained a little weight and all... heeeeeeeeelp meeeeeee.

[Fade to Black]

alas, no. just a case of insomnia, the likes of which my person has not seen since senior year of college. it's really crap though...i can't even take a nap and i like naps.

wow...22 days straight can't possibly be good for the mind, body and soul though...hope you pull through, if it persists and gets too much I do suggest seeking medical consultation.

for some reason whenever i go through periods lasting even a few days of poor sleep I start losing weight despite no other changes to my lifestyle. and i thought an irregular sleep schedule was supposed to make you GAIN weight...

[Faust]

THIS

[laika]

do you have difficulty falling or staying asleep? do you get anxious/nervous when you attempt to sleep?

i can't fall asleep. And yes, it totally makes me anxious!
The funny thing is, I haven't been particularly stressed in the last month...it's more like overstimulation--too many things, too fast, spinning in my head. I wish i knew how to meditate....what I really need is to empty my brain.

faust, matthew, and everyone, thanks

[galia]

If I may, I would try yoga and herbs before moving on to medication if I were you. Chemicals can be way too adictive and you don't want to end up having to rely on them for the rest of your life. Plus pill sleep is not like natural sleep, I wake up crummy and tired when I take them

[lowrey]

i can't fall asleep. And yes, it totally makes me anxious!
The funny thing is, I haven't been particularly stressed in the last month...it's more like overstimulation--too many things, too fast, spinning in my head. I wish i knew how to meditate....what I really need is to empty my brain.

I think this sort of a situation is actually far better then some other forms of insomnia where the causes can be more complex, it sounds like in your case it could be more of a subliminal issue, which is very common.

I don't know if this is any help, but here is what I've done to get rid of sleeping problems. it might not make a lot of sense or sound like psychological nonsense, but it has helped me at least

- the most important thing is to not stress too much. you can tell yourself that you might have some problems sleeping, but it doesn't really matter, you've managed fine so far and you will sleep eventually. stressing over not falling asleep makes you more alert, and makes it difficult to fall asleep, so the best thing is to just try and not worry about it too much. acknowledge that many people have trouble sleeping every now and then.

- try to keep your hours regular, if you keep waking up at the same time, eventually you'll be able to fall asleep at a normal time as well.

- avoid things that raise your alertness, both mental and physical. don't excercise or drink coffee late and avoid doing anything stressful for a couple of hours before going to sleep, like working or even using the computer as it tends to keep your mind alert. read, watch tv or do something thats more of a no brainer. don't eat just before going to bed, but don't go to sleep feeling hungry either. it helps to have some routines, like drinking some tea a bit before can get your mind ready for going to sleep.

- when going to sleep, again, try not to stress about it too much. don't count how much time you have to sleep as it tends to cause anxiety, same goes for looking at the time during the night - it doesn't really matter what time it is, you'll fall asleep eventually and the worst thing that can happen is that you're a bit tired, its not the end of the world. you can even perform some mild meditation by thinking to yourself that you'll be able to sleep fine tonight, and that theres no reason to worry about it.

- if you don't feel like you're catching sleep in over half an hour, or if you feel anxious right away, get up and do something for a few minutes, read, or have a glass of water. most of the time being up for 15 minutes can make you realize that you're actually quite sleepy.

[Mail-Moth]

Laika, I wouldn't say that meditation will help you to solve this problem, but simple relaxation probably can help. Do you want some basic tips ?

Another very simple thing to do is to lower the temperature in your room if you can. It is far more easier to fall asleep when you feel warm in a cool room. At least it works for me.