Insomnia keeping you up? Me too!

[Crusylicious]

So I've got insomnia pretty bad, can NEVER keep a good sleeping schedule, so I'm usually up real late bored out of my mind, lately its been worse because I can't stop looking at all the sexy PVs out there and wishing they were mine! (I'm addicted and I don't know if I want help yet)

Anyone else here got sleeping problems? Or maybe it isn't a problem for you, but you are indeed up and you get bored too?

 

[Jules22871]

Ever since my accident I keep really strange hours. I never know when I'm going to sleep. When the pain lessens so I can sleep I'll jump at the chance to sleep. It might be for only an hour or two or might end up being 10 hours. I never know when it will be.

 

[martha1014]

I have always had a problem with sleep. The only way I do go to sleep is taking Ambien but staying a sleep is another matter. I will wake up usually around 2 a.m. I usually watch TV and sometimes fall back to sleep. I have had more trouble since switching to vaping. I think I am gettnig more nicotine. I do need to cut back late in the evening and at night.

 

[Crusylicious]

What are some things you guys do to relax for the night? I "try" to get myself off of the computer and watch something on netflix with my fiance, that usually helps alot. I still don't have any ideas on how to reduce the amount of times I wake up in the middle of the night.

 

[Jules22871]

I gave up trying things a few years ago. As I was told by a couple of doctors, people with chronic pain have trouble sleeping not only from the pain but because the part of the brain that controls sleep and is supposed to go "quiet" when you sleep, keeps going wide open. It's like there is nonstop chatter in there that makes it difficult to sleep. On top of that I've been diagnosed with sleep phase disorder meaning I can't sleep on a normal schedule. If allowed to fall asleep when I want to, which is usually around 4-5am, I can sleep a solid 7-8 hours. If I HAVE to go to bed at say 10pm because I have an early appt I won't be able to go to sleep at all.

 

[Crusylicious]

Must be really tough Jules. I hope you've at least had some luck arranging your life to make things easier.

 

[flavapor]

I have had problems sleeping since vaping, I find that a high flavor, low nic from after dinner on helps me quite a bit, sometimes I miss the TH and grab for my 12mg. When that happens I need ambien or advil pm to go to sleep, and I have found that taking a melatonin pill about an hour before bed helps to get you to sleep too, but more importantly it keeps me asleep. When I take only ambien or advil pm I find myself waking up at 2,3 and when I take the melatonin I sleep great till 7 or 8 am.

 

[Jules22871]

Ambien makes me hallucinate. Trust me, it's not cool having little green men follow you to the bathroom! That went on for over 5 hours! And then Jerry Garcia was wearing my dead step-father's hat and saying "it'll be alright" It was a looooooong night.

 

[leannebug]

As I was told by a couple of doctors, people with chronic pain have trouble sleeping not only from the pain but because the part of the brain that controls sleep and is supposed to go "quiet" when you sleep, keeps going wide open..

AHA. That explains a lot! Especially since I'm so friggin fatigued half the time, I never understood why in the world I couldn't get to sleep! I always just thought it was because I never knew how I was going to wake up (whether I could move or not) that my mind was subconsciously stopping me.

I can't take Ambien either. Meds effect me in the worst way. I tried it once and couldn't wake up. hehe. Benedryl knocks me out. My doc prescribed some valium, but even that makes waking difficult! So my pharmacist reccommended taking an antihistimine before bed. It works great... except I've been out for about a month. a very LONG month

Last night was one of those, 'take everything you can think of that makes you sleepy without sending you to the ER or not being able to wake up the next day' nights. Didn't work. I was up till 3 and was supposed to get up at 6. 8-o Needles to say, I overslept.

 

[BiancaMontgomery]

I can relate to much of what is being said here. Most of the time I just can't turn off my brain...but I also think I need to stay up ridiculously late because it's the ONLY time I ever get to myself.

 

[Crusylicious]

I fully understand that Bianca, I used to feel the same way. Things have changed for me, but I often go back to "feeling" like that even though it isn't true for me anymore.

 

[Blaze]

If you can find it, Calm's Forte is a FANTASTIC homeopathic sleep/relaxant aid. Most places carry it now days (Walmart, CVS, Walgreen's to name a few)

 

[ejoker]

i spent 3.5 years with severe insomnia. i averaged 2 hours of sleep/night. don't ask me how i functioned, i'm not sure. at the time i was a muckety-muck in the corporate world, but never really 'felt' stressed.
i took all the doctor sleep tests, neurological, etc, but they had no answers.
otc pills and prescriptions only worked for a night or two, but then i'd wake up very groggy, so i quit taking them.
i left that hi-falutin job 4 years ago. and now the majority of the time i'm sleeping within 30 minutes of lying down, and i sleep quite soundly through the nite.
sometimes we need to take stock of the things that we spend alot of time doing, and evaluate how much stress our bodies and minds are absorbing, whether we feel stressed or not.

 

[MacArthurBug]

I'm a stress insomniac. Whenever the stress goes up I can't get down. Spent 3 years going on very little sleep. Thing have gotten better- but off and on lately it's starting again. Starts with waking and not being able to go back down and progresses to not being able to get down at all. Only thing that's ever worked for me is finding out what's causing my anxiety. But insomnia is such a personal thing. Didn't bother seeing a doc about it, since I dislike taking medications- and know I'd just walk away from an appointment with a script and a lot of yack-yack doctor noise.

 

[shatner]

I've been having so much trouble staying asleep. Getting to sleep is no problem. I've been wearing myself pretty thin the last few days. I'm taking the day off because I'm nodding off here and there. I've been working my .... off and usually that helps with a good night sleep; because my work is a physical workout and very mentally taxing, too. But right now nothing seems to help. Not even Melatonin, warm milk, not even Ambien. UGH!!!

If there's one feeling I hate it's being tired and not being able to sleep.

 

[ToniAnne]

Since I quit smoking regular cigs and started vaping, I have not been able to sleep at night! I tried the lower mg and that didn't help anything. I'm not sure if it's that I quit smoking, or that I started vaping, or what!?!? Driving me insane! I know one of these days I am just going to crash hard, because in the past 4 nights I have had about 8 hours total sleep, if that! So LaMe!

 

[Jules22871]

What is thing called sleep that you talk about? I must have forgotten what it is.

 

[mini_art]

its because you quit smoking, I have had the same problem. I am usually one to hit the pillow and I'm out. Not any more, about a month ago I started taking a really long time to fall asleep. I quit cigs 2 months ago. Google insomnia and quitting smoking. It is withdrawels, it will pass in time.

 

[ToniAnne]

its because you quit smoking, I have had the same problem. I am usually one to hit the pillow and I'm out. Not any more, about a month ago I started taking a really long time to fall asleep. I quit cigs 2 months ago. Google insomnia and quitting smoking. It is withdrawels, it will pass in time.

I am soooooooo ready for it to pass NOW! LOL I figured since I was still getting nicotine, I shouldn't have the side effects like quitting cold turkey... guess I was wrong!?!? Booooooo