Ways to deal with insomnia?

Mar 15, 2003
12,668
103
106
So I've been living with 3 hours of sleep/day for way too long (usually can't sleep until 3 or 4 AM and I have to be up by 7 am).. Any ideas on how to deal with it? I've tried sleeping pills, working out, etc. etc. but I just can't fall asleep... I haven't gone to my doctor about it yet but am up for any suggestions.. the weird thing is that my body is tired but my mind is over active.. like i close my eyes and I sometimes see like bright colors/images or I think alot..What gives?? Anyone else know what I'm talking about?
 

krunchykrome

Lifer
Dec 28, 2003
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Sometimes I get into that routine and it sux. Working out during the day has always worked for me, sounds like you need to see the doctor. Have you considered over the counter sleeping pills?
 

LSUfan

Golden Member
Jan 14, 2003
1,671
0
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Originally posted by: freedomsbeat212
So I've been living with 3 hours of sleep/day for way too long (usually can't sleep until 3 or 4 AM and I have to be up by 7 am).. Any ideas on how to deal with it? I've tried sleeping pills, working out, etc. etc. but I just can't fall asleep... I haven't gone to my doctor about it yet but am up for any suggestions.. the weird thing is that my body is tired but my mind is over active.. like i close my eyes and I sometimes see like bright colors/images or I think alot..What gives?? Anyone else know what I'm talking about?

Do you drink alcohol?
 
Mar 15, 2003
12,668
103
106
Originally posted by: LSUfan
Originally posted by: freedomsbeat212
So I've been living with 3 hours of sleep/day for way too long (usually can't sleep until 3 or 4 AM and I have to be up by 7 am).. Any ideas on how to deal with it? I've tried sleeping pills, working out, etc. etc. but I just can't fall asleep... I haven't gone to my doctor about it yet but am up for any suggestions.. the weird thing is that my body is tired but my mind is over active.. like i close my eyes and I sometimes see like bright colors/images or I think alot..What gives?? Anyone else know what I'm talking about?

Do you drink alcohol?

You know, I have been sober(totally) for the past 4 years and just started casually drinking again (during the weekends with friends).. could this be a factor?

p.s. I have tried over the counter stuff (nytol)
 

bradruth

Lifer
Aug 9, 2002
13,479
2
81
Start making soap in your basement from human fat, then begin planning an anarchical overthrow of the government.


:D


Edit: Don't forget to find your power animal.
 

zimu

Diamond Member
Jun 15, 2001
6,209
0
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sleep it off.

j/k. i had the same problem. people suggested somethign else for me- not the typical sleepign pill.

this is a herbal remedy- called melatonin. apparently syncs your body to the day/night cycle or some crap like that. no complaints, worked AMAZING for me. i couldnt' sleep till like 4-5 am, i took one and dropped off to sleep at 11pm. even after the one pill my sleep cycle was practically normal, and i still have one pill like every 2-3 weeks just to "reconfigure". may be psychological, but hey it works!

also try meditation before you sleep. lie flat on your back, put your hands on your stomach but not touching, focus on your breathing, and talk to your body to fall asleep, from your toes all the way up to your head. you get this tingly sensation if you're doing it right and after a certain point you feel like you can't move at all, and once it hits your head, WHAP you're out!
 

freakflag

Diamond Member
Mar 22, 2001
3,951
1
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1)Find a girl.
2)Boink like savages in the dirt.
3)Sleep like baby.
4)repeat.
 
Mar 15, 2003
12,668
103
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Originally posted by: freakflag
1)Find a girl.
2)Boink like savages in the dirt.
3)Sleep like baby.
4)repeat.

1) Have a girl
2) Too exhausted during the day to boink
3) my life sucks
4) sigh

actually, i'm not that depressed.. but still, having no energy during the day sucks...
 
Apr 16, 2003
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Go see the doctor. I get bouts of exactly the thing you are talking about. If I don't sleep well one night then I have problems sleeping the next night because I'm worried I won't sleep.
Just having something from the Dr. that I know will make me sleep helps me get to sleep. In the last month I have only taken them twice (after a night of not sleeping well)
 

krunchykrome

Lifer
Dec 28, 2003
13,413
1
0
Just stay up the whole night and go to work and stay up till about 10 or 11pm. That should get you into a normal sleeping pattern again.
 

LSUfan

Golden Member
Jan 14, 2003
1,671
0
0
Originally posted by: freedomsbeat212
Originally posted by: LSUfan
Originally posted by: freedomsbeat212
So I've been living with 3 hours of sleep/day for way too long (usually can't sleep until 3 or 4 AM and I have to be up by 7 am).. Any ideas on how to deal with it? I've tried sleeping pills, working out, etc. etc. but I just can't fall asleep... I haven't gone to my doctor about it yet but am up for any suggestions.. the weird thing is that my body is tired but my mind is over active.. like i close my eyes and I sometimes see like bright colors/images or I think alot..What gives?? Anyone else know what I'm talking about?

Do you drink alcohol?

You know, I have been sober(totally) for the past 4 years and just started casually drinking again (during the weekends with friends).. could this be a factor?

p.s. I have tried over the counter stuff (nytol)

Yes! Alcohol will throw off your bodies schedule. Try stopping for a couple of weeks, if this helps then you know what the problem is.
 
Mar 15, 2003
12,668
103
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Very interesting stuff guys.. Thanks for the input (and I look forward to more)...

I'll lay off the alcohol for a bit.. I'm really not a heavy drinker at all but I'll give anything a try.

Melatonin also sounds very interesting - any idea how much I should take and when I should take it (how many times a day/what time of day)? I'll do some googling but first hand info's often the best..

Thanks guys..anyone else experience the hyperactive mind/imagination thing I spoke about? Keep in mind this only happens when I close my eyes and try to sleep (I'm not walking around and imagining things)... Here's the weirdest thing (don't think I'm crazy) - the bright colors are so bright that I get sunspots when I open my eyes!
 

zimu

Diamond Member
Jun 15, 2001
6,209
0
0
Originally posted by: freedomsbeat212
Very interesting stuff guys.. Thanks for the input (and I look forward to more)...

I'll lay off the alcohol for a bit.. I'm really not a heavy drinker at all but I'll give anything a try.

Melatonin also sounds very interesting - any idea how much I should take and when I should take it (how many times a day/what time of day)? I'll do some googling but first hand info's often the best..

Thanks guys..anyone else experience the hyperactive mind/imagination thing I spoke about? Keep in mind this only happens when I close my eyes and try to sleep (I'm not walking around and imagining things)... Here's the weirdest thing (don't think I'm crazy) - the bright colors are so bright that I get sunspots when I open my eyes!

i can answer the melatonin thing-
i take 1mg tablets, you can take up to 2mg a day. take it once every couple of weeks, although you can take two daily.
 

flxnimprtmscl

Diamond Member
Jan 30, 2003
7,962
2
0
The trick is to burn some of Al Gore's speeches to dvd. You'll be asleep in no time. Unfortunately, you'll also have horrible nightmares. Use at your own risk.
 

opticalmace

Golden Member
Oct 22, 2003
1,841
0
0
Yeah, I recommend staying away from the alcohol for a while. That might help.

I've never tried Nyquil myself, but it might be worth a shot as well.
 

Krugger

Senior member
Mar 22, 2001
820
0
0
Originally posted by: zimu
Originally posted by: freedomsbeat212
Very interesting stuff guys.. Thanks for the input (and I look forward to more)...

I'll lay off the alcohol for a bit.. I'm really not a heavy drinker at all but I'll give anything a try.

Melatonin also sounds very interesting - any idea how much I should take and when I should take it (how many times a day/what time of day)? I'll do some googling but first hand info's often the best..

Thanks guys..anyone else experience the hyperactive mind/imagination thing I spoke about? Keep in mind this only happens when I close my eyes and try to sleep (I'm not walking around and imagining things)... Here's the weirdest thing (don't think I'm crazy) - the bright colors are so bright that I get sunspots when I open my eyes!

i can answer the melatonin thing-
i take 1mg tablets, you can take up to 2mg a day. take it once every couple of weeks, although you can take two daily.

'nother vote for this route.
 

0roo0roo

No Lifer
Sep 21, 2002
64,795
84
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don't nap. don't use bright lighting at night, expose self to bright light in mornings..don't go to bed too early either.
 

Richdog

Golden Member
Feb 10, 2003
1,658
0
0
Originally posted by: freedomsbeat212
Very interesting stuff guys.. Thanks for the input (and I look forward to more)...

I'll lay off the alcohol for a bit.. I'm really not a heavy drinker at all but I'll give anything a try.

Melatonin also sounds very interesting - any idea how much I should take and when I should take it (how many times a day/what time of day)? I'll do some googling but first hand info's often the best..

Thanks guys..anyone else experience the hyperactive mind/imagination thing I spoke about? Keep in mind this only happens when I close my eyes and try to sleep (I'm not walking around and imagining things)... Here's the weirdest thing (don't think I'm crazy) - the bright colors are so bright that I get sunspots when I open my eyes!

This may sound strange but do you maybe close your eyes too hard without realizing it when trying to sleep?

If not then disregard that, it was a pot-shot. But if I were you i'd have been to see a specialist a loooong time ago. Sleep deprivation is one of the worst things that can happen to you both mentally and physically, it's serious stuff. Plus, it's taking valuable boinking uppurtunities away from you, now THATS serious!
 

blackdogdeek

Lifer
Mar 14, 2003
14,453
10
81
zimu's recommendation about meditation is what i would suggest. it sounds like you're storing tension in your body and mind when trying to fall asleep.

try this to release tension in your body:

lying prone in bed, concentrate on your breathing. imagine the air actually travelling in through your nose, down your throat, into your lungs, and then back out. after doing this for about a minute take one deep breath as big as you can, hold for a few seconds then explosively(not too explosively, but more like forcefully) release it.

breathe relaxed for about a minute then take in another deep breath but this time start contracting all the muscles in your body at the same time(it sounds difficult to do but it's ok if you don't get all of them, it's better that you at least try to) and at your full lung capacity, hold the breath and contract your muscles as hard as you can, then explosively release both the breath and your muscles. then go back to relaxed breathing.

now doing relaxed breathing, start at your feet and try to think about every last detail about them and concentrate on actually releasing any tension built up there and after about a minute, take in a deep breath and start to contract all the muscles in your feet, contracting them more as you approach your fullest lung capacity. when you reach maximum lung capacity, contract your feet muscles as hard as you can, and hold that breath for a few seconds then explosively release both the air and your feet muscles. then go back to relaxed breathing.

repeat the preceding paragraph for all body parts(calves, thigh, pelvis, stomach, back, arms, face/neck).

after the last body part, do one final deep breath and this time contract your entire body's muscles again and hold that breath as you contract as hard as possible and then explosively release again after a few seconds. then continue with relaxed breathing.

this should help release the tension in your muscles.