I wake up at 5:15 am everyday because I have to commute to work and want to beat the traffic. So not falling asleep until 1 or 2 am is a huge problem. 3 - 5 hours of sleep a night. That's all I get during the week. It's awful. I am always tired and have the worst dark circles under my eyes at all times. People at work tell me all the time that I look tired, I think that is one of the worst things you can say to someone, because it basically means I look like crap. Gee thanks, I feel that way too, because in the past 3 nights I've had a total of 12 hours of sleep.
I don't know what's going on with me. Sure I have a busy job, and a busy church calling and other stresses, but nothing beyond what I am capable of. I don't have any kids to worry about. I don't consume much caffeine, Adam and I spilt and occasional Coke Zero, but that's it. I have a pretty healthy lifestyle, working out 4 times a week, eating decent meals.
I try to be in bed by 10:30 every night and on good nights I get 6 hours of sleep, falling asleep around 11:30. I don't know what to do about it. Any other insomniacs out there with some advice. I'm tired of being tired and looking like crap.
8 comments:
Oh, my poor Whitney! I wish you could get some better sleep, too!
I take a benadryl every night along with my prescription pain relivers. That has helped me sleep a lot better, and the groggy-ness has usually worn off by the next day, especially if I take the benadryl around 7 or 8 in the evening, a few hours before bed. Plus, it helps my allergies to not be as bad in the mornings. Bonus.
Also, the supplement 5-HTP supposedly has the same chemicals in it as the chemical in turkey that makes you sleepy, tryptophan. It says it will help with insomnia. I got my last bottle of the stuff at Costco.
And finally, the lighting designer geek in me has to tell you to take care of your circadian rythyms. Make sure you get at much light as you can before 10:30 in the morning. Turn on all the lights in your bathroom, office, etc. Light supresses the production of melatonin (the sleepy chemical), and blue light does it best. Then, at night make sure your room is as dark as possible. Make sure your alarm clock has red numbers because green or blue ones will supress the melatonin as well. This is a trick we use when we design the lighting in nursing homes/extended care facilities. Night lights in the rooms have to be red so the patients can sleep while the night lights in the hallways have to be blue to help keeps the nurses & night staff awake. You can also buy melatonin and take it at night to help your body produce more of that chemical that will help you sleep.
I hope you can find something that works for you!!!
Maybe it's in the genes. Nana (my mom) had bad insomnia, Uncle Steve has it, I have it, Hank has it, and who knows who's next. Tips from me. If you find yourself laying in bed awake for more than 30 minutes get up and do something. I usually get up and read, do some computer work, sometimes I even bake or make dinner for the following night. Then I try again. I can tell when I'm feeling sleepy and I take advantage of it. Don't stress about it and DON"T lay in bed for hours awake, I'd rather be awake doing something useful than laying in bed worrying about being awake. They say that carbs before bed can cause insomnia, but it doesn't sound like that's a problem for you. I go through periods where for a couple of weeks I can't sleep and then I can for some reason. I have never taken any sleeping pills because I know they'd work and then I'd be dependent on them. Good luck dear Whiffany.
I feel your pain.
Love, Aunti Marty
Oh no! I wrote you a long comment but Blogger errored out on me..
Anyway, I am sorry you're dealing with this exhaustion. Ugh. I don't have a problem with Insomnia, but the first three months of Oliver's life I remember being so tired that I just wanted to hibernate, so I understand your frustration.
And, I agree with you that it is very rude for people to tell you that you look tired! Ugh! For the record, I thought you looked great last week!
I follow a blog called "Passionate Homemaking" which is more about living frugally, cooking, etc. But, I happened to remember that the gal who writes the blog has suffered on and off with Insomnia. I did a quick search on her site and found this page with some natural remedies. You may have already tried everything, but I thought I'd share!
http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2008/12/natural-insomnia-help.html
:-)
Heidi
Ooops, it doesn't look like the link pasted correctly. Here it is again: http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2008/12/natural-insomnia-help.html
I have had a hard time falling asleep since, uh, forever. And I have been through the ringer with how to help sleep better. Here is what I did/was told:
I tried taking Nyquil to help me sleep, but figured out pretty quickly that it's REALLY bad to take habitually. I got sick and plus it's basically like getting drunk, which Im sure you're not interested in.
I switched to Tylenol PM and that was awesome, but my old roommate told me that A. The pain reliever in it is really bad for your liver (she was a nursing student) and B. After about 2 weeks of constant use your body becomes immuned to it and it acts as a placebo. You dont ACTUALLY need it.
After that I tried Unisom, which I really really like. It was like Tylenol PM without the pain killer, so I felt like it was better for my body. I still felt like I was probably putting toxins in my body though so I switched to Melatonin from Trader Joes. Melatonin is natural and better yet it's REALLY cheap. It says it's a dietary suppliment on the bottle but all I've heard was how it helps you get to sleep. One chewable tablet about an hour before I want to get to sleep and Im good to go. It sorta makes me groggy in the morning so I try to only take it when I know I wont be able to crash out- and usually I can tell. It also helps to have your body on the same cycle every night- bed at the same time. Yoga has helped me a lot too, as does some Sleepytime Tea from the grocery store.
Sorry for so much info. I just had a terrible time with this one myself.
Meg.
Wow! Thanks for all the feedback! Some great ideas here! Hopefully I can find a few things that work for me.
I went through that a few years ago. I got Ambien from my doctor and it saved my life.
Hi Whitney! I've been looking through some of your posts, and found this one--I had this problem too for quite awhile. What finally helped me was relaxation techniques. My mom gave me a CD she had gotten from a hotel--a whole body relaxation thing. Also, then when I was pregnant with Cameron, I started listening to a Hypnobirthing track that would help me relax, declutter my mind, and fall asleep. I would suggest any CD that guides you through whole body relaxation. listen to it when you get into bed and close your eyes and breathe deeply. I hope this helps!!
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