No Sleep

[vash23n]

As some of you may know I have frequent bouts of severe insomnia - up to 48 hours. I was wondering if anyone has any solutions since I am currently in the midst of another stretch. Also I was wondering if anyone else has any insomnia stories, especially interested in how long most peoples' stretches without sleep last for.

My main problem is that I hate going to sleep. I love sleeping and once I am asleep I hate getting up, but I HATE going to bed. It's not due to nightmares or anything or a bad mattress. I think there is just so much I feel like I have to/want to do before going to sleep that I just stay up as late as possible trying to do it all... for instance, its 3am and I still am obsessed with playing some NHL 2006, watching a movie, typing on this forum, talking to a friend on facebook. I just can't see me getting to sleep at night. So this may sound like voluntary insomnia - to a degree it is - but it turns into voluntary insomnia because when I decide to go to bed it is impossible to fall asleep. For instance, tomorrow night I will be exhausted and try to fall asleep, fail, get up and watch TV until morning, go about daily routine that inevitably wires me up so that I can't fall asleep again, stay up until morning, go through daily routine until about 9 - pass out. until 3 PM the next day. What is weird is then I will have a very healthy schedule, waking up early and going to bed at a reasonable hour. Slowly the time I stay up to will get later and later until the cycle repeats.

Strange... and I wish it didn't result in somewhat eccentric behaviour such as writing on a video game forum about non-video game related stuff at 3am. Thank goodness for adult swim.

Just for interest's sake, check out this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIeTVVAEFn8

I completely forget what the point of this forum entry was...

[Weekend_Warrior]

I think you're afraid that you're somehow going to miss something by going to sleep.

My personal recommendation is to try to get out more and learn to enjoy life away from the computer and your video games. You need to be able to relax more and care less about the latest news on the web or about how soon you can clear a level or get through an NHL season on a video game.

Just get some air, man. Give yourself a break

[Hobie-wan]

If it makes you feel any better, I can sympathize with a lot of that. I really think I'd do better on a 30-32 hour schedule. I can stay up or stay asleep, but yeah, its the transistions between which sucks. I can't force myself to go to sleep if my body isn't ready, though I've never figured out a remedy either. Granted I don't tend to take medicine unless I'm dying, so I haven't tried any sleep aid drugs as I'd probably end up taking them all the time and then have real issues.

As I said, I cannot force myself to sleep. If I try to go to bed, I'll just lie there. Heck, I have trouble even keeping my eyes closed if I'm not sleepy. I know if I've been lying in bed for more than 15-20 minutes and I'm not asleep, it isn't going to happen and I might as well get back up. I think the longest I ever tried before giving up was about 4 hours.

[AwesomeMonstar]

you tried all the obvious? exercise, sex, food, etc?

[vash23n]

I think you're afraid that you're somehow going to miss something by going to sleep.

Dude I agree with this a hell of a lot. I never thought about this, but it is really true. As for the rest, I do get out a lot. In fact I spend most of the day out working with animals and doing things completely unrelated to TV, video games, computers, the Flyers, etc. I think that's why, when I get home, I am super wired and feel completely not tired (I'm a bit of a hyper person). I don't even start watching TV until about 10 or 11 with my wife. Then, she goes to bed and I turn on a movie or play a video game or check the computer. It's almost like I feel like there aren't enough hours in the day. Like from 11 on is my time to get a lot of my more insignificant activities done. Not sure if that makes sense.

[vash23n]

If it makes you feel any better, I can sympathize with a lot of that. I really think I'd do better on a 30-32 hour schedule. I can stay up or stay asleep, but yeah, its the transistions between which suck. I can't force myself to go to sleep if my body isn't ready, though I've never figured out a remedy either. Granted I don't tend to take medicine unless I'm dying, so I haven't tried any sleep aid drugs as I'd probably end up taking them all the time and then have real issues.

As I said, I cannot force myself to sleep. If I try to go to bed, I'll just lie there. Heck, I have trouble even keeping my eyes closed if I'm not sleepy. I know if I've been lying in bed for more than 15-20 minutes and I'm not asleep, it isn't going to happen and I might as well get back up. I think the longest I ever tried before giving up was about 4 hours.

Word for word, this is me. No meds for me, although I am on some meds for severe OCD, but I am not sure if this is a side effect. Never thought to check. And I am not a "hey everyone I'm on meds check me out this is what is wrong with me" kind of guy so I tend to forget about these kinds of connections when I go to the doctor.

[vash23n]

you tried all the obvious? exercise, sex, food, etc?

Exercise and sex make me EXTREMELY hyper. Like I am the type of guy who would love to cuddle afterwards, but I end up getting kicked out of bed because I get so jittery and talk too much. hehe. I tend to eat more when I stay up late so I think that is not helpful either.

[Hobie-wan]

I guess I'm lucky that I don't have it that bad. Sometimes I just stay up too late during the week and then catch up by sleeping really late Saturday. I've only had it happen a few times where I really couldn't sleep until after dawn. Normally if I'm up that long I'm at least really into something, not sitting why the hell I can't sleep.

I'd try to check out side effects of the meds though. Even if its online it might give you some clues. I took some medication for a 2 week period a long time ago. It made me a crazy person with all the side effects, 2 of which were not being able to sleep and having no temper at all. I pretty much screamed at my parents nonstop while I was taking it. Thankfully it was temporary and everything went back to normal including the original issue going away when I was done, but looking back I wonder if there was a better solution.

Anyway, I hope you figure something out.

[vlame]

you tried all the obvious? exercise, sex, food, etc?

i was gonna say get a gf. i got with this girl who had severe insomnia, whilst we were together she slept WAY MORE...after she dumped me it came back...

[Niode]

I used to have it way more than I do now. Now I'll have bouts where I'll stay up 'til sunrise and sometimes where I just can't sleep at all. I once went an entire week without sleeping, lost nearly a stone in weight, too tired to sleep too tired to eat, I looked like shit. My body finally just shut down and I slept for nearly 24 hours.

Try having a warm drink before bed, or just have some milk or something. Since I started doing that I've slept much better.

I was the same as you, I hated going to bed because I felt there was so much more I could be doing. What I've started doing is getting my minimum 7 hours a night, waking up early and I find I get way more done in the day. Then I don't feel compulsive about staying awake.