I can't sleep

I had a lot of trouble with disrupted sleep for many years. Several years ago I had the opportunity, spelled "medical insurance", to have a sleep diagnostic analysis. I spent a couple of nights sleeping in a hospital with someone monitoring my sleep via eeg, ekg, and other wires. I was diagnosed to have sleep apnia. Now I have an apparatus that delivers pressurised air to a nose mask. It's very comfortable and I sleep much better.

or maybe it's the full moon. Don't laugh!!! It's an established fact that a full moon coincides with increases in accidents and birth deliveries. Why??? Nobody knows but I find myself much more restless during a full moon. One thing you might think of is not consuming any fluids for at least two hours before retiring; the last fluids being a stiff drink. This might help reduce the calls of nature. As I've gotten older I've also found my sleep requirements have gotten a little spotty or spottier than they were because it wasn't unusual fo me to pull all-nighters sometimes going 96 hours on 5-6 hours of sleep at the end of which I would crash for 12-14 hours, usually on a Sunday.

There is another possibility. How old are you??? Have you gone through menopause yet??? I know when my wife went through it, lack of sleep was her major complaint aside from a brief period of experiencing hot flashes. That lasted about 6-9 months but the sleeplessness is still dragging on and that's over five years. She uses melatonin but complains if she stops it for more than a couple of nights it takes three or four months before it becomes effective again or to my thinking, reestablishes her rythms again.

As you can see, you're not the only one with sleep problems. It's 4:15 here and there is a full moon. My problem is that it takes me over an hour to fall asleep most nights but tonight that damn moon shines directly in my bedroom window and even though I spent a strenuous day, I just know I'm not going to fall asleep tonight. I turned on the box with the idea of catching up on my e-mail and spotted your post. I sympathise but can't think of any one thing that would really help. One thing that sometimes works is that I find a boring book, sit or lie on a recliner and before you know it you'll be asleep. It won't be perfect but it's usually good for a few hours. Another possibility is if you live near a university with a medical school. They often have a department or clinic for sleep disorders and while they weren't able to help me they have helped others. The worst that comes of this is you will learn you aren't the only one who suffers like this and as they say, misery loves company. Hang in there, it's all we can do.[b] BTW,[/b] I somehow don't see you as clinically depressed so be very careful with these quacks that prescribe tranquillizers and antidepressants at the drop of a hat as the cureall for any and all feminine problems. In fact you might find it helpful to find a woman doctor in the same age bracket who will be more empathetic to your needs.

Oh yeah, one other thing, if there's a full moon try closing the curtains. I'm not joking. Sleeplessness is not funny and leaves you with a feeling of running on empty. At least now you know you're not alone in this although that's probably small comfort right now.

Dawg ]:)

Are you allowing yourself to sleep, giving yourself permission?

You say "What am I missing"?

** What are you afraid of missing! **

Are you worried about unfinished business ( havn't you always? ). You are worried about your "obligations".

Is there something or things you cannot solve??

Do you always have to find a solution?

You may even have something you are worried about subconciously.

Are you "fearfull" of not being able to sleep?

**Have you taken on too much responsibility?? Can you reduce it - delegate some work or home responsibilities? ***

Take the pressure off yourself!

Be kind to yourself - tell yourself you deserve the rest you need and you have accomplished many things.

There will always be unfinished business, just like a post office. The mail will keep on coming!

See life as a "messy roller-coaster ride" not something that constantly needs tidying.

Take it one day at a time.

Stick to a routine so you body clock adjusts - the same bed-time every night. Wind down before you go to bed not wind-up.

Make sure your bedroom is comfortable - a tranquil place you enjoy to go to to relax - with no stimulating devices such as TV's or computers etc.

Make sure the mattress and pillow are comfortable.

Listen to a relaxing hypnotic tape/DVD/CD whilst you are in bed ( I have tried it and it helped immensely ) When you say you get bored whilst listening to the relaxation tapes - are you are reaching a "barrier" that must be broken - ie YOU are not "allowing" yourself to relax.

Don't consume any caffiene products after 6pm - reduce coffee to a max of 3 to 5 cups a day.

Drink 2 litres of water a day.

Try and get 30 minutes of exercise a day ( walking is fine ).

you will succeed - good luck

Insomnia sucks big time. If you think it's your sleep pattern that has been messed up one thing to try is to go to bed at 10pm one night, 11pm the next and so on until you stay up the whole night. You must not nap during the day no matter how tired. I found this "cure" when researching my own sleep problems, didn't try it myself but many people who did said it worked for them.

You're filling your body with adrenaline and other hormones and neurotransmitters that help your body to be active, just before trying to sleep. I understand the premise, tire yourself out, but it doesn't work that way. Start exercising in the morning, before work. It will help, even if it does not solve the problem. You should notice more steady levels of energy throughout the day. I don't think 2.5 hours is necessary though, just a moderately strenuous workout of whatever type you enjoy for at least one hour. TR points?

:)

Alcohol can make you pass out, but it cannot help you sleep soundly. Skip that.

Melatonin should not be used regularly.

Valarian root and chamomile are fairly weak, no need to worry about those, but it sounds like they don't really help.

There is an "anti-depressant" called amitriptyline which I found helpful during a bout of insomnia. In large enough doses to treat depression, it leads to extreme fatigue and weight gain, but in much smaller doses (10% to 20% of "anti-depressant" strength), it leads to just the right amount of fatigue (for me) to finally sleep through a night, and did not lead to any weight gain. I was already 20+ pounds overweight, but this drug didn't make that any worse.

If you try the rubber mallet, PLEASE broadcast it with a webcam!

You have all my sympathies. I still struggle with insomnia. The only thing I've found that works consistently for me is cutting out caffeine entirely. White noise machines help blank out some of that irritating mental chatter, too.

The worry and the circling thoughts...well, that's probably my problem, too. Sometimes, the only thing that works for that for me is to turn the TV on and park myself on the couch. With the worry brain cells occupied with inane late-night TV, I can often fall asleep that way. I'm sure that a doctor would say it's a bad idea, but whatever works.

Might also look into meditation, if it's the pervasive thoughts that are bothering you. I have a hard time keeping mine on a leash, and I think it helps a little bit.

I find that I can sleep great on the weekends, but my quality of sleep is lousy during the week. I chalk it up to work stress. If that's the case with you, it might be worth bringing it up with your doctor to rule in or out certain triggers.

Good luck and good night.

Either go to a specialist for sleep analysis or hook up your video camera so you can see your sleep habits to determine what is waking you. Most people are experiencing sleep apthnia (wrong spelling?) meaning that there is a loss of oxygen through any sinus blockage ie allergies or adverse brain function that messes your rythum. The fix is the oxygen apparatus to increase pure oxygen that has solved many people. It is embarrassing looking like Darth Vader in bed, but everyone I know that has one absolutely swears by them. I too have short sleep cycles waking up constantly at night, but I have always been like that, so who knows maybe my pride will have to take a backseat.

If it isnt that its a mental issue over guilt or a pressing matter that you dont want to face. I have had insomnia in the past for a short time due to over caffinating myself for a two job stint that required me to be present at two places for two weeks. I thought I still had my party never say die attribute. Soon after five days into it I turned into a shark unable to sleep at all. I finally broke down and got really strong sleeping pills. These things scared the heck out of me and knocked me out within 4 minutes of taking them for 9 hours. The bad thing was they didnt produce a good sleep, I always felt like a had a 1 hour nap. After the incident I had to ween myself off them to avoid any dependancy by cutting them in two and skipping a day here and there. It was one of the worst times in my life and never want that to happen even to my most hated people.

Everyone is going to give advice to do this or that. Some might work or not, I think you seriously need to see your doctor and have him refer you to a specialist, its beyond his expertise. Either you are going to have to come clean on some personal issues or take the medical route or a little of both. good luck.

For the ideas. I need to make a list. If I find one that works, I'll bake a cake for whoever suggested it. Although that is really more of a threat than a reward..

I ended up having a sleep study done and was diagnosed with sleep apnea(correct spelling),
sleep apnea is caused by the relaxation of the soft tissue in the throat while sleeping which causes the airway to close off and deprive you of oxygen,when your oxygen level gets low enough your body reacts by waking you up,most people are normally only awake a VERY short time when this happens, although some people are awakened fully and have trouble getting back to sleep.

My father has a severe case of sleep apnea and sleeps with the CPAP machine.The machine has a mask that covers the nose and mouth and blows a steady stream of air in your nose allowing the airway to remain open,it has the same effect as trying to breathe through your mouth with a really stiff wind blowing in your face,it just doesnt work and you have to close your mouth. I just couldn't get used to the apparatus strapped to my face while I slept,so I had a surgery, where they go in an remove all the excess soft tissue in the back of your throat, which includes your tonsils,uvula, and part of the soft palet. This has fixed my sleeping problem and my wifes sleep problem because I can no longer snore:)

I found that if I did a task that completely took my mind off of work and allowded my mind to relax I could get back to sleep.What I ended up doing was drawing mazes,I have a small board I could put in my lap and a pad of paper and a pencil,as I was designing my mind would move from the things going on at work, to how I could make my newest maze harder or look better and pretty soon I was sound asleep. I could do this in my recliner so if I did fall asleep I would be comfy.

Holy crap am I windy today.I hope I have helped you out alittle,

Remember I'm pullin for ya,we're all in this together.

Sorry to hear about your problem, you are right its not funny if you are going through it and I have. I used to sleep like a baby, nearly at will even, all through my early 20's...once I hit around 25-26 that all changed. For years now I've had problems sleeping, often not falling asleep until 12:30 - 2 am, getting up at 6 am for work doesn't help much.

My mom has had severe insomnia for over 30 years, so she is another that shares your torment with this. She does use Ambient at times (it is correct that it can be habit forming)...she gave one when I was really upset over relationship issues in my life...I'll tell you want that Ambient stuff knocks you out cold! I had a great sleep after taking that, although I felt a little shaky the next morning.

I wouldn't take Ambient all the time -- for obvious reasons...but its good to have for once in a while when you really REALLY are desperate for sleep. (Once or twice a month won't harm you, maybe even 3 times).

I do agree with the suggestion to get a sleep analysis done. They advertise here in Philly about a sleep center for the very reasons you explain -- I'm sure there is one near you as well.

I hope things work out for you...and sorry you are going through this stuff. It sucks I know from experience!

I'm a chronic insomniac. I've had it for over 30 years, starting in early adulthood. It's genetic...my mom has it, and my daughter has it.

I've been to all the sleep analysis clinics, and with everything I've tried only one thing helps.

What you describe sounds very similar to what I've gone through most of my life. I doubt you have sleep apnea, and I doubt you have any physical maladies or drug reactions. You simply can't turn your brain off. (You can figure out your own personal psychoses on your own.) I'd bet you find your sleep somewhat more satisfying on the weekends because that's when you're more relaxed. Weekdays your conscious mind is churning, and those short term thoughts are taking root in your subconscious where they come out at night like the monsters in your closet.

Try visualization. I'm living proof it works.

Get into bed, at the same hour every night (no exceptions). Concentrate fully on your body...starting with your toes, move upwards and relax each area fully as you go until you reach the top of your head.

At this point you should be pretty well physically relaxed. Now imagine yourself lying in a field of green grass. The sun is shining, it's a warm gorgeous day. The air feels like molasses on your skin. There's not a cloud in the sky.

You become aware that you're lying next to a gently babbling brook. Not class four rapids, no waterfalls...just gently flowing water. You can't see where the water starts or where it ends, nor does it matter.

You also become aware that there's a shrub next to the stream. The shrub has green leaves, and each one of the leaves represents something that's bothering you. It's very important not to assign a specific problem to a specific leaf, you just know that each leaf is some generic concern you have.

As you watch the shrub, one leaf becomes detached and gently flutters down in the breeze onto the water in the brook. You watch as it slowly drifts downstream, until it's out of sight.

Another leaf becomes detached, and you watch as that one flutters down and is carried downstream.

I'm usually out cold by the eighth leaf.

This visualization technique works so well I sometimes use it as a relaxation technique during the day. Rather than eat lunch I'll close my office door and sit back in my chair with my eyes closed, and do the visualization. After about 15 minutes I feel entirely refreshed and ready for the afternoon's calamities.

My insomnia still kicks in from time to time but it's much more manageable now. I taught this technique (it comes from an ancient form of yoga called kundalini) to my mom and my daughter, and many friends of mine with the same malady. Every single one of them reported improvement. One caveat...it takes about three months to get good at this. Don't view that statement competitively or you'll sabotage yourself, and don't get discouraged if it takes longer. Hope you have as much luck with this as I have.

You always feel like a zombie the next day because you didn't get any sleep.

I just can't turn my mind off sometimes and if I wake in the middle of the night I can't get back to sleep. I'm so wide awake sometimes its ridiculous.

Part of the problem for me was peri-menopause and partly because I had anxiety. It also turned out that I had high blood pressure that was triggering the anxiety.

I only found that out after going to a doctor and trying various medications. After my blood pressure was under control, I was able to sleep better because I didn't feel all of the anxiety.

The other things that worked for me was a regular bedtime, no naps and some red wine at night because it makes me sleepy.

Another thing is turning off your mind. I try to do this by focusing on something nice and sort of talking over yourself if you think of something else so you can keep the focus and drift off to dreamland.

Good luck Maecuff, I hope you'll find something that suits you. It takes awhile.

I've been ignoring the numbness in my fingers for quite a while now. I have to assume it's the onset of carpal tunnel, but since it's only mildly annoying, it's easy to ignore. It sucks getting old, I'm falling into pieces. Thank GOD I look so damn good, or what would I have?? :)

I also have suffered with this for many years. In my case addtional weight does not help. I am your (average American) over weight, not has heavy as some, but I could stand to loose about 45 lbs. At 6'4" I can afford it more than some, but it is enough that I have been through the sleep labs and alergy specialist. I now have it narrowed down to two things. "Busy mind" and breathing alergies. Amcol's NLP (Nero.Lingistic Programming or Self-Hypnosis) helps with the busy mind, but you might want to take a class or get a book to help with that. The alergy... seems to change with the seasons. One thing that really helped was one of those alerginic covers for the pillow and of coarse freshly cleaned sheets. ;-) It turns out that I am alergic to dust and cat. The cats are no longer allowed in my bedroom. I forgot the chamomile tea, it also helps settle a stomach. I have also cut way back on caffine. For me a cup of chamomile makes a great replacement for coffee. I have cut out soda-pop's all together and found that I no longer need my thyroid medine or colesterol meds (with doctor's help of course.) I have been off of the soda-pops for a few months now and my cronic heart-burn is gone along with the meds. for that. I never liked being on the medications, so I am very excited to be getting off of them after many years. I believe that if I had figured out a few of these things about 5 years ago that I would still have my gallbladder.

The one I find the hardest to not find excuseses for... EXERCISE!!! but it sounds like you already have that one whipped. As I am working out more it is becoming easier to go to it. I am gradually loosing the weight. I wish you luck, and if you figure out what works for you, let us all know.

;-)

I am not as bad as waking every half hour, but if I go to sleep before 12am, I will be up at 3am wide awake.

I have a few things I have to do. I have minor ear nerves damage from the years in the shops as I worked though school (NO, it had NOTHING to do with traveling with a rock and roll band for a few years). Anyways, if it is perfectly quiet my ears will start ringing so loudly that it is deafening. I have to have music play to sleep to, and nothing relaxes me more than something along the lines of my Master of Puppets CD. Used to drive the EX nuts when we first go together so I got a "pillow speaker" so only I could hear the music.

The other thing I have to do is wait until midnight at the earliest to go to sleep, often closer to 1:30. I get up at 6 on weekdaze and 7 on weekends. Wears on me, but what can you do? The part of having to wait until after midnight started after I first found out about the ex's affair and had lost twenty pounds. After getting real sick the appetite came back, but the sleep hasn't. Maybe after October comes and goes I will be able to sleep again?

I know this wasn't much help, but there was the chance of boring you to sleep....

Get to a new doctor who specializes in sleep disorders. A family quack will not be able to get to the bottom of this (as you have found out)

Best of luck!
jd

I have trouble falling asleep too. My mind is always way too busy to doze off. I've tried a few things in order to meditate and calm down. There's not much to help me; I think too much.

If you have any ideas, let me know.

of what I think it is, given there's no underlying chemical inbalances or physical conditions causing it:

Stress.

I hadn't had a vacation of more than a few days in 7-8 years when I took my trip to Ireland last year.

Funny enough, I was like you. I'd go to bed at 1am and I'd wake up 2-4 times a night and be up at 5am or 6am, but I don't have to be to work until 8am. The drive to work is 25 minutes.

Or, I'd not get tired until 4am and then feel absolutely drained. It was almost like I was from a different planet and my body worked on a 30 hour day.

Needless to say, I wasn't getting any good sleep.

Within 48 hours of landing in Ireland, I was sleeping 8-10 straight without aid of chemicals of any kind.

My suggestion: Take a break. Not just a long weekend. Not just a week. Get a period of time away for yourself that you can do what *you* want without having to think about "Damn...how am I gonna handle that project when I get back?" or things like that.

You have to disassociate yourself from the things which are driving your inability to relax and stay asleep. I've been there. I've even been to the point that I was hearing phones ring because I was on 24/7 call supporting a software package and was getting calls every 2 hours in the middle of the night, then working 10 hour days.

Get away. Take a break from it. Relax. Work is not worth ruining your health and well-being.

That's my suggestion.

Did you get that second opinion yet?
Making it through the night?
ANY improvements?

Rooting for you.

If your thyroid's out of wack, you might be able to get to sleep, but not stay asleep... you might talk to your doc about it, and have them draw some blood to test your TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) levels.

I had my thyroid removed several years ago, and anytime my thyroid medication gets out of wack, it's HELL!!