SRS Can't sleep

[j828]

Haven't been able to sleep these last couple of weeks, maybe even months. I just can't seem to turn my brain off and it's drivng me nuts all these thoughts on every subject matter possible. Im not even stressed or at least i dont think i am. I know I'm new and just blurting all my problems since ive received great answers from all of you. Any suggestions?

 

[TopicOff]

I was in the same situation as you. I found that I had a lot of anxiety, which made a lot of thoughts of minor details bounce around in my head.

I would recommend exercising, reading a book or even masturbating before going to bed. All of these usually decrease anxiety and make you feel somewhat rested before dozing off.

Some other options are marijuana, alcohol or sleeping pills. I wouldn't recommend these alternatives, as you can easily become dependent on them.

 

[j828]

I exercise regularly. Just read a lil. Whacked it earlier (bye bye prostate cancer). And I smoke lots of pot. WTF. Listened to music. Watched tv. These keeps happening, u think I should see the university psycholoist?

 

[j828]

Anxiety is a possibility I popped a xanax the other nigt and ripped some bong hits...passed out. Wished I had one

 

[j828]

I'm a busy guy but I love it and am known to be a stress free guy. Maybe I'm stressing about not getting to sleep which in turn keeps me from sleeping. I have a test tmrw 930 am fuck me now

 

[mandrew]

stop using drugs. Pot can make some people sleepy, other times it can give them anxiety or just make you so high that you'd rather stay up doing unproductive crap rather than sleeping at a reasonable time. I'm willing to bet you belong to the latter group of people.

Don't resort to RX drugs when you don't need them... try going clean for a while and see if this problem clears up.

 

[j828]

Round two. This is so much fun I must say.

 

[7960]

melatonin.

ironic that I'm up at 2:10am typing that in a thread about how my sleep used to be fucked up and melatonin changed my life




http://forums.offtopic.com/showthread.php?t=3035434&highlight=melatonin

 

[Original]

melatonin.

ironic that I'm up at 2:10am typing that in a thread about how my sleep used to be fucked up and melatonin changed my life

melatonin works some of the time. if you believe it works, your mind will make it work

 

[Scootin]

OTC stuff is, for the most part, useless. That includes melatonin, diphenhydramine, doxylamine, valerian, etc. Melatonin is especially bad, even more so when you consider how terribly its manufacture is controlled in this country. I've seen data on that purple-top melatonin that would make your head spin.

Follow proper sleep hygiene and see a sleep specialist about insomnia-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy. If the lorazepam and zolpidem haven't worked, it's time to explore new options. There are other pharmaceutical options but you're not quite to the point of needing those, yet. Side effects get very nasty.

edit: thought the picture was the TS posting. Anyway, I doubt melatonin works for you regardless, what you're describing is a little different. You're welcome to try it, but don't say I didn't warn you. There are plenty of better options out there.

 

[Scootin]

Oh, and lay off the weed and stuff dude. Never did anybody any favors.

 

[7960]

melatonin works some of the time. if you believe it works, your mind will make it work

funny, because I didn't believe it would work

 

[Lateralus]

I've been dealing with this problem for a while now myself. I haven't actually slept through an entire night in probably 3 or 4 months, and now I'm waking up every morning in the recliner in my living room, not remembering how I got there. Obviously I'm sleep walking at some point, luckily my alarm is loud enough that it wakes me up from a distance or I would be late for work every day.

 

[7960]

I've been dealing with this problem for a while now myself. I haven't actually slept through an entire night in probably 3 or 4 months,

I dealt with it for 15-20 years.

...and now I'm waking up every morning in the recliner in my living room, not remembering how I got there. Obviously I'm sleep walking at some point, luckily my alarm is loud enough that it wakes me up from a distance or I would be late for work every day.

knock off the low-hanging fruit first.... get more exercise, quit drinking, eat better, no caffeine, read a few websites that talk about "better sleep." Then work your way up.... melatonin, sleeping pill (limit yourself to a few days so you don't get dependent), talk to your doc, possibly do a sleep study. But your questions will most likely be answered way before the sleep study.

 

[Scootin]

I dealt with it for 15-20 years.

knock off the low-hanging fruit first.... get more exercise, quit drinking, eat better, no caffeine, read a few websites that talk about "better sleep." Then work your way up.... melatonin, sleeping pill (limit yourself to a few days so you don't get dependent), talk to your doc, possibly do a sleep study. But your questions will most likely be answered way before the sleep study.

Except melatonin can actually increase sleepwalking tendencies. Certain sleep pills help, but only because of a reduction in slow-wave sleep - the state that sleepwalking occurs. Really any benzodiazepine, nonbenzodiazepine, etc will do that.

Sleepwalking isn't really that big of a deal if you're not hurting yourself. You can put a bell on the door of your room, or an alarm in the chair you go to. Just make sure the house is clear of anything you may run into and you should minimize the need to go downstairs, by putting your bedroom on the first floor if necessary.

Treatment usually isn't necessary, and focusing on reducing your daily stress can help. It's very rare that sleepwalking persists over the lifetime of an individual, but in that special case there are treatments available.

 

[Scootin]

funny, because I didn't believe it would work

It works fine for some people, but evidence suggests that it's not as efficacious as was previously believed. Its primary use should be getting over jet lag symptoms, circadian disorders, etc - not primary or secondary insomnia.

 

[7960]

It works fine for some people, but evidence suggests that it's not as efficacious as was previously believed. Its primary use should be getting over jet lag symptoms, circadian disorders, etc - not primary or secondary insomnia.

the reason it was was effective was because it helped restore "normal" circadian cycles. If I stayed awake until 3am I'd sleep until 10am or so. I could do that every day all the time. I used melatonin to reset my sleep so I'd want to go to sleep at 10pm and then get the expected 6 to 7.5 hrs we need.

and my point was he should try the easy stuff now. he shouldn't run to the doc for potentially addictive pills without having exhausted other options first.

 

[7960]

Except melatonin can actually increase sleepwalking tendencies.

and it can also help get a decent night's sleep and reduce sleep walking.

(third time) again, going to the doc shoudln't be the first thing he does to try to fix this.

 

[Scootin]

and it can also help get a decent night's sleep and reduce sleep walking.

(third time) again, going to the doc shoudln't be the first thing he does to try to fix this.

Good night's sleep != no sleepwalking. In fact, getting a "good night's sleep" can actually worsen sleep walking. Besides, melatonin is out of your system within an hour or two. It doesn't keep you asleep at night.

I understand that he doesn't need to go running to a doctor at this point, which I clearly stated in my post. I was saying that melatonin will not help with sleepwalking at all.

Those "potentially addictive sleeping pills" are also first-line pharmaceutical treatment for sleepwalking.

 

[Scootin]

the reason it was was effective was because it helped restore "normal" circadian cycles. If I stayed awake until 3am I'd sleep until 10am or so. I could do that every day all the time. I used melatonin to reset my sleep so I'd want to go to sleep at 10pm and then get the expected 6 to 7.5 hrs we need.

That's fine if it worked for you - if you had delayed sleep phase or something. For most people with primary insomnia and almost all people with secondary insomnia, it won't work. Anyone is welcome to try, since it won't hurt you, but don't expect miracles.

Side note - it's never a good idea to start saying we need X amount of hours of sleep. That's how a lot of people develop insomnia.

 

[7960]

Side note - it's never a good idea to start saying we need X amount of hours of sleep. That's how a lot of people develop insomnia.

spoken like someone who has a pill to sell.

 

[mandrew]

That's for the doctor to decide.

Of course. However if they guy doesn't address some potential roots of the problem before seeking medical treatment then he may get an improper diagnosis. Especially if he doesn't tell the doc he's smoking pot all the time.

 

[Scootin]

spoken like someone who has a pill to sell.

No. Wrong.

Everyone's need for sleep is completely personal. The amount of sleep you need at night is NOT defined by some hourly amount. It's defined individually - the amount you need is the amount that allows you to wake up feeling refreshed and awake during the day. That's the ONLY criteria.

When people start saying to themselves "I need 8 hours of sleep or I won't be able to function," that's when the vicious cycle of sleep anxiety starts to set in. In the end, you just end up staying up all night trying to fall asleep, which doesn't work.

The 8 hours you hear is representative of the majority of the population, but a significant portion are perfectly fine with less, while some need more. I've seen people that require upwards of 12 hours of sleep at night to feel rested, with no sleep disorders. I've also seen people who are terrific after just 3 or 4 hours of sleep.
I realize you think you know a lot more about this than I do, based on this and past threads, but please don't try and disregard my advice because you don't agree with it. You're always welcome to disagree, but to try and debase what I say with comments like that is ignorant.

 

[j828]

I exercise basically every other day.
Smoke pot every few days since I started college.
I'm a health food nut.
I smoke cigarettes.
I do not drink.
I'll have coffee maybe 2-3 times a week, only once per day.
I'll drink green tea maybe 3-5 times a week, only once per day.

I'll be exhausted I just cannot turn my brain off, plus now that it is a problem I focus on the fact that I can't sleep. Last night I passed out at 8 (woohoo!) only to wake up at 11, couldn't sleep again till 3.

I might check out the sleep clinic by my mother's doctor soon.

 

[Scootin]

Of course. However if they guy doesn't address some potential roots of the problem before seeking medical treatment then he may get an improper diagnosis. Especially if he doesn't tell the doc he's smoking pot all the time.

Unforunately, sleep medicine has gotten kind of a bad rap because of uneducated physicians - or physicians that just don't care. If a patient comes into your office with sleep complaints, the last thing you want to do is listen to all their problems. There's no easy test for sleep problems and so the diagnosis and treatment plans are equally as difficult. It's much easier to just hand out a pill and proclaim the patient "fixed."

There are many different kinds of insomnia, and only a very select few actually require pharmaceutical treatment in the plan.