thespian86

I can't sleep. In fact I would say I rarely get more then four hours a sleep a night. In high school I slept even less. When I was a kid I would stay up all night. Right now I'm writing this at 6:07 am Atlantic time. I have been awake for 49 hours now and I'm not tired, just starting to buzz a bit. This does have a point. Has anyone here ever suffered from insomnia, sleep walking, sleep talking, or anything severe. Do you know anyone who has?

If so, do you have any disturbing or interesting stories. I've never taken drugs before but I'm certain some of the things that happen in front of my eyes about 5 days in are acid like. What about exercises or ideas as to why it happens. I'm sure I'm not alone. On the other hand this could be completely irrelevant.

My worst was when I was maybe 10 or 11. I went almost three weeks without a full night's sleep. At the end of it I was starting to talk in the dark without end, conversations that I'd play out in my head, or dreams I'd have while I was half awake, but never asleep. The last night my mother had gotten up to go to work around 5 am and didn't know I was in the living room. She was making coffee when I started "talking" to my father. She had no idea what was going on and came into the room, quite frightened. She tried to speak to me but I was mid conversation with my dad about something. I could hear her but couldn't really respond. It's a very strange and uncomfortable feeling, not having control of your body or mind. When I read Fight Club years later I knew what Tyler was almost instantly. That hasn't happened for a very long time but lately I'm starting to slip back into not sleeping again.

Any war stories? Share.

__________________
EX: Whats new?
ME: I officially love coffee more then you now.
EX: uh...
ME: So, not much.

Martian

I suffer from periods of insomnia due to the medications that I take. Once I get all the steroids out of my system I'll be able to get back to a normal sleep schedule, but until then (and it takes a while) I have to put up with these occasional jags.

I often get auditory hallucinations. They generally start around the 36 hour mark. My record for continuous wakefulness is in around 90 hours, and I firmly believe the human body is simply incapable of going much farther than that without some sort of chemical assistance.

I get hallucinations, auditory first and then visual (I see stuff out of the corner of my eye). My language skills and memory deteriorate. My physical co-ordination goes to hell. It's just all around a bad time.

And yeah, I've had waking dreams too. Talk about a fucked up experience.

It's currently 5:27. I got up at 10:30 yesterday morning. I'm hoping I'll get to sleep before midnight tonight. Fortunately, my days of 50+ hours are behind me, but 36 is bad enough as far as I'm concerned.

__________________
I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept
I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept
I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head
I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said

- Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame

SSJTWIZTA

ive fought with insomnia my whole life, just as im fighting it now. i have now been awake more than 24 hours, have gotten tottally shit faced in this time, and still havnt felt 1 single urge to go to sleep

Those dreams you have while your awake are called "Lucid Dreams" if im not mistaken,. They can be quite fun but scary at the same time. And no Punkmusicfan, acid is WAY more intense than staying awake for 5 days or so.

I was up for 3 and a half weeks on a certain drug. I never want to experience that again. My friend and i were sitting outside at 3am when we mistook a couple of trash cans across the street as 2 women walking, but not going anywhere.

Who were they, we wondered. what in the hell are they doing out here at 3 in the goddamn A.M??

further investigation would lead to a small freak out, and a realization of how fucking cool it is that lack of sleep could fuck with anyone so hard.

__________________
First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the communists and I did not speak out because I was not a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for me And there was no one left to speak out for me.
-Pastor Martin Niemoller

thespian86

Martian, I am plagued by said auditory hallucinations. Clicks, knocks, whispers, words. And those "Lucid Dreams", about three and a half days without sleep, is certainly fucked up. Things that don't exist in a plane of existence is no fun at all. The last one I had was maybe three months ago and I thought I was in a bar with a waitress. I was talking out loud and my girlfriend had to leave the room because I has freaking her out so bad.

As for hours I've logged straight, it would be close to ninety, but my problem is being awake for two days, sleeping and hour and a half, and doing it again. It doesn't really make it better, that hour and a half.

__________________
EX: Whats new?
ME: I officially love coffee more then you now.
EX: uh...
ME: So, not much.

ÐiGiRed

I've been dealing with sleep problems most of my life. I used to sleepwalk when I was a kid.. still do if I'm really stressed out. But most nights I just toss and turn.. then wake up at around 5 am.

The big problem here is that when I sleepwalk I'm not just walking. Talking to people, trying to cook, doing things I'd normally do while I'm awake. The worst is when I wake up and can't find my glasses anywhere. Not sure what I need with 'em while I'm sleeping really. heh

I've been to doctors about this, and I've been put on meds because of it. Nothing has worked so far.

I was supposed to go to some sleep clinic a couple of years ago. But that didn't work out.. (long story) Sometimes I do wonder if it would have made a difference though.

I've been trying different herbal supplements lately.. and so far they kinda seem to be helping.. a little. Some mornings I actually wake up at 6-6:30 instead of 5. lol

__________________
Don't drink and park, accidents in cars cause people.

Glory's Sun

I've suffered from insomnia for years. Thankfully, the ambien works most of the time and I can manage to do what I need to do.

From what I've read and sort of understand, insomnia isn't a major issue until you start to lose the ability to do normal things. This doesn't include minor memory loss. I've read that as long as you're having coherent dreams and/or lucid dreams then the body is still functioning at a good level. Some scientists believe that it's the dreams that rest our minds and body. Without going into that level of dream state, the body is not at rest.

Now I've seen things during the day and heard the knocks and clicks..and I don't know if I believe that shit... it's hard to believe my mind is ok when it's fabricating things.

Perhaps more would get done in this field if the doctors and scientists started regarding insomnia as an actual disease.. after all it's a deadly one.

spectre

I've had problems with insomnia for over a decade. I was on Ambien and Rozerum, and neither worked all that well for me. I saw a sleep specialist and she put me on Amitriptyline which has finally allowed me to be able to sleep.

__________________
"Fuck these chains
No goddamn slave
I will be different" ~ Machine Head

dlish

i wake up and toss and turn 20-30 times a night. i rarely sleep more than 6 hrs a night. at its worst id pace the house continuously for hours or just get up and browse the internet till sunrise. mine is stress related.

most poeple think that insomnia is just total lack of sleep. but its not.

ive learnt to deal with it, but long for those days of 8 hrs a night

__________________
An injustice anywhere, is an injustice everywhere

I always sign my facebook comments with ()()===========(}. Does that make me gay?
- Filthy

SSJTWIZTA

Maybe we all just need a tempurpedic bed.

__________________
First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the communists and I did not speak out because I was not a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for me And there was no one left to speak out for me.
-Pastor Martin Niemoller

Glory's Sun

heh.. I'm actually thinking about getting a Tempurpedic..

I just don't know yet.. they look awfully hot to me.