cait987

Ok this has really been bothering me hardcore, pretty much I've never had much an issue falling asleep in my life until about a week ago. Last week on monday I couldn't sleep at all, tossed and turned from 9 pm to 6 am, figured it was a one night occurance since everyone has those. Except it really hasn't gone away, been sleeping really shitty for the last week straight and it really doesn't seem natural to develop insomnia for no apparent reason, I'm the most stress free person you will ever meet all I ever do if I get stressed out is dance and act like an idiot and I forget about it lol. So that really isnt it, and I havn't had any pain or discomfort other then that, so I get the feeling there could possibly be something wrong with me?

I want to see a doctor but if all their gonna do is tell me its natural and shit I don't even want to bother going, and I've never had much an issue sleeping in my life and don't want to start now by relying on melatonin or advil to fall asleep. Is it possible there is some deeper thing at work then just some random insomnia (for example a sickness or signs of one)?

And for those of you who suffer from random insomnia, do you ever have it for more then a few days (for example a week) and am I really blowing this out of proportion?

lindseylatch

that's not natural...The doc would probably give you some sleeping pills. They could also do a sleep test, at a sleep lab, which is always fun. That checks for ALL KINDS of problems.
If you just want a quick fix, benadryl and nightquil are fun...

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cait987

slept pretty decent tonight acctually, but the same thing keeps happening, I wake up between 2 and 3 and can't calm down. Physically I feel asleep but mentally I just can't relax. Really makes it a pain to get a good nights sleep when you wake up and can't fall asleep for 45 minutes

Tempted to see a doctor but last night was best its been so maybe it was just a random occurance gonna give it a few more days then see a doctor.

frogza

Welcome to insomnia. For it it comes in waves, I'll do good, in bed for 8 hours for 6 hours of sleep for a while. Then I'll go a couple of weeks where I only catch about 1 hour for 8 in bed. By the second day I will have a headache that will go from just bad headache to migraine off and on. Then I'll hit a wall, and sleep for about 14-16 hours straight. Everyone I've talked to that has insomnia has a slighlty different experience with it.

You should see a doctor and find out the cause, then fix it, unless you would like to use medication the rest of your life.

astrahl

Have you changed your habits recently? Diet, exercize, relationships? Some good things to help your body fall into the sleep pattern (some fall under the category of DUH, but I'll list them anyways)

1) No caffeine after 6pm (assuming you go to sleep around 10pm)
2) No sugar as above
3) No exercize two hours before sleeping
4) No big meals within one hour - two hours of going to sleep
5) Exercize regularly - a worked out body is a happy body
6) Turn off bright, overhead lights and use low level lighting at night
7) Avoid stress/over-stimulating your brain, try reading or journaling or my fav, gaming, to relax your mind

I would avoid sleeping pills because the sleep the give you is a medicated, less recuperative sleep. Try other things first like tea or (ew) warm milk. Best of luck and let us know how you are doing.

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raveneye

What are you thinking about when you're lying awake all night?

Usually with insomnia you can't turn your brain off, there's something you're thinking about that you latch onto, and can't let go. And it's usually related to some anxiety you developed during the day.

VitaminH

Something else that helps is if you can't get to sleep within the first 30 min, get up and do something relaxing, like reading a book or listening to light music until you feel tired, then try again.

Sleep hygiene is important, astrahl listed some good points to help you start, also remember to go to bed at the same time every night. You can also try sleep restricting yourself, that is, go to bed a good bit later than usual, almost purposly get less sleep than normal, then back iit up by 15 min after a few days of feeling tired, lather, rinse, repeat until you hit your normal bedtime again.

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Doctor_Max

I've actually found that exercise helps me get to sleep. Nothing heavy, just some crunches/lunges. It really relaxes the legs and prevents you from wanting to move, and you just kind of drift off.

Rodney

There's a million reasons for insomnia. I used to do the waking-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night-my-mind-racing routine, but that usually meant I had an unresolved issue; when I faced it, I could go to sleep. In the old days, I also had problems sleeping after smoking dope; don't know why.

Have you changed your bedclothes, or has the temperature in your bedroom changed? It's difficult to sleep when you're too cold, and yet you often don't _realize_ you're too cold. These days, my sleeping problems are mainly temperature related; if I can't sleep, I click on the heater or throw an extra blanket on the bed; usually works.

lindseylatch

I've had the opposite problem, where my bedroom is too hot and I don't realize it. But now I have to be warm, cause if I'm not then I huddle in a ball and get really, really hot after a while and sweat. Yeah, I know that sounds wierd, bt it's true...
Apparently it's good for the room to be lower than normal room temperature, since your body temp drops when you go to sleep, and a colder room mimics that? Well, something like that...

__________________
"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities"
"If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him."
"It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong."
-Voltaire

F-18_Driver

There's a new device on the market that tests you without the necessity of going to a sleep lab.

I believe it was invented by Dr. Philip Westbrook at Advanced Sleep Monitoring in Carlsbad, CA.

If that helps.

jack's liver

I have anxiety issues off and on, I think mostly related to the time of year (SAD). When it first hit me, about four years ago, it really freaked me out. I couldn't sleep more than 2-3 hours a night for about six months, pure hell. Long story short, some of the best natural things I discovered are yoga and learning how to control breathing (which is what yoga does - essentially). I'd be in bed wondering why I couldn't fall asleep and it would get worse like a domino effect. I found if I stopped trying to "figure it out" and concentrated on controlled deep breathes it would take my mind off things and center me in the moment which is very relaxing. Sounds strange but it works - just breath in through your nose 2 seconds and out through your mouth for 4 seconds. Another thing - it's important to breathe into the abdomen rather than the upper chest. During panic/anxious periods most all breathing is done in the chest. I hope this helps, but if it doesn't do the trick don't be afraid of the doctor - it's better to try all avenues of treatment rather than suffer with pride. Good health.

Zeraph

Sometimes skipping a day or two of sleep will help reset your internal clock (and is a quick fix for depression). But it sounds like you have the real deal so that probably won't help.

Also, with migraines a quick fix is concentrating on your hands and making them warmer. It helps because migraines are from anxiety where your stuck halfway between the fight or flight response, and getting blood to circulate to your outer extremeties is a sign to your body that you are relaxed and not in danger. (<-- thats basically the laymen's explanation so don't fault me if I got something off)

MSD

I took Ambien for the first time last night, and it was the first time in four months that I was able to sleep more than three hours straight. I should get to a doctor about it, but I just don't have the time.