Die, insomnia, die!
I’m losing my mind. For some reason or another, I’ve been averaging about one to two hours of sleep a night (if that) this past week. Probably (meaning there could be another reason, but for the sake of convenience I’ll just go with this one; it doesn’t make my head hurt as much) because I pulled an all-nighter six days ago to finish an essay that ended up crap.
Usually I go to bed at about 1 - 2AM, because my circadian rhythms have changed to the point where if I go to sleep any earlier, I wake up at an obscenely early time and end up grumbling non-stop until noon the next day, regardless of where I am or who I’m with. For the past seven days, I’ve been doing the whole thing where you wake up every 15 minutes, open one eye a crack and stare at the clock, praying that it’s 7:00AM when really it’s only been a quarter of an hour, then fall back asleep again. Does anybody else get this on a regular basis?
I’ve tried counting sheep (they turned into goats at one point, then phoenixes, then my ex-boyfriends amongst a herd of cows - cue me randomly making stabbing motions in the air - then sheep with masquerade masks, etc. etc.), reading until my eyes got tired (or, rather, didn’t), the old “warm milk and a hot shower” wives’ tale… what a crock of shit.
I’ve gotten rather sick of it. To the point where I’m up at 4:54AM talking to a friend on Facebook who’s experiencing the same dilemma and is thinking of going to the gym to defend his masculinity. Who the hell thinks about the gym at just shy of five in the morning? All I’m thinking about is how My Big Fat Greek Wedding is playing in my DVD player for the second time tonight and how I’m repeatedly rewinding at the bit where Aunt Voula calls out “Do you need sponging?!” because it makes me giggle.
Yeah. I’m losing my mind.
P.S. I clocked in a whole hour of sleep tonight. Not sure if I should be proud of myself or berate the front door due to lack of sleep and sanity instead.
[#] Emsz, on September 20, 2008:
Sounds like you need a lesson in relaxation… :P
Apparently what you always must do if you can’t sleep is go out of bed, and do something else for about 10-15 minutes. (Don’t eat, it will become a habit) Also you should try to not look at a screen at least an hour before you go to bed.
What always helps for me is trying to make up a story in bed, something just let your mind wander places.. Don’t force it to not go somewhere you don’t want to go. It requires ‘mind power’ and it’ll make you more awake.
Good luck! :)
[#] Amanda, on September 20, 2008:
You need to release your frustrations with your right hand. Always makes me sleepy. ;)
Reply: Oh come on, Mandz, give me some credit. Do you seriously think I haven’t tried that? :P
[#] Belinda, on September 20, 2008:
Sounds like stress! As for myself, stress always makes me sleepy, which is why I slept incredibly well during the HSC period. Not exactly useful for when you have to cram (which I did) but it’s probably still more comfortable than insomnia.
Sorry I can’t help you, but if it’s chronic, really consider going to see a doctor about it. If not pinpointing an actual cause, at least they might suggest ways to help relieve your situation.
[#] Juice, on September 21, 2008:
Ditto to the max. Although, I’ve been sleeping at 4 - 4:30 AM and waking up at 6-ish in my morning for my 8:30 class. This is nuts, but it’s really because of all the Uni work I have to do. :( Good luck to us, Xuan!
[#] jane, on September 24, 2008:
My sympathies. Please consider reading gayle greene’s book :Insomniac for emotional support. She also talks about what works for her in an article in Prevention magazine. I have been impressed by a new book: I Want to Sleep - Unlearning Insomnia. The author, Dr.Siegfried Haug, contents that fighting insomnia - like all fighting- triggers an alert response in the brain He teaches passionate reclaiming of our birthright, godd sleep, instead. I hope this is helpful
J.
[#] Kym, on September 26, 2008:
Exercise always cures insomnia for me! :P
[#] Amanda, on October 1, 2008:
Have you tried the cliches? Like, take a nice long bath, read a boring book or listen to soothing music? Not that any of those has worked for me when I had insomnia… but apparently it worked for other people. I hope you get some decent sleep soon though :)
[#] Yante, on October 1, 2008:
Awh poor you :/
I hope you manage to get some more sleep soon!
[#] Tara, on October 4, 2008:
Wow, I hope your insomnia toned down a bit! I’d go batshite insane if I survived only that much sleep for a week. X_X;;
[#] Jem, on October 6, 2008:
I have the opposite problem. I’m knackered by 8pm of an evening, get up at 7:20am and still feel like I could do with a few extra hours sleep.
I’ll give you a few hours of my sleep? :D
Reply: Fksjfhsdkjs. That’d be lovely, Jem. *steals*
[#] Cecelia, on October 17, 2008:
Damn, I feel for you. I had a lot of trouble sleeping a while back, but it got a lot better whenI quit smoking.. I wish I could help you, because not being able to sleep messes with everything in your life! :(
[#] MrDakota, on October 31, 2008:
YOOOOO!!!
Haven’t heard from you since forever.
Not coming to Sydney now *sadness*
Me and my fiance broke up, so we’re not going anymore *sad* But I may visit on my own some time! x