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What do you do when Insomnia hits?

Started by Zeffy, August 06, 2014, 05:06:44 AM

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Zeffy

For some reason, tonight my body didn't want want to let me fall asleep. While I have been through this plenty of times before, I was wondering what everyone else here does when you get denied sleep?

For me, the only thing I can do is watch Netflix and browse the web on my phone. Once I know I'm not sleeping, I usually just give in. ADHD does not help since a racing mind is a common cause for not being able to fall asleep.
Life would be boring if we didn't take an offramp every once in a while

A weird combination of a weather geek, roadgeek, car enthusiast and furry mixed with many anxiety related disorders


Zeffy

I always have my fan on at night, despite the temperature. Helps to counter the ringing in my ears that seem to be permanent. I try not thinking, but that didn't work last night it seems. I stopped trying at 7 AM and since I'm no stranger to this I should be fine for at least today without any sleep...
Life would be boring if we didn't take an offramp every once in a while

A weird combination of a weather geek, roadgeek, car enthusiast and furry mixed with many anxiety related disorders

US81

Many people are more light sensitive than they realize or become more light sensitive as they age. Blue light is notorious for stimulating the brain to wake up and stay alert. If you haven't already, make sure your phone / tablet / TV screens are as dim as they can reasonably be. There are even programs out there that can dim screens and reduce the blue light on a timer or times with local sunrise/sunset times.

I agree with the big box fan to help mask external noise (cars driving by, neighbor dogs barking, etc)

I often use an e-reader, and sometimes I watch Netflix on it; if I'm struggling to go to sleep, sometimes I'll turn on a podcast or an audio book, so that there is nothing for me to watch and I can at least close my eyes.


6a

#3
I have to get up really early compared to most people (usually somewhere between 1-3 am) which means going to bed early as well.  This can cause problems in summer when it's light outside hours after I try going to bed. 

The single most important thing I've done to prepare for sleep, and this takes some time to adjust your body, is doing nothing but trying to sleep once I go to bed.  There are no books and no television in my bedroom.  I never even took my cell phone to bed until recently, when I ditched a landline.  Doing other things to keep busy tells your body going to bed doesn't equal going to sleep.

Another thing I've done is install the heavy weight curtains like you find in hotels. Being in a dark room helps tell your body it's time for sleep, so when it's 6pm and I need to hit the hay, close curtains and boom, it's dark as night. Along with that I might take some melatonin if I think I'm going to have trouble. Being in a dark place spurs your body to produce it, I just help it along. I'd rather not use pharmacy grade sleep aids if I can help, regular melatonin along with a super dark room seems to work for me.

The last resort for me, and it may help if you have noise in your ears, is an app called Storm Sim. I have an allergy that prevents me from spending money for apps, but I went ahead and bought every add-on available for this one.  You can basically customize your own white noise; I grew up near a busy train crossing so a light rain with an occasional train whistle and a rumble of thunder does it for me. (Edit: the storm sim link is for iOS, I'm fairly certain it exists for android as well.)

Zeffy

My sleep schedule is probably the worst on the planet, but it usually works. I don't remember the last time I went a full night without sleep:

11-1:30 PM/AM - Stop gaming
5-10 min after shutting down my games: Use the restroom so I don't have the urge to go during sleep (which still happens)
After restroom: Boot up Xbox One and launch Netflix and watch for 20-45 minutes before shutting it off
After shutting Xbox off: Attempt to sleep

Usually I enter the sleep state within 5-10 minutes. Last night it felt like... well I don't know. It felt like there was shit crawling on me, and my hands and feet would tingle at random points of time. Closing my eyes just didn't feel right compared to the night before. I'm sure it was a one and done thing, but I've had a stretch of no sleep for 78 hours before in high school and I would like to think that I won't experience that again hopefully.
Life would be boring if we didn't take an offramp every once in a while

A weird combination of a weather geek, roadgeek, car enthusiast and furry mixed with many anxiety related disorders

ET21

I read Star Wars books when I had major insomnia problems in high school. Went through a good 15 books over a 12 month period. Usually after about 10-15 minutes of reading I start dozing off.
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signalman

Quote from: 6a on August 06, 2014, 10:24:39 AM
I have to get up really early compared to most people (usually somewhere between 1-3 am) which means going to bed early as well.  This can cause problems in summer when it's light outside hours after I try going to bed. 
I have a very similar sleep schedule to you.  I sleep from 6pm-2am.  I work odd hours.  I will occasionally have difficulty sleeping, but it's rare.  This time of year, falling asleep when it's light out is harder than in winter.  However, I'm normally so tired that I fall asleep within minutes of closing my eyes. Even as I type this at 4:15 pm I'm yawning. 

Unlike 6a, I usually read in bed though.  I will occasionally fall asleep reading.  I will usually wake up between 8 and 9 and shut off the light.  I've never had to take anything to help me in falling asleep.  As previously noted, I tend to exhaust myself throughout the day and sleeping is rarely difficult.

My worst problem is that when I'm off I can't stay up late.  Even on nights before my days off I find myself in bed by 8 and I'm up by 5 on my days off.  The upside is that if I plan on doing roadgeeking, I can leave early before most folks are out and about.  It also allows me to travel on roads that I've seen way too many times in the dark and by daybreak I can travel on a new road for me.

vdeane

I usually exercise my imagination whenever I have a down moment, be it trying to fall asleep or any other time.  I love building worlds in my head.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

Pete from Boston

Keep the World Almanac next to your bed.  Open to a random page and start looking for meaning in the numbers of kwh generated by non-federal hydroelectric plants since....zzzzzzzzzzzz

I did this for years.  It's only like twelve bucks so if you ruin it from dropping it, no big wup.  Plus you become in demand for bar trivia later in life.

Scott5114

I usually lay in bed with the lights off playing games on an iPad until I feel sleepy. If that doesn't work, or if I know that I have somehow grievously ruined my sleep schedule and must correct it immediately, I will take a melatonin tablet (available from most drug stores) and I'm out like a light.
uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef

adventurernumber1

Usually I can fall asleep pretty easily. But every once in a while, and very rarely, I'll have a night where I JUST CANT fall asleep. Trying not to think does help I'll tell you that bc the nights I can't fall asleep my mind is always bustling with thoughts keeping me awake. Also, I have gone 36 hours without sleep before at a sleepover. I thought it would be epic and fun and exciting. Well it was until day two where the entire day the same thing happened. My eyes kept shutting and opening, shutting and opening, shutting and opening, shutting and opening. I couldn't keep myself awake. That's something I don't want to experience again :banghead: Also, speaking of all this as I type this comment it is 1:12 EST and my first day of school is technically today. I better get to sleep or tonight might be one of those nights where I can't get to sleep  :-/
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ZLoth

I've been working nights since last November. Insomnia is my best buddy when I try to sleep during the day.  :pan:
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SSOWorld

Not sleep.  Oh wait.... :awesomeface:

Put a movie on (Amazon or Blu-Ray), it's usually to focus my mind of racing thoughts.
Scott O.

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kj3400

Funny, cuz I just stayed up last night.
I spend nights being awake playing video games, because why not spend time you could be using to sleep to do something that's prolly keeping you from sleeping in the first place?
My sleep schedule is a fickle beast. If I start staying up too late, my body just starts making me sleep in the middle of the afternoon when I get off work. It then attempts to shift that sleeping period back to where it belongs. Usually I have to spend one or two sleepless nights for that to work out.
Call me Kenny/Kenneth. No, seriously.

Laura

Quote from: Zeffy on August 06, 2014, 11:29:58 AM
My sleep schedule is probably the worst on the planet, but it usually works. I don't remember the last time I went a full night without sleep:

11-1:30 PM/AM - Stop gaming
5-10 min after shutting down my games: Use the restroom so I don't have the urge to go during sleep (which still happens)
After restroom: Boot up Xbox One and launch Netflix and watch for 20-45 minutes before shutting it off
After shutting Xbox off: Attempt to sleep

Usually I enter the sleep state within 5-10 minutes. Last night it felt like... well I don't know. It felt like there was shit crawling on me, and my hands and feet would tingle at random points of time. Closing my eyes just didn't feel right compared to the night before. I'm sure it was a one and done thing, but I've had a stretch of no sleep for 78 hours before in high school and I would like to think that I won't experience that again hopefully.

I'm amazed that you can sleep after all of that distraction! When I was in middle and high school, I used to stay up all night playing video games (too busy having fun outside during the day). I wondered why I slept so poorly...but the excitement of the games plus the blue night equalled sleepless nights (and lots of completed RPGs...)

Nowadays, if I really can't sleep, I will pull down my Kindle Fire (first gen) and read really boring material. The light doesn't bother me because I have it set to inverse (black background, white text). I can't read interesting material because I will stay up all night. Easy contenders include PDFs of long-winded readings from classes I've taken in grad school. Hate to say it, but the first nine chapters of the book of Chronicles put me to sleep relatively quickly as well.

realjd

If I wake up in the middle of the night and can't fall back asleep, I often just give in and stay awake. If I can't fall asleep to begin with, my go to options are melatonin, alcohol, or Xanax.

Brian556

Ways to fall asleep faster:

1. Set AC to a cooler temperature
2. A fan for cooling and white noise
3. Soft Music
4. Watch boring tv shows before bed.
5. Wear yourself out during the day with work and exercise.

US71

Quote from: Brian556 on August 07, 2014, 04:54:52 PM
Ways to fall asleep faster:

1. Set AC to a cooler temperature
2. A fan for cooling and white noise
3. Soft Music
4. Watch boring tv shows before bed.
5. Wear yourself out during the day with work and exercise.
I go on mental roadtrips. :)
Like Alice I Try To Believe Three Impossible Things Before Breakfast

Roadrunner75

If you happen to have a 5 year old (borrow one if you don't), cycle through the same Bob the Builder or Thomas DVD a couple of times with them.  That should work.

mefailenglish

Happened to me earlier this week.  I pulled up MST3K clips on YouTube.

Jardine

2 or 3 Dramamine tablets knock me out like a sledgehammer to the head.

kj3400

Quote from: Roadrunner75 on August 07, 2014, 05:22:44 PM
If you happen to have a 5 year old (borrow one if you don't), cycle through the same Bob the Builder or Thomas DVD a couple of times with them.  That should work.


What do I do when the 5 year old's services are no longer required and I'm unconscious?  :bigass:
Call me Kenny/Kenneth. No, seriously.

Roadrunner75

Quote from: kj3400 on August 08, 2014, 11:18:21 AM
Quote from: Roadrunner75 on August 07, 2014, 05:22:44 PM
If you happen to have a 5 year old (borrow one if you don't), cycle through the same Bob the Builder or Thomas DVD a couple of times with them.  That should work.


What do I do when the 5 year old's services are no longer required and I'm unconscious?  :bigass:
Not a problem.  He'll continue to watch the same DVD over and over until you wake up, or he'll fall asleep himself.   ...or he'll trash the house.

allniter89

I turn on talk radio at a volume that I can barely hear it, usually NPR does it.  :sleep:Or listen to the New Wave music channel on Sirius/XM.
If I have it a shot of booze or hit the bong once or twice.  ;-) :cool: :sleep:
If I haven't fallen asleep in 1 hour I get out of bed and do something like sit on my recliner in the back yard. Sometimes I fall asleep out there and sleep until dawn which is nice unless theres a heavy dew :-D
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