[Archive] Insomnia **This message was automatically appended because it was too short.**

Obsidian Muse:

I’m going to complain about my lack of sleep. My apologies if it becomes whining or self-loathing, but I’m rather depressed right now.

For as long as I can remember I suffer from insomnia. The causes of it vary from expert to expert, but the general opinion is that it’s because of my autism. My mind is far too active for me to sleep normally. I just can’t stop thinking. There’s no real routine to the way I sleep. Sometimes I can fall asleep in a few hours, sometimes it takes six hours or more. Even though I’m often tired, I can’t take naps. Too tired to be awake, too awake to be tired. If during the day I don’t take at least three cups of coffee, the fog comes into my mind and I more closely resemble a dozing zombie than an actual human being.

I was almost daily active on this forum until a few months ago. The reason for that is that I wanted to concentrate on curing my insomnia, through medication and training programs. I had enough of never being fully asleep, and certainly of never being awake. Easily half of the mistakes I’ve made in my life were caused by my insomnia. Solving it would be akin to a rebirth.

So far the medication and training has done absolutely nothing.

It’s quite frustrating. Something I feel like banging my head against the wall until I pass out, since then I can actually get some rest. I’m not that desperate yet, but I’m getting there. I going to spend more time on the hobby and this forum, if only to distract me.

I don’t expect the people on this forum to come up with a solution, or to understand how it feels like. In fact, I hope nobody can understand it, because it’s annoying to have a constant fog in your mind, and I don’t wish it on anyone. I just wanted to put some of my many thoughts to paper.

cornixt:

I get it every now and then, same cause by the sound of it - just can’t shut my mind down. I’m slightly autistic (not formally diagnosed although I know I should have been tested as a child, but wasn’t) so maybe what helps me will help you.

I always found that reading a novel for about 30 minutes before trying to sleep would help significantly. It had to be a novel, just words, fiction, not a book on historical events or anything related to something that I know a lot about. It seemed to calm my mind down and concentrate it on stuff I didn’t know so it couldn’t race all over the place and think about everything else.

Animatone:

So if you’ve tried sleeping medications and lifestyle/habitual changes and they haven’t worked have you ever considered the opposite? I mean we all need sleep (physiologically that is) and one way or another we’ll get broken down after enough sleepless nights to finally come to some degree of rest. So why not try a medications that promotes a better state of wakefullness even when sleep deprived? Something to take away the mental fog and make you feel and function better up to the point of exhaustive sleep, when physically you cann’t hold out any longer?

It might be a bad idea, but it also maybe a good idea that has yet to be investigated. Seriously though look into Provigil. It’s non-amphetamine based and from what they say non-addictive. It’s a histamine level booster of sorts which promtes wakefullness, kind of the opposite effect of diphenhydramine (Benadryl in the US). Some studies have show near perfect cognitive as well as motor function in individuals who have been up to near 50+ hours without sleep and the military is big into it for premedication of its troops and especially pilots to prevent mental and physical fatigue on long missions.

It could very well be an option.

Wish you the best and good luck!

Hashut’s Blessing:

A few tips - don’t have screens on at night, avoid doing anything in your bedroom except for sleeping, turn your clock away from you, read for some time before bed (as has been suggested) and don’t keep looking at it and lastly, try a few mental excercises if you’re struggling to drop off: try counting down from 300 in 3s (300, 297, 294, 291 etc) and start again if you get it wrong. If you complete it and are still concious, start again at 600, maybe count down in 6s. The theory is that you’re using that power of thought, but the repetition helps you to fall asleep.

Nicodemus:

All good idas HB. I agree with the only using the bedroom for sleep… well, within reason, wink wink! :wink:

I’ve had it in the past. I still have it now but I’ve been in a routine for years that it’s no longer an issue. Exercise and an overabundance of work and hobby projects is the #1 way I’ve managed it. Not just a little exercise. Violent, vigorous exercise to the point of collapse. No, really! Running (with sprints), cycling and karate have all helped. If you don’t get pushed hard enough in a karate class, show up early or stay after and train on your own. What ever exercise you’re doing (or any other task when you’re awake): focus and do it 100%, no half-assed measures. Don’t exercise too late at night as you need the wind-down time.

Also, unless it’s my plan to stay up late, I lay off anything caffeinated (including decaf coffee, which still has caffeine in it). I also keep very busy with hobby and work, to the point of mental exhaustion. Generally I go to bed around 2am (unless I’m too tired to stay on my feet) and am up most mornings around 7am.

A big problem with insomnia (I’m no expert, so this is only specific to me) is that it’s in one’s head. I’ve chosen to ignore the problem and address other problems by prmoting my wakefulness when I choose to be awake - like Animatone has suggested, but not with medications. Personally, I’d steer clear of provigil or modafinil, unless you have a medical reason, or you’re on long-duration ops with the military, you shouldn’t need meds to keep you awake.

1. Exercise regularly, and make sure you redline your internal motor at least once each workout.

2. Keep focussed on hobbies, work, reading or what ever else you can do to push your mental fatigue.

3. Go to bed when you are tired (don’t start doing, or thinking about, all of the tasks you put off during the day).

Best of luck with it!

~N

MLP:

I don’t think I have insomnia but it does run in my family and I do tend to have trouble sleeping. It can take me hours to fall asleep and I normally only have 4-6 hours, but to be honest it’s all I need. A lot of people think they need more but it’s probably due to other factors like bad eating. Average people don’t ‘need’ more than 6-8 hours a night. Here’s a list of things I’ve learnt over the years.

Don’t drink any caffiene after midday, have all you need before then and make do without after, same goes for sugar: Don’t touch the stuff!

Bad diet is a big factor in sleeping, stay away from processed foods, each as much natural food as you can. If you don’t understand the difference they’re many nutrition sights on the web.

Also go to the gym (like nicodemus said) 3-5 times a week for 40-60 mins and do something very intense like heavy weights, sprints, boxing. Don’t do ‘cardio’ it’s a waste of time, it doesn’t do a lot for weight loss and won’t tire you out much(humans are build for distance running and get very efficient at it very quickly). Honestly doing this properly should kick your body into a decent sleep routine as you should be extremely fatigued.

Alcholhol will probably help you fall sleep but it’s not the best kind of sleep you can have if you overindulge.

If you still can’t sleep properly then don’t see Insomnia as a problem, see it as a gift. You will have many more hours of waking life to experience than those who spend half their lives sleeping.

Nicodemus:

If you still can't sleep properly then don't see Insomnia as a problem, see it as a gift. You will have many more hours of waking life to experience than those who spend half their lives sleeping.

MLP
+1 to that my friend!

warh:

I do have sleeping problems as well. I can’t force myself to sleep, I have to be sleepy before I go to bed otherwise I won’t get any sleep until 4am ish. Things that help me get sleepy would be reading novels, playing video games (not any competitive games) usually on my ds, drawing and sketching whatever’s on my mind.

Obsidian Muse:

Thank you all for your kind words. I’ve already tried many of the things you advice, but it does warms my heart that you care.

Kera foehunter:

I don’t know if it true but here it goes

When a woman give a man a list of thing to do …While she enplanes it in order

there eyes roll back in there head and they go into a trance of sleep??

i think this one of those believe it or not…

but who know it might work

But me i go to sleep at 9 pm most night and wake up at 4 am

very rare that i can’t sleep

Bolg:

I get being really tired and not being able to sleep, I often go on for hours over the day before I sleep, but when I go to bed I mostly sleep like a baby so I wouldnt say I have the same problem. But I think I understand. (kinda)

If you want to clear your mind, have you tried hash/weed? (I would suggest Hash), you are Dutch so its legal enough and it will most defiantly help get your mind at ease/blank.

if noting helps I hope you manage do spend your extra waking hours working on your hobby.

Good luck.

Abecedar:

Lack of sleep is the worst thing ever and really makes you physically sick. For me, out of the blue, i can start worrying over stupid little things and once your mind is ticking over you can’t stop it, I found getting up and reading under a small light for up to an hour, just to break the train of thoughts sometimes helps.

And then there’s my job. I have to do on-call after hours (cannot refuse) between one shift and the next. sometimes thats 4 or 5 nights in a row and they can ring at any hour and as many times as needed and its jump out of bed and get running. really throws a spanner in the brain-works some days and on others absolutely nothing happens.

Hashut’s Blessing:

Forgot another one - try to have a set routine for bed. Always bed at midnight and alarm at 8am. the routine will help cure the insomnia (insofar as it can be cured) once you can get the sleep going.

Blue in VT:

If you want to clear your mind, have you tried hash/weed? (I would suggest Hash), you are Dutch so its legal enough and it will most defiantly help get your mind at ease/blank.

Bolg
This was going to be my suggestion as well... A relaxed mind is a good step in the right direction.

Best of luck...sounds miserable.

Blue

zobo1942:

Occasionally, I skip a night’s sleep.

That seems to help me ‘re-set’ after the great night’s sleep I get the next day.

CopperPot:

I get being really tired and not being able to sleep, I often go on for hours over the day before I sleep, but when I go to bed I mostly sleep like a baby so I wouldnt say I have the same problem. But I think I understand. (kinda)
If you want to clear your mind, have you tried hash/weed? (I would suggest Hash), you are Dutch so its legal enough and it will most defiantly help get your mind at ease/blank.

if noting helps I hope you manage do spend your extra waking hours working on your hobby.

Good luck.

Bolg
This is your best bet I think, my wife had sleeping problems so she started smoking skunk this shit knocked her clean out at bedtime she smoke it for about a year to put herself in a good routine and then stopped with the smoking and has been fine sleeping ever since and the best bit about this is your Dutch its not illegal get yourself down your local cafe and order magic muffins.

Hashut’s Blessing:

The problem with using drugs to sleep is that there’s a high risk of becoming dependent on them to sleep - not necessarily physically, but mentally as well.

Obsidian Muse:

While using hash or weed sound interesting to say the least, I don’t think it’s a good idea for me right now. I’m taking several medications from a clinic that specializes in sleeping disorders, and I don’t know what kind of reaction the drugs would bring to the medications, or the consultant I’m seeing now.