Insomnia Sucks
I've had insomnia for about the last three weeks. I have no idea why. It just started one night when I couldn't get to sleep until about 2 am. I went to be early the next night, and was just tickled shitless to see 4:18 am roll around until I fell asleep. The next night was more of the same, although for some reason that Friday and Saturday I fell right to asleep. I was just giddy with excitement as I went to bed that Sunday night, only to again see 2 am before stealing some Ambien from my wife and knocking myself out.
Over the next few days it was more of the same, with me using some Lunesta samples to eventually fall asleep, having my doctor tell me to use melatonin, trying melatonin with excellent results the first night, (like falling asleep within five minutes excellent), and then, as near as I can tell, no effect whatsoever ever since. Although I still take it every night because I spent $6 on the bottle and wouldn't want to waste it.
I'd been using Ambien samples as a last resort, and it always worked. Last night I took two and still was up until 4. Still that was better than Friday night, when I took nothing to see what would happen and finally fell asleep after 6 am Saturday morning. I've got another call to my doctor this afternoon to see if I can get a prescription for heroin. Needless to say, I've been in a pretty shitty mood lately. I'd rather not get used to getting by on 3 hours of sleep a night, and I really don't like taking prescription drugs if I don't have to. Oddly, I'm OK with illegal drugs.
So if anyone's got any useful advice about beating insomnia, let me know. And don't say "drink five beers and stay up late playing cards" because I already tried that and it didn't work.
Hopefully I'll start getting some more sleep and feel more like writing the usual mediocre stuff you've come to know and love. Until then, I'll be the one watching "World's Strongest Man" reruns on ESPN Classic at 3 am.
Over the next few days it was more of the same, with me using some Lunesta samples to eventually fall asleep, having my doctor tell me to use melatonin, trying melatonin with excellent results the first night, (like falling asleep within five minutes excellent), and then, as near as I can tell, no effect whatsoever ever since. Although I still take it every night because I spent $6 on the bottle and wouldn't want to waste it.
I'd been using Ambien samples as a last resort, and it always worked. Last night I took two and still was up until 4. Still that was better than Friday night, when I took nothing to see what would happen and finally fell asleep after 6 am Saturday morning. I've got another call to my doctor this afternoon to see if I can get a prescription for heroin. Needless to say, I've been in a pretty shitty mood lately. I'd rather not get used to getting by on 3 hours of sleep a night, and I really don't like taking prescription drugs if I don't have to. Oddly, I'm OK with illegal drugs.
So if anyone's got any useful advice about beating insomnia, let me know. And don't say "drink five beers and stay up late playing cards" because I already tried that and it didn't work.
Hopefully I'll start getting some more sleep and feel more like writing the usual mediocre stuff you've come to know and love. Until then, I'll be the one watching "World's Strongest Man" reruns on ESPN Classic at 3 am.
posted by limpy99 at 10:08 AM
16 Comments:
That sucks. I hate when it happens to me. I refuse to take drugs before going to sleep so I usually have to ride it out. My body eventually catches up to itself and sleep comes. I've never had a prolonged insomnia experience like the one you are having.
But maybe if five beers isn't doing it, you can try 5 whiskeys. Just a thought. Good luck.
Fuck the daylights out of your wife just before bed time.
Opps, did I just say that out loud? I meant to put it in an email.
Your exhaustion is becoming apparent. Your posts and your comments have been filled with typos lately and that's not typical of you. You're normally very well spoken/written. Hope you figure it out soon!
There are some excellent sleep-inducing CDs available. I've used several through the years. Check them out. One may help.
I feel so bad for you. I can totally relate. I finally went to the Dr. and he gave me Ambien and it.....are you ready for this....didn't fucking work. Sorry, but I get edgy because everyone else and their mother gets good results with that stuff, but nooooooo, not me.
The next step was for me to go to a sleep study place (where they hook you up to wires and watch you "sleep"). So yah, that didn't happen so I'm still not sleeping.
My Brother just told me about something that he recently found that works for him. It's called Theanine. I just received some yesterday and am hoping it'll work for me as well.
If it works, I'll let you know!
I can't take any type sleeping drugs, whether it be RX or over the counter........I don't wake up until noon the next day and then I am ill as all hell for the next 24 hours.....
SO, I drink myself into an oblivion right before bed time......hey, works for me but I don't necessarily recommend it......does a # on the liver.......
Oh dude, I'm sorry. That is frustrating. Ty's Girl already suggested sex -- that's the most fun sleep-enhancer I know. Also, try Benadryl. Take two and you'll get at least 6 good hours for a couple nights. Don't take it every night though, because your body gets used to it and it stops working.
Failing that, I can tell you that I notice more sleep problems when I'm not getting regular exercise than I do when I'm in a good routine.
Gah. Hope you find something that helps soon, man. Maybe Q is onto something with that theanine? I hope so!
as difficult as it might be, dump all caffiene from your diet.
don't exercise just before bed (sex doesn't count, aren't you glad?)
don't eat just before bed.
try drinking a glass of hot (not warm, that just sucks) milk.
if you can avoid it, don't take work home at night.
if you find yourself laying awake, don't, get up and do something like read. staying in bed will only increase the frustration.
try meditation as you lay in bed. even if you don't sleep you'll have had some relaxation
Yeah, I've been living on 6 hours of sleep due to a shitass schedule for the past 3+ years and since moving and attending grad school, your sleep schedule has been my life for the past year.
Sorry, nothing I tried worked.
Not drinking, not pot, not mindless anonymous sex, not self-love, not over the counter meds, (which ironically kept me up longer, later, and with odd tingles thoughout my body.)
I said, odd tingles.
Not good tingles. Say, like an army of ants crawling all over me. I swear I bought the sleep meds off the shelf at Target.
Swear.
Anyway.
I finally realized it was something mentally (as in, I needed to get something off my chest.)
(As in, something was bothering me and I needed to talk to someone.)
that seemed to work.
For awhile.
Now, I just don't even try to go to bed before 2am.
The fact that bars close at 2am is an amazing coincidence, really.
So, maybe there is something deeper bothering you.
(You know what I mean.)
Or maybe you should just blog more.
Chamomile tea. Just try it. Can't hurt and way less hurl-worthy than hot milk.
I'm with Party Girl, the OTC meds do the same odd tingle. It sucked.
Also, as corny as this sounds, meditation/relaxation sounds cds. If you can't sleep you might as well relax.
Oh, and the sex suggestion is completely valid. I for one roll over and pass out just like a man when I...well...you get the idea.
Of course if you get really desperate, just visit my blog in the evening. Ty has informed me that pregnancy is a terminal disease and my blog is dying a slow painful death.
It's hard to be witty and properly cook a baby at the same time.
earl, I like how you qualified "I refuse to take durgs" with "before going to sleep". Leaves so many options. The drugs a re a last resort; I don't like 'em, but I like walking around like an irritabel zombie even less.
Tysgirl, she's usually in bed well before me. Last night, however, she changed things up on me. I'd liked to think that was what worked, but it was probably me tripling the ambien dosage. Fuck it, I'm telling her it was the sex.
Nick, I'll check that out if this keeps up. Thank you.
Q, my doctor gave me a prescription for 5mg og Ambien yesterday. Took three of 'em before I fell asleep, and I HAD to get laid in between. That's a side effect I can live with.
LS, Believe me, I've considered the 5th of Jack Daniel's route, (Hello Tennessee!), but I do not sleep well after getting hammered. And I throw up less on the sleep meds.
E, my wife's docotr recommended Benadryl too, so I picked some up yesterday. I'll try that as I taper off the ambien. Like tonight. Also, my exercise program seems more consistent than ever, although I've tried to stop doing it after dinner, just to eliminate that adrenaline kick I get afer an hour of strenously bench-pressing 1/10 of my weight.
DW, all good suggestions. I alreayd elimnated caffeine to a large extent. I never drank coffee and now I've quit Coke. The soda. I do bring work home, but do it during the day, I try not to exercise for 3-4 hours before bed. I've tried reading with mixed results. I'm too impatient too meditate, but I should try it. Thank you for all the suggestions.
PG, if there is anything bothering me, it's pretty damn deep, because I really don't know it. And I am brutally honest with myself, so I'd know it. It may just be a lifetime of staying up too late and getting up too early finally catching up with me. hey, is that a grammatically poor sentence or what? Anyway, I could live with 6 hours of sleep; it's the 3 or less that kill you. But I'd still close a bar or two with you. Try getting some prescription meds for your sleep issues. I've heard the OTCs can have the opposite effect myself. Just don't mix the prescriptions with booze. Bad, bad, bad.
PT, I've tried the tea. made me very sleepy, but didn't put me over the edge. Which is the problem really; for some reason my body/mind is just at a point where I can just about doze off and then some part of me says "Hey cool, we're falling asleep", and then I'm alert again. I hate that part.
Tysgirl, I'm pretty sure looking at the computer is one of the worst things for insomnia. I try not to go near the screen after 10 pm. It's killing my porn consumption.
If ya take 'em right before you go to sleep you don't get to enjoy them. Simple. ;)
Ahhh....welcome to my miserable fucking world. Ambien? Useless as tits on a bull. Lunesta? Useless again. I did the sleep study thing and am getting my "bitch breathes so shallow it looks like she's dead" machine this weekend. That's a CPAP machine for you normal people. Apparently, I snore, talk AND giggle in my sleep. Well, no wonder I have no energy the next day, I was entertaining SOMEONE the night before in my sleep!
You can try Valerian - that's a homeopathic treatment too.
Good Luck - insomnia sucks. Been doing this for 2 years.
~kat
I'm just concerned that you're embarking on the same path as Marilyn Monroe. Sure, today it's just a sample here and a sample there. But soon you'll be sleeping with Kennedys and moving on to the stronger stuff. Then after your untimely death, we'll find out that you performed in stag films. Enough, I say. Have you tried warm milk?
It's the election. YOu know in 4 years we will all be dead except for cockroaches and Cher.
Earl, well said.
Kat, I'll cross my fingers for you. 2 years of this would suck.
Pug, oddly, I was pricing blonde wigs this morning.
Cedar, I have faith that the cokcroaches will rise up and devour Cher.
Post a Comment
<< Home