I usually sleep fairly well, but occasionally I go through short bouts of insomnia, and when that happens ... well, just let's say ... I can't sleep. Last night for some reason, I slept for about two hours. It never fails that when things turn a bit strange in my life, all the bases are covered -- work, home, family. I feel like some strange planet that is being bombarded by a meteor shower. There's never just one meteor, there is always a bunch of them. I just sit here, minding my own business -- et voila -- BAM. Does that ever happen to you? Usually it ends as quickly as it starts, and I manage to get through it as long as I have lots of Häagen-Dazs Vanilla Bean ice cream -- my drug of choice. I Here's Goofy in "How To Sleep". 'Nite, all...
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Insomnia hits me fairly regularly, as part of my fibromyalgia, but I've discovered that if I'll do something mindless and repetitive as part of my winding down (I have a cheap battery-powered solitaire game) I do pretty well falling asleep and mostly staying asleep. What makes me crazy is when I'm utterly exhausted, but my brain just won't SHUT UP and let me sleep, despite the fact that my eyes cross when I open them! Happy sleeping!
I think Raevyn and I must be twins separated at birth. Here I am at 11:36 at night and not the least bit tired...I need to score some Ambien! My winding down game is usually free cell on my palm pilot. But when I think I may be ready to sleep...I realized that I'm not ready and head to the computer. Bingo! That's what I'm doing now...
Oy!
I didn't sleep well night before last and was up playing Word Twist on Facebook at 2:00 a.m. I'm hitting the sack early tonight, though. Hope you sleep well.
Jo, welcome to my world LOL! I really don't mind being up late, but as you know morning comes quickly and not enough rest makes it harder to get ready for work. Plus I need my beauty sleep LOL! I hate it when my eyes look like the rings of Saturn.
A lot of times all I have to do is to start reading a book and I actually would like to read at least a chapter. After a few pages, I will start to get sleepy though.
By the way, have you ever looked at the time stamp on comments? Sometimes I want to leave a comment and won't because I'm embarrassed of the time stamp! It puts your time zone on though, so add a couple hours on for my comments.
It was so good to hear you have the problem with sleeping too. Not that I wish it on you or anything. But I don't find many people to talk to about it. Just like you, some nights I can go to sleep and sleep maybe 5 or 6 hours solid. Those nights are rare. Two nights ago I slept 2 hours. Previous night I slept 4 hours. On and on. I have to be up in the morning and rather than be stressed because I cannot get to sleep I make use of the time till I can go to sleep. Take care.
all these happen to me all the time, including the insomnia.Last night i slept for 4 hours. My drug of choice is shop some gadget. And, et voila, i get back to LIFE...:))
Ugh, I feel for you. I regularly have insomnia. I don't think it's a meteor shower kind of thing, I think it's hormonal. I have to take melatonin during that time period or I may not sleep for days!
I tend to watch tv in the evenings till I fall asleep. If I don't I lie awake for hours.
Is that what one is supposed to do at night? Sleep? Dang I knew something wasn't right over here.
Oh my, Its four am and I'm up again.That cartoon applies to me exactly!
Something going round, and round, and round ... in the mind - and no matter what, it's impossible to escape. I just get up and have a sip or two of whisky-mac (Scotch and ginger wine) whilst reading a book. White Tiger at the moment, a great book. After half an hour or so I return to my pit and I'm in the land of Nod.
As the alarm sounded early this am @ 4:40 - as I crawled off the bed I thought "just 8 more hours".
That was me right around the time of my birthday last month. It seemed everyone was apt to take everything I said and did the wrong way. Everyone who hates me and had stoped talking to me for the longest time decided to come back into my life and reminded me that they hated me and that it was all my fault. It was all very sudden and very odd. You are right though. it all just seemed to go away just as quickly and as randomly as it had started.
I enjoyed the cartoon! Hadn't ever seen that one before. I don't have trouble going to sleep; it's when I get up to go to the bathroom, then start thinking of things and can't get BACK to sleep! LOL!
Jo, I'm afraid lack of sleep is something that plagues women more than men and becomes increasingly bothersome the older we get. My naturopath says it's due to hormonal changes, my husband calls it my "monkey mind" and I just call it exhausting! I've tried everything and to be honest have found that getting up and doing something artistic helps the most. Sure I'm tired the following day when everyone else is raring to go, but hey, I'm tired every day anyway. I used to think this problem was helpful since my mind solved many problems at night that it couldn't during the daytime. Now it's simply annoying. A rich cup of homemade chocolate just before bedtime (made with whole milk) seems to help some, too.
wow!! u have the same problem like me uh??... i really dunno what to do when i wake up! i just hug my teddies tight and try to get some sleep.. but in vain :(
I don't want to jinx myself, but I very rarely have trouble sleeping. I have to get up 2-3 times in the night to go to the bathroom (had that problem since I was a child) & I don't have any trouble going right back to sleep. But I think I live in the land of denial & am skilled at not thinking about my problems in the night...
I sometimes have trouble going to sleep. Shutting the old computer down.(my brain) But, once I drift off, nothing wakes me up, unless it is very loud. Hope this meteor shower passes quickly, Jo. Sweet dreams!
Oh, yeah, that happens to me. Thank goodness for my 1/2 ambien.
The occasional sleepless night visits here, too! I follow all the rules laid out for people troubled by insomnia: Make sure to get plenty of exercise, but never within three hours before retiring, etc. etc.
I'd try Ambien except for the fact that I've heard such funny/horrifying stories about it. Sleep cooking?? What?!? Memory loss?!? Long conversations, completely unaware? EEK! Suddenly insomnia doesn't sound so bad.
Here's what I do, I don't know if it will help anyone else, but it works as often as not for me. When my brain is racing, I force myself to start listing my favorite, mundane things. My favorite t-shirts, my favorite shampoos, my favorite perfumes. Never think of favorite foods, by the way, you'll end up wide awake and raiding the fridge. Anyway, eventually my mind will begin to settle into a more relaxed space. Then I inhale deeply, exhale through my nose three times, close my eyes, and I'm out like a light.
It's basically self-hypnosis. When you can't shut your mind off? Choose what you will think about, I guess that's the theory.
If it doesn't work, there is always the internet. Can you imagine what insomnia felt like in 1972, or earlier? Up in the middle of the night, people must have felt thoroughly isolated from the world, since even TV programming was off the air in the wee smalls.
At least we all have each other!
Sweet dreams, hopefully.
And this, too, shall pass.......
I don't even have a remedy to pass on. I just try to let it take its course and hope that I will eventually get back to my normal sleep pattern. Good luck.
I love your blog!
This topic hit home with me as well. Gosh, have I noticed a change over the past few years--and I got a big ole feeling it's hormones. Melatonin (sp?)helps. But really, I just try to go with the flow, breathe, and not pay any attention to how easy it is to despair in the middle of the night.
Things look so much better in the light of day.
Sleep well tonight and pleasant dream.
I have a LOT of trouble sleeping. Apparently it goes along with a lot of the autoimmunes. Sometimes a Benadryl will help. Someone told me once to count backwards from 100--and you would fall asleep. I still haven't tried it, but maybe it would work? D
That was a trip down memory lane! I believe I first saw the Goofy cartoon at the drive-in when I was a little girl. Thanks for that.
I confess. Sleeping is not something I have a problem with! Many other things, yes, but sleep, no! Heh!
I loved the cartoon. I remember going to the movie theatre and watching a cartoon before the main feature started! As I grew older, I realized that most cartoons are really written for adults given their underlying references and humor!
Take care and good luck sleeping!
Once I fall asleep, a bomb could go off next to me and I won't hear it. My husband told me that the night before there was a lightening strike that must have been very close to the house because it was so loud and he whole house shook. I didn't hear a thing...didn't even know it rained until I saw the patio was wet when I woke up.
On the other hand...I don't sleep late, I'm always up at the crack of dawn...the birds wake me up! Go figure.
I should have signed that last comment, Jo. Eating Habit is my new blog...Bad Habit is undergoing a remodel, it's still there, but I'm changing the format.
--Nunly aka Mary Ellen
I was just recently prescribed Ambien for insomnia and pain medicines for the almost fatal gunshot wound that almost took my life almost 2 years ago. I used to be a law enforcement officer and now I can't work anymore because of the injury. I just bought a brand new Charger with a hemi and I took a Ambien Zolpidem before I took a shower and my family told me that I tried to get in my car and take off! So please be careful when you take them.
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