I is for Insomnia #AtoZChallenge

Re-posting from the A to Z Challenge of 2014.  I was going to do I is for Insomnia, and I looked at my posts from 2014's challenge, and I'll be darned, it was Insomnia. So, here it is again. Still relevant.

I haven't slept in years.  I'm kidding.  I haven't slept through the night in years, though, that is true.  I think if I ever slept eight hours straight, I would ask someone to call a doctor... that there must be something wrong with me!

There are two kinds of insomnia (well, maybe there are more, I know about two):  There's the kind where a person can't fall asleep; and there's the kind that I have -- I can fall asleep, no problem at all, but I can't stay asleep.

In my particular situation (I can't stay asleep), the factors are many, from too many pets, a snoring spouse, working a different shift than just about everyone else on the planet, being an extremely light sleeper my whole life, and manic thought processes.  The middle of the night is the worst time in the world for thoughts.  You either think you are solving all of the problems in the entire world, but you can't get started because, well, it's 3:30 a.m.; or, you are convinced that everything is bad, bad, bad, bad, bad... and getting worse.  Seriously, the middle of the night thought processes are some of the worst thoughts I've ever had in my life.  It's never ended up "good", let's just put it that way.

This problem afflicts me even when I'm traveling, staying in a hotel, at a friend's home, at our vacation home, wherever.  So, it's not a feature of my home environment, my spouse, or my pets.  I've often thought it a circadian rhythm problem, but if that's the case, why does it happen when I travel across time zones?  That makes things more puzzling, still.  As I said, I've been a light sleeper ever since I can remember.  It's just me.  A dog hair hits the floor and I'm awake!

I have hardly battled the problem of being unable to fall asleep, so I can't really write intelligently about that.  I'll paste some links below that might be helpful.  They always say avoid caffeine late in the day, and don't exercise near bedtime.  Other than that, I don't know too much about it off the top of my head.

What to do about insomnia?  Some people swear by the hormone melatonin.  I can't take melatonin, it gives me horrendous nightmares.  Sure, I actually stay asleep, but it is so not worth it.  I'd rather be awake than stuck in some freaky dream.  I don't know what that's about, and I do not want to visit that place in my brain again!



Some insomniacs say get up and do something productive.  Other ideas include reading, doing an activity that you have proven is boring to you, taking a bath, taking sleep aids, moving to a different room, asking your partner for a massage, talking to a friend in another time zone who is still awake.  My "boring" activity?  Video solitaire on my iPad, or (sadly they've all been cancelled) watching soap operas!  Both things, even though I adore them, put me immediately into droopy-eye mode.

Certain well-known bipolar artists, musicians and writers have been known to produce their best work during bouts of insomnia.  I'm not certain I'd recommend this, but it is an interesting phenomenon.

Here are some links on both kinds of insomnia, and recommended treatments:

http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/insomnia-symptoms-and-causes

http://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-disorders-problems/insomnia-and-sleep

http://www.helpguide.org/life/insomnia_treatment.htm








Comments

  1. I'm surprised playing on the ipad makes you tired. Usually, I've read that screen time is one of the worst things for you at night and keeps you awake longer. Do you use the night time setting on your ipad – the one that makes your screen look yellow? I also use my phone on it's lowest brightness setting at night. If I can't read it because it's too dark, it's time for bed.

    Other things I do to try to help me sleep: watch a movie I'm super familiar with on a low sound setting laying in bed (or a couch) in a dark room with the sound to the point where I can barely hear it, reading, making a list of everything I want to accomplish the next day (or writing about what I'm thinking), getting up and doing the things I'm thinking about (usually work or blog related), having a snack (if I'm hungry), or changing the temperature in the room (usually lowering because I get hot at night, I'd rather have more blankets than heat).

    I also can't take melatonin. I had to reduce my dosage from a whole pill to half and then a quarter and eventually it started making me sick.

    Hope you are able to find a way to make your insomnia work for you (rather than against you) whether that means accomplishing more at night, getting some extra think time, or practicing solitaire on your ipad (I bet you are really good at it now!).

    Wishing you the best of luck in completing April A-Z! <3.

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    1. I know... "they" say that having screen time before sleep makes insomnia worse, but I have had the exact opposite experience. It wipes me out! LOL! I am pretty good at solitaire now! :)

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