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Forums » Smalltalk » How do you deal with losing sleep?

For context, I haven't been sleeping well the past few nights. I wake up for (what seems to be) no reason, then I'm awake all night. This happens sometimes and I get back to my regular schedule, but not without some additional pampering. Before then I binge on Netflix, torment myself on LoL, or now I get on here.

How do you guys deal with lost sleep? Is there anything that helps you get back on track? If not, how do you cope?

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Hi. :)

I have a pattern like this.

On days off, I tend to stay up all night, then can't sleep the following night, then on Monday, sometimes I've had no sleep, and I've just got to get through work and sleep when I get off. Then that's sets it back straight.

But that Monday is so hard to get through sometimes! I use Diet Pepsi, and other sources of caffeine, and sometimes I'll take a nap at lunch or after work in my car.

You say you wake up...my issue is with getting to sleep. So our issues are a bit different. I take Ambien (Rx) to get to sleep, and once I'm asleep, I stay asleep.

My partner has sleep apnea, though, and this wakes her up in the middle of the night in the same way. There's a test she took where she slept at a sleep clinic. They call it a "sleep study." They said she has it. It might not be anything to do with your problem, tho. But something to think about.

Anyway, I feel for you. Believe you me! *hugs*
LakotaSiouxWarrior

I got erratic sleep patterns I'm a professional musician. I slept all afternoon today. Friday I was up 24 hours straight. I just sleep when I can. *Hugs hope you get some sleep soon.
Dream Topic Starter

Abigail_Austin wrote:
Hi. :)

I have a pattern like this.

On days off, I tend to stay up all night, then can't sleep the following night, then on Monday, sometimes I've had no sleep, and I've just got to get through work and sleep when I get off. Then that's sets it back straight.

But that Monday is so hard to get through sometimes! I use Diet Pepsi, and other sources of caffeine, and sometimes I'll take a nap at lunch or after work in my car.

You say you wake up...my issue is with getting to sleep. So our issues are a bit different. I take Ambien (Rx) to get to sleep, and once I'm asleep, I stay asleep.

My partner has sleep apnea, though, and this wakes her up in the middle of the night in the same way. There's a test she took where she slept at a sleep clinic. They call it a "sleep study." They said she has it. It might not be anything to do with your problem, tho. But something to think about.

Anyway, I feel for you. Believe you me! *hugs*

Oh, sometimes I have trouble getting to sleep too, even when I should be tired. The brain is a horribly complex thing. If I'm tired and need sleep then let me go to sleep you abomination of an organ

I've thought about doing a sleep study too because this didn't start until a few years ago. The problem only used to be falling asleep. Now I wake up and can't go back to sleep, which really screws me for the rest of the day. Especially considering how busy I can get. ;; Thank you for the empathy friend
Dream Topic Starter

SexySultryBabe wrote:
I got erratic sleep patterns I'm a professional musician. I slept all afternoon today. Friday I was up 24 hours straight. I just sleep when I can. *Hugs hope you get some sleep soon.

Holy moly. I don't think I've ever been awake a solid 24 hours before. How do you manage that?? I freaking love my sleep, I couldn't handle going without it for so long. I've heard so often that sleepless nights come with the territory of being musically inclined... a blessing and a curse.

Thank you, I hope I do too.
Peachcakes wrote:
For context, I haven't been sleeping well the past few nights. I wake up for (what seems to be) no reason, then I'm awake all night. This happens sometimes and I get back to my regular schedule, but not without some additional pampering. Before then I binge on Netflix, torment myself on LoL, or now I get on here.

How do you guys deal with lost sleep? Is there anything that helps you get back on track? If not, how do you cope?

tumblr_inline_p7mzp0IpwB1rhwzwl_75sq.gif

A frying pan!

Jokes aside, Music (slow music. Faster songs can cause the mind to start working in overdrive sometimes), Tea (Chamomile) can be used to sooth the restless mind and body... Though Often I lay down, shut my eyes and just count to ten until I pass out. I know the last one is weird, but It sometimes even helps with my insomnia. I honestly don't always get to pick if/when I sleep but sometimes the best choice is to wear the mind down during the day and it makes it easier to relax fully and pass out.
I take Serotonin tablets and I think they help? Otherwise... lots of caffeine. Coffee... coffee... coffee!
If I'm really struggling with falling asleep I use a noise generator, myNoise is a personal favorite. I purchased the app a while back but they have an online site as well. I often use rain sounds or "summer night sounds".

If I've been having trouble sleeping I heavily rely of coffee, and sometimes I'll even try to take a cat nap.

Another thing I've heard people rave about is melatonin, I tried it and found that I couldn't sleep any better (it seemed to keep me up) or if I did sleep I had some pretty wild dreams.
Staying hydrated, melatonin pills or gummies, CBD oil, and managing my caffeine intake appropriately to my sensitivity level.
I had a similar issue and didn't realize I was just a very light sleeper. Started wearing disposable earplugs so I wouldn't wake up 5-8 times a night just from the heater kicking in, or someone shutting a car door down the road.

The other thing was coffee; caffeine apparently stays in the system for 8 or more hours, so if I need to go to bed at 9:00 PM, I don't drink past noon, otherwise I either couldn't get to sleep til 1:00 AM, or would fall asleep and wake up 2:00 AM without being able to go back to sleep. I like it strong, so one cup was usually enough to ruin the whole night.

'Liposomal Zen' also helps me get to sleep on rough nights, more to do with stress and not being able to relax enough to go to sleep. Apparently stress/anxiety keeps me awake too. That's all I got.

Good luck!
Hoo, my sleep schedule has been a total mess lately, but that's a mix of working overnight, depression, and general bad habits. ^^;

Anyway, I've heard that nurses frequently use melatonin to help manage their sleep schedule against their crazy work schedule.

One of the leading offenders these days, though, is actually screens. I'm not sure how much the color filters actually work, because you still have a light shining right into your eyes, but the main issue has been identified as a wavelength of blue light that is supposed to be a stronger wake-up signal to your brain than coffee.

What medical professionals recommend instead if you can't sleep is to grab a book or other non-screen, relaxing activity, go to a comfortable place in your home, and do that until you're tired. Of course, that's best for getting to sleep to begin with, less for getting back to sleep.

Doctors also recommend avoiding naps if you're having trouble sleeping properly. If you can keep a regular schedule, it's very helpful to do so. Try to make sure the space is dark - light tells your body to wake up, especially if it's daylight through a window. Since I often have to sleep in the daytime, I have a sleep mask that bubbles out from my eyes to avoid putting distracting pressure on mah eyeballs.

And if you're waking and just can't get back to sleep... Honestly, laying there pretending to sleep is more helpful than you may realize. It's not full rest, but it is still a restive state. If you can get yourself to relax in it, it's better than nothing, and it may help train your brain to sleep longer.
I have chronic insomnia, so I take melatonin supplements and two other sleep medications to help me knock out at night. Even then it doesn't always work, in which case Novalyyn has it right: just lying there pretending to sleep helps your body get a bit of rest, even though it drives me nuts because my thoughts tend to race. I also listen to music to help me relax enough to fall asleep, though I don't know if there's any scientific basis behind that.

One note about sleeping medication, though. It tends to mess with your dreams. Either you won't remember them at all, or they'll be incredibly weird and vivid. That's what happens when you mess with your brain chemistry, I guess. And of course, don't start taking anything without consulting a doctor, even over-the-counter stuff like melatonin.
I systematize my sleep schedule, and is careful not to sleep during the day, if I know it'll mess up my sleep in the night. I've worked odd hours before, and it more or less taught me to sleep when the time was available. In the bad periods, I take valerian supplements to help my body relax. Valerian comes in both pill-form and as tea, the latter being really relaxing. Melatonin is not available without a prescription here(I see a few recommending it), and I personally think that it's something one shouldn't be taking unless consulting a doctor first.
Sports can also help, and I know that my boyfriend likes a hot, relaxing shower before bedtime when he has trouble sleeping. I've also heard that one should turn down screen-time right before bed. Limiting caffeine and sugar intake might help you too!
I have really bad trouble sleeping myself and have even been professionally diagnosed to have insomnia and chronic nightmares. Often times I'll wake up between hours of the night (well technically day for me) and have a hard time falling back asleep for a half hour and then its a rinse and repeat process.

I've been told that stress also makes sleep difficult to come by along with trauma and in my case it's true. I actually take a prescription medication to help me fall asleep and keep me asleep since melatonin doesn't do it for me. But before that I'd kinda force myself to stay up for a whole day when I couldn't sleep and then it would make me crash when I get home.

However I've been told that doing this sorta thing constantly wasn't exactly good either but if done once in a while it does help reset the sleep clock.

Also chamomile tea is a good thing to take to help you relax! Weirdly enough too, I get tired when I eat mac n cheese lmao

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