Can u relate?

KokopantzKokopantz
in General

I've always had trouble sleeping even when I was younger... it's 130am I'm yawning like crazy but just cannot doze off. I don't need recommendations, I'm up and I'm curious who's up with me..... R u awake right now? Is it because it's hard for u fall asleep and/or stay asleep? On average I get about 4.5 hrs a nite... How about urself?

Comments

  • BrandiBrandi

    Night owl over here ✋
    Mostly because I just love the quiet night vibes, cooler weather and like to enjoy it and be awake for it haha.
    But there are definitely helpful tips if you’re really tired and need to get into better sleeping habits.

    *Turning bigger/brighter lights off a few hours and using smaller lights like candles/fake candles/night lights before bed to get into sleepy mode.
    *Being off tv screens/scrolling at least an hour before bed.
    *meditating (my favorite hack to falling asleep and getting a deeper sleep) your mind being in a better thinking place rather than ruminating on anxious thoughts can cause bad dreams and anxious energy which can absolutely affect how often you wake up. I can’t just shut my brain off and do a “silent” meditation but guided ones on YouTube are incredible. Like being read a story to sleep depending on the ones you pick. Some of my favorite guides are Jason Stephenson and Michael sealey.

    Goodluck and happy sleeping 😴 🛌 ♥️ 🤗

  • trysdettrysdet

    Im up because I was having vivid dreams again and had to use the restroom

  • NoVaSparksNoVaSparks

    I'm a night owl, hints why i choose to work overnights, as my ass can't stay awake during the day let alone wake up early.

  • Carrie_AnneCarrie_Anne

    I can really relate @Kokopantz and I’m sorry you’re dealing with this.
    I went 3-4 years sleeping 4-5 hrs at most. I tried a few different medications that didn’t work for me (but did for others I know). Finally was prescribed something that is working, I get a full 7-9 hrs now thank goodness because lack of sleep when you’re older has bad consequences.

  • Goonie4lifeGoonie4life

    @Carrie_Anne what's the side effects of the medication though? That's what I research heavily before taking anything prescribed by my doctor

  • TheFunCartelTheFunCartel

    what's the side effects of the medication though?

    Deep sleep, so you miss Meet and Greet notifications. That’s a no go for me.

  • Carrie_AnneCarrie_Anne

    @Goonie4life
    Actually what I’m taking now finally hasn’t cause problematic side effects. Everything else I tried in the past caused so much dizziness & other effects too severe to tolerate. I was afraid to drive.
    Now the only thing I notice occasionally is a little bit of unsteadiness or slight balance issues but that could be caused by something other than sleep meds. I think what I’ve learned is that so much depends on personal metabolism or chemistry or whatever.

  • Goonie4lifeGoonie4life

    @Carrie_Anne that's great to hear that it is working well for you. I tell my doctor "no" a lot. He pushes FDA meds a lot. I'm not interested in any of those

  • mauvefoxmauvefox

    I can totally relate but for me it’s more of a neurodivergent thing. it’s sometimes referred to as sleep rejection. I could actually fall asleep at any time but transitions in activities are hard and that includes wake to sleep transitions. So it’s not a problem of sleep hygiene or sleepiness. It’s neurological resistance to change. 🤷‍♀️

    AuDHD IYKYK

  • Carrie_AnneCarrie_Anne

    @Goonie4life
    I didn’t want to take prescription sleep meds, I’ve tried melatonin and magnesium, a few other supplements. Changing my routine, etc and no help. But at this point there’s constant concern over lack of sleep causing cognitive decline. It’s a toss up as to whether sleep meds put you more or less at risk than lack of sleep.
    Anyway so far I’m able to wander around a huge city, figuring out trains, buses, maps, signs in a language I don’t know, walk 3-4 miles a day and haven’t gotten lost yet. So maybe this medication is ok.

  • cuddlefaerycuddlefaery

    AuDHD IYKYK

    @mauvefox yuuuup 🤦🏻‍♀️

    I've always been a night owl insomniac, but during periods of worse stress it can get to the point where I spend all night stressing and then only sleep an hour or two 😞 unfortunately all the typical Rx meds either don't work for me, I have terrible side effects, they interact with my other meds, or they have the opposite effect 🙃

    I've actually had more luck taking a bumper stimulant dose in the afternoon when my heart issues allow - it allows my brain to focus enough that I can sleep. Unfortunately lately I haven't been able to tolerate them, so I'm just kinda muddling through.

    Honestly, the things that have helped me most:

    • get early morning light and avoid bright light after ~ 8pm
    • getting light exercise in the evening, but not too late. An after dinner walk and stretch is usually perfect.
    • have a bedtime ritual (shower, tea, book, meditation audio, stretching, etc.)
    • other good sleep hygiene practices, even if habits are impossible lol. Like getting out of bed if awake more than 20 minutes to do something else, only using bed for sleep/rest, no screens or use blue light blockers and dimming, etc
    • I have some YouTube channels, mostly history/science education and sleep meditation channels, that are just interesting enough to keep my brain from wandering, but not so interesting that I get hyper fixated
    • having a partner to cuddle with - even my cat helps with this one. I always have a better chance of falling asleep and staying asleep if I'm not sleeping alone. Body doubling ftw
  • mauvefoxmauvefox

    @cuddlefaery
    Yes!! My sleep hygiene is actually pretty good, and I don't notice a difference even during periods when it's excellent or it's crappy.

    but there is a huge difference with a cuddle bud. I think it really is the transition for me. when there is someone there with me body doubling and doing the transition to the 'sleep activity' the transition gets way easier. I've even had people stay on the phone with me sometimes and i can fall asleep easier that way. (then they hang up 😁 ) 🤷‍♀️

  • cuddlefaerycuddlefaery

    @mauvefox I used to do that a lot with long distance partners back in the early days of Skype 😂

  • trysdettrysdet

    When a problem comes along you must whip it, into slhape go forward it's not to late to , try to detect it. Whip it good.

  • JasonCuddlesJasonCuddles

    Sleep is a constant struggle for me. My internal clock seems to operate on 27 hours or something.

  • Velvet_HeartVelvet_Heart
    edited May 26

    Night 🦉! I usually get to sleep at 4 or 5am. I sleep til anywhere between 730am and noon. My body is obviously now used to little sleep because I am hardly ever tired during the day.

    This is a major change for me. My entire life, up until a couple of years ago, I LOVED sleep and felt like I needed a shit ton of it. I could sleep 10 to 14 hours each night AND take a daily 2 to 5 hour nap. This never caused me to be groggy during my waking hours either.

    I am unsure what the reason is for this major shift. It could be that I am no longer working a 9 to 5 career and exhausted by the end of the day. Maybe it's age. Maybe it's psychological. Maybe a lot of it is that I just don't ever want to grow up! Lol. Or, maybe it is a bit of all these things. 🤷🏼‍♀️

    LOL @trysdet ! 80s baby!

  • cuddlefaerycuddlefaery
    edited May 26

    @JasonCuddles a non-24-hr circadian rhythm is actually a thing that can be diagnosed by a sleep specialist. I haven't done a study yet to confirm mine, but GP and I suspect it because of my sleep cycles gradually getting delayed further over the course of a few weeks/months. I'll eventually end up just pulling an all nighter to reset, and the cycle starts again 😅

    Even an extension of 30 minutes can make a massive impact on quality of life. It doesn't just impact sleep quality - it also impacts hormones, moods, weight, pain levels, and can make other conditions worse. It primarily affects people who are totally blind, but also has comorbidity with neurodivergence of varying flavors (TBI, bipolar, ADHD, etc). My meta who is legally blind, though has partial sight, is also ADHD and also struggles with delayed sleep phases and non-24-hr cycles. When we were living together we'd occasionally sync up to where we'd both just be up all night long 😅

    During the pandemic when I lost all external structure for staying on a schedule, I fell into a natural sleep 4 hours, be awake a few hours, sleep another 4-6 hours. It would progressively get later and later until I was naturally waking up at 1-2am, be awake until 6-8am, and then sleeping. And then over the course of a few days that'd get pushed to being awake 3am-9am, then 5am-11am, and that's the point I would do the all nighter to try to get back on a more normal cycle. It's what tipped off my GP that my lifelong insomnia isn't just of the typical ADHD variety.

    I started the light therapy, melatonin, and strategic stimulant dose timing because of the suspected circadian rhythm dysfunction. I need to get a therapy light again for the darker times of year, but during summer I can usually get away with early morning walks instead.

  • HuggablesoupHuggablesoup

    For what it's worth, I'm up now. I haven't been able to sleep well since my wife passed. It's not the empty bed so much as it is the quite. The dark silence makes it harder to hide from my thoughts. And the dreams haunt me. Sleep is not my friend.... 🥺

  • KokopantzKokopantz

    Thanks for all the imput guys even tho I'm not looking for recommendations personally, the sharing on this thread is very helpful and relatable so thank u to everyone who replied and responded 🙏🏾 🥰... currently responding at 3:57am lol...

  • KokopantzKokopantz

    @JasonCuddles I have 0 idea what MY internal clock is doing, if I rest or relax it registers as fully charged or something because my energy levels will be shockingly amped up and I feel a sense of power charging thru me. Alas no matter how much of this flighty energy I do or don't use, I just get worn out tired mentally physically the whole 9... it is very complicated... ay yi yi...

  • KokopantzKokopantz

    @cuddlefaery @mauvefox I'm getting familiar with the dynamics of this cuddle atmosphere I'm used to disappearing inside myself and finding solutions without outside help... not something I enjoy just my go to I guess. So I'm really motivated sure if I'd enjoy cuddle help to get me to sleep however this thread opened a window in my idea bunker 💡 it might be therapeutic and ultimately helpful at the very least comforting to maybe create/influence a group chat/forum/live chat SOMETHING (bear with me, the wheels continuously turn all day long) where friends can chime in and out but also receive support and not feel so stuck? Idk... I'm a creative type and I'm open minded to trying new things out. :)

    @Huggablesoup my heart goes out to u my sleep patterns changed severely after losing multiple family members in the same year nothing was the same at all.... I understand, hoping for your strength and peace of mind to be renewed and restored, If ur ever up and wanna share or vent drop a line or two in my inbox I'll respond friend 🙏🏾

  • GroundingLightGroundingLight

    Herbalist here 😉
    There are a lot of different herbs you can use to help you sleep. Some stronger than others so start small if you’re willing to give it a try.
    Most people are already aware of chamomile. Sip the tea 30 minutes before bed. Safe and mild.

    If you’re looking for stronger you can try herbs like Ashwagandha. It’s an adaptogen meaning it adapts to YOUR body safely and not abrupt. Helps reduce stress, lower cortisol levels and indirectly will improve your sleep. Best taken as a tincture or capsule form. A tincture is like medicine in a dropper bottle and the effects are faster. Capsule can take a few days to work for you, everyone is different, but will have a longer lasting effect.

    Valerian Root is a good one as well because it’s a natural sedative. It will help reduce the time it takes you to fall asleep and will improve your sleep quality. The smell is strong so I would recommend capsules.

    Passion Flower is a nervine (love this one) as a tea. May increase GABA levels in the brain which helps calm your nervous system. So if your issues are an underlying anxiety based issue this is wonderful 🌺

    That being said, Ashwagandha and valerian root will be the strongest but they may interact with medications. PLEASE DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH FIRST.

    I hope this helps you 🌱🌱🌱🌱♥️

  • Velvet_HeartVelvet_Heart

    I can attest to the efficiency of Valerian Root, as @BrokenWillow mentioned. And, unfortunately, can also confirm that it smells like straight a$$ - even in capsules. But, totally worth it. Out of all the supplements I have tried for sleep, V. Root is, by far, the most efficient.

    Melatonin never did much for me however, I have heard many others use it successfully.

    Cheers ✌️

  • GroundingLightGroundingLight

    @Velvet_Heart Yeeeessss Mami you know! I’m tellin you, people underestimate natural remedies or just don’t know enough. They are powerful. I’m glad it worked for you 🙌🏽🌱♥️

  • PasquiaPasquia

    I'm usually up late and well into the morning. But my lack of sleep is, unintentionally and intentionally, self inflicted. Unintentionally self inflicted, because perimenopause sucks and my body hates itself. And intentionally because I can't stop playing video games and I have zero respect for tomorrow mornings. I just go with it, don't even fight it anymore, it's who I am now.

  • mauvefoxmauvefox

    @Pasquia
    the perimenopause thing is no joke. I just stopped being able to regulate my temperature. I can't even make my body be the same temperature at the same time. I had my ac blasting last night but an electric throw blanket on my feet and lower legs. 🤷‍♀️

  • PasquiaPasquia

    @mauvefox
    YES!!!! Same! My feet are always cold. Last night I had a blanket over one leg and one arm. I had it twisted all weird because I couldn't stand the weight of it on my body, just wanted my right leg and arm covered. Uuuggghhhh! So nuts!

  • AchterbahnAchterbahn

    @cuddlefaery I also have ADHD and suspect that my rhythm is longer than 24 hours. Several years ago, I took a cruise from the UK to New York. During the crossing of the Atlantic, we had 4 time zone changes over 5 days. So 4 25 hour days during that time. It was amazing. I slept so well, and woke up easily. If I could work out a reasonable way to get on a 25 hour schedule, it would be awesome. (Maybe I'm a Martian, and designed for a 24 hour, 40 minute day)

  • mauvefoxmauvefox

    @Pasquia sometimes it’s my knees that are boiling hot and the rest of me is freezing. So I have to figure out how to get my knees uncovered. WTH is that about. 🙄

  • VAdudeVAdude

    As always, consult a medical professional.

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