The Living Dead

[Shade Everdark]

I've been having some incredible insomnia for about the last month. I generally don't have much trouble falling asleep, but I only average about three hours per night, and when I inevitably wake up early, I can't get myself back to sleep. I can usually manage a decent sleep cycle once on the weekend, and that is only just enough to keep me from completely collapsing the rest of the week.

It's getting to the point where my brain isn't even demanding sleep with red lights and klaxons anymore. It's just sort of hovering somewhere in the general vicinity of very mild dizziness. My body, on the other hand, has begun to feel like it's, for lack of a better description, slowly eating itself from the inside out.

It's hard on my job, I feel like a psychosis in the making, and my stress levels are only escalating. This damn insomnia needs to break soon, or I will.

[Onyx]

That type of extreme insomnia sounds like it might be from some undetected physical problem.

Might be worth getting a physical (finding a good doc is tough though, but worth it when you find someone intelligent and dedicated enough to find answers for you).

[SuZQZ]

How terrible. I've only had short, temporary stints with insomnia lasting only a few days at the most. I can't imagine going as long as you have. You must feel utterly spent. I think Onyx's suggestion is a great idea. You should see a doc. Your body and mind will not go on much longer like this. I know a couple of good docs if you need one. Good luck and I hope it gets better for you quickly.

[Nienna]

I have to get on the get toa doc bandwagon here. I don't want anything to happen to you.

[SuZQZ]

That's it! Three women have deemed it so. You must see a doctor or you will have to reckon with us and I'm sure a long line of others!

[Msterbeau]

I'm going to back up Shade and his manly indifference. Keep it up until you're dead brother!!!!

Oh wait. That's not good.

*Sides with the ladies*

Get your ass to the doc!!!!!!

[Nienna]

That's it! Three women have deemed it so. You must see a doctor or you will have to reckon with us and I'm sure a long line of others!

Yep, I also know that at least one of those women know where his pad is! LOL GO TO A DOC!! (I mean that in the nicest way possible of course.)

[Msterbeau]

Yep, I also know that at least one of those women know where his pad is! LOL GO TO A DOC!! (I mean that in the nicest way possible of course.)

I know too... Sorta. Muuuaaahh!!

[hunhee]

I get on cycles of no sleep, then I go on cycles where I get nothing BUT sleep. I'm not so sure which one I like most. They're usually like months long. The sleep portion doesn't last months, I mean the non-sleep portion. I am usually pretty good on about three to four hours of sleep. I got more last night, and I feel sluggish and crappy.

I have to agree with the whole "go see a doctor" maybe they'll prescribe a mild sleeping pill for you to at least help you relax. Have you ever tried the herbal remedies, Melatonin or Valerian? those may help as well. I've been told that the Valerian makes you feel hung over or dehyderated, so keep some water next to your bed. You can get them at any pharmacy or meijer.

[Medea]

You should get on Ambien. Then you'll still be able to get shit done even if you're sleeping.

[Fierce Critter]

I will agree that a doctor is in the cards here.

But let me share some of my personal stories of insomnia with you and see if perhaps any of this might strike a chord.

My first bout of insomnia came during a period of unemployment. The worry and ennui eventually got me to a point where I just sat up all night doing picture puzzles. I wouldn't get to sleep until about 4-6:00 a.m., and then sleep until noon. Getting a job finally helped cure this.

My next bout came when I had transferred from one department to another within a company. The new department turned out to be Hell. I was miserable. I found myself staying up all night just because I wanted to enjoy every minute I wasn't at that job. It got to a point where I started drinking wine to put myself out. But I didn't like that so I sought a counselor instead. Through her, I was able to relax about the job enough that I didn't feel like I had to stay awake & alert every minute I wasn't there just so I didn't feel like my entire life was wasting away in misery. I don't recally recall what the point was that got me able to just get over it, my counselor (the same one I saw recently about my depression) pretty much sat there and let me talk. Might be I just had so much stress & insecurity bottled-up inside me I just needed to get it out into the air, and once I did, I could relax.

In more recent years, insomnia has been due to not getting good sleep during the night because I married a guy who snored ALL NIGHT LONG, EVERY night, LOUDLY. I got such bad sleep during regular sleeping hours, I started staying up all night and then going back to bed once he left for work in the morning. Even then, it sometimes required taking over-the-counter sleep aids like Benadryl (same exact ingredient that is in Tylenol PM, and massively cheaper), and then went through Jon's bottle of Percocets he got when he had his foot surgery. NOT good.

I don't have that problem anymore because Jon has a breathing machine (C-Pap) that makes a hushed whisper of a sound I can deal with. Still, the window AC unit or the overhead fan can make sleep very difficult for me. I've become an extremely light sleeper, and noise of any kind just really makes it hard for me to stay in dreamland.

Sometimes, earplugs help.

If any of this has struck a chord, I hope it'll help you address things properly with your doctor. Or at least give you something to consider.

[TygerLili]

I can come over and play with your cat again, that seemed to put you to sleep.

I usually have insomnia when I am either overly stressed or overly bored, but my insomnia seems to be linked to that fact that when I lay down I simply can't stop thinking, so I guess it kind of makes sense. Probably not helpful, but that's usually where mine comes from.

Well, that and the fact that I always seem to date guys who never want to come to bed before 4 AM.

[Kit Kat P]

I've had insomnia off and on since I was about 8, like stated before, for me it seems to be related to boredom or stress. But I did go see a doctor and there are tips they can give you and if this is not normal for you then it is some sort of warning sign.