Sleeping Pills
I am an insomniac....a huge insomniac. I used to love sleep, actually I still do, it's just that I can't seem to do it. 6 months ago I read online that if you were on Yasmin birth control for a long time (I had been for 3 years) it could cause insomnia and that withion a couple of months of coming off you'd be fine. I came off...I still can't sleep. I wouyld occassioanlly slip myself a nytol or tylenol pm...maybe once every 2 weeks when I was really, really exhausted. I have even made sure I don't have bad "bed habits"...like doing things other than sleeping in my bed. Apparently, if you read, work on your computer, eat, etc in bed your mind no longer sees it as a place only for sleeep (and sex) and it can be harder to sleep.
For long haul flights I always get prescribed sleeping pills. It's a dream, get on the plane, eat the meal, watch the first movie, pop a couple of temazipan and bam...you wake up in Australia totallly refreshed and not even a tiny bit jet lagged. Make sure you stay awake all day and then just to be safe take a couple more before bed and your body will totally be on the correct timeclock for where you are in the world...I love it.
Anyway, I was prescribed these just before my trip, 30 of them to be exact which would usually last me a year of international travels, maybe more. It's been 3 weeks...and I have only 6 pills left. Fuck. I mean, I just can't sleep.
I shot 2 huge scenes on Saturday. I was up at 6am, worked (hard) all day, llifting, carrying, shooting...exhausted. Came home and still cooked my man dinner. Went to bed after midnight (even though have been exhausted all day)...and guess what I couldn't sleep. So after a couple of nights of this I give in and last night I take a couple of pills and then I get to sleep...I also wake up grouchy and bitchy.
Like food and water, a person needs sleep. What is wrong with me? Why won't my breain stop spinning so that I can sleep? I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't gamble, I've never done drugs...I've never been even slightly close to being addicted to anything and now, after a life of mature decisions I'm getting hooked on sleeping pills...but without them I don't sleep. (oh, and I don't drink anything caffeinated bed) What do I do?
Seriously, any insomnia advice would be more than welcome. I'm trying everything and it isn't working.
For long haul flights I always get prescribed sleeping pills. It's a dream, get on the plane, eat the meal, watch the first movie, pop a couple of temazipan and bam...you wake up in Australia totallly refreshed and not even a tiny bit jet lagged. Make sure you stay awake all day and then just to be safe take a couple more before bed and your body will totally be on the correct timeclock for where you are in the world...I love it.
Anyway, I was prescribed these just before my trip, 30 of them to be exact which would usually last me a year of international travels, maybe more. It's been 3 weeks...and I have only 6 pills left. Fuck. I mean, I just can't sleep.
I shot 2 huge scenes on Saturday. I was up at 6am, worked (hard) all day, llifting, carrying, shooting...exhausted. Came home and still cooked my man dinner. Went to bed after midnight (even though have been exhausted all day)...and guess what I couldn't sleep. So after a couple of nights of this I give in and last night I take a couple of pills and then I get to sleep...I also wake up grouchy and bitchy.
Like food and water, a person needs sleep. What is wrong with me? Why won't my breain stop spinning so that I can sleep? I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't gamble, I've never done drugs...I've never been even slightly close to being addicted to anything and now, after a life of mature decisions I'm getting hooked on sleeping pills...but without them I don't sleep. (oh, and I don't drink anything caffeinated bed) What do I do?
Seriously, any insomnia advice would be more than welcome. I'm trying everything and it isn't working.
posted by Chanta Rose: Bondage Expert at 10:35 AM
1 Comments:
That's a relief. Not meaning to belittle your problem, you had me worried, thinking something far worse had happened. Don't worry, sleeping disorder can be solved. I'll do my best to help, seeing as I often have trouble (and I mean *trouble*) sleeping, though, I must recognise, never as serious as I suppose yours are, but, for what it's worth, my two cents.
First off, and this should be pretty obvious, you need to cast aside all sleeping pills for good. You really should be going cold turkey. Sure enough, this will have consequences (lack of sleep, granted, and everything that comes with it), but let's try to minimize the damage. Consider the chance that you may have a sleep cycle alteration. Should you do, this means that you're simply more likely to sleep at any other time rather than night time. I suppose you could live like that, sleeping when others are awake and vice-versa, though that could have other sort of implications.
If sleep cycle disorder isn't your problem, perhaps you just need to slow down. You've said it yourself, that you're a workaholic. That is the first step towards insomnia. This is especially true if one's job involves working with computers, such as yours, seeing as computers are overstimulating objects by default, i.e., they make you overly awake and inhibit drowsiness and other sensations commonly associated with sleep. Of course you can't just quit working with computers altogether, nor do you have to, but consider setting yourself a limit, such as never sitting in front of one past, say, six o'clock in the evening, possibly later, but I suppose that's a good time for a start. You should also avoid watching TV after that time. Granted, this would-be rule is allowed some flexibility. If you'd like to see , say, Lost, which is on after 6 (I wouldn't know, I'm guessing here), that's alright, just don't sit and watch whatever; that's what really harms your sleep cycle. Try reading, poetry might help, unless you don't like poetry, in which case light novels could do. Just avoid thrillers. Basically, you need to reduce the amount of stimuli and, for want of a better word, 'excitment' you recieve in the latter part of the day.
I don't know what your drinking habits are, but if you usually have wine with your dinner, perhaps you'd be wise to stop. Alcohol may relax you, but it ultimately dehidrates you, and even though this might be different for everyone, either effect might outweight the other and either work with you or against you. I needn't say this, but bear in mind tea may also drive sleep away. However, some infusions commonly refered to as tea may help you sleep. My recommendations are green tea (althoug one should be careful with this one, as it may work backwards) and lime leaves, which may also help if you float some in a slightly hotter than warm bath (mind you, doing this too often might change your skin tone, especially seeing as you're quite light skinned. However, should this happen, it should go away quite rapidly). This is a very old home-made remedy for insomnia and several sorts of pain. Speaking of which, a warm bath (a bath would be better than a shower, but a shower may work fine as well) just before bed may help, but do avoid very hot water, as it will stimulate you more than the bath may relax you. Remember, we're focussing on relaxation. As such, if you like scented candles, there is no reason why you shouldn't light some, but avoid lighting them in your bedroom either right before going to sleep or shotly before, because if the scent is too vivid by the time you lie down, again, it will overstimulate you. You should also consider soy wax candles rather than parafin candles. And speaking of candles, dimming the lights around the house after whatever time you set to begin 'winding down' (6 o'clock, as per my suggestion, but feel free to change it if it suits you better) is a good idea, but do get propper light if you're going to read or do anything else that requires attention to deatils, such as cooking, as I should only think handling a sharp knife in dim light isn't an idea worthy of the shrpest knife in the drawer.
Try taking a massage in the evening, but, again, not right before you go to sleep. Having a light snack (say, a glass of warm milk and a couple of crackers) just before going to bed could help. I've heard, but never tried, that turkey late at night invites sleep. You might want to give it a try.
What you have in your bedroom is also a very important factor. Needless to say, a TV is bad, as is anything even remotely similar (again, I mean computers, and this includes laptops). If you have a clock by your bed, you should turn the display away from you (especially if it's luminous) or remove it from your bedroom altogether, but if you ever need to wake up early in the morning or just can't afford to sleep too much into it, set up an alarm, which you shouldn't leave anywhere where you can see it, as the suggestion that you may be 'wasting sleep time by staying awake' really hurts your chances of falling asleep. Not meaning to question your taste in decoration, try to get bright colours off you bedroom as well. Establishing a colour theme could work wonders. If you do, go for soft, warm colours, these tend to work best, but again, go with your liking. Just make it soft. Also how dark your bedroom is while you're trying to sleep may be an important factor. Experiment with the blinds on your bedroom window (or leaving a light just outside your bedroom on and experimenting with how much of it you let in, if need be) to determine just how much light makes you comfortable. However, avoid any setting that has you facing the light source, whatever it may be. If you don't like any light at all while you sleep, even better, but consider all possibilities.
Take up a sport. Gym is hardly a sport, but in a pinch, it could work. You really should be doing something that you really enjoy, and this can be as little of an effort as walking or jogging or as much as any other more demanding sport, for as long as it is something you like. The idea is that you tire yourself physically, but avoid exhausting yourself and tireing yourself too late in the evening. You should never be too tired by the time you go to bed. A sport would be nice not only because of the tireing effect but also because of the endorphin it would have your brain release into your bloodstream. This can be obtaied from a myriad of sources, such as laughing and just about any pleasurable sensation, but remember that with most pleasurable sensations comes excitment, and that is something you shouldn't have too much of late in the afternoon (there shouldn't be any problem in having some excitment earlier in the day or in the afternoon. Your life should go on even as you rid yourself of this problem of yours). What you wear to bed is important as well. Make sure it's comfortable and loose.
Reading in bed may help, but only if it's not too compelling. If you find yourself too eager to know what's going to happen next, you should quit it. Again, many forms of poetry have hardly any plot to get hooked on. I like Stan Rice. If you do take up reading in bed, it's important to know when to just put it away. This should be about as soon as you notice you're blinking more often or if you eyelids begin to feel even slightly heavy or even if you notice you're beginning to have to focus harder on your reading, whichever comes first.
It is very important that you have the support of everyone at your home. I understand that some of these practices may call for some changes in their lifestyle, but remember this may be important to you.
Needless to say, do see a neurologist about it. A doctor should know better.
These are all the things that ever worked for me and more. I really hope they work for you as well.
Get well soon.
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