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I Can't Sleep...Now What?

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Dr. Rob, Mar 8, 2011.

  1. whatisinaname

    whatisinaname
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    Hoping to be even a fraction of the man Jim is.

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    I so love TiB. We males are all 6'4", 235 lbs with cut abs, and no one can ever get to sleep, but still drinks a handle every evening.

    The sleep one I actually believe because I've been on here at un-godly hours and people are always on-line here. I'm convinced we are not normal, just a group that posses common dysfunctions. I guess that's why this is like home for me.
     
  2. bewildered

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    Something that I have noticed (not that it will help anyone who has an actual sleeping disorder): when I lie on my back, I tend to "ruminate" as the above poster mentioned. I'll consciously realize that I'm on my back and am pondering all sorts of pointless crap, make myself turn on my side, and am usually able to fall asleep in less than 10 minutes.
     
  3. dubyu tee eff

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    Thinks he has a chance with Christina Hendricks...

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    One other thing I noticed I do often is that I so dread the nuisance of trying to fall asleep that I'll keep finding more shit to do just so I don't have to deal with the frustration of trying and failing at falling asleep. In fact, this is the case at this very moment. I have to be up at 6:15 tomorrow, I'm in bed now - alarm clock set. But I'm going to go through this site again and then check my google reader etc. before I even bother trying to sleep, just because I dread it. I don't know, maybe it's moreso the fact that I know once I fall asleep, goofing off time is over as I have a long day tomorrow that won't end until about 7-8 at night. Who knows...I gave up trying to figure this shit out a long time ago.

    Also, I don't think I could ever force a therapist to listen to my internal monologue. It just seems cruel and unusual.
     
  4. Beer Me

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    For the last year and half now my night schedule has gotten pretty fucked up. It's pretty decent now, but not normal by what "society" dictates as normal. I'm a natural nighthawk, I'm much more productive at 1AM than I am at 1PM.

    For a while I was going to bed at 7-9AM and waking up at 4-5PM. Now? It's around 3-4AM and waking up around noonish. Not bad, I suppose. What I've done is cut down on caffeine after 11PM or so, and when I do want to go to bed, I stream some Big Bang Theory, and that guarantees I'll be sleeping right away. Sound drowning out my thoughts seems to be key, that way I won't be overthinking and not able to sleep at all.

    Beer helps too, but the dreams suck then
     
  5. toddamus

    toddamus
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    I like the idea of not having a tv in the bedroom. I've been in places where they weren't in the rooms and I seem to have slept better and fallen asleep quicker. Most nights I try to fall asleep with the TV on but I always end up shutting if off before I pass out.
     
  6. Kubla Kahn

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    My god this was a nightmare when I first got here in Shanghai. Ive had back problems since I was a teen and the chinese must think a plank of wood with a sheet on it counts as a mattress. I was fucked, I slept on our couch for a month and was doped up on Flexiril because of it. I found decent padding at IKEA but fuck was it expensive. The mattress is rigid but the padding at least lets me sleep on a normal bed. The girl Ive been hanging out with has a bed that is seriously a blanket laid over steel slats. Im actually a terrible sleeper when someone else is in the bed. It's like my body feels the presence of the other body and every little touch or bed sheet roll over wakes me up. Forget about falling asleep cuddling. I have to sleep on the opposite side of the bed with my own blanket.

    On a similar topic. Has anyone here actually successfully transitioned from being a stomach sleeper into a back sleeper? My doctor once suggested sewing a tennis ball into a shirt over my stomach to force me to turn over. Ive tried maybe twice using benadryl for a few days but I still couldnt do it. I think it would really take a lot of strain off of my back if I did.
     
  7. toddamus

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    This thread kind of makes me wonder what the optimal sleeping position is. Is it on your side, back, stomach?
     
  8. Frebis

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    I believe the proper position is on your mom. That's how I get the best sleep.
     
  9. Disgustipated

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    Dammit, stacks on then. We'll all be clamouring for a decent night's sleep.


    Interestingly, I went to see a nutritionist today about my various ailments. She's getting me testing for my melatonin and cortisol levels to see what's going on there. Should be interesting, but it'll take a couple of weeks.
     
  10. bewildered

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    I've got back problems and I find that on my side and slightly curled up is the best. It relaxes my spine and all those muscles. If I sleep on my stomach, I wake up feeling like I've been worked over by a 2x4, and I can barely move if I end up sleeping on my back.
     
  11. effinshenanigans

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    I also have back problems. I've always slept on my side, but recently I incorporated a pillow between my knees to keep everything aligned correctly. Holy hell, what a difference that made. I almost never wake up with back pain anymore.
     
  12. bewildered

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    Waking up in pain is honest to God the worst. Even if I do everything right, I wake up about 50% of the time sore, aching, stiff, and groggy. Oddly enough, though I have lower back problems, I find that when I'm working out with heavy weights and doing squats and deads, I wake up feeling better. It makes no sense. If anyone could explain that one to me, I'd love to hear it...
     
  13. Mexicutioner

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    Getting stoned and eating a bowl of cereal or something of the like will usually do it for me.
    When I'm out of weed, a good jog around the neighborhood to tire me out then a hot shower usually does the trick. I had to use this tactic when I went to college in Texas and the beds they had for us might as well have been made out of cardboard. Plus the weed sucked.
     
  14. WickedBitch

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    I'm one of those people whose brain will not shut off. Once I get to sleep I'm fine but it takes me forever to get there. When I have health insurance, I'm all about the Ambien business. When I take it, I have no choice but to sleep (and sometimes compulsively masturbate for varying lengths of time but we'll just gloss right over that, k). Right now I don't have health insurance (should kick in May 1st) so I've been taking generic Unisom. It takes forever to kick in and I feel like sluggish ass the next morning so I'm now prone to slamming a whole 5 Hour Energy Extra-Strength the second my feet hit the floor.

    It doesn't matter if my life is rainbows and kittens at that moment - I will still lay there for hours thinking about stupid shit, no matter how tired I may be. I also have tinnitus so maybe there's something to that too, like my brain is trying to think of things to distract from the buzzing. I don't even try to sleep with the radio or TV on because then I would never go to sleep and I know that. I have been this way since I was a child and I HATE it.
     
  15. StayFrosty

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    If you're going to use that OTC crap, just buy generic. It's the same thing, but with Unisom you're paying a fuckton for the name. Try the doxxylamine succinate instead of diphenhydramine hydrochloride, it doesn't knock everyone out as effectively but it has far less of a hangover effect. Of course, that doesn't mean jack if you can't fall asleep in the first place. To hell with jacked-up circadian rhythms.
     
  16. Kubla Kahn

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    Yeah I was in physical therapy for a while for my back pain and all of the stretches and band work all lead up to deadlift work in my last sessions. Im sure the physical therapist in here can attest to a lot of back pain coming from a weak core. My family doctor was the one that said sleeping on your stomach is terrible on your back. He also suggested the second pillow or body pillow between my legs if I am going to sleep on my side.

    I just fucking hate that there is some physiological barrier to me falling asleep fast and having a deep sleep while on my back. Ive managed to do it a few times and it definitely is not as deep a sleep, something I hope would change if I did it more frequently and got used too it. Of coarse every time I try I lay there restlessly and eventually turn over only to fall asleep in fucking minutes.
     
  17. Wadget

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    Reading this thread from start to finish put me right the fuck to sleep.
     
  18. Judas

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    I have never had problems falling asleep at all, and reading this thread makes me thankful for that small miracle.

    My housemate is similar to a lot of you, in that he takes melatonin and other supplements to try to fall asleep. He says the easiest way for him to finally go under is to make some tea, take the pill, and then read a classic book (Moby Dick apparently is his favorite for this). He swears by it.
     
  19. Temerarious

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    I had problems sleeping for years.

    I've found that if I work on better health and wellness in all areas then my sleep hygiene is also much better: it's easier to fall asleep and wake up, and I feel more rested when I do wake up. Here are the strategies I use to help myself sleep well, although I am sure they will not work for everyone, or maybe even anyone else. I usually no longer have trouble falling asleep or feeling tired during the day.

    -Having a routine for sleeping: going to bed and waking up at the same time every night/day. Breaking the routine or not sleeping 8 hours can screw everything up. This was very important for me.

    -Regular exercise, at least 20-30 minutes every day or almost every day.

    -Meditation, or some other way to relax and reduce stress. If you practice this skill, it is a good way to "turn off" your inner monologue while laying in bed.

    -Eating healthy.

    -To a degree, your brain is triggered by the amount of light you're getting. If possible, get sunlight in the morning as soon as you wake up and try to avoid light (computers, television, etc.) or turn lights down for about an hour before you go to bed. If possible, make sure you sleep in a dark, quiet room on something reasonably comfortable.

    -Avoid caffeine entirely if possible (or use only sparingly). Avoid alcohol within about 6 hours of bed--although on the weekends I usually just forget this rule and compensate by sleeping in the next day.
     
  20. Dr. Rob

    Dr. Rob
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    Sleeping with the television on is a cardinal sin against good sleep hygiene. In fact, the rule of thumb is the bed should be for sleep and sex only. Some actually move their sex out of the bedroom to make the room purely for sleep. They swear that their mind starts to pair being in the bedroom with sleeping and their brains simply comply.