A nap! A nap! My kingdom for a nap!

phoenixx · #1 02-26-2002, 08:50 AM

My honey, mister "sleeps all the time, any time, any where", has begun having sleep trouble.

I have been an insomniac since I was little, it runs in my family. Since I can sleep other times because I work from home, my insomnia doesn't bother me, I just work around it.

He, however, has never had this problem before. Plus, being a general contractor, he can't sleep any where or any time besides at night Monday though Friday (he naps on weekends during the day).

We have tried drinking relaxing teas before bed (he hates tea, and it only buys him maybe a half hour of sleep), taking unisom (half the time it doesn't work and the other half it makes him non-functional at work from too heavy and too much sleep), drinking warm milk (only makes him ill), taking valerian (works only 1/4 the time), watching what he eats for dinner, etc.

He is at the end of his rope, and so am I (he being one of those men who does not do sick or in need of assistance well, he has been a bear for the last few weeks). Suggestions? What helps you sleep?

Leslie

kurt_messick · #2 02-26-2002, 08:53 AM

Is something keeping him up? Thinking about something? Worried about something? It might not be physical.

phoenixx · #3 02-26-2002, 08:57 AM

He doesn't seem to have any other stress in his life. He generally tells me whatever is bothering him whenever he is stressed, and when I asked if there was anything on his mind it might help to get off his chest and help him sleep he said no, he was happy in his work, his home life, his friends, etc.

Leslie

**jgibson2**[$] · #4 02-26-2002, 11:38 AM

He has acquired a sleep deficit -- but you knew that. He's probably living on caffeine during the daytime to keep going. He's now into a vicious cycle. It may take some work to break it and he may need some prescription help. First thing, he needs to cut out caffeine 2 hours earlier than he's currently doing -- or 4pm whichever is earlier.

IOW, if he's currently stopping at 8, he should stop at 4. If he's stopping at 2, he needs to back that down to noon. Try that a few days and see if it helps. If not, he needs to move that even earlier. Yes, he's going to be cranky, but he should get a little more sleep. He may even need to totally eliminate caffeine until he gets this under control.

He also needs to read labels of EVERYTHING -- nutritional supplements, herbal teas, non-caffeinated beverages like SOBE -- yep, SOBE has stuff in it that will keep you going for days. He needs to look for things like ephedra, ginseng, and ginko. There are others, too. Basically anything that promises to give you energy is going to behave like caffeine.

Finally, if he does all that and he's still having trouble sleeping, it's time for a physical. The doctor isn't likely to find anything wrong, but he can prescribe a magic drug called Ambien. Since I work night shift every weekend, I occasionally get totally screwed up on my sleep schedule and one night with this will put things right. It really does let you wake up alert as long as you allow 6-7 hours for sleeping. He could use it on the weekend if he needed to. Unlike Unisom, which makes me groggy for days, this stuff works as promised.

magenta321 · #5 02-26-2002, 11:48 AM

Ho boy. I like tylenol pm, but they have that product "Simply Sleep" which is just the "PM" part, and not the "Tylenol" part.

Honestly, I have been an insomniac since I was 16. Mine was the result of a traumatic event, and I still can't sleep over it all these years later. I personally must watch t.v. when trying to fall out. Even still, I need to plan on it taking at least an hour to fall out.

Personally, I play games with myself while trying to fall asleep. I like to listen to the t.v., but not watch. I listen to Nick at Night, because I usually know the outcome of all the shows, so I am not too interested in the story line (so that doesn't keep me up), plus, Nick at Night tends to have shows with simple problems, not ones that will stirr up emotions in me.

I've tried the radio. Music doesn't help me sleep, voices do. I don't sleep because I am thinking though, and listening to people talk helps me not think. I've tried NPR, but usually the issues are too serious, and they keep me awake. So Nick at Night it is.

I lay with my eyes closed, and my back to the t.v. I listen to it. I play several games to get myself to fall asleep. The simplest game is to say to myself "let's see if I can keep my eyes closed from now until after there have been two commercial breaks." I like to open my eyes, and it takes me back to start on the falling asleep process. This keeps me from doing that.

Another game I play is to listen to the tv, but repeat something in my head over and over and over again. This is if something is really bothering me. What I repeat doesn't matter. Usually it's the lords prayer, or the greek alphabet. It's not for meaning, it's just to keep my head from dwelling on whatever has me upset.

Another game I'll play is if a show is interesting to me, and I am tempted to look at it. This game is strange. I will pick five words at random, say "white", "tree", "run", "glass", "okay" and "no". Then I listen to the television with my eyes closed, listening for those five words. Then, once I have heard three of them, I am allowed to take a quick peek at the t.v. It's just a matter of looking at the t.v. for 3 seconds, and then I start the game again.

All of my games are silly, but in seven years of sleeplessness you start trying silly things out of desperation. If I am trying to sleep for like 1 1/2 or 2 hours and it hasn't worked yet, I give up, and get up and do something. I just get so frustrated I can't lay in bed any more.

I also find out early in a relationship if the guy I am dating watches t.v. to fall asleep. Luckily, they all have so far, so I haven't run into any problems with people I've dated. But, I usually date guys with busy minds like mine is.

Oh, and just a warning, my way is the way that works for me, but supposedly, it's a bad way. Studies show that having light in the bedroom while trying to sleep robs you of REM sleep. It also doesn't allow your seretonin levels to get back to where they should be. I probably shouldn't do this all of the time (hell, I still sleep with the lights on a lot of the time too), but it's what I have to do if I want some sleep.

Hope he gets some rest soon!!!

**thinkerlady**[$] · #6 02-26-2002, 11:47 PM

You are welcome to send him over to my house. Seems my new furniture encourages sleep!! All of us ultimately fall asleep on the the couch or chair--including the kids. I can fall asleep sitting up straight. I think the cushioning is in the right places, and it is relaxing enough!!

Sometimes tho, I read to fall asleep. I read somewhere that if you do not fall asleep, it is better to get up and watch TV or do something calm than to continue tossing and turning in bed.