[moonfire]

I felt great 2hrs later, it went away....(I don't take that nasty over the counter medicine...it makes me realize eat more almonds...I have been on the cashew thing during the day along with my dried fruit as a healthier choice of snack

[Zwitterion]

Hi guys...just joined this site after reading this thread....im a fellow insomniac and have struggled with it for the past 5 or so years and its really starting to take the piss....

I feel sorry for you Neil for having to cope with for 36yrs , i feel like im heading in ur direction but i hope i have it sorted soon...

My problem is not being able to get to sleep, once im asleep then its not a problem but its just getting myself to switch off....and that just doesnt seem to happen...its nearly 7 in the morning and ive gone another night with f-all sleep and this is day 2 this week that this has happened...

i feel like ive tried everything under the sun but nothing seems to help, been to docs loadsa a times but theyre useless...like to give out the pills but id rather not go down that route if i can help...tried anti-histamines, z-drugs, antidepressants which btw made me feel depressed day after!!!...doctors just seem to think ur depreessed or stress but i refuse to accept, if i was gullible and a hyperchondriac then id easily believe them and start thinkin im depressed but i refuse to...im quite a chilled out person but having so much time on ur hands messes with ur head and causes u to feel low!!..

i wish someone could come up with a way to install an on and off button to the side of my head so i cud switch off!!....

atleast ive not got work tomorrow , i mean today so when sleep does come , if it does then i can get some...

anyways sorry about the long rant but had to get it outta the system....

anyways id like say a BIG HELLO to everyone here and hopefully can learn abt other ppls experiences etc....Neil u seem very interesting to me...so hope to find out a bit about u too...not in a stalker kinda way tho!! )

take care and sleep well if u can....if not join the club!!!

[Karen W.]

Zwitterion welcome to the group and hope you have a restful day tomorrow and that sleep finds you well!  Hope mine has been mostly off and on for 15 years but here and there as a younger teenager but not to a bad extent then.. mostly became real intense 15 years ago or so!  Good luck to you..and welcome!

[Zwitterion]

thanks karen...so what do u put your insomnia down to?....and what treatments have u tried?

i've got yet another gp appointment tomorrow, this time im going to be assertive and ask to be referred to a specialist...doubt there will be anybody local but im willing to travel....its time i sort this out rather than being a zombie for the rest of my life...

[Karen W.]

Problems from my childhood.. Things I am still trying to deal with, It has gotten worse over the years! worry anxiety panic, you name it! I have had doctor appointments to try to fix it.. but they only want to medicate, I choose to not do anything and let my body just deal with it.. I hate medicines.. Only take them if I am forced to..

I hope your appointment tomorrow is fruitful! Yes I hope you are able to sort it out!! I truly do..Good luck!

[Zwitterion]

Hey really sorry to hear abt ur problems, must be difficult for you! Have u given up now trying to sort it out?

i completely understand abt medication, im the same hate taking them, i end up feeling worse the next day when i do than if i dont have any sleep. Not sure why my sleeping problems started, never was one to go to bed on time as a kid, so i think years of going to bed has taken its toll and its just got worse. i wouldnt say i have any particular problems which make it worse....i guess the fact im not sleeping and feeling like a zombie all the time seems to be my biggest problem at the mo.

[Karen W.]

 Yes I have given up.. I will live with it.. When I spent all my time stressing about how little sleep I was getting I felt worse.. so I try to be chipper and am always trying to be nice instead of grumpy.. that has been the big hurdle.. Because lack of sleep sometimes makes one feel way less then human.. I am sure you know what I mean... 

Feeling like a zombie is horrible but I feel it as well most all the time. Some times I get a burst of energy and cannot imagine where it comes from.. but when it does boy does that make me feel good as it is few a nd far between for those lovely bursts!! LOL ! I hope you do well!! How did YOUR appointment go the other day?? What did  they say about helping you?

[Zwitterion]

i know what u mean about the "high" days ....its wierd really coz sometimes when i get up and not necessarily when ive had alot of sleep i'll be chirpy all day and nothing in the world can get me down...but most days are just really hard to get thru...and to get motivated about things...

doctors appt went o.k, his got me going to see a psychiatrist altho i told him that i didnt really have any issues which may require a psychiatrist. becoz there are no sleep specialist locally they cant justify sending me to one straight away so i have to do see the psych to eliminate that first....

i also told him about a refloxology session i had, i tried it as one of my friends suggested it , unfortunately i still struggled to sleep that night but the person who did it said my hormone levels were not balanced therefore ill be getting that tested on monday.....

Karen do u find when u go on holiday that ur sleeping habits change?

ur right about the mind over matter aspect....u have to tell urself to be happy and be nice rather than be grumpy....im usually very quiet after a very bad night and dont really socialise much...but i do find that when ppl do start talkign to me it does help and it does help me be a bit less grumpy altho some ppl are still annoying!! )

I do get some weeks where ill sleep like a baby and feel great...but the wierd thing is i actually miss the time i get to myself during the night....do u find that?

[Karen W.]

i know what u mean about the "high" days ....its wierd really coz sometimes when i get up and not necessarily when ive had alot of sleep i'll be chirpy all day and nothing in the world can get me down...but most days are just really hard to get thru...and to get motivated about things...

doctors appt went o.k, his got me going to see a psychiatrist altho i told him that i didnt really have any issues which may require a psychiatrist. becoz there are no sleep specialist locally they cant justify sending me to one straight away so i have to do see the psych to eliminate that first....

i also told him about a refloxology session i had, i tried it as one of my friends suggested it , unfortunately i still struggled to sleep that night but the person who did it said my hormone levels were not balanced therefore ill be getting that tested on monday.....

Karen do u find when u go on holiday that ur sleeping habits change?

ur right about the mind over matter aspect....u have to tell urself to be happy and be nice rather than be grumpy....im usually very quiet after a very bad night and dont really socialise much...but i do find that when ppl do start talkign to me it does help and it does help me be a bit less grumpy altho some ppl are still annoying!! )

I do get some weeks where ill sleep like a baby and feel great...but the wierd thing is i actually miss the time i get to myself during the night....do u find that?

Yes those days where I am cheery I am grateful. I try to make everyday that way but I must admit Lately I have a hard time being cheerful.. More emotional then anything.. I wonder if some of the emotional part is my age.. Have some stressful things happening right now.. they are not helping my sleep any that's for sure!

Well I hope the Psychiatrist can help some.. You never know!

I don't know anything about reflexology what exactly do they do?

Well I know this sounds weird, but, I have never in my life gone away anywhere for holiday.. I wouldn't know what to do with myself.. I do find that on overnight trips, I am more relaxed.. which is weird. Also during really really terrible storms I sleep like a baby for longer periods.. so strange.. I have tried the storm tapes etc. but there is nothing like a real storm.. I think it has to do with the very real electricity in the air, the moisture the whole thing..

Yeah I find the same thing with the grumpys.. Thats when I need some alone time.. but not too much.. I would rather have a hug and just lie quietly in a set of warm arms.. Thats a laugh these days..

I always miss my time to myself.. if I sleep longer then usual I find a deep sense of loss for that time I lost.. It is weird isn't it!!  I think you get used to it and then you need it to wind down and relax, even if thats all you can do..

Well Good luck tonight I wish you restful sleep!

[Zwitterion]

sorry to hear about ur problems, stress is never good for insomnia.  I think sometimes u have to think mind over matter and try to be positive about life no matter how bad it is....especially things outside ur control...altho its easier said than done!

I'm no expert on reflexology, but the theory goes something like, all nerves in ur body end in ur feet so a reflexologist by massaging ur feet can identify any problems u have with ur body. I went a few months ago and was quite surprised when he managed to figure out my backache and dizzyness which i sometimes feel in the morning without me telling him. Im still a sceptic though!

[Karen W.]

HUmmmm.. Reflexology.. I think I would be inclined to agree with that theory!! I believe your feet are a big part of your health.. If you keep them healthy then they will aid you too. I know it is one of the ways I liked to relax years ago.. to have a foot massage.....My hubby hates touching feet so he doesn't accomodate that.. I had to buy a foot bath massager years ago.. but it doesn't work very well. There is nothing like a real massage..

  That's pretty amazing!

[Karen W.]

Have been Rambling around the house all night.. Now back on computer . I have run out of things to do so kept fire going all night. It is 26 degrees outside on my porch and It's snow white outside. Solid frozen everything. They are expecting snow here for two days down to sea level.. I hope it snows really hard. We rarely see it here this low. It would be beautiful. I love it more then the kids.. makes me happy!

[moonfire]

Hiya Zwitterion!  My doctor prescibed several sleep aids for me.  The last one over 2 years ago was Ambien...I just hate the way they make me feel when I wake up. 

Karen, we are supposed to get a bit of snow, but it will only melt as it floats down...we are at 60 degrees farenheit...the likely hood of it staying...perhaps not...ground is too hot!

[Karen W.]

It started snowing a couple hours ago.. in Eureka.. We are expecting it to get colder and drop us with some more beautiful flakes tonight.. It is so cold right now! Fire is blazing, but it is freezing still!!

[moonfire]

brrrr, shivering as you type!  LOL

[Karen W.]

yep it is cold... 20 something.. I is not going out to check again.. Freezing...I have my coat and hat on and am rotating my hand warmer from one hand to the other.. I need electric socks and pajamas...

[Zwitterion]

i miss snow!!...we didnt get any this year in the UK, well we didnt in the north anyway.

Hi Moonfire...hope ur well!

Ive had another crap night, its 06:00 in the morning and still no sleep....its really getting to me at the moment...its not just the sleep tho, its the amount of time u have to do not a lot...tonight ive spent the time watching telly, listening to music and some exercise...what does all u fellow insomniacs do during the night...think i might go for a bit of a drive before the rush hour kicks in!!

have fun in the snow karen and moonfire...whereabts in the US are u?

[moonfire]

Hiya Zwitterion...I am well, tired, but well...Hopefully I can go to bed at 3am?  How are you?  Sorry about your sleepless night.  Well, before my son came back home, I would rearrange my furniture in the living room, create some things...LOL (Long story) Work on my Business Plan as I plan to go back into business selling parts to two different industries....read books, play on the computer..sometimes it is harder as I have 2 jobs and on the computer all the time...research info...that is about it...not much tv as it is boring to me unless it is discovery, nova, documentaries...

Snow in the Dallas/Fort Worth area is not good...as the people drive on the roads, you would not think there was anything on them.  We have 2 days of black ice and it usually will result in about a 600 or more accidents.  We may not have snow as we had one day of snow in November....which was quite early for us as this is usually the timeframe when we get our first snow...I prefer rain...lots of rain...everytime it rains and I am at work...everyone is mad, but I am so happy!  LOL  It is my favourite element...storm diamonds....(people still drive nuts on the road here when it rains...you would not believe how many accidents there are from it...also, we have the 2nd highest insurance rates in the USA because of the "wonderful driving methods"(madness)

I am in Irving, Texas....between Dallas and Fort Worth.  Have you ever been to the states?

[Karen W.]

We always have to travel several miles up the mountain to get to snow. I am excited like the kids about it. I hate being cold... But me loves the snow..

Now as for what I do when I can't sleep. I am usually on the net here in the forum or reading, watching funny stuff on TV as realistic stuff like he news and currant scary crap on Tv makes my insomnia worse.  I listen to music old records tapes cds, and watch old old movies..Play solatary or scrabble against myself! LOL sing songs I like accappelle,Dance with My vacumn cleaner.. lay awake in bed for hours tossing and turning.. constantly try to get warm as I always get cold at night fully clothed. Take hot showers and bathes to try to relax..work on projects I want to do with me school children.. Play with programs on my computer! etc. etc. etc. LOL Be safe on your drive!! I wish for white thick snow soon.. I want a ton not just a dribble!! YIPPPPPEEEEE!!!

[moonfire]

I am the opposite of Karen, I do not wish for tons of snow as people drive like idiots here!  In fact, I should write a book on Driving in Texas for Idiots 101...just kidding...oh, yeah, I do write poetry and short stories sometimes...not much poetry lately as a little dribble of stupidity on here...it is for amusement purposes only and not serious "stuff"