Insomniac's Thread

TastyReuben said:
I do the same thing - start thinking about something I’m planning on the next day, then I get giddy and can’t sleep.

My doc suggested melatonin and gave me suggested dosages, but it didn’t work at all. :(
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Melatonin works too well for me. I can't get up the next day! I skipped it and fell asleep eventually anyway but yer I share the giddy thing big time!
 
Urgh woke at midnight and it's now 2.30am.
Another friend has died.
Heart attack, sudden and unexpected. He was chatting away completely normally then gone.
Wish I could stop thinking about it.
They moved to Spain about 15 years ago. His poor wife can't speak spanish, can't drive and has bad rheumatoid arthritis. They live out in the sticks about 1 1/2 hours from here with no facilities around them. They also have rescue animals that they keep a short drive from their place.

I knew him pretty well but I don't know her at all, he was a motorcycling friend.
I know her sons are here taking care of things though so that's something.

We'd chatted about what would happen to her if he shuffled off the mortal coil first and they had contingency plans in place (she would move and live in the Netherlands with her eldest son) but even so what a terrible loss and upheaval. Warm Spain with a full life, rescuing animals and a loving husband to a cold wet concrete city in the Netherlands.

He was a good guy who went out of his way to help me with little bits n pieces about living in Spain. He went out of his way to help a lot of people.
Sorry miserable post I know. Just sad.
 
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TastyReuben said:
Very sorry on the loss of your friend, sounds like he was a fine fellow, indeed. Hopefully, his wife will transition to her new situation as easily as can be expected.
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Thanks TR he was very much a fine fellow.
I think I take a bit of comfort from him getting to live life the way he wanted to with no ill health to speak of and then one day poof just gone.

Not nice for the people around him but I think most of us given the choice wouldn't mind a life of physical good health and a fast exit with no dwindling or time to become morose.
Life ay.
 
Insomnia has been an issue for many months now, in a variety of forms for my daughter (16 y), my boyfriend and me. My boyfriend lives some 25km away from us.
The kid is on 2 anxiety medications, and Helex was presribed for sleep, but it did not work for her, she would fall asleep at 2 am or 3 am. So we had a month off Helex. Started melatonin...a week on, several days off...it improved to around midnight.

Screen time was an issue too. Lots of approaches tried, at present her net subscription is cancelled temporarily.

For me, I would wake up 3,4 times, worried about her and disturbed by the lights in her room, visible in the door frame. Feel exhausted in the morning. My diet plays a role too. It helps to put on earphobes and listen to a podcast to ease getting back to sleep.

My boyfriend, either waking up too early or waking up several times a night and feeling s.... to go to work at 5,30 am...

So, yes, struggling...
 
Timenspace said:
Insomnia has been an issue for many months now, in a variety of forms for my daughter (16 y), my boyfriend and me. My boyfriend lives some 25km away from us.
The kid is on 2 anxiety medications, and Helex was presribed for sleep, but it did not work for her, she would fall asleep at 2 am or 3 am. So we had a month off Helex. Started melatonin...a week on, several days off...it improved to around midnight.

Screen time was an issue too. Lots of approaches tried, at present her net subscription is cancelled temporarily.

For me, I would wake up 3,4 times, worried about her and disturbed by the lights in her room, visible in the door frame. Feel exhausted in the morning. My diet plays a role too. It helps to put on earphobes and listen to a podcast to ease getting back to sleep.

My boyfriend, either waking up too early or waking up several times a night and feeling s.... to go to work at 5,30 am...

So, yes, struggling...
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The worry we feel for our children's welfare can be quite overwhelming can't it.

Something they advise about sleep is to not worry if you don't get any. Good sleep is apparently not norm.

Turning away from screens can make a huge difference but the discipline that's required to leave all tech in another room and go to bed at a reasonable and consistent time isn't something I've mastered.
But I know when I do manage it my sleep quality improves immensely.

Have you tried melatonin for yourself?
 
SandwichShortOfAPicnic said:
The worry we feel for our children's welfare can be quite overwhelming can't it.

Something they advise about sleep is to not worry if you don't get any. Good sleep is apparently not norm.

Turning away from screens can make a huge difference but the discipline that's required to leave all tech in another room and go to bed at a reasonable and consistent time isn't something I've mastered.
But I know when I do manage it my sleep quality improves immensely.

Have you tried melatonin for yourself?
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Yes, indeed, this school year has been a disaster, worries I have never thought were possible, and would happen to me. However, it can always be worse, so besides in prayers and faith, as a natural optimist, I do believe it is a maturing and life grasping challenge. I do hope she and I overcome it successfully. Success being admitted to be very moderate, we accept crumbs and look forward to any improvement.
In addition there are worries for older parents, and boyfriend's parents and his back surgery issues, so the worry does not come as 1.
No, I have not tried melatonin for me. In summing up my hours of sleep, I do get 5 to 6, so for now, will stay away from medication. I try working on improving my diet, after 3 pm, eating mostly protein and fat. For the insulin intolerance.
It does increase the time span between wake ups. But is not easy, in particular if I work the afternoon shift and an hangry at work, and arrive late, 9 pm or later home...but striving counts too. I am getting better at it. I have resumed jogging as well, that helps too. I do a lot of walks as well.
 
Timenspace said:
Yes, indeed, this school year has been a disaster, worries I have never thought were possible, and would happen to me. However, it can always be worse, so besides in prayers and faith, as a natural optimist, I do believe it is a maturing and life grasping challenge. I do hope she and I overcome it successfully. Success being admitted to be very moderate, we accept crumbs and look forward to any improvement.
In addition there are worries for older parents, and boyfriend's parents and his back surgery issues, so the worry does not come as 1.
No, I have not tried melatonin for me. In summing up my hours of sleep, I do get 5 to 6, so for now, will stay away from medication. I try working on improving my diet, after 3 pm, eating mostly protein and fat. For the insulin intolerance.
It does increase the time span between wake ups. But is not easy, in particular if I work the afternoon shift and an hangry at work, and arrive late, 9 pm or later home...but striving counts too. I am getting better at it. I have resumed jogging as well, that helps too. I do a lot of walks as well.
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Sorry to hear you've had a rough year, sounds very full on and not in a good way.

Shifts can cause havoc with sleep patterns. I remember my first hospital job being shift work and it was tough, particularly the mixed day shifts where you could not get home til 11pm and had to be back at 7am (meaning you had to be up at 5am) that then slid into 6 night shifts in a row followed by 6 days off where you wandered about like an ashen faced zombie 🧟

In the end I quit because I was driving home from my fifth night shift and blue lights on the other side of the motorway surprised me and as I was jolted back to reality from my stupor I went across two lanes of the carriageway, it was empty so no harm done but I could have easily not have been so lucky - no more!

Some people mange shift work brilliantly, some of us just can't!
 
You are right. It does depend on the circumstances a lot, in particular transport. As you say driving is demanding, I think. I hate driving, and inspite having a driver's licence, I do not drive and do not own a car. I commute. 2 hours 1 way,and 2 hours back home. Daily.
Some days its managable, some days its hard. When the train is full, and you are on your feet, for 2 hours, takes out the fun, if there was any fun to start with...
I hope your work-traffic situation is better now...
 
Timenspace said:
You are right. It does depend on the circumstances a lot, in particular transport. As you say driving is demanding, I think. I hate driving, and inspite having a driver's licence, I do not drive and do not own a car. I commute. 2 hours 1 way,and 2 hours back home. Daily.
Some days its managable, some days its hard. When the train is full, and you are on your feet, for 2 hours, takes out the fun, if there was any fun to start with...
I hope your work-traffic situation is better now...
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Crikey that's a long time out of your day spent commuting!
Is there nothing closer to home?

Yes I'm much better off now I work from home most of the time and no longer full time. I am able to take chunks of time off.
My workload is not entirely predictable though so sometimes I don't have a minute to spare and other times I can spend hours pleasing myself which is nice.

Why don't you like driving?
 
SandwichShortOfAPicnic said:
Crikey that's a long time out of your day spent commuting!
Is there nothing closer to home?

Yes I'm much better off now I work from home most of the time and no longer full time. I am able to take chunks of time off.
My workload is not entirely predictable though so sometimes I don't have a minute to spare and other times I can spend hours pleasing myself which is nice.

Why don't you like driving?
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Love the Crikey exclamation😃. It is quite difficult to get my kind of job in my city. I would estimate 85% of our school staff commute from here to there, however most of them by car, which cuts the travel time in half...possibly only 25% are train commuters like me. I have not given up on trying though, in 2,3 y time a spot will be open, upon retirement, but 20 other candidates will try to win it too...we shall see...
Work from home sounds good, if you can separate everything the way you desire...well done.

Driving, ghuh, I am not aggressive enough for today's road jungles...I fear the other drivers, my eyesight is not ideal, possibly even not adequate now, and I just do not enjoy driving at all. At all. I get a headache just thinking about it. I do like being driven...my boyfriend is a fantastic driver, plus he utterly enjoys driving all kinds of vehicles...
I got a licence at a previous job, as my employer asked to...not for me really...
 
Timenspace said:
Love the Crikey exclamation😃. It is quite difficult to get my kind of job in my city. I would estimate 85% of our school staff commute from here to there, however most of them by car, which cuts the travel time in half...possibly only 25% are train commuters like me. I have not given up on trying though, in 2,3 y time a spot will be open, upon retirement, but 20 other candidates will try to win it too...we shall see...
Work from home sounds good, if you can separate everything the way you desire...well done.

Driving, ghuh, I am not aggressive enough for today's road jungles...I fear the other drivers, my eyesight is not ideal, possibly even not adequate now, and I just do not enjoy driving at all. At all. I get a headache just thinking about it. I do like being driven...my boyfriend is a fantastic driver, plus he utterly enjoys driving all kinds of vehicles...
I got a licence at a previous job, as my employer asked to...not for me really...
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I'm happy you're not driving if you simply don't enjoy it! Too often we seem to force ourselves to do things we don't enjoy out of some notion that facing fears or toughing something out is somehow good for us, and I'm sure sometimes it probably is but other times I'm certain we'd be better off to just say Nope this isn't for me and have the courage to turn our back on things we don't enjoy!

Isn't there a car sharing thing you could join that would make your day easier?
 
SandwichShortOfAPicnic said:
I'm happy you're not driving if you simply don't enjoy it! Too often we seem to force ourselves to do things we don't enjoy out of some notion that facing fears or toughing something out is somehow good for us, and I'm sure sometimes it probably is but other times I'm certain we'd be better off to just say Nope this isn't for me and have the courage to turn our back on things we don't enjoy!

Isn't there a car sharing thing you could join that would make your day easier?
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Thank you, what a generous observation.
We do car share occasionally, 3 to 4 times a year, but it is not convenient for daily commute, as we all have very different schedules and family obligations before or after work.
I can also opt for an online set of lessons occasionally, not having to travel that day, e.g.for a hospital appointment or alike...twice a year or so...not exploiting it...
 
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