Grrrr...bah!

[MadGypsy]

I'm sure many of you remember that I have some pretty aggressive insomnia spells. Well, this shit is getting ridiculous. I think i've slept about 10 hours THIS ENTIRE WEEK! I want to cry I am so frikken tired.

I know some of my posts are worded edgy and I'm sorry for that. It's real hard to be normal when sleep has filed for a divorce and took half your sanity and energy in the settlement. To save some people some time - I don't take OTC drugs (or any drugs for that matter) and the last time I tried Melatonin it took weeks to give me just a small edge on sleep.

I need to solve this problem in a way that doesn't require dependencies. If I could just shut my brain off would be a huge leap. I get super tired, lay down with an "aaaah" and then my brain goes "oh, you aren't preoccupied - lets solve EVERYTHING!"

Never take your sleep for granted. I'd give away half my IQ if it meant I could sleep.

[Dilligaf]

Have you ever considered yoga. Maybe meditation, hypnosis or the Martial Arts. Some of these may become addictive, but in a good way would think.

[MadGypsy]

I have never considered those things as sleep aids but, if you think they could help I'm definitely willing to give it a shot. Look at my post times. From completely dead tired at almost 6 in the morning I just slept <6 hours and {pop} I'm awake. Most nights are like 2 or 3 hours. This is going to kill me.

[nahuel]

yoga + meditation is really great, requires some time, is not a fast solution, but its really goood

[wicked_lord]

Sound's like you need to go see a sleep specialist and see what your problem is.

I sleep 5.5 hours or less per day/night and I am fully functional at the second my eye's are open. The hardest problem I face is falling asleep, but once asleep rest assured 5.5 hour's later I am fully awake.

[MadGypsy]

I can do 6 if I get 6 consistently. I can't do 6 if I'm burning day after day with 3 or less.

[wicked_lord]

Always NyQuil if that will help any.

[Sgt-PieFace]

Well I sometimes have trouble falling asleep, and what I find works for me is getting exercise. I know it sounds kinda tacky, but it doesn't take much. Usually it only takes walking around and doing dumb sh*t with friends for 30 mins. This works because since your body burns calories, it triggers a response from the brain of "Been doin' stuffs. Need sleep".

Hope you find a solution!

[Solecord]

Man 5 or 6 hours of sleep?? If I don't get a minimum of 7.5 hours I am a zombie the next day!!

[MadGypsy]

I get retarded amounts of exercise. I work out everyday, bike anywhere that I feel driving to would be silly (<5 miles) and my job is very physically demanding. I can aaaaaalmost sling a keg on my back with one arm. I just have to dip my step a little to get that hair extra. I also walk anywhere I feel a bike would be silly (<=2 miles round trip). I don't think more exercise is gonna help.

My problem is primarily a mind that refuses to shut off. After I made this thread last night I went to bed (AGAIN) and {ping} a zillion ways to secure websites "danced" in my head.... it's pretty miserable sometimes.

[ArrrCee]

yoga + meditation is really great, requires some time, is not a fast solution, but its really goood

I second this... Reading some fiction or something before bed helps me too.

I used to have this same problem, not being able to turn my brain off before bed. But with the combo of exercise, yoga, meditation once in a while and some light reading before bed, it's really helped over the past few years.

It might also be me getting older and not caring as much about getting things done as i used to but who knows about that one.

[Mindf!3ldzX]

Lavender and/or Chamomile have a long history of being great sleep aids...

Lavedner | University of Maryland Medical Center

Insomnia or Agitation

In folklore, pillows were filled with lavender flowers to help restless people fall sleep. Scientific evidence suggests that aromatherapy with lavender may slow the activity of the nervous system, improve sleep quality, promote relaxation, and lift mood in people suffering from sleep disorders. Studies also suggest that massage with essential oils, particularly lavender, may result in improved sleep quality, more stable mood, better concentration, and reduced anxiety. In one study, people who received massage with lavender felt less anxious and more positive than those who received massage alone. Several small studies suggest that lavender aromatherapy may help reduce agitation in people with dementia. Lavender flowers have also been approved in Germany as a tea for insomnia, restlessness, and nervous stomach irritations.

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Chamomile: A herbal medicine of the past with bright future

5.13 Sleep aid/sedation

Traditionally, chamomile preparations such as tea and essential oil aromatherapy have been used to treat insomnia and to induce sedation (calming effects). Chamomile is widely regarded as a mild tranquillizer and sleep-inducer. Sedative effects may be due to the flavonoid, apigenin that binds to benzodiazepine receptors in the brain (6. Studies in preclinical models have shown anticonvulsant and CNS depressant effects respectively. Clinical trials are notable for their absence, although ten cardiac patients are reported to have immediately fallen into a deep sleep lasting for 90 minutes after drinking chamomile tea (47). Chamomile extracts exhibit benzodiazepine-like hypnotic activity (69). In another study, inhalation of the vapor of chamomile oil reduced a stress-induced increase in plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) levels. Diazepam, co-administered with the chamomile oil vapor, further reduced ACTH levels, while flumazenile, a BDZ antagonist blocked the effect of chamomile oil vapor on ACTH. According to Paladini et al. (70), the separation index (ratio between the maximal anxiolytic dose and the minimal sedative dose) for diazepam is 3 while for apigenin it is 10. Compounds, other than apigenin, present in extracts of chamomile can also bind BDZ and GABA receptors in the brain and might be responsible for some sedative effect; however, many of these compounds are as yet unidentified.

[MadGypsy]

I finally got some real sleep!! 9 glorious, unbroken hours. Now, I'm ready to kick ass on summin. I feel like a force again.

[Mindf!3ldzX]

did you try chamomile or lavender ? just curious if the bombardment of sleep was due to anything you did or if it just fell in your lap?

[wicked_lord]

did you try chamomile or lavender ? just curious if the bombardment of sleep was due to anything you did or if it just fell in your lap?

ahhh.. yes indeed, Lavender. I have Lavender pillow's at home and in the truck just so I can get some good sleep. That shit helps for real!