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January 8, 2008
And I Still Can't Sleep
In spite of taking melatonin, exercising, etc. I can still not sleep. This is annoying.
My father is a world-class insomniac. I am getting worried that I am turning into him. It doesn't bother me so much when I know I did things to cause the insomnia, but when I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing, it's concerning. I wish I could get up and go to bed at the same time every night, but with my job it's very hard to do that and consistently get enough sleep. I really like to get up early and go to bed early, but when I have these early morning meetings and night meetings on the same days, I get all messed up.
Suggestions?
Posted by april at January 8, 2008 12:00 AM
Comments
I've started on the insomnia thing too, again. Someone, I think it was Arturo, suggested that we need less sleep as we get older... Not sure about that one. We're only in our thirties after all! :-) Apparently trying to keep your eyes open rather than lying there with them shut trying to sleep works. I wouldn't know though, I'm too impatient and get up and read instead. Presumably you've cut out all caffeine already.
Posted by: Sara at January 8, 2008 4:43 AM
April,
try getting out into sunlight in the mornings. I'll try to find the recent research articles on the relationship between light colors, time of day, and sleep patterns.
artifex
Posted by: artifex at January 8, 2008 9:41 AM
There was some very recent PR which isn't re-emerging. However, look at www.darkskysociety.org/handouts/pauley.pdf
particularly the material on sensitivities to blue wavelength light.
artifex
Posted by: artifex at January 8, 2008 10:35 AM
April,
I feel your pain. I live in a house of insomniacs...including bouts myself. Some helpful products that have made rounds over here include 5-HTP (which has other benefits too)--this can be taken in tandem with melatonin, Futurebiotics "Relax & Sleep" (an herbal blend), and a newer and seemingly very powerful product called "Abyss". It is something else(!) and is cycled in order to maintain potency (such as 5 days on, 2 off). It is affordable from www.prosource.net.
All of those products are natural and provide potentially other health benefits--of course sleep holds the most!! I know that some people take Benadryl which is the active ingredient in most "PM" type products. Good luck. I hope you get some sleep. It really makes all the difference in your day. (The caffeine and light suggestions are also great).
Oh, one other thing. If you are drinking alcohol within 6 hours of bed this can greatly disrupt your sleeping pattern. This was something that I had to begrudingly give up after my research confirmed it was part of my sleeping problem. It affected the second phase of my sleep. Interesting read on the topic: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/497982
I know everyone is different but I hope that some of this may be helpful.
Take care,
Kay
Posted by: Kay at January 8, 2008 11:05 AM
Artifex has a good point about getting some sunlight every morning; it's worth a try. MR can probably do a little research on the topic for you. Kay also has good point that I can relate to personally. If I drink any form of alcohol after about 10:00, I'm wide awake for at least an hour in the middle of the night and if I consume more than about 1 oz of brandy or Cognac, I am virtually guaranteed a lousy night. JD :-)
Posted by: Judith at January 8, 2008 2:01 PM
I hope the sleep issues work out for you. I had a terrible 2 month insomnia episode where I couldn't get to sleep, and kept waking up every two hours. Thought I was going to die of exhaustion. Caused by a damn antibiotic called cipro!
Anyway, improving your fitness should help a lot. The more fit a person is the better they sleep and more more easily they fall to sleep. The benefits don't come right away, but will eventually. Yoga increases GABA levels by 30% which is important in supressing the CNS so you can calm down and sleep.
Here is a good talk on insomnia for those interested.
Desperately Seeking Sleep: Understanding and Treating Insomnia
http://tinyurl.com/28wvqw
Posted by: matt - uk at January 9, 2008 12:20 AM