[Muffy]

I haven't had a day off from work in almost 2 weeks and for some reason sleep seems to allude me.

As for sugguestions on helping one sleep I've heard if you can't sleep get up don't stay in bed. Sometimes it works sometimes not. I ended up getting up several times last night to read, write, get a drink, ect. I took a hot bath last night, practiced yoga, read, I was quite relaxed.

[p_176]

too much caffiene. sleeping pills are my friend today.

[kiss_the_fiddler]

Got home last night from a very long shift. Crashed hard and slept all night and then some. Napped today too. Now, of course, I'm wide awake. Grrr. . . So I'm griping. Snarky asked what works for me. Hmmm. . . Some of the things that have worked: yes, warm bath (just took one), warm milk, lavender oil, herbal remedy with valarian and other stuff, tv in background (gives my mind something to listen to so I don't follow random thoughts into craziness), counting, ear plugs (spouse snores), masturbating, and, of course, drugs (I have and can use an assortment legally but don't like to because then I can't respond to calls when my pager goes off.) What works for you?

Fiddle

[snarky7]

kiss - any tricks work for you? hot tea (god can you imagine in this heat?), warm milk (nearly as bad), warm bath (hmmm...have to think of "cool" things), spouse giving you a backrub? you gotta get some rest! here's hoping you can find sweet dreams soon tonight...

[snarky7]

kiss - any tricks work for you? hot tea (god can you imagine in this heat?), warm milk (nearly as bad), warm bath (hmmm...have to think of "cool" things), spouse giving you a backrub? you gotta get some rest! here's hoping you can find sweet dreams soon tonight...

[kiss_the_fiddler]

Hi all. I subbed for someone on a fire engine assigned to one of the wildfires we have going on here in MT. As my luck would have it, we got the night shift. We worked hard and got off a long shift safely. I hung around fire camp all the next day waiting for a firefighter to come out and replace me for the next shift. I didn't sleep one single wink. I got home last night and slept hard, until after noon today. Now, I'm dead tired but wide awake. This is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo frustrating. I hate it. Just want to fucking sleep.
Ugh!

[snarky7]

annelise...i know the feeling. me too. ah yes, i'm all setup for a classic insomnia night. tired today, no time for nap, good evening, but things to do now...won't sleep til they are off my mind...and here i am, adding to the boards... guess i'd best get things done so i can sleep before daylight....

[annelise]

i need to sleep i am moving in two days. but i am too nervous, there is so much to do tomorrow and i'm hungry but my fridge is nearly empty and i've already brushed my teeth and i should just sleep i'm so so so so sos leepy but there's way too mcuh swimming around my mind. bad enough when insomnia is physiological, when it's anxiety i'm scrrewd, drugs or not. sleeping so badly lately, sheeit..

[kiss_the_fiddler]

aw, p_176, nightmares totally suck. I've been having them too. I hope they go away too. Wishing all of us sound restful sleep.

[p_176]

more nightmares this week. most of my stress was last week, so maybe it's just leftover...hope it goes away soon....

[kiss_the_fiddler]

I don't know if lunesta works less over time. I don't take it very often at all. I have taken less than 30 in the last 9 months. Dunno. It's so hot here that it'd be hard to sleep even if I were knocked flat on my ass. Maybe it's time to look in to A/C.

[annelise]

does lunesta seem to work less over time? my bf takes it from time to time, and i still remember the first time he took it...he didn't realize he was supposed to go to bed right away, so he was taking the pill while on the phone with me and went right to sleep! but now it doesn't seem to work too well for him--it works, but only for 3 or 4 hours, then he's awake and grumpy and the whole bit.

it never worked for me, i had to take twice the dose just to feel drowsy. so i don't bother with the radioactive moth.

my sleep is awful, and i've been taking tylenol pm every night in addition to my usual prescription because it seems that lately i need both, but i hate it that i have to pop so many pills, and i still don't sleep enough...don't sleep well or wake up too early or whatever.

[CanCan]

i have really low iron, not anemic but close. it's chronic, i supplement all the time. three months on, three months off (or until i start to feel depleted, believe me i can tell when i am). it's in an ok range, i just got tested, still lowish but acceptable. i take a desicated liver supplement with vit c, manganese, folic acid and b12 added. it's good, i feel it working. i read to take it with dinner, is there a better time than that?

what about 5htp? i considered it when i was feeling so low but the st john's wort worked really well for me. does it help with sleep as well? can i take it during pregnancy or should i just stick with the melatonin? and can i take one when i wake in the night or will that not be as effective as taking it at bed time? i never know when i'm going to be restless until i am.

Hi,
I am actually on another thread, and was reading this one, because it happens to be on top of 'our bodies, our hells'. I have problems sleeping too.. and I found something that is helping me. First off, maybe I should mention the things that are helping me: I started taking the B12, which seems to be good so far, and I'm taking B-Complex. The B vitamins are really important for your nerves and relaxation. Whether you have sleeping issues or not. The other thing is the St. John's Wort liquid that a naturopathic doctor told me to buy. I take a quarter of a teaspoon of it under my tongue whenever I feel panicky, and it works right away. Like in five minutes. I think the stuff is great, and would tell you the name of the brand, but I bought it up in Canada, and it doesn't seem to have a proper label on it! Also, you can take it before bed, instead of a quarter teaspoon, I sometimes take half teaspoon, and it makes it easier to sleep. I tried Melatonin, but when I bought it at the healthfood store, the salesman told me that melatonin works on some people, but not on all people. I didn't ask why. Next time I will ask him, because I am curious, it didn't at all work for me. After using it for a week, I gave it to a friend of mine who I know swears by it. Whatever.

The other thing I am trying which seems to be working so far, which I bought at the healthfood store too is L-Tryptophan. It is similar to 5-HTP that you are mentioning. I asked the salesman which one I should try tryptophan or 5htp, and he said there are benefits to both. But they were kind of expensive, so I just bought one, to experiment first, and see if that works first before buying the other one. So far, I have to say that the Tryptophan works very well. I don't take the whole capsule though. It seems like a lot. So I open it up, and dump out half of it, and take the half pill. It's a 1.5 gram capsule, so half is approximately 3/4 of a gram. I take it only before bed, and it works for me. I have been trying them on and off for the past 10 days, and I seem to sleep a lot better when I take it! And I think it is probably o.k. for you to take, because it is the amino acid that is found naturally in turkey.

[kiss_the_fiddler]

God damn radioactive moth. Instructions are to take the pill and go to bed right away as it works quickly. Good. Alright. So I did that. Slept very fitfully for 1.5 hours. Nice start, but where's the other promised 6 hours of blessed sleep? Maybe I got the tired end of the batch. I'm frustrated. How in the heck am I supposed to be fucking human if I can't get any sleep. I'm frustrated and hot. (it's way too hot here for my neck of the woods. Just about redonculous.

[kiss_the_fiddler]

yup, lunesta. aka the radioactive moth

[shinyx3]

lunesta?

[kiss_the_fiddler]

I resorted to the radioactive moth last night and finally slept but don't feel rested. It's hot, my body hurts, it's fire season so there's no set schedule anymore, gripe gripe gripe. You're right snarky, I can get through it. It's like this every summer (usually not so hot though). Yeah for the radioactive moth.

[snarky7]

come on, fiddler, you can get past this. get those assholes out of your head and focus on who's with you in your bed (when possible due to work). wishing you sweet dreams tonight.

[kiss_the_fiddler]

Going to bed and going right to sleep? What a luxury! I can't imagine what that must be like. I've been running ragged for the past few days/nights, with various things in my personal life and with storms and the fires they start in the hills in my fire district. I'm so tired that I'm dizzy for fuck sake. Why can't I just sleep? Gees, and when I do sleep, my dreams are almost more exhausting than staying awake for days is. This sucks.

[snarky7]

catlady, i got all of a 3 minute nap and i'm now screwed til maybe 3am. joy. i'll think of you at 130.

i was just talking to cute neighbor crush and wondering why he can say he's off to sleep and knowing i'll be up for hours yet. sigh. i want to sleep, i am tired in the daytime, but bring on the evening and the dark and i come alive - things to do, people to talk to, message boards to read, you name it....

give me saturday sleeping-in already please? i want/need it badly.

hoping the dreams, when they come, are sweet for all....