Friday, August 19, 2005

Sleep?

I can't sleep! Since last Sunday (when I also happened to get a minor migraine), I've only really had about six hours of sleep! So what do I do while I'm awake... just stare at the ceiling and hope that I'll eventually fall asleep. Hasn't worked yet, but I'm going to give it another shot in just a bit!

in·som·ni·a (n.) : Chronic inability to fall asleep or remain asleep for an adequate length of time.

It turns out that insomnia is not actually defined by the number of hours of sleep a person gets or how long it takes to fall asleep... rather it's the complaint (or perception) of inadequate or poor-quality sleep. People vary normally in their need for (and their satisfaction with) sleep. Insomnia may cause problems during the day, such as tiredness, a lack of energy, and/or difficulty concentrating. Some of the effects that I've experienced personally this past week:
  • Difficulty falling asleep... just can't do it!
  • Waking up frequently during the night with difficulty returning to sleep (in all fairness, this is perhaps a problem I've had for several years!)
  • Waking up too early in the morning... always!
  • Unrefreshing sleep... most of the time!
I find it truly amazing that I've any kind of energy over the last several days. Yes, I admit that coffee has been a major contributor to my artificial liveliness throughout the day, but I haven't had any caffeine past about 4pm on any given day (so I know that should not be keeping me up at night.) I need a vacation soon just so I can simply try to catch up on some sleep... wanting wonderful dreams!

9 comments:

drunkbh said...

I soooooo know your pain. It's 3am here and I still can't sleep. I have to be at work at 7:30. Sleeping pills don't help. They just make me groggy. I can lay in bed for hours and still not be able to sleep.

Frank said...

I think I'm starting to get used to it. I wasn't quite as tired today (er, yesterday... all the days are kinda meshing into one in my mind) as I've been over the last several days this week.

HighMaintenanceHussy said...

I've also had chronic problems with insomnia...here are some tips I've learned:

1) Stay off sleeping pills. They are evil and will destroy your life.

2) Try to get a decent amount of daily exercise. I've been told that Yoga also alleviates insomnia.

3) Abstain from alcohol. Though you can sometimes knock yourself out with it, the sleep you get isn't restful.

4) If you lay awake in bed for longer than 20 minutes, get up again. Read something, play a game on the computer, etc. Then try to lay down. Apparently, laying awake in bed only makes it worse.

I hope these tips are of some help to you. :)

Frank said...

Yeah, I've tried all that to no avail. I'm sure I'll fall asleep sometime (before the start of 2006!)

Thanks for the advice though, I do really appreciate it! :-D

Elemmaciltur said...

Yeah...and maybe a visit to the your MD! I'm dreading next week because T's going away to visit his parents and friend in the North, and I'm not going with him, i.e. I'm staying at home alone....and I never can fall asleep when he's not there. I always end up laying in bed all night and fall asleep first at about 6 a.m.! O.o It's bloody torture!

Frank said...

Dude, that's no good! You'll get through it though!

In the mean time, insomnia really isn't that bad (from Obi-Wan's "certain point of view") Think of all the extra time you get each day!

The Seeker said...

OK, I don't like posting multiple times in a day, but when I started writing a response, I realized it was a post of it's own. Hope it works for you... it does for me.

Change of latitude.

The Seeker said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Frank said...

Nice post, Seeker!