Sleepless - Life with DSPD

I'm not a poet or a great writer, this is just a vent from my condition...I wrote this while trying to deal with delayed sleep phase disorder and working normal societal hours the best I could...the result is 0-3 hours a night of sleep and it eventually grinds you down...for more information visit this link -
DPSD - Information

--Sleepless - Life with DSPD--

Screaming of the soul from the yearning without
It's coming from somewhere deep within...that there is no doubt
What is above is also something that's below
And what's below is something that's meant for a hero
But I'm not that archetype...so what can I do?
I have no choice I have to give in and subdue
Reeling, waiting, wanting something to save me from myself
Action not taken as my character slowly melts
Gravity of grief is pulling me closer to it's hull
It's something that I thought I had the ability to cull
Lost and lonely winter night, weighing on my mind
Clock rolls by, morning couldn't be more badly timed
Sounds of the lonely car rustle through the air
Every hour passing by brings me more despair
Another night gone by without a wink of sleep
If it's souls the sandman wants then mine is one he can reap

-Epirus

Me to. Fortunately, my working career was other than 9-5 and I never had to answer an alarm clock. I'm retired now and I sleep when I can and don't when I don't.

Because prescription medications have quit working for me, I have started trying natural herbal supplements to help. I have been taking Melatonin but it doesn't seem to help much. Just bought Valerian Root today. Also started trying Dandelion Root for anxiety yesterday but it's too soon to know if it helped. I slept good last night but partly because I didn't sleep a wink the night before. I'll keep this thread in mind and if I find something that helps, I'll post it.

Looking for the link to Valerian but can't find it right now.

Edit:
By the way, thanks for the Wiki lead. I'll use it the next time I see my Dr.


www.webmd.com...

lerian is an herb. Medicine is made from the root.

Valerian is most commonly used for sleep disorders, especially the inability to sleep (insomnia). It is frequently combined with hops, lemon balm, or other herbs that also cause drowsiness. Some people who are trying to withdraw from the use of “sleeping pills” use valerian to help them sleep after they have tapered the dose of the sleeping pill. There is some scientific evidence that valerian works for sleep disorders, although not all studies are positive.

You may want to try amitriptyline 10mg.

This is a secondary use for the drug taken an hour before bed time.

It is a low dose of this medication and you can clear your system of it quite easily.

Used a lot in conjunction with chronic pain sufferers.

P

a reply to: Epirus

I know your pain my friend. People that are able to sleep normal don't understand how crippling sleep disorders can be. Just a couple days without normal sleep messes you up... a few decades of it is a legitimate handicap. Nobody gets it unless they experience it. Possibly one of the most crippling problems.

a reply to: Ksihkehe

Thank you! You nailed it...I could not explain it better myself.

The wiki article covers it a bit:

Attempting to force oneself onto daytime society's schedule with DSPD has been compared to constantly living with jet lag; DSPD has, in fact, been referred to as "social jet lag".

Lack of public awareness of the disorder contributes to the difficulties experienced by people with DSPD, who are commonly stereotyped as undisciplined or lazy. Parents may be chastised for not giving their children acceptable sleep patterns, and schools and workplaces rarely tolerate chronically late, absent, or sleepy students and workers, failing to see them as having a chronic illness. By the time DSPD sufferers receive an accurate diagnosis, they often have been misdiagnosed or labelled as lazy and incompetent workers or students for years. Misdiagnosis of circadian rhythm sleep disorders as psychiatric conditions causes considerable distress to patients and their families, and leads to some patients being inappropriately prescribed psychoactive drugs. For many patients, diagnosis of DSPD is itself a life-changing breakthrough

Not getting proper sleep can really ruin your days.
It is stressful and causes anxiety....and can become a vicious circle.

I have mild sleep issues....but noting as severe as yours.

I take it you've tried honey...I think local, raw and unprocessed is best.
And have you ..tried this...and it has to be the purple cap version.
www.amazon.com...=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&th=1

Also California Poppy....but only the Herb Pharma brand.....it is a non-narcotic relative of Poppy.
www.herb-pharm.com...

Thank you for the suggestions, I really appreciate the support! I've tried all the naturals...mealtonin, val root, etc. as well as many pharms such as amitriptyline, trazadone, ambien, lunesta and sonata. Ambien worked for a bit but it didn't last long and even when it did it felt like it wasn't real sleep.

As an aside and important note as to why it grinds you down:

People with normal circadian systems can generally fall asleep quickly at night if they slept too little the night before. Falling asleep earlier will in turn automatically help to advance their circadian clocks due to decreased light exposure in the evening. In contrast, people with DSPD have difficulty falling asleep before their usual sleep time, even if they are sleep-deprived. Sleep deprivation does not reset the circadian clock of DSPD patients, as it does with normal people

Source

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

I haven't tried pure Chamomile like you linked...only combinations with other naturals(similar doses) so that is worth a try at least.

I 100% haven't tried the second thing you suggested in any form and am very curious to give it a go! Thank you very much for the suggestions.

a reply to: Epirus

Wow, I didn't know this condition had a name or that other people experienced it. I tried all of my life to force myself to sync up with the sleep/wake cycle most other people were on and always failed. It can really ruin a life if it's severe.

Several years ago I came to the conclusion I'd probably function better with a 30-hour day and not the 24.

I do sleep more now after a lifetime of not, though I usually have interrupted sleep, but there were periods in my life when my circadian rhythm was all over the place and yes, it feels like chronic jet lag. During a couple of those periods I was unable to fall asleep until just after 5 AM and would sleep until 1 PM. After a few years of that each time, my cycle changed again but it's never been something I could depend upon. Going to school when I was young and later working was a nightmare of sleep deprivation and oversleeping angst. Working second shift for a while didn't help.

Daylight Savings Time? I despise it. I can never adjust.

One thing about melatonin: they're not all equal in quality. There's wide variation from brand to brand and from where it's purchased as to effectiveness, and the smaller the dose, the better, I think.

Thanks for posting, OP. I may have never known it had a name if you hadn't. It's too bad I can't show my mother. She was always mad at me for not being able to sleep on cue when I was a child and having a horrible time getting up in the morning.

Having said all of that, there are massive changes happening on this planet at every level which is disturbing many people's circadian rhythm now whereas they didn't have a problem before. Mine's been lifelong so I don't know what it's like to have a reliable, mostly consistent cycle.

a reply to: tweetie

Thank you for sharing your story and I'm very sorry you've had to deal with it as well .

I didn't know the brands of melatonin would vary much in effectiveness. I'll keep that in mind as I believe I've only tried 2 different brands, thanks.

a reply to: Epirus

I was so amazed when I saw your OP the other night.

It was the first time I'd come across people who described what I'd been going through all of my life. I can't think of anyone I've ever known who experienced it to the point of having his or her life continually disrupted. No one ever understood it. Giving it a name helped to relieve some of the angst about it.

I can understand your feeling because I am often in the same situation.
After confronting to insomnia many times, I have some tips for myself. Then, I used to read a lot specially boring theory books. It help me significantly. I am usually very sleepy when reaching the page 15
Lemongrass is also a natural herb that I used to choose to cure insomnia. I drink a cup of lemongrass tea before bed time 1 hour. Some articles confirmed about this benefit of it at wikihomenutrition.com...
Besides, taking hot shower is my favorite method. It is very effective so let's try it.

edit on 8-11-2016 by betty21 because: (no reason given)

edit on 8-11-2016 by betty21 because: (no reason given)

I had sleep issues all my adult life. Couldn't drop off to sleep and couldn't wake up easily in the morning. I had to sleep all day at weekends to try and catch up.

Things were made worse by getting ready for bed. I might feel tired but by the time I'd finished my ablutions I'd woken myself up.

So, you might find it easier to get ready for bed a couple of hours before you need to and then spend your evening relaxing.

Since the weather started to get colder I've put an extra duvet on the bed. I'd forgotten how much cosier that makes me feel, having that heavier weight on me helps me feel sleepy.

Also, I tuck myself up with my Tablet and pootle about on the internet. It doesn't take so much concentration as reading a book and when I start to lose my hold on it and my head nods forward I know I can get some sleep.

You might want to try keeping some food near the bed. It probably sounds terrible advice and I never used to do it, but having a quick snack (that you don't have to get up for) if you wake up can help. Today at about 3am I had a cheese sandwich and went back to sleep in no time

A comfortable pillow is essential. I think we're all familiar with the feeling that we're sleeping on a bag of rock? I've got a bed wedge together with a very soft pillow. Not lying flat works better for me. It seems to take away that feeling of 'ok now I'm lying down so I MUST sleep or else'.

I suppose what I'm suggesting is keeping yourself relaxed and comfortable but not making a big deal of sleeping. Or not sleeping.

I hope that at least one of my ideas helps you.