Sleep Disorders, Time to get our sleep back

reply to post by Akherousia


Yeah I read somewhere that DSPS is usually found with other disorders when diagnosed. It guess one may lead to the other.

Well you are correct in your choice to leave medication as your final option. If excerise, food and healthy sleeping habits aren't working, maybe you should try alternate methods. Yoga or relaxation music might work. Smoking and drinking should also be avoided. Honestly if none of these are working your best bet is to go to your physician and see what they have to say about it.

Good Luck.

-Ign0RanT

Originally posted by Ign0rant
reply to post by Akherousia

 

Yeah I read somewhere that DSPS is usually found with other disorders when diagnosed. It guess one may lead to the other.

Well you are correct in your choice to leave medication as your final option. If excerise, food and healthy sleeping habits aren't working, maybe you should try alternate methods. Yoga or relaxation music might work. Smoking and drinking should also be avoided. Honestly if none of these are working your best bet is to go to your physician and see what they have to say about it.

Good Luck.

-Ign0RanT

Thanks for your help.

Relaxing music is a 50/50 thing for me. I'm very passionate about my music, and while there are some bands that help me get to sleep, sometimes those very same bands will just stimulate my mind and get me thinking more and more. Though that's not the problem, the problem is more my paranoia that when I play it through my stereo, it's too loud (eventhough most times it can hardly be heard by the other people in the house) and that leads to more thoughts that keep me up; a constant concern that I'm keeping someone else up.

I'm mostly focusing on healthy eating and excercising habits at the moment. Thanks again for the advice and help.

Homeopathic remedies can help with sleeping disorders.

Belladonna for night terrors - I've suffered these and it helped me.

Valerian can help to calm the nerves and when I took it I found it made me very sleepy too.

reply to post by berenike


Well the object is to try to combat it without taking medication. Of course medication may sometimes be the only option.

How long has this been occurring and how long have been on the medication?

-Ign0RanT

[edit on 10-12-2008 by Ign0rant]

reply to post by Ign0rant


I have had sleeping issues consistently since I was about 11...for a while I attributed it to the fact that I'm simply a night owl...but after many many nights of lying in bed for 6 hours without sleep, i went to the doctor. I know what the problem is; my thoughts distract me, and they never stop! Lol. my thoughts go from point A to point Z in a matter of moments, which is my problem. I went to the doctor a couple times regarding my problems...and he just told me to go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every day. Yea, like that's gonna happen! As a college student with a job with 25 hours a week minimum, there are nights where I'm bogged down with studying and homework...and there are nights where I can head to bed at 12. I do believe working out and exercise has helped me immensely; but with finals this week my sleep schedule is verrry funky; tonight, for example, is my second all-nighter in a row Any suggestions on how to get my thoughts to stop distracting me?

And another thing...I was thinking about this the other day, and I want to see if anyone can relate...but it sounds crazy, so bare with me because I promise I'm sane. Often times, while I'm trying to sleep, and I'm getting close, I get really random and non-sensical images, animations, and sounds in my head. Things I have never seen before, never thought before, never even heard of appear in my head, and it's very hard to explain. These images are impossibly random and extremely weird; if anyone can relate I would love to hear about it and what the heck it is?

reply to post by Ign0rant


I did take the point that you don't want to take medication, but homeopathic remedies are quite different from conventional medicine.
Non-addictive for one and (for me) no heavy side-effects.

I've suffered insomnia for most of my adult life and have had the night terrors sporadically for the same length of time. That includes feelings of being physically attacked or the heavy weight of 'something' bearing down on me. Also, seeing apparitions.

I've woken many times thinking I was moving to fight off an attack only to find that my physical body was perfectly still. Also, waking up trying to scream with all my might but no sound coming out.

I've had the experience of strange thoughts that didn't feel like mine and heard things as if a radio was nearby, but more 'in my head'.

Another unpleasant experience was the feeling that blunt instruments were being forced into my ears as far as they could possibly go. That was very painful.

And one night, stupid me, I was half asleep with my arm hanging over the side of the bed (I never normally do this) and I distinctly felt something squeeze my hand.

I only took the belladonna when things were at their worst and stopped taking it as soon as the phenomena ceased.

The worst thing for me was trying to get back to sleep after some of these experiences as I was so terrified.

As for the Valerian, I got that from a homeopathic pharmacy when I went in and asked for something to nelp my nerves. I had extremely noisy neighbours and was desperate from lack of sleep and needing peace & quiet. I found the tablets made me drowsy, which is why I'd suggest them for someone who is finding it difficult to sleep and wants to avoid the more extreme remedies.

I'm managing now without taking any remedies. I'd take the Belladonna again if I had the experiences to the same extent I had them in the past.

Originally posted by mr-lizard
I have sleep disorders too.

I'm a full time student, suffer from anxiety sometimes and find it very hard to sleep at night, often taking ages to fall asleep and then sleeping through the morning and afternoon.

I know what you mean, between school with nonstop lectures,papers due, and working 30+ hours a week at my job i find sleep scarce.

When I finally get the chance to grab some sleep I lay in my bed for hours on end with my mind constantly racing. Even when i do finally clear my thoughts and calm down i sometimes still lay for hours with no sleep causing me to get out of bed and find something to occupy me.

On my days off i sometimes sleep right through the day because of sever lack of rest throughout the week.

I did have a stint of sleep-walking for about 3 years, it never bothered me nor did it bother family members....i don't think lol. HOWEVER I did have horrid hallucinations and sometimes still do as i am drifting off. This is going to sound insane, but 3 days ago as i drifted off to sleep I saw a giant penny, literally 6 feet in diameter in my doorway. The image of it was so sudden and unexpected that i jumped out of my bed and grabbed my cell phone ( not sure why). It stayed for a few seconds after I had jumped up and then faded after i looked away and back again.

I have also woken up numerous times with what feels like a tremendous weight pressing down upon my entire body. Sometimes i can move slowly, others i'm unable to, im assuming out of fear?

Regardless of these things i'm still weary of sleep aids other than the occasional tylenol pm.

I think I have sleeping dissorder too,its like,im very very tired all day long but when i try to sleep i just cant,so im just lyin around awhile and some more.till i can finally fall asleep.
I sleepwalk too,i talk in my sleep and i have horrible nightmares sometimes. i mean it ,like really horrible stuff,much worse than u see in a movie on the telly . but o well it doesnt bother me much

and when i dont sleep for long i start hallusinating ,thats kinda creepy

[edit on 11-12-2008 by Locke23]

reply to post by Ign0rant
Good Post.

I've been up since 3:00 AM (Again).

If you think you have problems sleeping now (I never did until I hit 55) wait.

As you get older stuff that never bothered you, begins to really bother you.

I'm due in a meeting later today to "discuss my workload" which means I'm going to be given more clients/work even though I didn't get a raise this year (excellent review however our company is too busy buying other companies out to give raises). With the astronomical rate of unemployment I'm at the mercy of my company. I make more and have had the same job (15 years) then most of my friends with Master Degrees (I have 2 years of college). So many people out of work, so many "average jobs" given to foreigners, our government just isn't looking out for it's own people but rather their loyalty lies with the large corporations that "donated" to various politician's campaigns.

Now, I live right next to a "office center" and as each year goes by I see more and more and more and more people driving to work at 7:00 AM and when I drive home (often not before 6:00 PM there is an increasing number of people / like me driving home looking tired and frustrated just like me we all now must work, longer, harder and keep smiling and saying "how high do you want me to jump boss?". My company takes advantage of it's people big time because they know they can and get away with it all in the name of profit (actually I bet our CEO got a raise this year so he could afford his two / three homes) I'm lucky if I get my one house paid off by the time I retire and I feel lucky to have a home period.

Companies now tell their people, you will get your work done (no overtime) or we'll just find someone else that can and you must do whatever it takes just to hold onto your job.

People either don't want to see or don't care about how crappy insane our government has been running things and vote accordingly which inturn effects now our economy, our jobless rate, our homeless rate and our freedoms. We're in the mess we're in as a society because the majority of people refuse to wake up and take back our government that is suppose to be working for us.

The 700 billion rescue plan of U.S.A. has collapsed, so the America can not escape the “911 economy” recession. Currently, American unemployment rate is 6.1%, which created the highest level in these five years. However, it is estimated that the number will be reached 7% or 7.5% at the end of 2009. But even some economists forecasted the jobless rate would be higher than the above estimated figure. www.cnguy.com...

State of our economy and country: People just aren't waking up fast enough to understand that they have given all their freedom away in the name of "security" and that the companies / ceo's / elite upper rich class are taking advantage and manipulating the middle class right out of exsistence.........on and on as I said, once you get older a good nights sleep is harder to find.

Maybe if I didn't have to work, I sleep good Friday and Saturday night but come Sunday (which is the night before Monday morning) it's harder to stay asleep.

I use to be able to fall asleep and stay asleep, no problem. Woke up refreshed and full of energy.

Now, sleep indeed is a luxury.

I wish I would win the lottery (I like nice things/$$$) and I could move somewhere where it's warm and sunny most of the time.

As this post is cheaper then therapy just sign me Cold and Sleepless in the Midwest.

ps: A really good book to read is Lee Iacocca's Where Have All The Leaders Gone. Very short, easy to read, logical and down to earth book.


[edit on 11-12-2008 by ofhumandescent]

[edit on 11-12-2008 by ofhumandescent]

[edit on 11-12-2008 by ofhumandescent]

Learn to breath. Mankind has some how forgoten how to breath. There is a shared psychological state of mind associated with types of breathing. Short bursts of breathing, not very deeply, are associated with and can casue anixety states of mind. This can make your mental states hard to fall and/or stay asleep. However with deep breathing you can trigger a relaxed state of mind. Try focusing on your breathing, making sure to breath as deeply as you can, telling yourself mentally to "relax" while exhaling and feeling the cool cleansing air fill you like crystal snow light.

Do this when ever you catch yourself breathing being choppy and anxious.

reply to post by Incarnated


I agree with this. I have found recently that breathing more deeply and counting breaths as I try to fall asleep has been very helpful.

I should say sorry not to have mentioned this before. Honestly, during the day I barely even think about all this, it tends to come back to me when I actually get into bed.

I've been discussing this with a friend who brought up the point that some sleep disorders can be due to past trauma. Maybe something you've completely forgotten about or something happened while you were asleep so you've no awareness of it.

[edit on 11-12-2008 by berenike]

reply to post by Seekingmyself

Any suggestions on how to get my thoughts to stop distracting me?

Yeah finals week for me to. I know how it is, sleeping at random intervals of time. My only suggestion (if you wanted to avoid medication) was to ease your mind into sleep. Remember not to drink/eat/smoke before you go to bed. Play some soft music and pick up a book. I know this puts me to sleep instantly. My eyes eventually get tried and I feel my 'mind' get tired. Also working out to the point of exhaustion will help you fall asleep much faster.

And another thing...I was thinking about this the other day, and I want to see if anyone can relate...but it sounds crazy, so bare with me because I promise I'm sane. Often times, while I'm trying to sleep, and I'm getting close, I get really random and non-sensical images, animations, and sounds in my head. Things I have never seen before, never thought before, never even heard of appear in my head, and it's very hard to explain. These images are impossibly random and extremely weird; if anyone can relate I would love to hear about it and what the heck it is?

I can relate trust me. When I am passing out I hear voices. They are voices I have never heard before. It almost feels as if the voices aren't speaking to me but having a casual conversation somewhere else. Sometimes it's hard to figure out what they are exactly saying because the voices get jumbled together. It's really odd, as soon as I heard their voices I force myself to wake up and to my surprise there is no one near me. At times these voices I hear are followed by sudden jerks in my body, does that also occur to you? There isn't much research in this area. Many say that people who suffer from this have a mild case of schizophrenia.

Auditory hallucinations, and in particular the hearing of a voice, are thought of as particularly characteristic of people suffering from schizophrenia. However, normal subjects also report auditory hallucinations to a surprising extent. For example, Bentall and Slade[15] found that as many as 15.4% of a population of 150 male students were prepared to endorse the statement ‘In the past I have had the experience of hearing a person’s voice and then found that no one was there’. They add: ‘[…]no less that 17.5% of the [subjects] were prepared to score the item “I often hear a voice speaking my thoughts aloud” as “Certainly Applies”. This latter item is usually regarded as a first-rank symptom of schizophrenia

en.wikipedia.org...

I honestly don't think that I am 'mildly' schizophrenic, because I don't have any of these symptoms when I awake. This is probably related to leading a stressful life and may be the incarnation of our subconscious trying to relax our body.

-Ign0RanT

Originally posted by Ign0rant
reply to post by Seekingmyself

 

Any suggestions on how to get my thoughts to stop distracting me?

Yeah finals week for me to. I know how it is, sleeping at random intervals of time. My only suggestion (if you wanted to avoid medication) was to ease your mind into sleep. Remember not to drink/eat/smoke before you go to bed. Play some soft music and pick up a book. I know this puts me to sleep instantly. My eyes eventually get tried and I feel my 'mind' get tired. Also working out to the point of exhaustion will help you fall asleep much faster.

And another thing...I was thinking about this the other day, and I want to see if anyone can relate...but it sounds crazy, so bare with me because I promise I'm sane. Often times, while I'm trying to sleep, and I'm getting close, I get really random and non-sensical images, animations, and sounds in my head. Things I have never seen before, never thought before, never even heard of appear in my head, and it's very hard to explain. These images are impossibly random and extremely weird; if anyone can relate I would love to hear about it and what the heck it is?

I can relate trust me. When I am passing out I hear voices. They are voices I have never heard before. It almost feels as if the voices aren't speaking to me but having a casual conversation somewhere else. Sometimes it's hard to figure out what they are exactly saying because the voices get jumbled together. It's really odd, as soon as I heard their voices I force myself to wake up and to my surprise there is no one near me. At times these voices I hear are followed by sudden jerks in my body, does that also occur to you? There isn't much research in this area. Many say that people who suffer from this have a mild case of schizophrenia.

Auditory hallucinations, and in particular the hearing of a voice, are thought of as particularly characteristic of people suffering from schizophrenia. However, normal subjects also report auditory hallucinations to a surprising extent. For example, Bentall and Slade[15] found that as many as 15.4% of a population of 150 male students were prepared to endorse the statement ‘In the past I have had the experience of hearing a person’s voice and then found that no one was there’. They add: ‘[…]no less that 17.5% of the [subjects] were prepared to score the item “I often hear a voice speaking my thoughts aloud” as “Certainly Applies”. This latter item is usually regarded as a first-rank symptom of schizophrenia

en.wikipedia.org...

I honestly don't think that I am 'mildly' schizophrenic, because I don't have any of these symptoms when I awake. This is probably related to leading a stressful life and may be the incarnation of our subconscious trying to relax our body.

-Ign0RanT

I have tried reading and it sometimes works but sometimes it has the opposite affect and I don't want to stop reading. I think exercise is what works best for me but this week I have had no time!
And what you said about the sounds sounding like they are somewhere else rings true for me, as well as the jumbling. But it's not really conversations I hear...and the sounds/voices always have a picture or animaton to go with it. almost like daydreaming with sound except the images make NO SENSE at all. and I jerk as well a lot when I am experiencing this sensation.

I don't feel like I have schizophrenia in any form; after all it isn't really voices I am hearing and it only happens as I'm falling asleep...I feel like schizophrenia the voices would occur in conscious states of mind? Not sure.

reply to post by Seekingmyself

And what you said about the sounds sounding like they are somewhere else rings true for me, as well as the jumbling. But it's not really conversations I hear...and the sounds/voices always have a picture or animaton to go with it. almost like daydreaming with sound except the images make NO SENSE at all. and I jerk as well a lot when I am experiencing this sensation.

I can't say I have ever experienced visuals along with my auditory hallucinations. Care to describe what they look like?

-Ign0RanT