Cosima11

I have a sleep phase disorder too. So frustrating! I work nights which would be kind of perfect, except by the time I get home I'm hungry, wide awake, and still want to relax for a few hours before going to sleep. Then if I'm still awake by the time the sun comes up.. it's hit or miss.

I was better off on a normal schedule.. but now that I'm so used to this it's been a real hindrance in getting a job with normal hours (I'll have to be doing both at least at the beginning). I don't want to show up as a zombie or burn myself out really quickly. But I'm just gonna have to bite the bullet soon.

Anyway I used to be prescribed trazodone for sleep but haven't taken it in many years. Now I'm in the habit of taking advil pm even though it doesn't do much for me (and is probably bad for my liver or something like that-I don't really want to look it up). Meditation is the one thing that really worked but I don't do it often enough.

Atlast9999

Me too. I have to stop drinking caffeine at 12pm or else I am awake all night long. I agree with others that exercise is also helpful.

BullDog777

It really depends. If i'm having a particularly rough week- then every day. Normally, 2-3 days a week is what I do when things are going well.

What Scott said is vital though. You gotta find your number because everyone is different.

In my early 20s, I did 270 meetings in 90 days.
I didn't get much out of it except having a room full of babysitters for myself.

Now 45, I've done probably 250 meetings total. However, I do suppliment with therapy and IOP reunion groups once a week.

I think it does me a lot of good, but the best treatment for me by far has been 1 on 1 therapy.


I wonder if i have the sleep phase thing too. I've always been a night owl. I'll ask my dr about it when I get my physical. It definitely seems like my peak time for productivity is at night. I keep thinking i need to join a gym. i miss being in great shape.

Taking5

It's only midnight here but I hear you man. I got 5 hours last night, but I didn't get to sleep until 2:30 and I missed an appointment. I refuse to take a pill to get me to sleep, I'm as scared of that as I am of alcohol.

Cosima11

If you do have it.. the way it was explained to me by the dr is that there's no "cure" it's just a part of who you are and something you learn to live with. Heavy duty sleep meds will create dependence but not solve the problem, self-medication may work but at what price..

I never had full blown insomnia until after I quit drinking. I should say though it's still much, much better than the early days. Most of the time I get at least 6 hours now. I just know even from having one day shift a week (which doesn't start til 11 lol) it can totally throw me off. So the prospect of balancing nights and days continuously makes me nervous. I have enough saved so I could quit my night job but honestly don't want to have to go crawling back to them if I run out of money.

So anyway sorry for venting. I'd say definitely talk to your dr about it if you think it's a possibility. If nothings else it's at least comforting to know what's actually going on.

BullDog777

the post times are always wrong so i'm writing this at 2:35AM EST


I'd love to get 6 hours. Most nights, if I get 4, I'm doing well.

Another sleepless night tonight. I've been in a s#it ton of pain from an old back injury as of late. It's hard to get comfortable some nights.

Today, I was in so much pain, i was sweating. That's rare for me. So I got out a heating pad that I've used in the past that I know will calm the nerve bundle. It helps.

This really seems to be at the top of my list on why I've been in such a funk lately. I feel like I can't do s#it because I'm in pain.

I need to get some physical therapy, start ice wrapping it again....something.

I was gonna join a gym today, but I hesitated because I don't wanna hurt myself. I dunno what the good answer is right now.

Maybe I'll go to AA tomorrow. I might need a new sponsor. Mine went MIA a while back and I never got a new one.

I think I need some more one on one time with someone in recovery. I feel like I've really been missing a sponsor's input.

My therapist is starting to get on my nerves too. All she does these days is tell me I know what to do, I just need to put more of the answer in action. I forgot the question. haha

I know inside, I'm pissed off and I know why.

I'm having a hard time being productive in this next phase of my life.

Living.

F#$K!!!

BullDog777

almost 4AM now....ugh....

Culture

I'm in the same boat too. It's a good night if I get 4 hours of unbroken sleep and It has been this way for years. Sometimes I actually end up crying because I'm so tired and the next day the anxiety is through the roof.
Just found some passionflower tea to try as someone on SR recommended it and I've pretty much tried everything else. Don't want to go to doctors for stronger stuff as I am easily addicted to just about anything!!! including exercise and coffee lol.

BullDog777

i'll run the passionflower tea by my doc to see if i can take it with my other meds.

but you wrote exactly how i feel to the letter.

nice to know i'm not alone. thank you for your kindness.

NYCDoglvr

I've been dealing with acute insomnia throughout recovery (26 years). Doctor added Trazadone, which worked ok for a while. I added Costco "Sleep Aid" which really works great.

BullDog777

I use benadryl and that seems to work ok. I remember being prescribed trazadone 25 years ago and it worked like viagra... but WAY longer. LOL

I actually got some work done today.

i'm trying to get off the caffeine except for the mornings now. I think that will help a lot too.

Stayingsassy

Before meds, check eating, exercise and outdoor time.

Go camping. Seriously. 1. All outdoor time and 2. Living by the moon and Sun and you will reset yourself.

Exercise in the morning. Hard, for about an hour.

Eat enough but not too much or too little. Too much and your overwhelmed digestion won't let you relax. Too little and your brain will work hard to keep you up so you will search for food. If you're trying to lose make sure you meet requirements,if you're short on something the body knows and you'll be awake.

No screens at night. Ha. I can't do that very well...

Read books at night. Reading can knock you out.

Get enough day light during the day. Daylight resets your day/night clock. Indoor light confuses it.

I tell families of Alzheimer's patients to wheel them outside to the patio for 1-2 hours during the brightest part of the day. It helps.

That's all I got for today. . Hope it gets better.

My husband is the one who deals with this...I do not. And here I am giving advice!

Obladi

Hey Bulldog - body chemistry changes over time. Maybe give trazodone another try?

As we're in the same time zone (5am), I'm glad to see you're not online. Hope this means you are actually sleeping!

BullDog777

You hit the nail on the head on a bunch of things there. I know the cpu screen is a big no no...I also do it almost every day anyway.

Consistency...I tried the other day to go to bed at midnight and that was it. No work stuff, no FB or other social media, no netflicks, lights out. I slept good.

Your point about workout times is a good one. Exercising in the summer is hard with my daughter at home but once she goes back to school, an hour in the gym early on seems like a great idea.

I try to get outside everyday, but it's been crazy hot here and even the dog wants to stay inside, but I know vitamin D does help.

The eating part is really confusing to me and something i need to talk to my dr about.

My blood sugar drops like a lead anvil abound 11 am every day and then around 4. I've tried small meals through out the day to keep it from happening, but it's not doing much....perhaps my meds need to be adjusted.

Thanks for the ideas and wisdom. I appreciate it a lot.


I'm going to talk to my dr about a few possibilities. i think my diabetes meds might be too high, causing my sugar to crash too many times in a day which can make it hard to sleep at night too.

i think it was night before last, i dove for my pillow at midnight and refused to get up until 5 or 6 am and i slept well. So I think a lot of this has to be little things i'm doing wrong through out the day that might be inadvertently sabotaging my efforts at night to sleep well.