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Why Can’t I Sleep?

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Re: Why Can’t I Sleep?

#211

Post by foobarian »

sudeepj wrote: post #14
Clampower wrote: post #4

Since about three weeks ago I cannot sleep. It’s very strange. I know the feeling of anxiety and how it leads to not sleeping, it’s something I’ve had in the past at very stressful jobs. I’ve learned techniques to deal with this, like breathing and mindfulness. But right now this feels different. I’m tired, I’m lying in bed, and I don’t have any stressful thoughts. Yet somehow I just don’t fall asleep. It feels like…

One thing which has helped me is to listen to a podcast or any audio of your favorite topic while lying down. Initially your mind will try to remain attentive but after 20 min or so it becomes harder. After a while you will feel so sleepy that you would want to stop the audio.

My wife puts on some of the investigative TV shows where the anchor has a droning, monotone voice. (Using earbuds)

Re: Why Can’t I Sleep?

#212

Post by [deleted] »

ta1234567890 wrote: post #166
411111111111111 wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most seditary people turn into "night owls" if they don't pay attention. Your phrasing makes it sound like people can't help themselves, but thats just wrong. Sleeping habits are actually an issue of discipline unless you're suffering from an actual medical condition... Which are extremely rare Either start working out/do cardio or reduce your sleeping time until you're able to go to sleep at the time you wish. some…

You might want to read this: http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/science/variatio... It is scientifically recognized that people have different circadian rhythms (thus sleep cycles). And here’s some research about teenage delayed circadian rhythm: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2820578/ You know, sometimes people are not snowflakes that require bullying or discipline to do things “the right way”…

[deleted]

Re: Why Can’t I Sleep?

#213

Post by ip26 »

decodebytes wrote: post #210
supergeek133 wrote: post #208

The other side of this equation that isn't talked about as much is "actually getting rest when you sleep". A problem that became worse for me over the years was "sleeping but still being tired". This manifested for me when I started falling asleep at my desk at work, or in the middle of a conversation while I sat down. I did all the regular things, bed same time everyday, less/no caffeine, I would even workout when I…

Hey, I have this really bad. Around 7-8pm I feel like I want someone to pull on my legs hard and they get an antsy feeling where I cannot keep them still. When I then go to bed, my legs kick and jerk , my wife has complained about me actually kicking her in the shins and drawing blood from my toenails. I have heard of medication, such as Dopamine agonists, but got concerned they might have other side effects. May I a…

Check your iron levels (or just check your diet). Restless leg syndrome can be caused by iron deficiency.

Re: Why Can’t I Sleep?

#214

Post by tayo42 »

I don't have a problem falling asleep, my issue is staying asleep. The slightest noise can wake me up, or just wake up early with no way to go back to sleep. The last few days I went to sleep around 2am and just naturally woke up(feeling tired) between 7-9am. I end up napping later in the day

Re: Why Can’t I Sleep?

#215

Post by david-gpu »

Rendello wrote: post #164
wruza wrote: post #149

Ironically, I fixed my moderate chronic insomnia succesfully by going to a doctor with a completely unrelated( citation needed ) set of symptoms. My CBT therapist wanted me to fall asleep during the appointment to perform another technique, but obviously I could not. He said to not worry and explained a routine which I’m happy to share to those who didn’t try yet: - lay, relax, comfort^ - do not move further - do not…

I try this but occasionally I mentally "wake up" as my body is asleep and I start freaking out mentally. It's a form of sleep paralysis I suppose, but without the hallucinations that other people tend to have. The feeling of being mentally alert but not being able to control my own movements or even my breathing is terrifying, and I usually try to move as much as I can and can wake my body up within a few minutes.

Sleep paralysis is only frightening when you fight it. Instead, you can simply direct your attention inwards and daydream about something pleasant. Think of it as taking a little break from your everyday reality. Nothing bad is going to happen -- everything you experience in that state is a smoke scroll drawn from your imagination.

Re: Why Can’t I Sleep?

#216

Post by 411111111111111 »

0xcde4c3db wrote: post #182
411111111111111 wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most seditary people turn into "night owls" if they don't pay attention. Your phrasing makes it sound like people can't help themselves, but thats just wrong. Sleeping habits are actually an issue of discipline unless you're suffering from an actual medical condition... Which are extremely rare Either start working out/do cardio or reduce your sleeping time until you're able to go to sleep at the time you wish. some…

Medical conditions affecting sleep are pretty common. In elderly men, obstructive sleep apnea might actually be the rule rather than the exception [1], and that's just one condition. [1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27568340/

How did we get from people calling themselves night owls to people suffering from insomnia?

You do realize that these are different things I hope?

If not, here is a hint: a "night owl" has no trouble falling asleep when it's "their time" to sleep.

A person suffering from insomnia still struggles to fall asleep even if it's 2am.

Re: Why Can’t I Sleep?

#217

Post by wruza »

lanstin wrote: post #165
wruza wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

learning to be okay Cannot stress enough how I second that. A nervous person (who you, a reader, completely are, despite thinking you’re normal) is at risk of self-feeding the problem they have with something. Also as a person who couldn’t find interest in life events anymore in general (not suicidal, just boring to death), CBT theme itself is like a fresh breath. Like as a geek you never knew what a computer is and…

Yeah. A lot of people think therapy is about changing yourself, but honestly there is nothing shamefully wrong with most of us. We need shy, anxious but smart and kind people and we need oblivious plow ahead people and charming slightly narcissistic charismatic folks. We need some contrariness and some obedience. Some deep thinkers and some rush in and try it folks. Creative folks and measure twice cut once folks. Ev…

A lot of people think therapy is about changing yourself

This was my concern as well, I asked about it on third or fourth session right after acute symptoms relaxed. I really didn’t want to change into someone else. The therapist laughed and said to not worry, because I lived more than 30 years along with my core beliefs and it would take an inhuman effort to move that mountain even slightly. All you do is getting familiar with yourself and being aware of tons of your automatic thoughts and what they result in, if you allow them to act without your noticing. Speaking in software terms, we are legacy monsters with no source code or self-testing, and CBT is basically a set of (pretty effective) blackbox testing methods with a goal to (a) create additional routines to work around detected issues and (b) accept that this is you and it’s normal/okay/justthat.

Re: Why Can’t I Sleep?

#218

Post by linsomniac »

ishjoh wrote: post #200
linsomniac wrote: post #184

For the past couple months I've had success with this "one weird trick" to help get to sleep: I go through the alphabet and for every letter I think of 3 unrelated words that start with each letter. When I'm tired by my mind is running, this helps me slip into sleep. My wife and daughter have also had success with it. I also have had success with listening to audio books or podcasts, but don't like doing that if my w…

I'm a loud snorer, I see the marketing for Sleepbuds says they help sleepers from being disturbed by snoring. Do you know if it effective for snoring?

My wife says I'm not a loud snorer. I'm our case, the Sleepbuds have been extremely effective. The first version had issues, but Bose stood entirely beyond them, and the v2 have been great. They are expensive, but an extremely good value.

Re: Why Can’t I Sleep?

#219

Post by earth_walker »

azaras wrote: post #186
wruza wrote: post #149

Ironically, I fixed my moderate chronic insomnia succesfully by going to a doctor with a completely unrelated( citation needed ) set of symptoms. My CBT therapist wanted me to fall asleep during the appointment to perform another technique, but obviously I could not. He said to not worry and explained a routine which I’m happy to share to those who didn’t try yet: - lay, relax, comfort^ - do not move further - do not…

Wellcome ti Yoga Nidra... https://youtu.be/7H0FKzeuVVs

Although Yoga Nidra means 'psychic sleep', you are not actually meant to fall asleep while doing it!

This is just a common side effect while people are learning the meditation - I guess it is so common this kind of body scanning is now recommended as a sleep aid.

Re: Why Can’t I Sleep?

#220

Post by [deleted] »

ta1234567890 wrote: post #166
411111111111111 wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most seditary people turn into "night owls" if they don't pay attention. Your phrasing makes it sound like people can't help themselves, but thats just wrong. Sleeping habits are actually an issue of discipline unless you're suffering from an actual medical condition... Which are extremely rare Either start working out/do cardio or reduce your sleeping time until you're able to go to sleep at the time you wish. some…

You might want to read this: http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/science/variatio... It is scientifically recognized that people have different circadian rhythms (thus sleep cycles). And here’s some research about teenage delayed circadian rhythm: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2820578/ You know, sometimes people are not snowflakes that require bullying or discipline to do things “the right way”…

[deleted]
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