Sleep trouble - any tips?? (page 4)

funkyderek

Two things are necessary to get a good night's sleep: a good bed and a clear conscience. Whiskey can substitute for either.

Oroborus21

Super-B,

lots of good advice here, and yeah, I was going to say sex too, but maybe that works better for guys than girls :-)

anyway with the BF away, you can only play alone I guess...

but really, don't stress out, I saw your age and the first thing that I thought of is that you should really just realize that this could be normal.

Teens need and do get a lot of sleep. I think when I was in High School, with the exception of Football Games/practice or Dances, I was conked out by 11 at most. But when I started college it was a whole difrerent story. I started staying up at least until midnight and it hasn't changed since. I am usually up to 1 at least. But now at your age, you might not need as much sleep as before and this may just be your natural self.

In my gerontology class, we discussed that it is normal for us to need less sleep as we get older.

So the first questions are: are you not getting enough sleep, do you have a sleep-deficit and is it really affecting you?

If you aren't sleeping like you used to do a few years ago, but your performance, concentration, and energy are fine during the day then it is probably not somethng for you to worry about. In fact make use of your extra hour or two and just go too bed later without any worries.

But if you are falling asleep, day dreaming too much (because you need your REM/Delta sleep), can't concentrate or feeling fatigued then you know you need more sleep.

And of course, if it is that you feel like you are sleepy but when you lay down to sleep you suddenly cant, then you know you have insomnia.

Try the suggestions alreddy given you, look on the web, etc. you will find something that works for you. Make sure your diet is good and you are getting lots of exercise during the day. By night time you should feel sleepy. Try everything else before resorting the the pharmaceuticals or other remedies.

Also, I wonder is there something that you usually think about when you first try to go to sleep but can't. That may be your mind telling you that you have some unfinished business or that there is a problem there that needs to be resolved.

If all of the above doesn't help and you are having problems during the day because of insomnia, try to take a nap in the afternoon. don't worry about it messing up your night-time schedule. You should always try to listen to your body and if it says I need sleep try and give it to it.

Most people experience insomnia some time. Just think of it as a phase and make the best use of your time not sleeping.

If things get really critical and it continues for a long time and is affecting your daily life, then go see a doctor and maybe a sleep clinic.

-Eduardo

PS: throw a slumber party and keep all your friends up too

Oroborus21

Just wanted to add after reading the post that just posted above mine. Don't overlook the quality of your bed. For something that we spend a lot of our life on, no furniture could be more important.

it's worth getting a really good bed.

My dad had a waterbed store so I was raised on waterbeds and I never slept so well as on them. I would like to try out the tempurpedic (sp?) too even though it looks like it is just foam and wouldn't be comfortable.

later,

ed

Super_Becka

Hi Eduardo, thanks for the tips.

Just wanted to add after reading the post that just posted above mine. Don't overlook the quality of your bed. For something that we spend a lot of our life on, no furniture could be more important.
it's worth getting a really good bed.

Heh, I live on-campus, the mattress I sleep on is made of foam with a hard, heavy, crinkly plastic covering, it definitely doesn't fall into the category of a "really good bed", or even a "decent bed" for that matter. It falls into the "be thankful it's not made of straw" category.

but really, don't stress out, I saw your age and the first thing that I thought of is that you should really just realize that this could be normal.
Teens need and do get a lot of sleep. I think when I was in High School, with the exception of Football Games/practice or Dances, I was conked out by 11 at most. ; But when I started college it was a whole difrerent story. I started staying up at least until midnight and it hasn't changed since. I am usually up to 1 at least. But now at your age, you might not need as much sleep as before and this may just be your natural self.

Hmm, I'm 20, nearly 21, and I still need every hour of sleep that I needed when I was in high school. Back then, if I didn't get 10 hours of sleep or so, I was a zombie all day, and I'm still like that. I actually feel my best when I've slept for 10-12 hours, I'm a real sleep-junkie. In high school, I went to bed at 10:30pm and got up at 7am, but now that I'm in college, I never go to bed before midnight, and it's always like that now, whether I'm at school or not. I just tend to need lots of sleep, I've always been like that.

So the first questions are: are you not getting enough sleep, do you have a sleep-deficit and is it really affecting you?
If you aren't sleeping like you used to do a few years ago, but your performance, concentration, and energy are ;fine during the day then it is probably not somethng for you to worry about. In fact make use of your extra hour or two and just go too bed later without any worries.
But if you are falling asleep, day dreaming too much (because you need your REM/Delta sleep), can't concentrate or feeling fatigued then you know you need more sleep.
And of course, if it is that you feel like you are sleepy but when you lay down to sleep you suddenly cant, then you know you have insomnia.

My attention span is non-existent right now and I daydream almost constantly. Granted, I'm a daydreamer anyway, but in the past couple of weeks, it's been worse than usual. I find myself sitting in class and missing whole lectures because my mind was somewhere else. I always feel tired, and not just mentally tired, but physically tired, too, it's not much fun. I feel like I just ran a marathon, but I really haven't done very much at all today. All I can think of is sleep. But of course, when bedtime rolls around, sleeping is the last thing I can do. It's happened to me before, too - I had a nasty bout of insomnia that lasted for 6 months last year, and I'm concerned that it might be back for another go at me.

I don't sleep during the day, just to make sure that I'm good and tired in the night. I'm fairly active, and I eat as well as I can afford to (remember, college student, not a hell of a lot of money), I just can't seem to sleep. It's not unusual for me to get a night or two when I can't sleep sometimes, but it's been nearly 2 weeks now, that's a little excessive.

I'm gonna try some of the tips here, sex not included (remember, the boyfriend lives really far away), and if all else fails, I'll have to suck it up and go to a doctor. Ugh, I hate doctors, I haven't been to one in ages, but you gotta do what you gotta do, I guess. I'm still hoping that this issue resolves itself, though. I survived it last year, I can do it again this year.

Thanks for the tips and concern!!

-Becka :)

Gerard

Sometimes I use NyQuil . Just one zip and 10 min later I'm gone for 9 hours.

mark hughes

Eat a couple of sticks of celery about an hour before bed and keep some fresh sprigs of lavender next to the bed. Celery has a natural muscle relaxant (sorry can't remember its name) and lavender, when inhaled, gives a feeling of well being and relaxes the mind.

Try it, it does work.

Scully

Back then, if I didn't get 10 hours of sleep or so, I was a zombie all day, and I'm still like that. I actually feel my best when I've slept for 10-12 hours, I'm a real sleep-junkie.

Have you had your iron and haemoglobin levels checked lately? Just on the off chance that you might be slightly anaemic, it wouldn't be a bad thing to check. A lot of women experience chronic anaemia... it would be a red flag to me if your need to get 10 or more hours of sleep a night started not long after you reached puberty... it is something that's easily remedied by increasing your dietary intake of iron and vitamin C to help with the absorption of iron. It might also help you tolerate going with less sleep.

Super_Becka

Back then, if I didn't get 10 hours of sleep or so, I was a zombie all day, and I'm still like that. I actually feel my best when I've slept for 10-12 hours, I'm a real sleep-junkie.
Have you had your iron and haemoglobin levels checked lately? Just on the off chance that you might be slightly anaemic, it wouldn't be a bad thing to check. A lot of women experience chronic anaemia... it would be a red flag to me if your need to get 10 or more hours of sleep a night started not long after you reached puberty... it is something that's easily remedied by increasing your dietary intake of iron and vitamin C to help with the absorption of iron. It might also help you tolerate going with less sleep.

Hmm, had my iron levels checked back in September, and I had everything tested last January before ear surgery, I think they nearly drained all of my blood just to test it!! Plus, my mother insists on me having my iron checked periodically because she thinks that I sleep too much. I think she dragged me to the hospital for bloodwork every couple of months while I was in high school, just because I really like my sleep.

I've never had trouble with my iron levels, but it could be my vitamin B12 levels - B12 deficiency in women runs in my mom's family and it tends to make them sleepy. My mom is B12 deficient, so is my grandmother, so I could be, too, but it's never been an issue, I've been checked for it before. Maybe I'll see about getting some bloodwork done again sometime soon, might be a good idea. And maybe I'll skip the blood donor clinic this month, too, just in case.

-Becka :)

biolynx

For those of you who are waking around 3am. Persistent waking at that hour could indicate a liver problem, which needs to be addressed. Just a sister who has been there and know many others who have been too.

Band on the Run

This may sound silly. I studied or worked until 11pm or later. I did not feel nervous in any way. No important events were planned. If I tried sleeping without any windind down, I could not sleep at all. If I watched MASH or Star Trek or read fashion magazines before retiring, I slept well.

The problem I have with meds is that I am drugged the next day.

Sometimes I just rest without sleeping.

Sleep trouble - any tips??

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