Sleep, sweet deep sleep.

[Anonymous]

Hey, this is fantastic thread first of all… it is something that is impacting me immediately because my psychiatrist has suggested that should be getting at least between 6-8 hours of sleep each night.

This concern came up when I disclosed to her that I was going to bed at about 11:00 pm and arising at 4:30 am… she had a look of astonishment on her face and she simply asked me, “And you find you can operate on that few hours?” I comment back to her that I have been like this for years and eventually at some point in a couple of months, I will crash and sleep for 10-12 hours straight.

She told me that I needed to start getting more sleep because I was exhibiting typical ‘over-achiever’ behavior and that it wasn’t healthy for me. So, I showed her my iPhone and the application that I have on it called “Sleep Cycle”. It is a application that monitors your sleep pattern and it awakes you slowly from a deep sleep over the course of 30 minutes so that you feel refreshed and rejuvenated. Studies have shown that when we set a traditional alarm and it sounds and jars us from deep slumber, we inevitably will feel completely fatigued all day long and suffer the mid-afternoon feelings of lethargy and fatigue.

I tried her advice for about a week while I was off from work and I will tell you what… I was the only person in the house. I was edgy, cranky, short, and feeling frustrated constantly. This lasted for a few days until I decided enough was enough. I went back to my typical sleep cycle. My sleep cycle is averaging 4 hours and 48 minutes of sleep each night over the last 35 evenings. My regular chipper, cheerful and comedic self is back.

At least for me, 6-8 hours is way too much sleep. Some may operate perfectly on that but not me.

Distracted66

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[Lindstr7]

CMC – I’ve always had trouble falling asleep and I have the same lack of motivation when it comes to exercise. I’ve decided to look at this wholistically and change my diet, so I’m cutting waaaay down on sugar. The only sugar I’m taking is the foods that have it in them naturally, like fruit, and occasionally find in bread, etc. Cutting out caffeine completely. I do use melatonin when I REALLY can’t fall asleep (ie laying there for hours until I can’t take it anymore), but I find that melatonin, while it helps me get to sleep and stay asleep, I don’t feel particularly rested when I wake in the AM. It appears you have a dog, does it help motivate you when he/she is looking at you begging for a walk? I know that helps me.

I’m wondering if you have a daily routine. I’ve never had a routine and wonder if this contributes to my ADD and if I did try and stick to a routine if that would help me focus more. I haven’t tried meds for the ADD yet (still discovering), but I do take Celexa to balance my moods. I’m going to try and manage this first without meds, but if I still feel frustrated and unable to get things done, I’ll go ahead and give it a try. But for now, I’m watching my diet and eating only things that “remember where they came from” and nothing processed: Walking my dog for exercise; and melatonin when i need it.

I also wonder if any of you have issues with Agoraphobia or social anxiety.

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[Lindstr7]

Oh, one other thing I forgot to mention…..I’ve also been downloading audible books and listen to them at bedtime. Most times, I’ll drift off and sleep pretty soundly through the night. I do wake up again to shut off my blackberry (audible.com blackberry app), but I am usually able to drift right back asleep. They have some hypnosis and relaxation type audio files there as well. Reading at bed helps, but I prefer the audio, because I can lay down and close my eyes in the dark. It helps to have a reader whose voice you find soothing, so I make sure to sample the audio before buying.

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[Anonymous]

Hello,

For the last year I have developed a pattern of sleeping 2 to 3 days straight with a occasional potty breaks. I will have a good awake day or two then the exhaustion over takes me and I can’t stay awake for longer than an hour or two during my hibernation days. I am currently on effexor, adderal and klonapin..

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[Anonymous]

Been sleeping better the last few nights. I’ve also been off the Concerta for 3 days, and off Ciprelex for 2 months. The last 2 days I’ve feels better then I have in a long time. I feel like me. My focus is better and the cognitive changes I’ve been working on are starting to not only get easier to do, I feel the benefits in my motivation and attitude as well. Now I need to get working on the physical works going with the mental ones.

Distracted66: If you have an iTouch or iPhone there is a Sleep Cycle app that is apparently very useful for guys like you. After buying and installing, there is a little config/setup to do, then you plug in the iPhone’s cable and wall charger and tuck the iPhone under the sheet at the top of the bed. Let it run while you sleep, it tracks your movement during the evening and measures your sleep. The slow wake function sounds interesting, but the stats about how you sleep are very cool. Might give you some insight to the short nights.

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[Anonymous]

I havent had a good nights sleep since I was a kid. My brain just goes and goes if i get 4 hrs of straight sleep I’m lucky

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[Bill]

@zgjp82 Do you have a way of quieting your mind? I’m thinking of mindfulness, meditation or guided visualization. What do you do to get ready for bed? Do you have an established routine?

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[Anonymous]

Here are a few things that can help you with sleep.

1.Try reading a book, but be warned if you selected a very interesting book you may stay up all night

2.Go to a different room or a different place if someone there is snoring loudly or making other noises

3.Do not eat before you are supposed to sleep

4.Avoid stimulating chemicals like caffeine which are easily found in green tea, coffee, energy drinks, etc

5.Exercise during the day to make yourself tired

6. But don’t exercise few hours before sleep because you will get very excited

7.Don’t take naps during the day (or just take maximum 1 very short one like a siesta)

8. Avoid watching too much TV or sitting too much in front of the computer – all that light not only keeps you up like a zombie but also makes it harder to sleep, because we are biologically supposed to sleep as the darkness comes when the sun sets

9.Give your body good food during the day so it works well and can sleep properly instead of having a huge disaster inside dealing with all the junk and toxins you put in it

10. Take a warm shower

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[Author]

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