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I thought it was stress related as it all started about almost a year ago, when I started a new job which I hate a lot. I mean it could be something else, but the fact that it started right after I started the job, I felt the timing was no coincidence.
It seems that you've just answered your own question, about why you're having sleeping troubles. I've had difficulty sleeping, when there were issues in my life that were bothering or worrying me. As soon as I cleared up the situations, then I started sleeping much better. Is this job you dislike, more important to you than sleeping and being rested and happy? Did you like your previous job and did you sleep well, during that time? Maybe you could find another job that would reestablish your previous mood, if it was better than it is now. Good luck.
The large volume of responses here are an indication of how common insomnia is. Everyone has experienced it on occasion. Some of the posts offer amazingly bad advice, some innocuous advice and a few, good advice. Be careful with following any of it.
A few points about normal sleep (always keeping in mind that "everyone is different");-
-different age groups have different sleep patterns. Compare an infant (always sleeping) to a teenager (wants to sleep 2Am - Noon) to a 70 y/o (wants to sleep 7PM - 3AM--note the time of this post. I think it has to do with evolution and always having someone ready to guard the cave from bears (??).
-sleep is subject to "circadian rhythm." But The Sun is on a strict 24 hr cycle (it's always Noon at 12 o'clock), but our individual "bio-rhythm" may be on a, say, 28 hr cycle. That means we get a little more out of synch with the sun everyday until we're wide awake at midnight and sleepy at noon. We'll get back in synch with the sun over the next few weeks, only to re-cycle out of synch again, etc etc....The problem comes when our work schedule won't allow us to sleep during the day when our body wants to. MOST PEOPLE DON'T HAVE A SLEEP PROBLEM--THEY HAVE A SCHEDULE PROBLEM.
-psychological factors can influence this rhythm. Anxiety (and caffeine, among other chemicals) give us excess adrenalin making it hard to sleep. Depression usually causes excess somnolence, but occasionally insomnia.
-We need less sleep as we age, and we also don't usually work as hard as when we were younger, so we're not as tired. Most people, starting somewhere between 50-65 yrs of age, have trouble staying asleep all night. We tend to wake up between the 2-hr sleep cycles (REM sleep & all that). After 3 cycles (6hrs of sleep)it's hard to get back to sleep.
-before the Industrial Age (shift work with regulated hours) and the electric light (artificial daylight) the common sleep pattern was to go to bed at sunset, sleep for 4 hrs, wake up for a couple hours (time to keep the fireplace going an, um..uh.."recreate") and then go back to sleep -"The Second Sleep" mentioned by many 18th century authors.
- OTC Antihistamines can help insomnia (men with prostate problems shouldn't use them) as can warm milk. The problems with melatonin mentioned by the OP is a lesson for all use of OTC "herbs and spices"-- they're not regulated so you don't know what you're getting.
-controlled, observed sleep studies with drugs like Ambien showed that they don't make you sleep any more or any better. They give you amnesia so you don't remember not sleeping. Probably OK for occasional use, but be careful of regular use.
-always consult your doctor. There are pathological sleep problems that should be addressed.
Wrong, dont sow fear, a lot of people will read your comment.
I went a straight 5 days before, ive been through hell with insomnia for months before, getting only hours some weeks. You dont go "insane", you'll always eventually sleep and it may even be microsleep that you dont even realize is happening.
Even after 5 days, I was plenty capable of coding and doing my professional job as well as driving. Insomnia is nothing to fear, only an irritating hindrance for those affected.
You'll be a lot of things (washed out, tired, fatigued, irritable) but insane is not one of them. Exercise, and a strict adherence to a sleep schedule cured mine.
This is NOT true. My son did not sleep much at all for years due to a condition caused by a doctor and he literally went insane, He tried every med and natural remedy in the books. PM me for details.
Okay I am really tired now and cannot stand this. The problem with all these selections is that none of them actually put a person to sleep. They can help maybe, but is there anything I can do that will put me to sleep NO MATTER WHAT?
The concept of NO MATTER WHAT, is the only thing that will work in this case, and I need something that guaranteed. Is there anything?
Yes, but you need a prescription, which means you need to see your doctor, who will probably also suggest therapy. If you can't talk with a professional about what's bothering you, the pressure that you're under and your unhappiness with the job will cause you to be further depressed.
At the minimum, most people need 4 (four) 90-minute sleep cycles per night to be rested. So that's 360 minutes or 6 complete hours of this sleep. You usually don't go into a sleep cycle immediately, and many people wake up for short times during this period.
--find a new job you enjoy
--quit all forms of caffeine
--get adequate exercise
--turn off electronic devices 2-4 hours prior to bedtime
--masturbation is fine prior to sleep
Thanks for all the responses everyone. I can take some of the suggestions. This one caught my attention though as I cannot do this one:
I work at 6 in the morning and the sun is not up yet and I work in a building with no windows, so I can't get morning sun.
Can you take a break sometime before lunch and go outside? Get some sunlight in your eyes? Then after dinner, turn off the lights in the house. You need to retrain your brain. This really does work for many people. Worked for me.
Okay I am really tired now and cannot stand this. The problem with all these selections is that none of them actually put a person to sleep. They can help maybe, but is there anything I can do that will put me to sleep NO MATTER WHAT?
The concept of NO MATTER WHAT, is the only thing that will work in this case, and I need something that guaranteed. Is there anything?
Have you seen a doctor about this? You've been complaining about having insomnia for a long time, but I haven't seen you mention that you've gone to a doctor about it. None of us can help you any more than we already have! So many people have offered suggestions. I guess you've tried some of them and they haven't worked.
Go see a doctor!
And what do you mean by this - "is there anything I can do that will put me to sleep NO MATTER WHAT?" You don't want to end up like Micheal Jackson, do you? He also wanted to sleep "no matter what" and he ended up dead.
Go see a doctor! (A reputable doctor, not someone like Conrad Murray!)
Do you really want to sleep or do you just want to keep asking us what you should do? If you really want a solution to your insomnia, then you need to go see a doctor!
I have been an insomniac most of my life. I usually sleep 5-6 (broken up) hours per night. It sucks. Ambien never helped me. Nor Tylenol PM. I used to take restoril, which helped, until it didn't and I was not comfortable increasing the dose. I switched to trazadone (helped a little) and I recently stopped taking it. I was tired of feeling lightheaded/brain fog all of the time.
The only thing that helps me to fall asleep at night is a glass or two of wine. I cannot believe how effective it is. I have never been able to fall asleep easily. I have to limit alcohol or else my sleep is disrupted the whole night.
My doctor diagnosed me with genetic or familial insomnia or something like that. She said it is idiopathic and does appear to have a medical cause. My father and grandmother are insomniacs too.
Assuming your insomnia is not medically related - You may want to look into the book "The Power of When." I am a Dolphin. The book has helped me a little bit.
I know why I can't sleep. Pain and RLS. I know the solution. Marijuana.
Most nights I can get past the problems and get to sleep. Sometimes it can take an hour to get my body calmed to the point sleep comes.
Some nights it's not going to happen. On those nights I take one hit of a high CBD marijuana and within a few minutes (often by the time I lay down again) I can not only feel the reduction in pain - I'll describe this later - but I'm relaxed and more mentally ready to go to sleep.
And on nights when the pain is not bad, but I can't stop thinking it does the same. It lets me concentrate on one thing instead of fifty and I go to sleep. It also relaxes me so it's easier to go to sleep.
The pain thing. I say it stops the pain, but that's not quite what it does, and it's hard to describe. The word I use is "translate". The feelings are still there, but they are translated from a feeling of pain to a feeling of pressure (for lack of a better word), and since the sharpness of pain is replaced by a less intrusive feeling of pressure I can get to sleep. Again, the relaxation it affords is a big factor.
As for prescription and OTC drugs, nothing. I've tried aspirin, Ibuprofen, Aleve, hydrocodone, morphine, etc. Ropinarole helps because it alleviates the RLS, but not the neuropathy.
Cymbalta stopped all pain. All of it. But it turned me into a zombie. I'd sit in a chair and stare at the wall. Talk to me and get a short answer, which for me is not normal. Not normal at all as I am a talker. I couldn't pee. I couldn't poop. Horrible drug.
I've been through all the herbs, vitamins, etc and nothing helped. Basically anything you've sen in these threads I've tried. A lot of them because of threads on CD.
Of all the solutions I've tried the only thing I've found that helps is marijuana. You don't have to smoke it. There are edibles, pills, tinctures that you put under your tongue, etc. You can order tinctures online as they are not illegal at the federal level. They might be at your state level, but if you don't tell anyone about it the state will never know. And most law enforcement don't want to be bothered chasing it. Too many "important" crimes being committed to waste their time with it.
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. I think it has to do with evolution and always having someone ready to guard the cave from bears (??).
Go see a doctor!!!
