Insomnia

[Dftodd]

I told this story before, but here it is again. I snore! Wife wakes me up when I snore so I roll over and stop snoring. She then doesn't hear me snoring so she pokes me again, thinking I might be dead!

Last week, I had a sinus infection/ chest cold.. Snoring on my back, wheezing on my side. Dog was soft yips and licks when snoring. Thumping me and pushing me with her paw when the wheezing started.

I start growling and cussing when then thumping started.

I feel your pain. Wife just got the dog to do the dirty work.

Thankfully it only lasted for 3 nights of the sinus infection/ cold

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

Oh, and that is with 10mg melatonin, 25 mg doxylamine succunate, 750 mg of GABA, and some garden herb..... nope... same pattern. I just can't turn off the brain. All sorts of thoughts, including planning out the next project.

I was a paramedic and was always in the state of hightened awareness, and adrenaline rush For years, I just can't turn it off.... listening to that "odd" sound at night, I even hear the refrigerator turn on / off in the opposite end of the house!

But... I can't use earplugs because then I hear my thoughts!....not really, but then I can't hear all those sounds and start thinking I'm missing something important!

At least now I know that I'm not the only one going through this....

 

[Jstpssng]

I've been having the same problem for the last few weeks. In my case though it's because I screwed my back up again. A dull throbbing pain will disrupt your sleep, especially when you roll onto the bad side.

-How much coffee do you drink in a day? I've had to cut back to (2) cups per day, and lately have found that I need to cut back more.
My "cup" holds 16 ounces.
Mountain Dew and other sodas have even more caffeine, plus are high in sugar which also can keep you awake.
-Stress will also cause you to lose sleep. From many of your posts, it sounds like you have a lot in your life.
-Are you warm enough while trying to sleep? I used to wake up at around 1:00 or 2:00, and lay there thinking about adding more wood to the fire. If I didn't do so, I would get cold so wouldn't sleep well for the rest of the night. I finally turned the thermostat from 50 to 60, and took care of that problem.
-Exercise probably will help. I know that if I'm stuck inside for two days both the dog and I are going crazy. In those cases I try to walk the road in front of my house several times per day.

Good luck. As others have mentioned, if it's a consistent problem then it's time to talk to your doctor.

 

[Diggin It]

But... I can't use earplugs because then ...

.... the tinnitus becomes deafening. I need music to soothe the ringing beast.


Otherwise pretty much all of the above replies in one way or another. I generally don't drink, but sometimes a shot is what makes the difference. Generic Nyquil often helps, but not always.

I can't even count the number of times I've seen 1AM in recent years. Probably as often as 1PM.

I worked graveyard for six or seven years, so that didn't help.

This time of year, the room is 60-ish, give or take a few. Multiple layers of comforters and blankets plus sweats keeps me warm enough and I can kick the covers off if need be.

 

[MossRoad]

The proverbial rock and a hard place...

Wife made me go to sleep study because the kids and she were convinced I had sleep apnea. Fortunately, I just snore!

 

[Oaktree]

Mountain Dew and other sodas have even more caffeine, plus are high in sugar which also can keep you awake.

MD is about the only caffeinated beverage I drink, and I've found that I can't drink it after 3pm or so, otherwise I'm still wide awake at bedtime.

 

[Nutcracker]

Reading some of these posts, makes me grateful. I sleep extremely well. Most of my adult life I had a job where I worked 6-7 days a week. I would go to bed around 11 or midnight, get up at 6. I was asleep the whole 6 hours. I seldom turned over in the night. Now since I retired. I rarely get to bed before midnight, sometimes later. I sometimes drink coffee at midnight, I drink a lot of coffee. I go to bed when I get sleepy & usually, I am asleep in 5-10 minutes. I sleep 8 or more hours now and rarely turnover. Even sleeping that much, now if I sit down after lunch and watch TV, I will fall asleep & drop my coffee cup.

 

[Dftodd]

.... the tinnitus becomes deafening. I need music to soothe the ringing beast.


Otherwise pretty much all of the above replies in one way or another. I generally don't drink, but sometimes a shot is what makes the difference. Generic Nyquil often helps, but not always.

I can't even count the number of times I've seen 1AM in recent years. Probably as often as 1PM.

I worked graveyard for six or seven years, so that didn't help.

This time of year, the room is 60-ish, give or take a few. Multiple layers of comforters and blankets plus sweats keeps me warm enough and I can kick the covers off if need be.

I see 11:50 for a couple nights. Then 3:30 for a couple more nights. Then I'll sleep through the night and wake up 10 minutes before my alarm goes off and it's a race to the bathroom.

Then it starts back over.

I can pretty much set a clock to almost pin point accuracy by my bladder Ain't getting older so much fun

 

[Wagtail]

The rare time that I have difficulty falling asleep I'll just pop a couple of ibuprofen to take the 'edge' off. A glass of water right before heading off to bed, plus having a full sport-bottle of water sitting on my nightstand to keep me hydrated over night leads to a good night's sleep.
A great mattress (I've got a "Tempur" ) is also 'key'.

On those rare nights, I've usually discovered, the next morning, that a very high or low Pressure Front has occurred.

 

[Jstpssng]

I see 11:50 for a couple nights. Then 3:30 for a couple more nights. Then I'll sleep through the night and wake up 10 minutes before my alarm goes off and it's a race to the bathroom.

Then it starts back over.

I can pretty much set a clock to almost pin point accuracy by my bladder Ain't getting older so much fun

I had that for about 10 years. A couple of hours in surgery and about $50K later, I can get through the night without going.

 

[Dftodd]

I had that for about 10 years. A couple of hours in surgery and about $50K later, I can get through the night without going.

If it's only once a night, I think I'll save the $50k

Later on I know I'll need the surgery. But I'll try to push it off for a bit.

 

[Jstpssng]

If it's only once a night, I think I'll save the $50k

Later on I know I'll need the surgery. But I'll try to push it off for a bit.

It was more than that. When I had to go, I had to go NOW. There were other issues also, but I won't gross you out. I dealt with it for 10 years before deciding enough was enough. All that I had to pay was $3000 anyways, insurance took care of the rest.

 

[Dftodd]

It was more than that. When I had to go, I had to go NOW. There were other issues also, but I won't gross you out. I dealt with it for 10 years before deciding enough was enough. All that I had to pay was $3000 anyways, insurance took care of the rest.

I'm not to that point yet. But know what to expect

I drink a lot of water during the day, so I pay for it at night

 

[bigtiller]

I have a white noise machine on the headboard about a foot away from my ears. Very seldom do I hear anything start or stop. It even muffles Mrs.tiller's snoring somewhat.
It plugs into the wall and is battery backup.

 

[MossRoad]

I have a white noise machine on the headboard about a foot away from my ears. Very seldom do I hear anything start or stop. It even muffles Mrs.tiller's snoring somewhat.
It plugs into the wall and is battery backup.

I have one of those. It's a white ball with 8 different sounds. All of the sounds work EXCEPT white noise.

I used to then just turn on the furnace fan at night. That was great, but it raised the electric bill noticeably, and puts additional wear on the motor.

So now I sleep with a small table fan turned on. Just the right amount of white noise for me.

 

[Cougsfan]

I actually sleep pretty good. I'd do better if my bladder didn't wake me up at about 4am every morning, but most often I go to the John and back without truly waking up. Every once in a while I do get insomnia. If I lay there awake for more than 15 minutes I get up and take 5 mg of melatonin, which does the trick for me.

I also have tinnitus. The volume level varies significantly from time to time. If it is really bad I put in ear plugs. Seems counterintuitive, but it actually seems to help me.

I would assume stress of one type or the other contributes significantly to insomnia. My sister is a worrier. She continual worries over and over about things she has no control over. It really disrupts her sleep. One practice I learned a long time ago is that if your mind repeats the same negative thought or scenario three times and you have nothing nothing valuable to add to the thought ... Stop thinking about it. Go on to something else. Don't allow yourself to waste mental effort by repeating it over and over. It takes a bit of mental discipline, but is doable and does help stop one from worrying.

 

[dirttoys]

.... the tinnitus becomes deafening. I need music to soothe the ringing beast.


Otherwise pretty much all of the above replies in one way or another. I generally don't drink, but sometimes a shot is what makes the difference. Generic Nyquil often helps, but not always.

I can't even count the number of times I've seen 1AM in recent years. Probably as often as 1PM.

I worked graveyard for six or seven years, so that didn't help.

This time of year, the room is 60-ish, give or take a few. Multiple layers of comforters and blankets plus sweats keeps me warm enough and I can kick the covers off if need be.

I read this hoping you didn't have tinnitus.......... some folks do well with it, I hate it, sleep with the tv on. Getting old is only slightly better than the alternative

There is good (and bad) advice above.

Try reduced caffeine, try exercise, try nsaid's. You have to try them for a while.

I would duck the Nyquil, and the good script stuff, just because it is such a battle to get to sleep without it if you begin to depend on it. I don't know if melatonin helps, but I don't think hurts much.

If it goes on enough to screw with your life, or make work unsafe see a doctor and take the pills.

Best,

ed

 

[MossRoad]

I downloaded a tone generator for my iPad called Tone Gen by TMSOFT.

I used it to find that my tinnitus is right around 12,500Hz. Kinda interesting to figure that out.

I do find that the white noise of a fan really helps mask it out when I want to go to sleep.

What Is White Noise, and How Can It Help You?

Discover the benefits of white noise for managing tinnitus on AudioNova's blog. Learn how white noise can provide relief and improve your quality of life.

www.connecthearing.com

 

[dirttoys]

I downloaded a tone generator for my iPad called Tone Gen by TMSOFT.

I used it to find that my tinnitus is right around 12,500Hz. Kinda interesting to figure that out.

I do find that the white noise of a fan really helps mask it out when I want to go to sleep.

What Is White Noise, and How Can It Help You?

Discover the benefits of white noise for managing tinnitus on AudioNova's blog. Learn how white noise can provide relief and improve your quality of life.

www.connecthearing.com

Interesting, will give it a try. Thanks!

 

[MossRoad]

I don't have insomnia (said the guy on the internet at 11:50pm).