[hamster-bamster]

My first good p-doc, after a series of disastrous p-docs, gave me a life-changing non-pharmacological advice: go to bed at 10PM. He was trying to solve my sleep problems and he suspected that by going to sleep late, I miss the window of opportunity during which I am naturally sleepy. He was right.

But I grew incredibly dependent on that. Yesterday I stayed up till 11PM (my sin was this board ) and even with Temazepam I only got 5 hours of sleep. Now I am berating myself because I cannot prepare for an interview to the best of my ability - I do not function well when underslept.

I am also thankful to Merlin for the idea of adding "routine sleep" (on top of "sufficient sleep") as stay-well strategies in Optimism. I do function better when I am on the same schedule.

How about you?

If I see a pattern in responses, I will repost as a structured poll. For now, I do not know what to put in as poll answer options.

[Moose72]

My pdoc always said I need to get to bed earlier and have regular sleep.

[cocoabeans]

Whenever I feel like it because I don't care too much about sleep. I'll make sure I do sleep well for a few days if I go without for a few days and reduce my sleep if I'm getting too much but, that's enough for me.

I tried the bed time thing but, it doesn't last. Oddly, trying to stay on a sleep schedule can feel more exhausting for me. My brain says that a 24 hour day isn't natural. I swap my schedule around every few months.

I don't belong on this planet

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by cocoabeans

Whenever I feel like it because I don't care too much about sleep. I'll make sure I do sleep well for a few days if I go without for a few days and reduce my sleep if I'm getting too much but, that's enough for me.

I tried the bed time thing but, it doesn't last. Oddly, trying to stay on a sleep schedule can feel more exhausting for me. My brain says that a 24 hour day isn't natural. I swap my schedule around every few months.

I don't belong on this planet

Interesting. Maybe it has to do with the length of days/nights (seasonality)?

[Victoria'smom]

After 3 am, but before 6 am. We always try to change it to mid-night but it doesn't work out for more than a week

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by Miguel'smom

After 3 am, but before 6 am. We always try to change it to mid-night but it doesn't work out for more than a week

and then up at? (I am asking because you homeschool)

[~Christina]

I have tried all the " sleep hygiene" for years ! It honestly hasn't helped . I have dealt with insomnia since I was about 12.. Even with heavy duty sleep meds they work off and on .

[eskielover]

Ok, sleep is totally an issue with me......I have this problem....when I am in a stressful situation, I can't shut my brain off......or there are other times when I would go to sleep to escape the problem for awhile......now it seems I can't shut the brain off in order to get it to go to bed at a specific time. It's almost like I have to be exhausted before I can get myself to go to bed....just like I have to be starving before I get myself to eat......wish I could just be more normal (whatever that is). Just know that my psychologist & even my body says that how I am functioning isn't normal....it's more like existing.

I do feel so much better when I have a good night's sleep & can get up early in the morning, bet more things done by noon than I can get done in a whole day after not enough or no sleep. I feel so much better, I don't understand why I can't just wrap things up, take care of my doggies & go to bed....even if I have to take the temazapam to sleep, it's better than the not sleeping & the high blood pressure that it was causing.

I tried setting an alarm & I would say ok....shut if off & then ignore that it went off.....just like I do with meal times....if I'm not hungry, I don't eat or if I can't figure out what I want to make to eat, I don't eat either & then sometimes days go by & I realize I haven't had anything to eat since ??????? I have had that happen with my sleep also......think it's only been one night without sleep & then when I think back, it's been a few days.

Think that's one of the things about living alone....there's no one else around to say....hay, I'm hungry, or I'm going to bed cause I'm tired....my schedule is so messed up & my sleep has been so messed up since going through the trauma almost 8 years ago, when it took a huge dose of seroquel to knock me out so the nightmares would go away.....I don't get the nightmares any longer, but I still me in the no sleep mode with the stress & sometimes it's just wanting to get one more thing accomplished before I go to bed.....& then the sun's coming up in the morning.

I never lived on a schedule even when I was working as a firmware engineer. I would work until I got what I wanted to get finished for the day....then I would drive home sometimes around 2am or later.....sleep until I woke up the next morning (without an alarm) get ready for work & start the whole thing all over. Only time I had a schedule was when I had a meeting with the customer I had to present for or I was on a business trip.

I have never functioned on any set schedule or time...have always been a free spirit, but not to the unhealthy extent that it has come to with living alone & not working or having any thing I have to do at a set time.......self-control is not one of my strong points when it come to anything that has to do with time or schedules....I do dead lines well, but I always work at my own pace & do my own thing to get there.

Maybe that's the artsy/craftsy intellectual type that I am.....but I know it's NOT GOOD for my health which was what I found out when my blood pressure was so high. Even though their monitor also had a problem....my blood pressure was still so much higher than it ever has been before. Told my pain specialist that it was due to sleep problems....he said initially that wouldn't effect my blood pressure that much.....but then I tried to explain that it wasn't just problems with not sleeping enough, it was with not sleeping at all.....that was when he prescribed the temazapam. I was also trying some natural sleep aids which also helped, but when this extra stress hit in July, I needed something seriously stronger & started really using the temazapam....it does work, but I still have a hard time getting 8 hr sleep & definitely a difficult time going to bed any time before midnight when I know is the best for a good sleep.

I have to admit, there are times when I do get so exhausted that I can sleep for 24 hours & it feels good....but I hate pushing myself to that exhausted point before feeling able to sleep.

Hmmmmmm, just thought of something.....when I had my laptop (before it died), I did all my computer stuff on my bed, not at my computer desk. When I got tired, I would just lay down in bed & go to sleep & would definitely get a better night's sleep. Now, I'm sitting up at my computer desk in the computer room & it also where I do all my crafts now. I tend to push myself more to get things done than when I could just lay down on my bed & go to sleep. Didn't think about that until writing this.

It still comes down to lack of self-control no matter what however. I hate knowing what I have to do & then NOT doing it. Don't know if I will ever be able to get my life onto any kind of schedule....it just feels so unnatural to me & uncomfortable even though I'm sure I would overall feel better health wise.

Sorry for the long rambling post......just something I have been dealing with & talking alot about with my psychologist lately....sleep & eating.....the 2 evil things that life needs to function.

[cocoabeans]

Originally Posted by hamster-bamster

Interesting. Maybe it has to do with the length of days/nights (seasonality)?

Could be, that's more positive at least! Daylight savings really screws me up too, which is weird because my habits are rather irratic with a seasonal flare.

[eloquentdisaster]

I often go to bed at three, four in the morning and am up by eight. If I try going to bed early, I toss and turn for hours. Tried routines... doesn't work for me.

[Setso]

Originally Posted by morethingswrong

I have tried all the " sleep hygiene" for years ! It honestly hasn't helped . I have dealt with insomnia since I was about 12.. Even with heavy duty sleep meds they work off and on .

it is frustrating to have insomnia
I had it for a month only during a stressful period and it was hell!!

Go to bed lady!! Keep talking to me and ull fall asleep from boredom, promise!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Miss Laura]

Bed 10pm or 11pm and no matter how much/little I have slept up at 8am on weekends 10am. I am trying to get into a routine for when I start to work again. But cause I am use to shift work and insomnia since I was a kid its tough going. I do take Serequol XR @ 7pm it works on and off sometimes I am zombied by 10pm other times I wide awake all night.

I have a sleep routine weekly that sits on my wall straight across from my bed. Obviosuly I am not sleeping much due to coming off meds but I'm generally good with the sleep thing

[missbelle]

I go to bed the same time every nite...around 10:15 and then read for a while and then fall asleep...works for me!

[Moreta]

The time I go to sleep varies on if I took a nap or not. With nap, 12:00 am, without nap 10:00 pm.

I always wake up at 7:30 though, if not earlier.

[Trippin2.0]

When I was unemployed, I hardly slept. Sometimes I'd be reading or chatting not realizing how much time has passed and then my alarm would go off to get my daughter ready for school at 6am. Now that I have to be up at 4.30am I force myself to bed at midnight and usually sleep around 1am... 4.5hrs is sufficient for me. I am able to functionn on less,but then I'm grouchy.I do make a point to lie in on weekends as its easier for me to sleep during the morning hours.

[Hope-Full]

I am in bed by 10 every night (unless there is a special event of sorts) and during the week my alarm goes off at 6:30am. Sometimes I fall right to sleep, other times I toss and turn. I need 8 hours of sleep at night, and if I go more than a few days with less than that, I always get sick. I sleep later on the weekends cause I don't set an alarm.

i don't sleep at all.

so a lot of the time i'll go to bed and just put a movie on or listen to my nature sounds- but then i end up getting really vunnerable because i can't sleep so i'm usually up again on 1 of my forums or something.

plus on the nights i have flashbacks/ helusinations, i'm kind of pinned to the spot so i'm unable to really do anything

[bluemountains]

My sleep goes in cycles, but I always try to get in bed by 12:00. Some nights I toss and turn until after 2 and this happens for several days, giving me only 4-5 hours of sleep. Then I go for several days of 8+ hours and still sleepy during the day. I take sleep meds, although I only take klonopin if I am anticipating a sleepless night.

[PrincessxKitty]

my daddy always makes fun of me saying that my day/night have been switched, but now i think they officially have.

my bedtime has been sometime between 5am-630am and my wake up times are usually between 4pm-5pm...