[JustDontAsk]

Its really strange because it used to be that I couldn't sleep. Now all I want to do is sleep and stay in bed all day. It doesn't make sense I guess to go from one extreme to the other. But that's what I'm doing...I have no idea how to break this cycle...It sounds pretty pathetic that I don't have the will to just force myself out of bed...The only reason I get up is to use the restroom or eat...I try to stay up after that. But sometimes I just take a nap or go back to bed...

[medkev13]

That would be your depression. It's actually a standard symptom of when depression gets severe.

[medkev13]

If you're on an "as needed" medication, take a little extra (just a little). That may be enough to get you kick started and out of your funk. I fight the same battles. I know the drudge.

[JustDontAsk]

I don't even have a dx, and I have no meds...And I have insane fears of seeing doctors...So I don't know, I guess I'm stuck.

Anxiety and depression wear you out. They take an extreme toll on your mind and your body basically tries to shut-down and reset. With my ADD brain, when I feel really bogged down, it helps to get up and walk around, get out of the house/office for a minute.

I know it sucks when you don't know what is wrong, you are too close to it. Try to give the doctors a chance, they want you to feel better first and use the T's to work work through the issues that got you here.

:Hug:

[JustDontAsk]

Thanks guys.

Originally Posted by JustDontAsk

Thanks guys.

You Bet! Hang in there JDA

[seeker1950]

I posted a thread in same forum topic about wanting to sleep too much.
For me, it's kind of a luxury, and in less than a week, I'll have to get up at 5:30 a.m. to go face my students for the coming school year. My sleep is filled with dreams of mostly problem-solving situations, in which there is usually no resolution, but they are great adventures and very entertaining.
I love the dreams, which usually occur near daylight, which is why I stay in bed to complete them!
I acknowledge that I'm depressed. Sometimes, though, I just have to weather thru it. That is what I'm doing with this excessive sleep. I even know the reason for the depression. So I'm indulging myself.
Sleeping a lot sounds "lazy" to me, and to most people. But I know why I need to do this. Maybe it will be the same for you, Justdon'task.
I take an antidepressant, and I know it helps. Perhaps you should investigate such medication.
Patty

[medkev13]

Lazy I always saw as being lethargic for the sake of -not- doing something. And the key here is that it's intentional. Being -unable- to drag yourself out of bed is an obstacle, not laziness.

[Binkerbot]

I unfortunately don't have many words of wisdom, but wanted to let you know I'm somewhere out here doing the same thing. I usually have a horrible time falling asleep, but once I do I could be in bed forever. My mind constantly says "what's the point of getting up? I'm just gonna go sit somewhere else. Might as well stay here where I'm cozy." My mind is my worst enemy. I KNOW it's depression making our minds think this way and I am on meds, but apparently not the right ones as of yet Anyways, just didn't want you feeling alone. It's always comforting to come across a post of someone going through the same thing.

Originally Posted by seeker1950

I posted a thread in same forum topic about wanting to sleep too much.
For me, it's kind of a luxury, and in less than a week, I'll have to get up at 5:30 a.m. to go face my students for the coming school year. My sleep is filled with dreams of mostly problem-solving situations, in which there is usually no resolution, but they are great adventures and very entertaining.
I love the dreams, which usually occur near daylight, which is why I stay in bed to complete them!
I acknowledge that I'm depressed. Sometimes, though, I just have to weather thru it. That is what I'm doing with this excessive sleep. I even know the reason for the depression. So I'm indulging myself.
Sleeping a lot sounds "lazy" to me, and to most people. But I know why I need to do this. Maybe it will be the same for you, Justdon'task.
I take an antidepressant, and I know it helps. Perhaps you should investigate such medication.
Patty

You mention "Problem Solving Dreams"... Very interesting... I call those my math/programming dreams and they wear me out. I will be trying to "Solve the formula" and I cannot quite ever figure it out. I'm a programmer / analyst and it makes me so mad when I Dream about solving formulas usually about work.

I guess these are common, because my dad is a retired mechanic and he told me he always has the same dreams, except in the automotive trouble-shooting form.

If you are dreaming, then you are getting to REM, which is good.

JDA... I slept TERRIBLY before my ADD diagnosis. Exhausted all the time, but had trouble going to sleep as well. I had gotten up to 285 lbs, had asthma, reflux and bad sleep apnea. After my DX and ADD meds, I sleep like a baby and feel good on 5-6 hours sleep and Great on 8 hours. I've lost right at 100 lbs and kept it off for over two years, the asthma, reflux and apnea are gone. It is amazing what a little correction of the brain chemistry can do for someone.

[JustDontAsk]

So is it bad that I don't dream? Or does it just mean that I don't remember dreams?

Binkerbot - So true, thank you.

Thanks everyone.

It could be either... Many times you don't remember the dreams. When I had a sleep study done testing for sleep apnea, in the 6 hour test I never got to REM. That was not good...

[JustDontAsk]

I rarely remember dreams, but I don't think I have them...

I went through Years of hardly remembering a dream. It is something you should mention to your regular doctor the next time you see him, especially if you are tired all the time. You don't half to be over-weight to have sleep apnea. Do you snore at night? Or suddenly wake up, like you are falling or drowning? During bad apneas you stop breathing and your body will jolt you awake will a shot of adrenaline.

[JustDontAsk]

I don't snore...I wake up a lot and get a lot of broken sleep, but it's not like it's a heart racing type of thing...I just wake up, roll over, go back to sleep...

Waking up and rolling over a lot is also a symptom. The sleep doc asked me how many times a night I woke up and turned over/moved, I told him at least 15 times a night, the he said then there are another 15+ times you Don't remember. Hmmmmm... You ought to mention these sleep issues to the doc

[JustDontAsk]

I really don't like going to the doctor...

[seeker1950]

I don't like going to the doctor either, and I know there are "checkup" I should have that are way long, like years overdue. At the same time, as long as I'm functioning okay physically, I resist going in for probing, etc!
About dreams...I often don't remember them, but then when I'm drifting off into light sleep, the dreams will give flits of recurrence. I recognize them and will try to recover the theme of them.
I realize this probably doesn't help you.
Regarding sleep...do you indulge in any foods/drinks that are laden with stimulants, like coffee, cola, etc? I have learned that these things will keep me awake sometimes all night.
I have also observed that if I participate in some rigorous exercise ...really anytime during the day...my sleep is better. I admit, I often neglect to do this, but when I do, I sleep much better.

[JustDontAsk]

I don't drink anything with caffeine in it. I'm a water and milk person. I haven't had a pop in 8 and a half months, and even before that, I rarely had one...

Originally Posted by seeker1950

I don't like going to the doctor either, and I know there are "checkup" I should have that are way long, like years overdue. At the same time, as long as I'm functioning okay physically, I resist going in for probing, etc!
About dreams...I often don't remember them, but then when I'm drifting off into light sleep, the dreams will give flits of recurrence. I recognize them and will try to recover the theme of them.
I realize this probably doesn't help you.
Regarding sleep...do you indulge in any foods/drinks that are laden with stimulants, like coffee, cola, etc? I have learned that these things will keep me awake sometimes all night.
I have also observed that if I participate in some rigorous exercise ...really anytime during the day...my sleep is better. I admit, I often neglect to do this, but when I do, I sleep much better.

Exercise is an Extremely effective way to help yourself sleep. The domamine released soothes the mind and also curb your appetite. I can tell a BIG difference on the days I get both of my walks in VS not walking.

The caffiene effects can vary based on your brain chemistry. I have ADD, so my neuro-T's are natually low. When I first started taking Adderall, I worried about taking it too late, then not being able to sleep. I found the opposite to be true. When my meds wear off my thoughts start racing through my head, This makes it hard to sleep even though you are tired. I have less trouble sleeping taking my last Adderall two hours later than I used too. I can finish a coffee at 10pm and go to bed... Weird, huh...

[JustDontAsk]

Thanks everyone for the responses.

JDA

[psychsurvivor1]

All I want to do is sleep, and I like it that way.

[LiveThroughThis]

Hi, I wanted to share my experience, as it sounds very much like yours, JustDontAsk.

My sleep patterns have changed a lot through the years. More recently I've gone from having a horrible time falling asleep---and waking up several times thru the night--to falling asleep like I've got Mono and being able to sleep 12 hours with no relief, no feeling of refreshment or rest, including snoring so severe my bf wakes up. More recently, I've woken myself up 3 times not breathing--as in, I wake up, and fully aware my diaphragm is doing nothing.

My psychiatrist believed I had a sleep disorder and insisted I get a Sleep Study done. I had to be evaluated by a Sleep Doctor first (who is not one of the typical doctors we've all dealt with). He suspected Obstructive Sleep Apnea, and had me do a Sleep Study. I too did not sleep 5 hours, in fact, only a solid 3, so the results came up negative (and quite a pretty penny I spent). However, my Sleep Doctor found it notable that during the full 3 hours of sleep my brain never went into REM cycle, therefore my sleep was completely inefficient.

Most of the time they'll recommend a second Sleep Study, but because I have no insurance, my S. Doctor suggested I rent an APAP machine (which automatically increases your oxygen levels in your sleep while you sleep, when needed) and see if the info on it recorded anything significant. I haven't been to see him yet, but I did check in with the RN at the pharmacy where I obtained the machine, and she noted the results indicated probable Sleep Apnea. I have two more weeks to rent the machine, then the month's results go to my doctor, and when I see him he can tell me more decisively what is going on.

On one hand it is frustrating because since the Sleep Study didn't show anything--there's no way to know how often I've stopped breathing, oxygen levels, etc. But, my S. Doctor feels so certain that some kind of sleep disturbance is going on he's willing to work with me, and when it's time to buy a machine (which I'm 99% certain I'll need), he said they'd figure out a way for me to afford it. So I'm very grateful that I've got a doctor who knows what the hell he's doing and is sympathetic to people who don't have decent healthcare.

Anyways, I hope some of that can help you, or give you an idea of what's going on. What is notable, before I did the Study I asked my psychiatrist if he thought my sleep issues were affecting the meds, etc., and he said, "No, but I DO think it's affecting your anxiety and panic attacks." Of course sleep regulates everything--moods, weight, etc.

Ok, I've said enough. Good luck! I feel your pain/fatigue!