Haven't slept normally in days and I feel like a zombie

[SeekingAfrica]

Does that happen to you? To me it's been in waves. But since I was at a point where I couldn't work and slept 3 hours per night in parts, and had nightmares I remembered vividly, I had been on sleep medication. Plus watching something until asleep. But the medication to keep me asleep for enough hours without waking.

I get the most anxious at night. Now that I'm out of medication I got something natural from the pharmacy. It was mediocre but some result, but the tablets are big and although natural annoy my throat and stomach like hell. In comparison my sleep meds are smaller than my pinkie nail and I could still take half and be ok. But I can't get the same prescription here yet, no insurance locally yet.

The last 4 days trying to manage without has been painful. I can't fall asleep for hours.

When I do, I wake every couple hours or less, and can't stop panicking over every obscure topic that I can put aside during the day. I wake, watch, sleep, wake, think about my whole life in nausiating waves of panic and slip into vivid nightmares, some traumatic, other future related and others about monsters. By the morning my brain is so overworked and my mind is so unsettled I can't snap out. I'm in foggy anxious state through the first 2 hours and only my routine mildly settles that. I feel like my head is buzzing.

And if I watch something familiar and calming or at least listen like a radio at least I get some sleep. But still. It makes me feel weak and shaky if I have to do physical things the next day, foggy and unconcentrated if I have to do mental work which is more often. Any tips? I'm desperate for at least 4 hours of not waking up for hours. Or at least falling asleep faster. Also this shifts my productivity, I start my day later and later and finish later which is awful when you take forever to fall asleep. Last night I was up until 2:30 and awake at least 4 times until 7...

 

[arfie]

it doesn't happen to me any more, but my insomnia started in childhood and continued until? ? ? 40's? 50's? i still don't sleep like a normie, so by some measures it is still going, but having made my peace with this personal quirk removed that distressing zombie feel. these days, lack of sleep feels more like a sedative which calms me. on the eve of a stressful event, i intentionally deprive myself of sleep so that i can filter the stress through that sedative.

whatever you say, boss. . .

 

[Abstract]

Does that happen to you? To me it's been in waves. But since I was at a point where I couldn't work and slept 3 hours per night in parts, and had nightmares I remembered vividly, I had been on sleep medication. Plus watching something until asleep. But the medication to keep me asleep for enough hours without waking.

I get the most anxious at night. Now that I'm out of medication I got something natural from the pharmacy. It was mediocre but some result, but the tablets are big and although natural annoy my throat and stomach like hell. In comparison my sleep meds are smaller than my pinkie nail and I could still take half and be ok. But I can't get the same prescription here yet, no insurance locally yet.

The last 4 days trying to manage without has been painful. I can't fall asleep for hours.

When I do, I wake every couple hours or less, and can't stop panicking over every obscure topic that I can put aside during the day. I wake, watch, sleep, wake, think about my whole life in nausiating waves of panic and slip into vivid nightmares, some traumatic, other future related and others about monsters. By the morning my brain is so overworked and my mind is so unsettled I can't snap out. I'm in foggy anxious state through the first 2 hours and only my routine mildly settles that. I feel like my head is buzzing.

And if I watch something familiar and calming or at least listen like a radio at least I get some sleep. But still. It makes me feel weak and shaky if I have to do physical things the next day, foggy and unconcentrated if I have to do mental work which is more often. Any tips? I'm desperate for at least 4 hours of not waking up for hours. Or at least falling asleep faster. Also this shifts my productivity, I start my day later and later and finish later which is awful when you take forever to fall asleep. Last night I was up until 2:30 and awake at least 4 times until 7...

So sorry. Insomnia can be highly painful. I have certainly done that too, and am still prone, so not sure I'm an expert.

If gping over a lot of things that are going on in my life and write down everything I can think of before going to bed.

Ironically, if very hypervigalent, I sleep better infront of the TV.


These days I put on an affirmation video that is appropriate. Needing to feel powerful, needing to feel safe, needing to feel effective? I am affirmations.


I don't lie there battling with sleep or getting frustrated. I get up and do something pleasant if that's the case. I hope it eases.


At worst, I sleep best at work during the day.

 

[Lost in the Woods]

I have sleep issue too. It can get really bad like no sleep or on the other hand I can go for weeks on 3 hours per night. I take Lunets max dose, 10mg Melatonin and 2 thc/cbd gummies. And I still struggle. The sleep issues started in my 40s when I was a litigator. I would wake up at 2:00 thinking about cases and I would not fall back asleep. These days I don’t have much to loose sleep over except my marriage. I have lost a lot of sleep over it but even that is improving.

 

[sidptitala]

Does that happen to you? To me it's been in waves.

Yes, it does. That weird zombie coma you can get into of always being too tired to be awake and too awake to be asleep

 

[abovedown]

Does that happen to you? To me it's been in waves. But since I was at a point where I couldn't work and slept 3 hours per night in parts, and had nightmares I remembered vividly, I had been on sleep medication. Plus watching something until asleep. But the medication to keep me asleep for enough hours without waking.

I get the most anxious at night. Now that I'm out of medication I got something natural from the pharmacy. It was mediocre but some result, but the tablets are big and although natural annoy my throat and stomach like hell. In comparison my sleep meds are smaller than my pinkie nail and I could still take half and be ok. But I can't get the same prescription here yet, no insurance locally yet.

The last 4 days trying to manage without has been painful. I can't fall asleep for hours.

When I do, I wake every couple hours or less, and can't stop panicking over every obscure topic that I can put aside during the day. I wake, watch, sleep, wake, think about my whole life in nausiating waves of panic and slip into vivid nightmares, some traumatic, other future related and others about monsters. By the morning my brain is so overworked and my mind is so unsettled I can't snap out. I'm in foggy anxious state through the first 2 hours and only my routine mildly settles that. I feel like my head is buzzing.

And if I watch something familiar and calming or at least listen like a radio at least I get some sleep. But still. It makes me feel weak and shaky if I have to do physical things the next day, foggy and unconcentrated if I have to do mental work which is more often. Any tips? I'm desperate for at least 4 hours of not waking up for hours. Or at least falling asleep faster. Also this shifts my productivity, I start my day later and later and finish later which is awful when you take forever to fall asleep. Last night I was up until 2:30 and awake at least 4 times until 7...

I have insomnia at times. Not fun at all :/. I tend worry over work things so what has helped me is to create a mental boundary between work and freedom. I don't work after 6pm and try to go out for walk so sleeping is easier.

 

[Friday]

I used to (weekly) switch back and forth between working/waking days/nights. Which created? A “Zombie Day” on the buffer of either. Which is the FIRST time I talked openly about being a zombie, and found soooooooo many people related!!! Many for work. Nearly all newish parents. Insomniacs United (not a football team). And many, many, many more. Tell virtually anyone over the age of 25 that you’re having a “zombie day” because sleep? They relate.

When I went to school? (For psych & med, after the military) I learned that it’s WELL known that chronic & acute insomnia creates crazy. As in it’s been studied tremendously (mostly by the military, who want more than 72hrs of sanity without sleep, and cannot achieve it; whilst myriad minor effects happen within 72hrs? PROFOUND effects happen after 72hrs awake). That simply cannot be mitigated, “just” accounted for & worked around. Which is an ongoing problem as both vets & med pros are often awake for 5+ days during times of emergency. So? From day 1 are taught how to achieve the “micro sleep” & waking dozes & sleeping-on-command (time to lean, time to clean in the service industry …in the military translates to…. Time to lean, time to SLEEP, whenever/wherever/however. In the military it starts with being told to put your head on your desk any time there’s a wait, but in medical science? They’ve put a “cap” on 36hr shifts (there used to be back to back 72hr shifts)… but still pile on so much course work that it inflicts the need to take multiple naps per week, to stay caught up.)

So… CHA. The zombie thing, with sleep dep? Normal. For humanity. Full stop.

 

[Abstract]

My microsleep highlight was when I realised I was doing them when standing and crossing a crazy-busy road next to work. That was the year of 1 or 2 hr sleep a day.