I Can't Function This Way Much Longer

[GWhizz]

How do you do it? I mean, live a half normal life on less than half normal sleep. On a good night, I get about 4 hours sleep. But 99% of the time it's between 1 and 3 hours.

I just don't feel able to cope much longer. I had hoped it would let up soon but I've been sleeping even worse lately.

I've always been a crap sleeper, but now I dread going to bed and the fear of that alone is making it harder. I can't do these nightmares forever. And I feel like I've exhausted everything nearly at this stage.

How can I work a full-time job (shift work messing my sleep cycle even more btw), take care of a kid, and try to control self-harming compulsions (I haven't self-harmed since October but the stress of the poor quality and quantity of sleep I get is pushing me down and I don't know how to manage anymore).

What do you do? Do you get up? Do you do everything in your power to help you get that sleep you need?

 

[chicken sammich]

Hey. I am in your boat with the killer schedule. I carve time out for myself. And by that I mean being bold and planning when I get to spend time with I. I stretch, I exercise. Not as much as I want to, but enough that I feel and look good. I watch funny and adorable you tube videos. Animals always make me giggle and relax. I eat quality but not quantity. I drink a lot of water. If I don't do these things, I want to lay down and give up. Telling people "no" is a very big challenge for me but I do it. Because I am just me, doing my part but still keeping some for myself. I volunteer sometimes when my soul needs a boost. I ask for help when needed. I am careful with my time now and realize that I can pick and chose most of the people I interact with. I learn to cope with my issues. I use crystals, and music a lot, sometimes a j. I am about to get a new bed, nothing fancy, just more comfort for me and something new to lighten my troubles right now. It is a healthy balance I try to live. I am not perfect. I don't always make the right choices, but I am trying to do my very best. With a child it can be taxing, but looking at their little minds light up just makes me so happy and want to keep living.

 

[Friday]

When it's bad: Probably not the best option... I usually stay up, until I'm so exhausted I have to sleep, and then sleep myself out. This usually means 72 some odd hours up, and by the end I'm a little zombiefied. Problem for me is that I get a second wind sometime in Day2, or I might be able to sleep then. Yep. Means arranging childcare, time off work, etc., or rearranging my schedule. I'm currently sleeping twice a week, on average. Have been for a few months. I'm not at my best, but it's manageable.

When it's really bad: I catnap. A few minutes here, a few minutes there. Half doze whenever I get the chance for a few hours (I'm still awake & aware of everything around me, but my eyes are closed, and I'm not dreaming ... The real world is like the dream, the rest of me is asleep. Can flick my eyes open in a second and be totally alert at a moment's notice). Fortunately/Unfortunately this knocks the worst of the sharp edges off sleep dep. I can go weeks without "real" sleep like this. Catch a solid night, and go weeks all over again.

I can circumvent either of these 2 making do methods if I can catch it early enough with meds, or splitting my sleep (go to bed twice a day, gets me 2-3 hours each time), or exercise burning off the adrenaline that is keeping me awake.

I can stomp on either of these two on full swing with meds.

 

[darrenS]

I ask myself the same question. i was self medicating with cannabis and it helped both my sleep and stopped nightmares. I had to stop nearly three weeks ago abruptly for particular reasons, i knew straight away here comes the no sleep and nightmares, and yep sure enough they came back with a vengeance, the last couple of weeks have been a roller coaster, nightmares regularly and if im not in a nightmare , im staring at the ceiling. To make matters worse , work has flooded in with many requirements , it was quite for a while , but not anymore.

I feel the fear as well , will i sleep , will i wake up still in a dark place and not able to function for a few hours, or alternatively i will scrape through with maybe 2 hrs of something - i cant call it sleep and then have to punch out product and manage my team.

Im hoping from exhaustion that i will drop , but i usually find the more exhausted i get the more i get energized from nerves and tension.I dont have any answers , other than to say i can certainly relate and emphasize. I hope tonight treats you better, its one thing not being able to sleep , its a different kettle of fish with a child in the mix - i truly hope somehow you will get the rest that you need

 

[GWhizz]

Wow @FridayJones that's probably worse than I have it! Though I know the 2nd wind adrenaline rush only too well. I have to try keep some regular sleep in each 24hr period as rearranging my work or childcare schedules are not options. I have to work my sleep around everything else. I do yoga, meditate, eat healthy, exercise, read, do hobbies, play out and about with my son, hike... The list goes on. But my insomnia is unwavering. I would do anything for a duvet day! And I mean a day where I could actually relax in bed. Not fear disturbance. I guess I'm conditioned to fear bed - I grew up in fear of what lay ahead of me when I went to bed, rarely being allowed to sleep for long. Maybe I should buy a futon!

 

[illusionist]

I've tried many things over the years but found that when I'm going through a bad patch I've just got to let myself get to sheer exhaustion. I don't lay and wait for sleep, I get up, recline on my chair, and listen to soothing music..having catnaps. My body is so used to it now that I can survive quite happily on little sleep.

 

[Friday]

@GWhizz... LOL... Anything I'm used to (or is manageable) is not as bad as anything anyone else is struggling with! I'm not particularly fond of these solutions, but they're making things work out mostly okay. S'why I like the SUD scale, you know? Manageable looks different to all of us.

I think the futon is a good idea. Or hammock. Or car. If bed's an issue, and sleep is a bigger issue? Get sleep first, then work on the other issues, know what I mean?

 

[Andreas Andersson]

How do you do it? I mean, live a half normal life on less than half normal sleep. On a good night, I get about 4 hours sleep. But 99% of the time it's between 1 and 3 hours.

Have you ever considered melatonin supplements? Those really aid my sleep, when it's needed.
Melatonin is the natural sleep hormone in your body, so within an hour of taking one pill you will feel really tired and that's when you should be in bed. It should help you stay in bed as well.
You might feel drowsy when you wake up, but once you get up and going you can shake most of it off.
It might also be positive to check with a doctor if you could get some sleeping-aid pills. I say sleeping-aid, as in helping you get to bed and sleeping, not as in knocking you out. The knockout pills make you feel like crap the day after.
Perhaps you should also, more constructively, consider changing how you work?

 

[KwanYingirl]

@GWhizz I suffer from fractured sleep and long hours at work. I cross out 11-3 for quiet time to get through the afternoon schedule. The nightmares are wild. There's just no getting sleep on top of one. I sometimes take Annie out for a walk in the middle of the night. It's stimulating but calming, especially living now at the beach. My nap time is essential. As long as I lay quiet for awhile, I get a boost of energy to get me through the day. I'm sorry for your predicament. You are seriously multitasking. Even 15 minutes of guided relaxation rejuvenated me. But all I really want is for these damn nightmares to stop.

 

[sun seeker]

Sigh. I wish I knew.

Setting up the environment so you can rest, if not sleep, helps some. Soft music, comfortable mattress, soft fluffy blankets, a night light, whatever works for you. I have to basically trick myself into falling asleep; the usual sleep hygiene suggestions just don't cut it. I'll listen to something or put on a DVD turned low, or read a book until my eyes won't stay open. But functioning on half the sleep I need? Like I say, I wish I knew.

 

[falling_wave]

I so feel for you. I struggle with too and at extremes sometimes. First of all the stuff you probably know make a relaxing routine for everyday before bed, you could try herbal tea or warm milk, avoid caffiene after noon, fresh sheets always help, light completely comfortable pajamas, a fan or white noise, and complete darkness. I also like wearing earplugs. Fleet contour are the most effective. If you wear them and need to get up try a vibrating alarm. Smart alarm on the app store will work. I've tried sleep hypnosis apps too which are sometimes helpful. Sometimes a boring tv show on quiet during sleep helps me fall asleep. Lavender oil on my feet is relaxing.

Okay now for stuff to take. I tried ambiwn, lunesta, and trazadone with no effect whatsoever even at the highest doses. Xanax worked wonders but it's addictive so I have to really limit it now. I've found hylands nerve tonic the capsuls not the tablets to be very effective for calming anxiety but it won't necessarily take you to sleep. I drink neuro brand sleep water now a full bottle a half hour before bed and then I pee so that doesn't wake me up. It works really well and I'm hydrated! You can find it at vons or walmart or even amazon.

Best of luck!

 

[Recovery4Me]

At this point, I have learned to live without the expectation of sleeping 'normal'. I mean my awake time isn't normal, so this bio-rhythm is not a big surprise.

I thought as I got older, I would just pass out from wear and tare. However, when I am on a hijack roll...sleep may still take 2-3 days before I get 4-5 hours. So, I make the most of being dummied down and have fun instead of flogging myself. I read extensively, am a movie buff, have umpteen creative hobbies in various stages, cook and reedit my posts here after I finally sleep.

I make sure my sleeping environment is as luxurious as possible with delightful textiles, colors, fluffy down everything, umpteen pillows, dream foamed mattress, scented vaporizer, hepa filter- white noise maker, so when I finally do sleep... it is a triumphant vacation.

My grandmother use to say,"There will be plenty of time to sleep, one day."
Maybe, when that time comes...I will get it right!:clown: Who knows?;)