Is It Possible To Catch Up On Sleep?

[Jade-]

My son bought me a clinically based CD that's supposed to help with anxiety and sleep disorders....I haven't tried it yet, but hopefully it will help.

Suzie....doing crafts sounds like a good thing to do....I know that would probably bore me so much I'd nod off right away.

 

[cherryblossom]

I think routine with sleep is very important (which is my main reason that I'm hesitant in my return to work, because I have to work both day and night shifts within the same week

)

But, my understanding is, and if your commitments allow it, to go to bed and rise at the same time every day (even at weekends, or days off work). Even if you don't sleep well at night, don't sleep during the day. Only 'allow' yourself 9 hours max in bed per night. Don't sleep late, even if you've had a terrible night's sleep. Your body should get used to the sleeping hours, and routine. Also make sure you are physically active during your 'awake' times to help induce sleep.

 

[anthony]

I'm with Murphy... spot on the money to my research on sleep as well.

 

[Jade-]

I think routine with sleep is very important

I'm sure a routine would be beneficial. But when I crash and sleep 10-12 hours, I don't wake up at all, not even with alarms. I'm dead to the world.Then the cycle starts over and I'm back to not sleeping or not getting much sleep at all until the next crash.

But maybe if I start a routine, I won't crash like that anymore. It's worth a try.

 

[Brontie]

I don’t sleep much, three maybe four hours a night. That’s why you might find me on here at all hours. Then, yes, every couple of weeks or so I crash for about twelve hours. And when I awaken I feel like I’ve been travelling instead of sleeping.

 

[cherryblossom]

But maybe if I start a routine, I won't crash like that anymore. It's worth a try.

Definitely worth a try. Work on hours that suit you. For example, only allow yourself to be in bed from 11pm to 8am. Keep the same routine, whether you sleep or not. After a week or 2 you should see results. Whilst I've been off work these are hours I've stuck to and it has helped. Getting up by 8 am every day, and not taking any naps. Occasionally, I've slipped from this routine, and generally feel worse for it, instead of better.

 

[TLight]

I went untreated for decades and just tried to struggle through, still upper lip thing. I didn't get a decent nights sleep for over 7 years. No deep sleep. I too hallucinated and my nerves are still shot..........fibro and cfs.

I would never go off my meds that make me sleep.....that was a horrific time in my life.

 

[TryingtoHelp]

Have you ever tried reflexology? It worked wonders for me in helping return my sleep patterns to normal.

I battled a terrible sleep disorder for about a decade and after trying almost every type of therapy without much luck, I got some remarkably good results by trying this simple at-home reflexology treatment. It's so simple, the first time I tried it, I didn't even think it had done anything till I went to sleep that night. That one quick session of pushing on my pituitary points of each big toe gave me the most beautiful eight hours of sleep I had had in years. It didn't completely cure my sleep problems, but now when I wake up in the middle of the night, I'll try this technique, and it generally works like a charm. Here's a link to a blog that tells you how to do it: [DLMURL]http://solework.wordpress.com/2007/11/14/reflexology-and-the-pituitary-gland/[/DLMURL]

Recently a coworker who had served in the infantry told me that he was waking up about a dozen times a night and couldn't get a decent night's sleep, no matter what he tried. I told him about this technique, and it worked great for him, as well. I'm very curious to see if it helps any other PTSD sufferers (my sleep disorder wasn't caused by PTSD, but I think it could share some similarities to the sleep problems folks on this message board suffer from).

One tip I've discovered is that the first few times you try this, you may feel a bit sick the next day. Apparently that's because the pituitary has been kicked back into gear and it's doing it's job again. So your body goes through a bit of a detox. Anyway, I've found that taking vitamin C the next day helps keep you from feeling sick the next day.

Let me know if this helps! I'm really curious whether it will work for others...

 

[Jade-]

I have been going to bed at the same time each night and getting up at the same time each morning. I still feel tired, but I do feel much better than what I did. Hopefully I can keep up with this new routine and eventually have some sort of normal sleep pattern.

 

[cherryblossom]

Yay Jade - nice one!!! I think it takes a bit of time to get used to your new routine. Also different people need different amounts of sleep. I think 8 hours is 'average'. But, if you continue to feel tired, you might want to try gradually increasing the time that you allow yourself in bed. So if you currently have 8 hours in bed, maybe increase it to eight and a half for several weeks and see how that goes. Eventually, you will find the right amount of sleep for you..... you just need to be patient and try each time increment for long enough to be able to tell what feels better for you. (A bit like a science experiment!)

But good for you - I'm impressed!!