simply sleepless

[simon]

Help, how does the sleepless find sleep? I only get 3 or 4 hours a night and I am driving my roomate crazy, but I don't have 40 bucks to go to health services. Anybody have a tried and true method?:(

[amuse]

yes, but it's miserable.
a wet (but rung-out), cold washcloth on one's belly. i got this tip from an edgar cayce book years ago, and have tried it twice on myself, once on my boyfriend. for some unknown reason it brings exhaustion on, but it's rather gross to wake up with a lukewarm wet cloth on one's tum. i remember waking up briefly; it felt so gross and i staggered to the hamper to get rid of it.
warm milk and honey? unless warm milk turns your tummy into a food processor complete with razor-sharp blades.
i had a homeopathic remedy i tried one time. it contained hops and chamomile. plus, i had chamomile tea before i slept. the next morning i was so tired i felt drugged. never again!
a weird method, but if you can manage it, dreaming before falling asleep works nicely. plus it's fun.

[Koa]

Aaaw I have times of sleeplessness too... which is annoying cos I'm too tired to do anything so I get bored... In the past days I've been waking up like at 4 or 5 and havent been able to fall asleep again...until later in the morning when I could, but then my neighbours started screaming/drilling/hammering...:mad: So last night I had I think 3 or 4 hours of good sleep, plus a few hours of bad sleep. I often sleep quite a lot, but not good sleep so I'm tired anyway... And chamomile has the opposite effect on me! :D
The wet thingy remedy sounds a bit weird...
Well I jut have a ****ing sleep rhtyhm, it takes me ages to fall asleep when I go to bed, and light disturbs me a lot... When I was a baby I woke up every night at 1:15 and my mum wanted to throw me out the window!!! :D

[Koa]

Hey wow I've been censored! :D I don't even remember what I put there, but I dont think it was something that ended with -ing... screwed maybe?

[amuse]

i can't figure out what you said either! have been trying to while reading other new posts.
and yes, the wet thing is awful. my theory is the belly is so cold that all this blood and warmth rushes to it and knocks one out, but it's frankly gross.
and chamomile puts me to sleep like - snaps fingers - that, so i can't use it...usually end up sleeping between 1 and 3 a.m.
i like your idea, den. my history book was guaranteed to give me a nap last semester - once even dreamt of telling my professor that...

[den]

amuse ... you have heard of this prank you can do to people, while they sleep, put their hand in a bowl of water? :D :D :D you know what happens? Well, while your wet blanket idea may work for you, I can imagine it may have some not so wanted affects for some :p

[amuse]

den, oh no (tee hee hee) - you're so right, i'd forgotten!!!:D lol

[kilted exile]

Go on a 3 mile jog before going to bed, that way you exhaust yourself enough that you can fall asleep without any problem

[simon]

Hey guys,
Thanks for the advice, I'm not so sure about the wet towel thing, it sound like a gross feeling to wake up to. But, fortunately I was able to sleep until 11 this morning, after a night of margaritas. Part of my sleeping problem is probably not solvable while living in the dorms though, but I need sleep for upcoming exam finals, I've got one on friday.
I definetly plan to go running before bed though, that's a good idea, thanks kilted exile.
Who censor's the posts and why? Are all posts actually read?

[Shea]

There's an automatic censor that eliminates offensive words (though in some cases it censors the wrong thing)

Sometimes I wish I had your problem. I think I'm a bit anemic, I can sleep for hours and hours. I once slept for 20 hours straight! My mom's the complete opposite. She takes Kava-kava (a vitamin) or drinks camomile tea. Though, when I donate blood, it seems to make me even more sleepy (I don't do that often). :)

[Sancho]

I’m a bit of an insomniac myself Simon. Although, I’ve gotta say, I sleep like a baby when I’m in Canada. Something to do with that cold dry air you guys have up there.

I’ll give you the same lousy advice my Grand-pappy gave me a while back: he said, “Sancho, you got your AM beverage, and you got your PM beverage.” (meaning, of course, coffee and beer) “If you ever mix those two up – something’s going wrong in your life.”

I’ve probably broken both of those rules at one time or another.

[IWilKikU]

Sleep is for the frail and the infirm. Embrace your insomnia! Don't fight it!

[simon]

Consider embracement successfully completed. Bring on the delirium.

[Dyrwen]

Carpe Noctum.

Use your insomnia to read with, educate yourself with the new time you have as others sleep. Might as well have an advantage to your sleeplessness.

[subterranean]

Here's what I do to solve this problem..i burnt incense..yes that aromatic stick can be very helpfull. Certain special odor can really put you to sleep, and it's 100 safe.

I also have sleeping problem, I mean i sleep too darn much..how to cure this anyway?

[subterranean]

But anyway, don't try too hard..sometimes the best way to handle thing is to accept it the way it is

[Isagel]

Hello Simon!

In my work I meet a lot of people that have problem with sleeping. One thing that might help is to check how much coffee, the or Coca cola (or anything else with caffeine - is that how you spell i?) you drink. Try to not drink anything with caffeine for a couple of days. If you have a habit of drinking alot of this stuff you might get a headache for a couple of days from caffeine abstinense. When your not “addicted” to it any more you can drink some – but never after dinnertime. Caffeine also raises anxiety levels - so the combination of studying al night for an exam and drinking coffee/energy drinks is really not a good combo. Hot milk with honey works, something to do with hormones. Breathing exercises for relaxation might work. In Sweden there are cd´s with exercises you can buy – there probably are in Canada as well. There are a lot of selfhelp books in the librarys and pages on the internet.

Most of the time sleeping problems are not harmful at all, even if it feels really bad. When your body needs sleep in order to not get hurt you will sleep, wether you want it or not :-). But if none if the advice given works, and you can´t find anything that causes your sleep problem (such as living in a noisy student dorm) it might be good to consult a doctor. Feel free to PM me if you want.

Love, Isagel

[Shea]

Originally posted by subterranean
Here's what I do to solve this problem..i burnt incense..yes that aromatic stick can be very helpfull. Certain special odor can really put you to sleep, and it's 100 safe.

I also have sleeping problem, I mean i sleep too darn much..how to cure this anyway?

Lavender is a great relaxing scent. I read somewhere of a public speaker who used to daub lavender water on a handkerchief and smell it before she got on stage to calm her nerves.

Sub, if you ever find the cure for your sleeping problem, let me know. My husband gets really annoyed with me when I sleep through my alarm. I just don't hear it! I've even heard of Isagel's cure for insomnia so I do the opposite. I drink entirely too much coffee. Even if I have a few cups right before going to bed, it doesn't phase me.

[Isagel]

Hello Shea!
I do not know how much you sleep. If you can sleep as much as you want - how much do you sleep? Different people need different amounts - between 8-10 hours might be considerd "normal". If you do not wake up by your alarm clock you probably do not get enough sleep on a regular basis compared to what you need. Do not drink coffee - it´ll just ruin your sleep rythm and make your sleep less effective.

For all the women here that feel tired I would advice to check the iron level of the blood. It is very usual with low levels, that might make you drowsy and give you problems with concentration, as well as making it easier for you to get colds.
Oh, and that coffee (and thea) "eats" iron.

Oh - now I´m starting to sound like a doctor. Sorry :-).
I´ll just get back to work.

[Shea]

I know my iron level is way down, and I know that I need to drink less coffee, but I tend to be even more tired without it. I go on binges, I'll drink coffee mostly during semesters but when there's a break, I tend to drink herbal teas. There are times when I just need something hot to drink because I get cold a lot.

Sadly I don't have time to sleep for what my body apparently needs. On my days off I can sleep 12+ hours easy. Who has time for that!:(

[amuse]

not to be a pain in the tukus, but would you consider taking an iron supplement? please!!! :)

(also, it might be a good idea to get a panel done (iron, hematocrit, hemoglobin, platelet count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate...) so your doctor can determine if you have anemia, and if so what kind.)

[simon]

It's odd but I don't drink any coffee, which is a real accomplishment, or any kinds of soda, instead I am a hot chocolate addict. I've been running before bed and then coming back and drinking tea which seems to have helped (I also turned in that huge research essay). My neighbor has the same problem as Shea and Sub, she sleeps all the time, and she went to the doctor and they gave her iron supplements and various kinds of vitamins, but she still sleeps constantly.

[amuse]

did she get a comprehensive panel? and malaise doesn't nec. have to be due to anemia, that's just a good place to start. but anemia doesn't have to be iron related, either; there are various types.

[subterranean]

Originally posted by Shea
Sub, if you ever find the cure for your sleeping problem, let me know. My husband gets really annoyed with me when I sleep through my alarm. I just don't hear it! I've even heard of Isagel's cure for insomnia so I do the opposite. I drink entirely too much coffee. Even if I have a few cups right before going to bed, it doesn't phase me.

I will shea..and let me knoe too if you find the cure for our sleeping problem..The thing is i feel like i have wasted so many times coz of it..sometimes few pages already put me too sleep. and I get tired of coffee, didnt work either and i get nervous coz of it...

[imthefoolonthehill]

tried and true: get online and chat with friends and post on literature forums until you pass out on your keyboard.

[Sancho]

Fool, you are wise. Hey that didn't sound right.

Simon, you may consider running in the morning as opposed to before bed. If I run in the morning, I feel great all day; if I run in the evening it takes me at least 4 hours to wind down enough to get to sleep.

[Sancho]

Shea, I’m with amuse. Get some iron. In the last year of her life, my mother went from a relatively lofty 5’2” to around 4’4” due primarily to osteoporosis which lead to some very painful compression fractures in her vertebrae. She was only 59. She told me that if she could pass anything along, it would be to tell every woman to get a bone density check early, and to keep their iron intake up.

[imthefoolonthehill]

ouch.

[simon]

Same thing is happening to my Grandma, and it seems as though every week she breaks her hip again.

[Sancho]

"No one gets outta here alive"

--Jim Morrison

[simon]

So why waste time sleeping?

[emily655321]

Live fast, die young, and leave a beautiful corpse -- but only as a last-resort alternative. (Anyone care to join me?)

[amuse]

wow, simon. sorry to hear that about your Grandma. and take your calcium, girls.

[Shea]

Believe it or not, I do have iron supplements in my pantry and I take them as often as I can. But unfortunately, trying to keep routines for me is hopeless. I can't take pills on an empty stomach and I don't always get the chance to eat breakfast because of oversleeping. Later in the day, I usually forget. It's a really frustrating vicious cycle.:mad: :mad: I've been wanting to take my vitamin C more often too. I really hope I woke up with allergies this morning and not another headcold!:(

[emily655321]

They've done studies on 'alternative medicine' and found that, while foods with high levels of vitamin C help fight off colds, vitamin C supplements do nothing. It may have something to do with other things in the foods activating the vitamin C, or that foods that tend to be rich in it have other cold-fighting properties.

Anyway, skip the pills, eat an orange, girl -- that'll solve both your problems. :p

[Shea]

Works for me, I love oranges (grew up with them here in Florida, ya know!) :)

[Shea]

I should probably resume drinking my rose hips tea. That also has a lot of vitamin C.

[Koa]

Originally posted by Dyrwen
Carpe Noctum.

Use your insomnia to read with, educate yourself with the new time you have as others sleep. Might as well have an advantage to your sleeplessness.

That's the frustrating part... I hate it when I can't sleep cos it's such a waste of time since I'm too tired to do anything but still can't use that time to refill my batteries...

As for coffee, I don't drink any but one of my friends gets total insomnia if she drinks coffee even many hours before going to sleep...and she loves coffee! (and I hate to be a pain but I'm sure that Italian coffee is waaaay more concentrated than what most of you are used to...)

I've sometimes done it the fool's (as in foolonthehill) way: chat and forum till death! :D

...welcome to the medical thread!!! (that's what I felt while reading through it! ;))

[simon]

medical thread of virtuous aclaim
find a place for sleepless blame

[imthefoolonthehill]

the best oranges I have ever tasted were shipped straight from Florida to Idaho... Those were SOOOOO good... I would rather have one of those oranges than any tasty dessert.

[subterranean]

Originally posted by imthefoolonthehill
tried and true: get online and chat with friends and post on literature forums until you pass out on your keyboard.

Well then after that i'm going to have eye problem..starring the screen for hours :o

And I dont know more iron could put you too sleep?!

[Shea]

Originally posted by imthefoolonthehill
the best oranges I have ever tasted were shipped straight from Florida to Idaho... Those were SOOOOO good... I would rather have one of those oranges than any tasty dessert.

Oranges are probably the only reason why I would like living in Florida. I can't wait till we get the chance to plant some orange and grapefruit trees in our backyard!:D

[Sancho]

I'm gettin' hungry. Gotta stick up for my state, how 'bout PEACHES.

[emily655321]

LOL. Okay, then, I guess I'm obliged to speak in favor of Massachusetts -- how about Chickadees? (Bet they have a lot of iron in 'em.) :p

[simon]

I live for florida grapefruits, but customs doesn't appriciate the transfer of fruit products from the US. But since when has the government been able to stop the individaul appitite?

[imthefoolonthehill]

GO POTATOS

[emily655321]

Oh goodness, a laugh and a half. I love it when things get off track. What was going on before we got into regionally iconic foods? Oh, oranges. I got nothing against oranges. (Wait, the orange topic is my fault, isn't it?)

[amuse]

I'll do California (nearly all fruits) and PA: cherries!

[emily655321]

How come Mass. is only known for apples when they're cooked in some kind of pastry? What, no other state can pulverize and overspice their apples? :p

[kilted exile]

It's better to be known for pulverised and overspiced apples, than deep-fried mars bars and haggis

[Stanislaw]

That is a good point, who would honestly eat that?

[emily655321]

Texans deep-fry everything too, don't they? It's kind of like the southern equivalent of chocolate-fonduing everything.

[verybaddmom]

I have to say that i had my first taste of haggis at the Robbie Burns supper i attended in January....no offense to Scotland or anything related...but ugh, what were they thinking????
The rest of the meal was wonderful though.

Having grown up in the Okanagan Valley (BC) I was totally spoiled with fresh fruit available at virtually no cost all the time: peaches, pears, apples, cherries and so on. There were always neighbors with different fruit trees trading off bins and bins of fruits and veggies. And then the canning, freezing, baking....bliss (I wanna go home!)

I think rather than eating all those wonderful fruits, if one wants a better night's sleep, one would be better off spending an afternoon harvesting said fruits. that'll do you in!

[simon]

Anybody every heard of deep fried pickles? Lousianna.

[emily655321]

Eeeeeeewwwwww. That's all I can say: Eww.

Anyone ever heard of a "chip buddy?" (You must have, kilted exile.) They always had them for lunch at my dad's work in Scotland. I think it's something like a hamburger roll with lard and french fries (the big chippy kind). Now, that's good home cooking *puke*

[amuse]

ah, but how about scrapple? :D
pork hearts here, pork butt there...

*tries not to barf

[amuse]

*nearly fails

[verybaddmom]

chip butty, yes yes i have heard of them....and also bacon butty.
butty is the british slang for sandwich
(I used to live with a guy from Manchester)
chuddy is the slang for gum.
bog roll for toilet paper.
so many gooders, there just isnt enough time!

how did this thread go from "I can't sleep" to "I've lost my appetite forever"?

[emily655321]

Pork butt's just ham. I don't eat pork though, piggies are just way too smart. I stick to tuna and deli turkey for my protein. Which means it's been about a week since I've had anything but toast or rice krispies to eat :o Don't tell mother.

[emily655321]

LOL ohhh I'd never seen it spelled. Well, that makes a hell of a lot more sense.

Loss of sleep and loss of appetite... let's see, what necessity for life shall we scare out of people next? Anyone? Anyone?

[verybaddmom]

um. not a good plan at the end of the semester...wait till after finals.
i mean, really, emily...what a waste of money!
;)

[emily655321]

Tsk tsk tsk I'm so extravagant. *Reassociate, damn you, brain -- Frontal Cortex wants to have a turn making decisions!* :D

[simon]

Jus give her

[Shea]

Speaking of disgusting foods, anyone ever heard of Black and White pudding? My sister got tricked into eating it when she visited Ireland. I don't remember any of the ingredients except pig's blood.

[kilted exile]

Originally posted by Shea
Speaking of disgusting foods, anyone ever heard of Black and White pudding? My sister got tricked into eating it when she visited Ireland. I don't remember any of the ingredients except pig's blood.

Black pudding is basically congealed pigs blood, I know it doesnt sound very nice, however it tastes brilliant especially with HP sauce. Many a saturday after getting my head kicked in playing rugby I would eat black pudding and potato scone sandwiches (getting hungry just thinking about it.)

[Shea]

I guess I just have a hard time getting around the blood thing. Then again, my sister is a sort of psychologically picky eater. She stopped eating mid-way through a dinner of venison when my uncle mentioned Bambi.

[simon]

But how does bloodpudding taste?

[emily655321]

Aww Shea, she's less finicky than I am. I think "Bambi" the second I even hear the word venison. Never taken one bite of anything but cow, pig, chicken, turkey, or fishy things. Now I don't even do cow and pig.

[simon]

The best part of Bambi is when his mother dies and daddy comes up behind him and says, "Your Mother can't be with you now". Rewind, play again.

[amuse]

WHAAAA :( :( :(
*in tears)

[IWilKikU]

Blood pudding is good. So is hagas. Yum.

[Lara]

Blech!

[EAP]

Talking of sleep, I spent my first sleepless night in years alternatively between reading George R. R. Martin and weeding through former post on this forum.

:( :)

[simon]

That's not a bad way to spend a sleepless night, this forum got me through the hours of quiet, trying not to disturb the sleeping roomate.

[emily655321]

I don't think I've gone to bed before sunrise since I discovered this forum. I suppose there are worse things to be doing. Nah, I should be sleeping.

And by the way, simon -- he says "Your mother cannot be with you any longer." :p (Haven't seen it since I was like 7, but that is burned in my brain.)

[simon]

Thanks for setting me straight, I used to watch it when I was sick and I always rewound and watched that part twice, for some reason it made me laugh, and still does.

[emily655321]

Well, I won't be the pot calling the psyche black. ;) We all have our dysfunctions. Who's to say which is sicker? Funny, though, my one memory of watching Bambi is also of rewinding (I'd keep pausing during the scene when he was curled up in a little thicket with his mom and see how pretty a picture I could make. Some amazing painting in that movie.)

[Avalive]

The true therapy is to find the pathogeny of your sickness. If there is no certain reasons. Let time cure it.

[simon]

Who needs to cure their disfunctions, bring on the unique quirky assets of individuality.

[verybaddmom]

hurrah~ simon. i second your motion (if that was actually a motion!)

[emily655321]

Provided your dysfunctions are merely quirky and not harmful to yourself or others, I heartily agree.