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Thread: Sleep Struggles!!!

  1. #41
    Formerly known as DavidJames David Bailey's Avatar
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    Re: Sleep Struggles!!!

    Quote Originally Posted by ducasi View Post
    After problems sleeping at previous weekenders, I invested in a blindfold

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    Forum Bombshell - Our Queen! Lory's Avatar
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    Re: Sleep Struggles!!!

    Quote Originally Posted by ducasi View Post
    After problems sleeping at previous weekenders,

    I always struggle to get to sleep at weekenders too..

    like you, my problems include..


    1. the lack of darkness. I'm used to sleeping with lined curtains at home and this problem is compounded at weekenders, by the fact, we usually go to bed, just as the sun's coming up

    2. although my body's completely knackered, my brain gets over stimulated and i simply can't switch off.

    3. about 15 minutes after getting into bed, my body temperature drops dramatically, so much so, that I have an absolute fit of shivering.

    4. I'm far too nosey for my own good. If someone's chatting or laughing, I can't help tuning into it

    5. Weird but I don't get much of an appetite after dancing and I don't like dancing on a full stomach, so I'm probably letting myself get too hungry.

    So, I resort to sleeping tablets nowadays but even they don't seem to work sometimes
    MODERATOR AT YOUR SERVICE
    "If you're going to do something tonight, that you know you'll be sorry for in the morning, plan a lie in." Lorraine

  3. #43
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    Re: Sleep Struggles!!!

    Quote Originally Posted by Lory View Post
    I always struggle to get to sleep at weekenders too..

    like you, my problems include..
    1. They keep playing great music, and I can't stop dancing!

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    Re: Sleep Struggles!!!

    Quote Originally Posted by SteveK View Post
    Another technique to assist with sleeping is using Melatonin - this is a hormone produced by your body during the nighttime. It's not available over the counter in the UK (prescription only unfortunately), but is really easily available in the US.
    you know, there are good reasons for that. The controls we have in Europe (either via the EMEA or the national agencies) to guarantee drugs safety are somewhat a little more stringent than those of the FDA (the US body).

    I'm certainly no doctor, but I would strongly recommend to see either a GP or a sleep disorder specialist before starting any kind of sleep medication.

    It's being a while since my last physiology course, but I remember enough to know that as pretty much any other hormon, the role of melatonin (and the way it is regulated) in the body is fairly complex. It might be ok for jet-lags issues once in a while (as it's one of its indications), but even then I wouldn't do that without resorting to medical advise first.

    More generally most of the sleep medications involve some kind of habituation to the drug, which means that not only your body might become dependent on it, but also that you might have to increase the doses to maintain the same initial effect, or move on to a stronger product to obtain the desired effect. A vicious circle that I don't think you should start unless you really, really need it (i.e. weigh carefully the benefit/risk ratio before you start...)

  5. #45
    Registered User Lynn's Avatar
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    Re: Sleep Struggles!!!

    Quote Originally Posted by Caro View Post
    More generally most of the sleep medications involve some kind of habituation to the drug, which means that not only your body might become dependent on it, but also that you might have to increase the doses to maintain the same initial effect, or move on to a stronger product to obtain the desired effect.
    Bit of a sidetrack - but can this happen with other medication? I know someone who suffers from headaches and has tried different things (pain killers, anti-imflammatory drugs - all on medical advice) and apparently they work for a while then stop working.

    Re sleep at weekenders - yep, me too. For all the same reasons (including Trampy's). Probably not a good idea to try to survive on that little sleep...

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    Re: Sleep Struggles!!!

    Quote Originally Posted by Lynn View Post
    Bit of a sidetrack - but can this happen with other medication? I know someone who suffers from headaches and has tried different things (pain killers, anti-imflammatory drugs - all on medical advice) and apparently they work for a while then stop working.
    yes it can and through various mecanisms that others on this forum are probably better placed than me to explain properly.
    It's very common with painkillers, drugs used in depression, drugs like cocaine, even antibiotics although for a totally different reason (in that case the bacteria gets used to the drug rather than your body).

    Quote Originally Posted by Lynn View Post
    Re sleep at weekenders - yep, me too. For all the same reasons (including Trampy's). Probably not a good idea to try to survive on that little sleep...
    One thing that is very important as others have mentioned is the melatonine peak that arises at night and puts you to sleep. It gets inhibited by light, especially the bright light of a sunrise (which is why, we tend to wake up in the morning - that's quite handy ). So if you want to increase your chances of getting to sleep after a whole night of dancing, I'd say in the few hours before going to bed avoid rooms that are too well lit (hence blues room should be perfect...) and avoid that morning light as much as you can - i.e. wear sunglasses when going back to your chalet. Then put on a blindfold to sleep.
    I did some work with some of our guys who work on night shift and struggled to get to sleep in the mornings, and in the end they quite liked the sun glasses option - after having well taken the **** first, as any respectable offshore macho man would do

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    Re: Sleep Struggles!!!

    Quote Originally Posted by Caro View Post
    yes it can and through various mecanisms that others on this forum are probably better placed than me to explain properly.
    It's very common with painkillers, drugs used in depression, drugs like cocaine, even antibiotics although for a totally different reason (in that case the bacteria gets used to the drug rather than your body).
    The advantage of melatonin is that is a hormone naturally produced by your body at night, so your body is used to dealing with it. I take it for jetlag for at least five days after a major time shift - it helps your body adjust to the new time zone much more quickly, but with minimal side effects. I dislike sleeping tablets as they just seem to knock me out without giving me a restful nights sleep; melatonin doesn't seem to have any residual effect the next morning. (Incidentally a distant elderly relative has been using it every night to help her sleep for many years now, so the effect may not wear off with time?)

    It's a fair comment about recommending a visit to your GP if you have a long term condition - self medication isn't necessarily the best course of action in this instance.

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    Re: Sleep Struggles!!!

    Quote Originally Posted by Lory View Post
    3. about 15 minutes after getting into bed, my body temperature drops dramatically, so much so, that I have an absolute fit of shivering.
    That temperature drop is one of the physiological precursors to sleep. Sleepmask, yes; probably ear plugs too, if you find nosiness is preventing sleep() but that should be all you need.

    Though the buzz thing is a problem. At weekenders by the time I get to bed I am so physically and mentally exhausted I'm out like a light, but I do often have a quiet sit down with a cuppa for a few minutes before crawling in...

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    Re: Sleep Struggles!!!

    Quote Originally Posted by Caro View Post
    I'm certainly no doctor, but I would strongly recommend to see either a GP or a sleep disorder specialist before starting any kind of sleep medication.
    Exactamundo.

    (Unless you're trying the herbal stuff, in which case you can probably swig it by the caseful because it has no effect other than placebo.)

    Funny though, the FDA is a bit more relaxed about pharmaceuticals but you can't make the sort of claims over there that cosmetic adverts make over here!

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    Re: Sleep Struggles!!!

    Quote Originally Posted by Caro View Post
    One thing that is very important as others have mentioned is the melatonine peak that arises at night and puts you to sleep. It gets inhibited by light, especially the bright light of a sunrise (which is why, we tend to wake up in the morning - that's quite handy ).
    Experiments have shown that melatonin production is inhibited simply by shining light at the back of the knees...that may tell us more about the experimenters, I suppose...

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    Re: Sleep Struggles!!!

    Quote Originally Posted by drathzel View Post
    Alcohol makes me sick therefore keeping me up all night.

    As a diagnosed insomniac i have learned to deal with no sleep and i mean NO sleep, i go through phases of insomnia where it will be worse than others and this can last for days, weeks or months. i would normally sleep about 4 hours a night which turns out to be handy as i have me time to read or watch tv without thinking i need to be somewhere or do something. i prefer to stay up late than go to bed early and wake up early.The earliest i have been awake was 2 am. My problem is getting to sleep and staying asleep. I often wake up twice an hour. I can completely sympathise

    I had a blissful sleep last sat night, for the first time in ages ( i actually cant rem last time) i fell asleep and woke up 6 hours later in the exact same position....it makes it all worthwhile!

    I also sleep better when i have a wolf in the bed.
    Can't comment on the wolf thing, but if you aren't feeling exhausted during the day maybe you are one of the rare people who don't need 7 hours sleep a night. If you are, of course, then it's horrible. I had insomnia when I was married and I was miserable. My dad helped by telling me what he does (which I've posted here before) rather than lie in bed worrying about not sleeping, get up, go to the living room and stretch out on a chair. If I do that I seem to fall asleep; it's like the bed causes expectations of sleep which are unsatisfied whereas the chair is just relaxing...?

  12. #52
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    Re: Sleep Struggles!!!

    Quote Originally Posted by drathzel View Post
    I also sleep better when i have a wolf in the bed.
    Wassat? Not guilty !!

  13. #53
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    Re: Sleep Struggles!!!

    Quote Originally Posted by Barry Shnikov View Post
    My dad helped by telling me what he does (which I've posted here before) rather than lie in bed worrying about not sleeping, get up, go to the living room and stretch out on a chair. If I do that I seem to fall asleep; it's like the bed causes expectations of sleep which are unsatisfied whereas the chair is just relaxing...?
    Lying in bed worrying about not being able to sleep is never a good idea. If I really can't sleep I will get up and often go and do something that I've been meaning to do, but haven't had time in the past day or so - usually some housework type stuff (quietly of course!). That way I'm not worrying about not sleeping, I feel I've done something useful, and that in itself can help me to relax and get to sleep. If I'm totally exhausted of course I will only do something very small and easy.

    Though to be honest more recently I've found its the opposite - needing lots of extra sleep, struggling to get up when its dark in the morning. But that just makes me even more anxious on those nights when I can't sleep as I know one bad night of sleep will leave me wiped out for about a week.

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    Re: Sleep Struggles!!!

    Quote Originally Posted by drathzel View Post
    As a diagnosed insomniac i have learned to deal with no sleep and i mean NO sleep, i go through phases of insomnia where it will be worse than others and this can last for days, weeks or months. i would normally sleep about 4 hours a night which turns out to be handy as i have me time to read or watch tv without thinking i need to be somewhere or do something. i prefer to stay up late than go to bed early and wake up early.The earliest i have been awake was 2 am. My problem is getting to sleep and staying asleep. I often wake up twice an hour. I can completely sympathise

    I had a blissful sleep last sat night, for the first time in ages ( i actually cant rem last time) i fell asleep and woke up 6 hours later in the exact same position....it makes it all worthwhile!

    I also sleep better when i have a wolf in the bed.
    Much sympathy to you, my dear.

    From Thursday (last week) to Monday I visited my family in Norway. The night before I left, I only managed 1 hour sleep, which is pretty normal when I'm going travelling. I just can't switch off and relax!

    The next night, despite being nearly unconscious from sleep deprivation, I again only managed 1 hour sleep. In addition to having a cold, this made me feel like death the next day.... And then I only managed about 3 hours sleep the following night! Sunday I felt more dead than alive, but didn't want to stay in bed, despite feeling awful. I tried just getting on with things, and by the time I went to bed, I was tired beyond belief. And wide awake most of the night...... In total over those 4 nights, I managed about 9-10 hours sleep.

    I managed to sleep pretty well last night, woke up a few times as usual, but managed to doze off again. But I'm still feeling awful, and just want to crawl back to bed again. Cold not helping, of course....

    I hope to get another good night's sleep tonight, to regain my sleep balance. I can only hope....

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    Re: Sleep Struggles!!!

    Well I had a bad one last night! It had all the makings of a peaceful nights sleep... great night dancing at Twickenham , a couple of vodka's in the pub after and then into bed i snuggled... and the phone rang.

    Now.... I don't have a problem with some friends calling me to carry on a conversation after midnight ('cos I never usually sleep much!) - especially when its something I want to talk about!! however when they say they will get back to me in 5.....but don't!! (Thanx foxy ) I have already started listening to LBC, got caught up in their conversation, allowed my mind to get all too active and then I got cold! then I felt hungry, then the cat drove me mad 'cos he wanted feeding (again!)....So I was finished

    I fell asleep just after 4 - to be woken up by my eldest son (8yrs) at 5.10am who had woken up upset , as he had had a nightmare that resulted in someone hitting one of our cats (George) with a big stick and George was dead!!

    And yes... it was just a dream - I hadn't hit George with a big stick!!! even though I might have thought about it several times when he just kept meowing & meowing & meowing at me to feed him in the middle of the fri$$in night!!

    So - I am not out tonight. I plan an early night - but as I have not managed to get to bed before midnight since I don't know when, who know's what time that will be!

    But the upside of never sleeping very much is....

    I get lots done
    and...
    I think a lot
    and....
    I am always able to slot in more dancing than Silver Fox & Spice 'n' easy on weekenders!! but maybe that is because the sound of them snoring in unisen is enough to wake the dead!!

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    Re: Sleep Struggles!!!

    Quote Originally Posted by Limpy Tink View Post
    But the upside of never sleeping very much is....
    I get lots done
    and...
    I think a lot
    and....
    I am always able to slot in more dancing than Silver Fox & Spice 'n' easy on weekenders!! but maybe that is because the sound of them snoring in unisen is enough to wake the dead!!
    Yep! vivid memories of June Southport 06!

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