Sleeping

[JamesH85]

The two things that really help me sleep are exercise and reading.

Hitting the gym and doing some HiiT circuits really saps the energy from me.

I also find reading an easy way to sleep. I can usually feel my self drifting off, then it's as easy as lamp off and of to the land of nod.

You need to find a trigger that really relaxes you.

My brother listens to ASMR and ambient music. He's never slept better than when he discovered that.

 

[cliffy]

Not sure if you are allowed to say but interested to know what sleeping tablets you take please?

I struggle to get to sleep but mainly because I have a chronic condition called intersistial cystitis.

Please remove if not allowed. I take Zopiclone 7.5mg. I also take Diazepam 5mg. I want to come off them but i heard cold turkey is not a good ide and Doctor thinks i should stay on them for now a life is still a little "interesting". Been taking the Zopiclone every night for about 3 years and the Diazepam every night since lockdown begun (approx., just after). Suffered from bad depression 5 years ago which i think i have overcome but unfortunately one of my best friends killed himself leaving his wife and 2 little kiddies behind which was when i started on the sleeping tablets.

I am glad mental health is not a forbidden subject these days but i still felt a little emasculated admitting it for the first time. I worry now though that doctors seem to be handing pills out to anyone just feeling sad. I do believe these things should not be prescribed by a GP and a Psychologist / Counsellor should be the ones handling these prescriptions

 

[Alice In Wonderland]

knock one out?

Just choked on my coffee laughing!

 

[ODuffer]

My sleep has been terrible recently, the doctor prescribed 2mg Melatonin(MR). It's better than nothing... I think this is their default now,
they don't really want to prescribe anything stronger. I notice you can get similar online.

 

[Min15]

Please remove if not allowed. I take Zopiclone 7.5mg. I also take Diazepam 5mg. I want to come off them but i heard cold turkey is not a good ide and Doctor thinks i should stay on them for now a life is still a little "interesting". Been taking the Zopiclone every night for about 3 years and the Diazepam every night since lockdown begun (approx., just after). Suffered from bad depression 5 years ago which i think i have overcome but unfortunately one of my best friends killed himself leaving his wife and 2 little kiddies behind which was when i started on the sleeping tablets.

I am glad mental health is not a forbidden subject these days but i still felt a little emasculated admitting it for the first time. I worry now though that doctors seem to be handing pills out to anyone just feeling sad. I do believe these things should not be prescribed by a GP and a Psychologist / Counsellor should be the ones handling these prescriptions

I agree they do seem to hand them out very quickly nowadays. It's interesting you've been on zopiclone so long - when I was struggling on antidepressants a number of years ago my doctor prescribed me some to help but strongly advised I take them for no more than two weeks and if possible have nights off because they are so addictive - i.e use them as a very temporary measure. I'm glad he did and luckily as I say I have found audio helps me since (along with better mental health). I can still remember the metallic taste you get from taking it.

I find talking about my mental health struggles is easier when I'm very 'matter of fact' about it.

 

[Alice In Wonderland]

I agree they do seem to hand them out very quickly nowadays. It's interesting you've been on zopiclone so long - when I was struggling on antidepressants a number of years ago my doctor prescribed me some to help but strongly advised I take them for no more than two weeks and if possible have nights off because they are so addictive - i.e use them as a very temporary measure. I'm glad he did and luckily as I say I have found audio helps me since (along with better mental health). I can still remember the metallic taste you get from taking it.

I find talking about my mental health struggles is easier when I'm very 'matter of fact' about it.

It's always good to talk about mental health and share rather than bottle everything up.

I find I'm a bit like a pressure cooker and I'm much more likely to have a meltdown (I have a borderline personality disorder), if I'm left to fester and have little outside support.

Sleep is huge for me and one bad night's sleep leaves me struggling the next day with suicidal ideation.

I also have a chronic condition called intersistial cystitis which means I feel like I need the toilet all the time and have a lot of bladder pain.

This makes falling asleep a nightmare as I'm sure you can imagine!

I'm on Amitrypytaline but it leaves me with a pretty hefty hangover the next day which is challenging in itself!

So I sympathise with all of you and it's good to know I'm not alone with sleep issues!

 

[HangTime]

I sometimes split my week into 6 instead of 7, of approx. 28 hours hours per 'day'. It still works out the same number of hours which is 168.

Sun - awake from 1800 to 1600 (Monday)
Mon - skipped
Tue - awake from 0000 to 1900
Wed - awake from 0300 to 2200
Thu - awake from 0600 to midnight
Fri - awake from 0900 to 0300
Sat - awake from 1200 to 0600

Splitting the week into 6 means that I am actually tired when I go to bed and I can usually sleep and not wake up more than once. These times also fit around my work hours fine and I still get to socialise Wed/Thu/Fri/Sat. Nothing happens on Sun/Mon/Tue really!

Sounds like we are cut from the same cloth, I've often said that I want a 27hr day instead of a 24hr day because a 18hr awake, 9hr sleep cycle works best for me. The problem I find is I'm often not tired if I go to bed at the hour I need to in order to get 8-9hrs before waking.
In fact I wrote about this over 15 years ago it seems!: https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/posts/7765068

 

[silvo]

As for me, 9hr of sleep could be even too much. I wish I could sleep at least 7hr, that would be enough to feel good. Unfortunately, I sometimes have insomnia and have much less sleep.

 

[moon man]

still drop off almost instantly but if a bathroom visit is needed at 3am it will be 30 mins plus to get back again ,still on mirtazapine but on a high dose now supposed to be less sedative and more stimulant on a higher dose.
The kindle does the job though

 

[RianBB]

7-8 hours but I do have insomnia, I'll wake up wide awake from 1-4 am and stay up for an hour/half... Getting to sleep isn't usually the problem, staying asleep is. Gonna try some Canada Drugs sleeping pills. Hope they help