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The "I can't sleep" megamerged insomnia thread

do not stay in bed if you cant sleep. if you're not asleep after about 20mins, get up. staying in bed anxious and awake can actually make things worse.

usually, i stay in very dim light and make a cup of horlicks in warm milk if i cant sleep.

try reading. in dim light. yes, i know its bad for your eyesight. but it makes you sleepy quick. i also find if i lie on my side, propped up on one arm with the book on the couch next to me... the angle of reading on a downward angle like that makes my eyes feel really sleepy. it's the only position that will make me fall fast asleep on my book!

when in bed, try listening to your breathing. i find especially when i lie on my back this helps. i try to control my breathing and make longer and deeper breathes each time. by listening to yourself breathe you tend to take less focus of the other things your mind wont shut up about.

try releasing tension in your body. clench all your muscles as hard as you can. now, i mean all of them.. and you cant do this really. clench up your legs and butt and concentrate on getting every single muscle and as tight and hard as you can. once you're all tight, let it all go and feel your body relax down into your matress. you feel this great sinking feeling which is really relaxing.

another thing is to think about sending all your muscles into complete relaxation. start with your toes, and relax them as much as you can. then, when they're relaxed, move to your calf muscles. and so on. again, i think this has as much to do with occupying your mind with physical relaxation and distracting it from all the stressful thoughts.

if you find yourself thinking over and over about the same things, acknowledge it. you are probably going round in the same circles over and over, i do this. i find that sometimes i can stop it by saying to myself: "okay, you just thought about this. you're going around in circles. tomorrow you will address these issues by doing this, this and this. theres nothing you can do tonight." funnily enough, sometimes this actually works!

oh well, there's some of the things i do, hope at least one can help you! i'm interested in other ppl's ideas, i'd like to know some extra tactics

i dunno what an LSAT is, but i think its important, so good luck! :)
 
A deeper method might be to consider why the LSAT is stressing you out so much, and try to let go of that stress.

Presumably, you are worried about scoring high enough to get into the school you want to go to? You've surely taken practice tests, right? So you know about how well you will do unless something seriously changes on test day. That is very unlikely. It is almost certain that your LSAT score will be about the same as your practice tests.

If the problem is that your practice test scores are not high enough to get into your chosen school (or schools) so you feel you have to do better on the real thing, that SHOULD stress you out because you probably will not do any better. Another approach might be to accept that you will probably not do any better than your practice scores and consider, if that comes to pass, how will you deal with it? If you cannot get into the schools you want, and are forced to choose a lesser school...how bad would that be? Plenty of people go to bottom-of-the-barrel law schools and still have very good careers. It is not like your life is over if you don't get into a first-tier, or second-tier law school.

If you score so low you cannot get into any law school, then maybe you are not meant to be a lawyer and this frees you to pursue another career. If this is your fear maybe you should seriously consider what you would do if you did not go to law school. Pick out your alternate, reflect on it till you see that it is not the end of the world to follow that alternate path.

Scott Adams, author of Dilbert, wrote about a test he took where he never scored very high on practice tests, but he wanted to score very high on the real thing. Every day until he got his results he visualized opening the envelope with the score and reading it and seeing the score he wanted. Taking the test, he didn't feel any better than when he took the practice tests. But later he got the exact score he had been visualizing. I'm not sure how much I credit it, but some meditative / visualization stuff might help relax you. Like, picturing yourself getting the envelope with your score, opening it, and seeing a high score, might be a relaxing exercise to do each morning or night.

~psychoblast~
 
ebola! said:
wrong forum?
Click to expand...

I thought that it might go into College section...but it's more of a thoughts and awareness question because it's sleeping technique's I'm looking for. I just thought it was important to explain why the recent anxiety.

Mods feel free to move it (like I have a say), but I just wanted to explain why I thought it should do here.

pyscho: Good news is every practice test I've taken, I've drastically increased my score. When I think about the test, I know I am going to do well...but my mind wanders and wanders and wanders all night long...then I start freaking out about how I need to get good rest in order to do well.

I really need some help on getting good rest at night...everything is in line for this test except that.

UGH!
 
wanderer21 said:
I thought that it might go into College section...but it's more of a thoughts and awareness question because it's sleeping technique's I'm looking for. I just thought it was important to explain why the recent anxiety.

Mods feel free to move it (like I have a say), but I just wanted to explain why I thought it should do here.
Click to expand...

The best place for this would be Second Opinion for future reference. :)
 
Just don't even think about sleeping. If you're tired enough, you'll sleep. If you haven't fallen asleep after 30 minutes in bed, get out of bed! Just stay up and study for your test, or read something really boring. I usually find that I get sleepy whenever I have work or studying to do. So, this is kind of like reverse psychology; if you need to sleep you won't be able to, so convince yourself that you don't need to sleep and just try to force yourself to stay awake and read your law material over and over.

If you still can't sleep, it doesn't really matter anyway. You'll just be a little more tired than usual the next day, but that's what caffeine or various amphetamines are for. =) I know this doesn't seem like much help I'm offering... but believe me, I've had insomnia for so long that 3 days up at a time barely phases me anymore, and I've gotten so used to it that I actually don't even need the normal amount of sleep, because I seem to recover energy at an unusual rate. So just forget about the sleep, and spend the extra time studying or just staying up and partying if you want. It's actually a lot of fun, if you decide to be optimistic about it. :D
 
Sex before your bedtime?

I'm totally serious. It will definately relax you int that you're mind won't be thinking about the test and hopefully, if you have a particularly lengthy session you'll be exhausted and can drift off to sleep without a hitch. And it wouldn't have to be lengthy, just something longer than a "wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am" session. Knowwhatimsayin?

Couldn't hurt to give it the old college try -wosrt that could happen is that you still dont fall asleep.
 
Ambien, god's gift to sleep.
I never can sleep anxiety and other issues, before I got on the klonopins and ambien, the only thing that really helped was valerian root. Melatonin didnt really do much fo me. But a few other idea's, as your getting ready to go to sleep lay with your feet elevated, it's supposed to reduce anxiety. Also concentrate on breathing patterns, thats supposed to help. Good luck with Law School.
 
DrEIMiller said:
Sex before your bedtime?
Click to expand...

You know, I actually thought about this!!! I'm currently celibant (self-induced) and I was thinking that my sexual frustrations were adding to all of this anxiety.

I REALLY appreciate all of your good advice on here!! Thank you for helping me!

I going to schedule a massage before the test and I'm going to try some of these methods out...if anyone else has anything else to add about this, please, please, please, help me out!!!

Also, does anyone have any information regarding caffiene and it's effects on the brain. I want to ween myself off of it before the test if it's going to give me adverse results on test day! (I probably sound crazy, but this test is driving me insane...it's go time baby!)
 
spidlsd.jpg

Spider on lsd

spihash.jpg

spider on hashish

spicaf.jpg

spider on caffeine


You can see the spider on caffeine's web looks the worst.

Caffeine effects

The following are commonly attributed to over-use of caffeine:
  1. Stimulates your heart, respiratory system, and central nervous system.
  2. Makes your blood more `sludgy' by raising the level of fatty acids in the blood.
  3. Causes messages to be passed along your nervous system more quickly
  4. Stimulates blood circulation
  5. Raises blood pressure
  6. Causes your stomach to produce more acid
  7. Irritates the stomach lining
  8. Makes digestion less effective by relaxing the muscles of your intestinal system
  9. Its diuretic effect caused increased urination
  10. Stimulates the cortex of your brain heightening the intensity of mental activity. This can result in a temporary feeling of alertness and, in the short term, banishes drowsiness and feelings of fatigue. In those who already have high levels of anxiety the heightened intensity of mental activity can produce unpleasant effects.
  11. Affects the length and quality of sleep. Heavy caffeine users suffer from sleep-deprivation because their nervous system is too stimulated to allow them deep, restful or prolonged sleep.
  12. The American Medical Journal has reported a correlation between caffeine and decreased bone density or osteoporosis in women.

    In addition to the above effects prolonged or heavy caffeine use can produce more uncomfortable experiences:
  13. `Caffeine nerves' a jittery feeling with shaking hands, palpitations, and wobbliness in the legs.
  14. Caffeine addiction which involves nervousness, irritability, agitation, headaches or ringing in the ears.
  15. Causes your adrenal glands to release their hormones into your bloodstream
  16. Causes blood sugar, or blood glucose, to be released from storage through the effects of the adrenal hormones. This gives you a temporary lift but…
  17. …requires your pancreas to over-work. This is because your pancreas now has to produce extra insulin to reduce this extra blood sugar. Once the extra insulin has 'mopped up' the extra blood sugar your temporary lift from the caffeine ends.
    [/list=1]

    Your vitality level is back to normal. However in heavy caffeine users the pancreas, in time, becomes over-sensitive and over-zealous. Now it begins producing too much insulin – it 'mops up' not just the excess blood sugar but the blood sugar you need to feel alert and energetic. The initial effect of this is a let-down effect and a craving for more caffeine to give you a further boost. A later effect can be excessive and chronic tiredness, even on waking in the morning. Some people find that many of the psychological complaints common to reactive hypoglycaemia (the emotional yo-yo effect, shakiness, palpitations, weakness, tiredness, etc.) disappear within a few days of stopping caffeine.
 
there was some sound program that seemed to work...although I work nights
and I cant seem to sleep right through the day I'll just wake up for no reason and go back to bed.

as per fight club exercise and valerian root?
never tried it. I bike to work everyday so thats bs. supposedly 5htp taken regularly may help. Some over the counter sleep meds have been effective.
For me. But I feel really drowsy in the morning.
 
exercise would be a decent idea...go for a run or something....something that ups your oxygen intake....producing a natural relaxant. I always feel mellow after a bike ride.
 
DrEIMiller said:
Sex before your bedtime?
Click to expand...

wanderer21 said:
I going to schedule a massage before the test and I'm going to try some of these methods out...if anyone else has anything else to add about this, please, please, please, help me out!!!
Click to expand...

Sounds like somebody's gonna get very lucky!!
 
Insomnia!

Well, as a result of its popularity in the Eczema thread, lets talk about insomnia! Everyone gets a bit of insomnia here and there. How do you handle it? What puts your mind to a restful state? Tried any drugs?

I find that when I go to bed, every feeling I have had from that day comes flooding back, and I lay there wide awake thinking about all this stuff. Thinking, worrying, contemplating, it all leads to a banged up sleeping regime. I've tried the natural stuff, things like Valariane (spell?) root, and evening primrose etc. Ive also tried, with success, drowsy anti-histamines, sleeping 'aids' (Restavit, Unisom Sleep Gels etc, all over the counter) and Ive also been prescribed, much to my disgust, Anti Depressants, that are apparently commonly used for people for there drowsy side effects. Common ones ive been prescribed include Allegron, Endep 10, Zoloft. Only finding out later of course that they are anti-deps, and promptly throwing them out.

Please share your restfull inducing techniques! Breathing, tea, thoughts, music, anything!

Signat

:)
 
I have a difficult time falling asleep. I actually get more wound up as the night goes on. Exercise definately helps, but with that too there is a timing issue for me. After working out I'll have 2-3 hours of fatigue. After that my energy spikes. Anyway, I'll have a vodka and sprite and an over the counter sleeping pill, or two before bed. It helps having a bed partner who can fall asleep easyily as some of that rubs off. When his breathing gets deeper I feel more relaxed. Not doing meth before bed helps too. :)
 
Re: Insomnia!

Signat said:
WI find that when I go to bed, every feeling I have had from that day comes flooding back, and I lay there wide awake thinking about all this stuff. Thinking, worrying, contemplating, it all leads to a banged up sleeping regime.
Click to expand...

Story of my life :(

I have major sleeping problems.

Take yesterday for example. I woke up at 7:30am (which I also had to do the day before, but other than those 2 days, I have not woken up that early in well over a year), worked from 9am til midnight (yup, 15 hours straight), and came home EXHAUSTED. Really I was tired all day, and guzzling energy drinks just to keep my eyes open. So you'd think I'd come right home and immediately fall asleep considering how tired I was. And even though I *felt* like I would have crashed as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was still awake for about 1+1/2 hrs. Thinking about all the errands I had to get done after work today, the bills that are due, my hectic schedule this week... and just thinking about everything that I went through during my 15 hour work day.

This happens to me quite often. I think part of the problem is that I do not have a set schedule. My work schedule changes weekly, and there really isn't much consistency in my hours other than I work A LOT... and typically more than 40 hours/week. Even my days off aren't consistent. I'm a bartender and waitress and have just now started training to be a restaurant manager (which is why I had to be up so early). I work very long days and a lot of double shifts.

What do I do to try and help myself sleep? Well I don't think there's anything I can do. On the rare occassion that I don't have to go into work til the evening, or if I'm off the next day, I'll take Tylenol PM the night before (I have trouble waking up early the day after takign Tylenol PM).

I'm open to suggestions of how to help myself get more sleep. I am tired ALL THE TIME and its getting worse now that my days are longer and I have more responsibilites at work.

Also, there are several threads on sleeping problems, which I will do a search for and link them in a minute.
 
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