Sleep

I have a really hard time going to sleep at night, its hard to explain but i'll try. Whenever i turn off the t.v. or radio my mind goes crazy, stupid thoughts and situations run through my mind for no apparent reason, i've tried focusing on one thing and trying to clear my mind but it doesn't work. I've tried leaving the television on but it distracts me also. My current solution is staying up all night every other night so that i'll be exausted the next. (i know this is not good)

I've begged my mom to take me to the doctor but she doesn't understand my situation, i can't tell her that i've been depressed for two years, or how much i hate myself, she thinks that in order to be depressed that there needs to be a reason. I thought this myself for a long time until i found this website.

Can anyone give me advice, or relate?

yeah i can relate to your sleep problems...i go to bed at 7 or 8 am now and then sleep all day if i have nothing on, or if i have to get up i just go without sleep - or like 2 or 3 hours.
i just get massive anxiety about sleeping. i've had times when i was really stressed about stuff which stopped me from getting to sleep and i would lie there all night not being able to stop thinking...and now that anxiety has trasnsferred itself to anxiety over sleeping itself even when i have nothing else to stress about. because i am so worried about getting a good nights sleep this stops me from going to sleep. it's horrible. whenever i try and plan to go to bed early my body just fills with adrenaline even if i'm dead tired - it driveds me insane.
sleep deprivation sux. it has completely fuked with my uni schedule - i miss so much class because of it. sleeping during the day means you get less sunlight which makes depression worse, but then going without sleep is so painful. i just used to take sleeping so much for granted and now i realise how lucky i was.
i take valerian tablets(a herbal remedy - u can get it from the chemist) which sometimes helps(taking calcium foods/supplements around bedtime is meant to be good). meditaion and breathing and relaxation excercises also help but sometimes i just can't be bothered with these if i'm already depressed.
anyway you just have to get to the root of your anxiety which is easier said than done.
are you able to see a psychologist?cuz this would help sort out the anxiety and depression.
i strongly reccomend giving meditation a go too - if you can find a place that runs classes.
hope it makes u feel better tht ur not the only one

riverbelow said:

I have a really hard time going to sleep at night, its hard to explain but i'll try. Whenever i turn off the t.v. or radio my mind goes crazy, stupid thoughts and situations run through my mind for no apparent reason, i've tried focusing on one thing and trying to clear my mind but it doesn't work. I've tried leaving the television on but it distracts me also. My current solution is staying up all night every other night so that i'll be exausted the next. (i know this is not good)

I've begged my mom to take me to the doctor but she doesn't understand my situation, i can't tell her that i've been depressed for two years, or how much i hate myself, she thinks that in order to be depressed that there needs to be a reason. I thought this myself for a long time until i found this website.

Can anyone give me advice, or relate?

Click to expand...

i can totally relate to that...as soon as all the distractions are shut off...and i try to go to sleep, i start worrying and stressing about all of the shit i have going the next day...and watch the clock...can't sleep..especially if i have to work the next morning, or have an appointment or something, it's worse 8O ....i think it's a good thing you want to go to the doctor..maybe your Mom will take you to the doctor if she thinks you have another reason to go..even if you have to kinda make something up....then you can bring up this issue to the doctor also? :wink:

one more thing - excercise really helps you sleep better.
days when i excercise i find i have less trouble getting to sleep than when i've been inactive. if you try and do an hour of really intense excercise evryday or as much as you can this might help.
also keeping yourself mentally stimulated helps- like not stressing about your problems but being engaged in ideas outside of yourself.
when i have really interesting conversations, or am just working really hard on an assignment, or reading alot, this makes me so mentally exhausted that even if i am stressed i sleep better than when just focusing on my own problems.
also iwent to the doctor about insomnia and was prescribed sleeping tablets(which are also used as antidepressants), and while they do just make you conk out, i always felt really wierd the next day.
and i found it impossible to get up the next morning because they make you want to sleep too much. so i would suggest herbal remedies are better than drugs.
hope this helps.

I agree..... I feel like inhibited during the day....even though on the inside my minds going 100 miles an hour, and so I guess I dont exert enough energy to make me tired....cause then at night im not tired at all. And not getting sleep that night affects me during the next day....its like a vicous cycle.

My problem is that I have no trouble sleeping, but staying asleep. I have been dreaming a lot, which is common with depression. Dreaming releases huge amounts of stress hormones. The brain will signal you to wake up if you are dreaming too much to prevent this. No matter what time I have been going to bed, I have been waking up around 3 am. The only benefit is that I get a bunch of stuff done around the house before I have to go to work at 7am. But I end up being tired throughout the day.

I have the same problem. Especially sinced i worry about school constantly, i mostly end up falling asleep much MUCH to late. I wished i could just leave the damn place to get my peace

if you have trouble sleeping when theres no so called
"distractions" and its completely quiet i have a suggestion for you.

I have a fan in my room that works every night all year long.

The little/medium sound does wonders for me.
Without it i take much longer to go to sleep.

some people may see this as something i shouldnt rely
on but why not...? i can use it every night if i want to, except on some occasions im not at home.

let me know it helps you.
i think youll be surprised alot.
just my opinion.

Michel

I have problems sleeping aswell. Sometimes not going to bed until 6 or 7am. I figured it's probably stress and depression.

The television and radio bothers you whether they're on or off? Have you tried getting one of those cds that play soothing sounds like ocean waves and soft melodies to help people sleep? I've been thinking of trying one myself.

Don't be afraid to visit the doctor in spite what you're mother may think... it's your health... maybe try going on your own if it's too much of a problem?

Edith said:

I got 3 hrs of sleep 3 nights ago.

Click to expand...

Well you may have sleep problems but you certainly do seem to have a surprising resistance to sleep deprivation as well.. I mean almost *four* days without sleep, and you come here writing this perfectly reasonable post, without even a typing error or a grammar mistake, only complaining that you are "exhausted"! I think most people would barely be able to stand...

Anyway, one thing that I found helpful when trying to sleep, is to lower the temperature in the room. It must not be too cold of course, but slightly below comfort level. It's a bit unplesant at first, but I noticed my body slowly adapts by apparently slowing the metabolism a little, and making me feel drowsy. Also I avoid eating right before going to bed.

After all, it is well known among mountaineers that extreme cold and exhaustion can easily make a person fall asleep in the most dangerous situations, where he/she would (and should!) normally be fully alert.

Edith said:

Every essay or assignment that I have ever done in my 5 years of highschool, and my 4 years of University has been done last minute the night before on very, VERY little sleep (and my grades have always been good). Its as if I'm incapable of doing it any other way. 8O

Click to expand...

Same here, although in my case it has to do with a total inability to deal with my responsibilities and the related tendency to postpone until the very end.
Were I to be given a death sentence ever in the future, I would probably find myself still compiling the list of my last wishes as the shooting squad gets in position

I have a really broken sleep pattern. I tried taking sleeping pills and that wouldn't work. I average maybe about 4-5 hours of sleep a night. Then there's times that I would sleep for like 4 hours during the day. Earlier, I got drunk and I slept at around 8:30 pm and I woke up at 1:30 am and i've been up ever since.

Sleep is very important for everyone, I know you all know but what you are doing to get a good night sleep??? Do you know that bed room is only for sleep and sex? If you want to get good sleep then stop watching TV in the bed room, don't work on bills in the bed room. The light in the bedroom should be dim. The light may disturb sleep as it falls directly on the eyes. If lights from surrounding are disturbing, use curtains for the windows to block the light. do you believe there are 101 ways to get good night sleep

David.