Sick of this!

2 of the last 3 Nights I've slept ABYSMALLY.  Not happy about it at all.  The first was Wednesday night.  I have a feeling its cause I played basketball with my church from 9 to 10 P.M(you know how they say not to exercise close to bed) but I'm FURIOUS because everyone else I know slept and this is something I'm not willing to give up doing.  I Didn't sleep even 1 minute that night.  If I did then it was the most shallow and shitty sleep in the world and it SUCKED having to wake up at 7 and go to work and try to function(HAHA yeah right).  So cause I slept like shit on wednesday night, I slept like a baby on Thursday night but  I made a mistake and accidentally had my alarm clock on vibrate so I slept in till 10:30(12 hours of sleep).  So Friday night I didn't sleep at all (maybe cause of the sleeping it but still, not being able to fall asleep at some point really?) and had to get up at 7 for my 2nd job of being a junior jazz referee.  This is a job no one else will do so I'd never get fired but any other job and I'd be fired.  It's just ridiculous trying to function on no sleep.  I can't handle jobs where you have to pay attention to a billion details(which unfortunately is most jobs) on no sleep.  My problem is this has been going on for years and it's not like I just had a bad night...I've had a bad 5 years.  I'm a health freak but i'm considering just caffining or eating tons of candy on days I didn't sleep or else I'll never be able to do a job well.  Even if I don't fired, it's a matter of pride and I feel like I'm wasting my time and everything if I'm not doing a good job.  But wow, these last 3 nights SUCKED.   

Replies

LittleSadie
LittleSadie

Yeah, your sleep sounds really out of whack. What do you do on those nights that you don\'t sleep at all? Do you get up again or just lay there? I know you\'ve told me you don\'t take prescription sleep aids, and that you didn\'t like Ambien. I don\'t like Ambien either, but there are a lot of other medications out there that help sleep. Do you ever take Z-Quill or melatonin or herbs or anything?
SlayerEnraged
SlayerEnraged

I mostly lay in bed trying to rest. Eventually i\'m so awake I check the clock just cause I can\'t help it. Then I pretty much fake sleep(laying in bed resting). I\'m so awake sometimes that I actually get hungry or thirsty. I\'ve noticed if I can\'t fall asleep then I almost always am up at 3 or 4 in the morning eating something. I think when I\'m awake but trying to sleep my body knows its awake and gets hungry every few hours like you do when you\'re awake. I\'m not taking anything currently. I have some plain OTC melatonin I was thinking of trying again. I don\'t know really what to do at this point. I don\'t even know who I should see at this point: a counselor or a sleep therapist or even what specifically. I have those 5 free sessions but like I said, i\'m not even sure who/what would be the best help at this point. Those free sessions are the only thing I can do but I\'m not sure who to see. My parents told me no more doctor visits. They seem to think people just get over it or learn to live with it. I will admit it seems like I struggle dealing with it more than other people. I\'m not sure if it\'s because mines more chronic(worse and it\'s been going on longer) or if they just caffeine the crap up to make it through their day.
LittleSadie
LittleSadie

Here\'s a few things you could try to make you sleepier: Z-Quill works really good. But absolutely do not take more than it says to or you will feel really weird and awful. Benadryl works sometimes, but you can\'t take it too often or you build up a tolerance to it. And never take it with Z-Quill. There\'s a tea by a company called Yogi, get the Bedtime one. Use 2 teabags, it will make it super-strong. It will make you really drowsy. But drink it right before you go to bed, or even if you wake up in the middle of the night, it would be ok because it\'s just herbs. It has all organic herbs like Valerian, St. John\'s Wort, and eleven other herbs. If you can\'t find that particular brand, there are many other sleepy-time teas. Just makes sure it has Valerian in it. Also, pop a melatonin tablet around bedtime, that could help. But don\'t take more than 5 mg. Oh, and make sure to take vitamin D (I take 2000IUs a day and take a magnesium supplement (citrate not oxide) every day. If you are deficient in either of these vitamins, you may be prone to insomnia. Let me know if any of those things help. Then, if none of those things work, it will indicate to you that you may need more of a prescription sleep aid. Also, go to one free therapist visit, tell them the general picture of what your problems are. See what they recommend for you. They will probably just be a gateway person who can refer you to more specialized counselors or doctors. Get info, write down names and numbers of what they recommend. Then share that with your parents. Maybe if a counselor recommends it, they will be more persuaded to assist you.