13 posts shown.
Sam Wright21 said:Unless you're drinking enough to drown a horse, alcohol shouldn't be the thing wrecking your sleep. It occurs to me, though—smoking is a much more likely culprit for insomnia, since a nicotine addict is essentially going through withdrawal cycles while they try to drift off.
Haha, well, obviously. I am certainly not an alcoholic, so I doubt such conclusions are warranted, 🙂 and as for cigarettes, I have only been a smoker for about a year and a half now.. 🤷
Sean Cruz said:There isn't much anyone can do about this (I know from experience), but you might want to start by checking your hormone levels, specifically your thyroid. I'm telling you this from firsthand experience. A thyroid imbalance can cause just about anything...
Quincy:| To be honest, whenever my mom advised me to see a doctor about this, I just didn't have the nerve. I'm always terrified they'll actually diagnose me with anxiety, depression, or whatever else is out there. So instead, I fall back on the old reliable method: just smile and pretend everything is fine. It's a bad habit, I know. In fact, what I'm writing right now is only the second time in my life I've actually admitted to doing this. It clearly messes with my peace of mind; when I finally withdraw from the world and just sit with myself—sleeping is the perfect example here—that's when it becomes most obvious how much it's affecting me. |
That sounds all too familiar to me. Regardless, check your hormones first. If those come back clear, then you can start looking into other solutions. Is this sleep disturbance the only symptom you're noticing?
Well... I always think in terms of myself. I'm young, only 22, so how could something like this really affect me? But thanks for the advice! 🙂
I don't know... now I'm worried I might come across as some kind of sick person. This issue is mostly just one of the most noticeable things, and it bothers me quite a bit. I probably shouldn't say more because I don't want to end up sounding like a hypochondriac or whatever...
(and now I am doing exactly that 🙄 )
feralhound17 said:Just solve your own problem 😉
Haha, so now I'm being cast as some kind of alcoholic? 😁 No... I mean, it's perfectly normal for me to have a drink here and there... I suppose I might have misunderstood the question that was asked of me.. (now I'm coming across as a drunkard 😲 🙄 )
feralhound17 said:unknown
That could definitely be a mental health thing, but then again, maybe it’s just life circumstances shifting.
I haven't shared a bed with anyone for a few years now, and I still sleep just as poorly as I did way back in the day.
I suppose there have been some changes in my situation, though they mostly happened following my initial issue. It's been a few years since that one major shift occurred... at one point, I even tried to attribute it to that, but I don't think that's it. Honestly, there are just so many questions and answers regarding all of this, yet no actual intelligent solution seems to exist. Just... blah.
Sean Cruz said:unknown
You've clearly identified what's going on with your headspace. Is there any actual way to tackle the underlying issues that landed you here? Don't get me wrong, I'm not dismissing meditation, but I feel like when you're facing real-world problems, meditation can only take you so far. You eventually have to actually solve the problems themselves (assuming they're solvable).
I guess everything is just a bit of a vicious cycle... maybe because I am personally overwhelmed by quite a few things, or perhaps I'm just a pessimist at heart, or whatever it is. To be honest, whenever my mother suggested I see a doctor about it, I never really had the courage. I think I was always afraid they would officially diagnose me with anxiety, depression, or any of those other conditions. So, I usually just fall back on my old habit of smiling and pretending everything is fine... which is quite bad, I know. This is actually only the second time in my life that I have admitted to doing that. It clearly interferes with my peace of mind, and I suppose when I withdraw from the outside world and try to find some quiet—sleeping is a perfect example of that—then the impact becomes most apparent.
feralhound17 said:I’ve noticed I sleep way better when I’m absolutely wiped out from work or hitting the gym hard—basically, once I actually hit that REM stage.
If I’m just sleeping lightly and catching every little noise, I never wake up feeling rested. It’s like, I’d feel refreshed if I could just crash hard enough to dream and stop registering everything happening around me.
Also, I’ve realized that sticking to a strict bedtime and waking up at the same time every single day is pretty much a life-or-death matter for me.
I agree, having a set bedtime and wake-up time is incredibly vital! But, I suppose... who can actually manage that in the kind of world we live in today? 😢
Sam Wright21 said:I’ve been dealing with some pretty heavy sleep issues lately. It doesn't even feel like I'm actually sleeping; instead, it feels like I’m just trapped in a continuous loop of dreaming all night long. I wake up feeling completely battered, as if I haven't rested at all. The exhaustion is constant, and honestly, it's been dragging on for far too long.
Do you actually dream all night long? Like, do you remember the dreams? When this first started happening to me, I began looking into the science behind dreaming and found a few things... apparently, according to certain studies, we all dream every single night (often multiple times), but if we don't remember them, it means we had a deep, solid sleep. Conversely, if we do remember what we dreamed when we wake up, it suggests the sleep was quite light. I guess I've simplified and paraphrased that, but that's basically the takeaway I got.
In my case, I remember my dreams about 99% of the time. I've asked people around me about this, and some mentioned they are aware of their dreams only very rarely, maybe once every ten days or so. Have you perhaps considered seeking some professional help regarding this issue you're having?
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Sean Cruz said:A few people here have already pointed out that waking up in the middle of the night—specifically the way you described it—is usually triggered by whatever is weighing on your mind. That said, it isn't always that simple. It’s actually pretty common to wake up briefly and drift right back to sleep without an issue. But if these interruptions are genuinely messing with your quality of life, then I wouldn't call them harmless.
From what I can gather from your post, it sounds like you've been dealing with some unresolved issues stretching back over six years.
Yes, I am honestly glad that people have reached out with such a variety of perspectives and thoughts; I was worried my topic would just fade into obscurity. But, yes, more or less... for the last five years, this has been happening with my sleep. I am almost certain it is tied to my overall mental and emotional state. As I mentioned before, it isn't quite severe enough to make me feel completely lost, otherwise, I suppose I would seek medical help... but there is just this strange sensation, I don't really know how to put it into words. It is as if I am simply exhausted by the mere fact that this keeps happening to me. It feels like a tiny, nagging irritation that just won't leave me alone.
crimsonfox26 said:I get where you're coming from. But honestly, don't go making a whole production out of it if you can just toss and turn for a bit and eventually drift off anyway.
I noticed Nicholas Gonzalez8 brought up those affirmations earlier. I actually read about them in a book once, though they didn't exactly do much for me—my issues run a little deeper than that, and I'm not really in the mood to dive into all that right now.
I'm mostly just curious about the logistics of meditation. Is it better to practice during the day, or should I be doing it right before hitting the hay?
So you have similar struggles with sleeping? Well, yes, when you say your problems go deeper... it feels a bit like what I said before. It’s as if that's what causes our sleep issues in the first place. I guess I reached that conclusion through some sort of simple logic a few years ago. But, well, what can you do if certain things just can't be changed? 🤷
I suspect meditation might be helpful in any case, whether it's done in the morning, the afternoon, or in the evening.
Thank you all for the responses.. I suppose I would love to reply to everyone individually, but I just woke up after a pretty rough night (regarding my sleep, of course). I could try rewriting everything during a thunderstorm, but.. well, I am just feeling rather moody and "cranky" right now.. 😢
Regarding exercise, I have actually heard that it isn't recommended to work out within three hours of bedtime. Apparently, the body gets too "revved up" and restless, whereas a few hours before sleep, things should ideally be "winding down"..
I do agree with the idea of meditation, and the importance of "clearing" one's mind and thoughts.. though, I suppose that is easier said than done when you feel like you have a million things on your shoulders and you're just sensitive enough that everything seems to "get to you"..
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Rebecca Scott3 said:...so, how old are you?.....
...from what I can tell...and look, I’m definitely not some medical expert or anything here...just speaking from life experience...waking up suddenly like that often happens when there's underlying stress, or maybe if you aren't moving around enough during the day. It could also be something like a hormonal shift, like perimenopause or menopause for women over 40...but honestly, it could be triggered by all sorts of other things too.....
22... so far, I have only ever spoken honestly about this with my mom (she has mentioned a few times that I should see a doctor for it, but it always seemed so trivial to me, and I felt like you only go to the doctor if you are physically ill—I know, I know, I probably sound shallow right now, but...) ...even though I sleep with my boyfriend quite often, and he notices it, he keeps telling me not to worry and that it will pass... but it never seems to pass... actually, some nights of sleep are better than others, but it mostly ends up being the same... and I somewhat agree regarding the "physical activity" part, but believe me, over these last 5 or 6 years, I have had plenty of truly exhausting days, so that didn't seem to make a difference either...
I am not entirely certain if a similar discussion already exists—I did attempt to search for one, though I was unsuccessful, so I assume there isn't one... Please forgive me, as this is the very first thread I have ever started here...
Does anyone else here experience issues with sleep? Perhaps waking up frequently during the night or something along those lines...?
To give you an idea of my own situation... Sometimes I find it difficult to fall asleep, though that is actually the lesser of two concerns. For the last five or six years, I don't think there has been a single night where I haven't woken up at least two or three times—and I am not exaggerating. It seems I wake up roughly every three hours or so. Usually, I just stir in my sleep, and in about 90% of these instances, I am able to drift back off quite quickly... Additionally, I often find that if the previous day was exceptionally draining, or if I happen to go to bed quite late, I might only sleep for about four hours before I am done for the night. On those specific days, I don't really struggle with fatigue, but generally speaking, I do...
Furthermore, I do not have any psychological disorders; in fact, I have nothing clinically diagnosed (haha), though I must admit I have never actually consulted a doctor regarding this matter.
So, if anyone has had similar experiences, knows someone who has, or perhaps has some advice or even just a story to share... I would certainly welcome it...
Honestly, is this really all there is to say about Mag? It feels a bit thin...
I assume most of you have already heard about the second expanded edition of the book "Feelings. O. Memory" by Lydia Nikolic (who was one of Debbie's childhood friends). The book is quite expensive—it goes for about $90 here in the States, or maybe 40 bucks elsewhere—but I guess it’s worth every cent if you truly care about the life and work of Debbie Harry.