I have been complaining about my sleeping patterns for so long now, it's not even funny. My main problem is that I cannot sleep at normal times. I don't feel sleepy until 4:00 AM and if I don't have classes or work in the morning, I wake up around three in the afternoon, often times later than that. Even if I go to bed around midnight, I still do not wake up until late afternoon. I literally have to force myself to sleep every night by either staying up until I'm too exhausted to stay awake any longer, or drink a lot of alcohol. If I work five days in a row, it's not too bad because I will at least get five hours of sleep a night, but once I have a day off, my sleeping pattern switches to nocturnal-mode again and I stay up all night and sleep during the day. I am constantly tired during the day, to the point where I can't focus fully on my job. I'm there...but at the same time, I'm not. I try to take hour-long naps during the day sometimes, but they usually don't cure the sleepiness and instead makes me very irritable. Is this just laziness on my part, or something else? Nothing I do helps, and like I said, I've tried going to bed earlier and tried to wake up at a decent time in the morning, but I'm unable to. The worst part is that these issues happen in cycles. For two weeks, I'm dealing with constant insomnia, then the next two weeks, I am sleeping for more than fifteen hours a day. For a few days after, my sleep is more normal, and then goes off-course again. It's a never-ending battle, I swear... I don't remember when all of this actually started, but I think it has been going on for several years and while it has been bothering me significantly, I'm still too afraid to discuss this with a doctor. The reason why is because I used to go to a physician regarding migraines, and I also wanted to bring up the constant anxiety I felt, but after a few appointments and the medications not working, I kept sensing that perhaps she didn't believe me. I never went back. It's been two years since that happened, and I switched to another doctor recently, but never scheduled an appointment to see her in fear that she might not believe me either. Honestly, what do you all think?
I know that our age group's "sleep clock" is wired like this... hopefully KB will be by to explain it better. To have a cycling sleep pattern like that is a bit off. I have a few questions... Do you drink alot of caffiene during the day? Do you have any mental illnesses, or does any of your family members? I would also check in with your doctor, and discuss what's going on. It could be several possibilities.
I have the same problem!! But unfortunately I haven't solved it either... But we will get threw this together.
i have the exact opposite problem... i rarely get to sleep, and if i do, its only for a couple of hours
If I were you, I'd make an appointment with a psychologist. I have similar sleeping issues, and although I haven't been formally diagnosed, my therapist thinks I may have circadian rhythm disorder. If you Google that, you can find some suggestions on self-care options. It basically includes following a strict schedule; if it isn't circadian rhythm disorder, they are still good skills to learn, and won't harm you. I would definitely recommend seeing a psychologist though. If it's not that, they can tell you what it is, and if it is, there are other techniques they can teach you. Since it's obviously having a negative impact on your life, it's important to get this thing solved or at least find a way to work around it, if possible. It doesn't always work, but I try to make appointments at times when I would normally be awake (late afternoon or evening), and take a combination of night/online classes.
Thank you everyone for the responses. I suppose it is time to finally see a doctor about this, and perhaps they will refer me to a sleep specialist. @TraceElement : To answer your questions- Yes, I drink a moderate amount of tea every day, but that's pretty much it regarding caffeine intake. My family on both sides have a history with mental disorders (bi-polar disorder, depression, OCD) from what my mother and father told me. I've never met any of my relatives so I wouldn't know anything about them personally. My mom was diagnosed with OCD a few years ago. I was prescribed medication for anxiety but was never officially diagnosed with any sort of anxiety disorder. @Electrolicious - I have been thinking about seeing a psychologist or therapist for a while now. but I don't know how to bring the subject up to my parents. A year ago, my dad suggested that I should make an appointment see one and I basically flipped out on him. It's his insurance that I'm covered under so it's not like I can pay out of pocket and find one myself. Besides, I would want to find one who is at least LGBT-friendly. I will search around for some tips and techniques on how to manage a good sleeping schedule, though.
Assuming there's nothing psychologically wrong with you, some things you can try on your own... First, alcohol disrupts sleeping patterns. Stop drinking for a while or cut back dramatically. Second, tea is high in caffeine so cut back on that. I have found I can drink coffee at 3:00 in the afternoon with no problems but a cup of tea at noon will keep me up. Also check other drinks you have during the day for caffeine levels and eliminate those. Third, exercise. Best if done immediately after work so your body can "calm down" before bedtime. Four, cut back on carbonated drinks. Last, on weekends, set your alarm to wake up early. If you normally wake up at 6 during work days, set it for 7, maybe 8, and get out of bed and get moving. This will help shift the sleep pattern back to normal.
Depression can disrupt sleep, and that is then part of a vicious circle because the lack of sleep reinforces the depression. See the doctor. Thyroid - thyroid problems can disrupt sleep. I went as far as having tests done in hospital for sleep apnoea where you stop breathing, your body wakes up up without you really realizing it and so you don't sleep properly - not deeply enough. That was ruled out in my case, but a blood-test revealed big problems. I'm on thyroid meds for that now and I sleep so much better. Stress - getting stressed about not sleeping is a sleep-killer. Find some strategies - if I can't sleep straight away, I watch a film on my laptop. If I fall asleep during it, no problem, but I usually find that after a film I'm rested enough to think about sleeping. The time is not wasted either as resting is also good for you, and I don't get stressed because my mind is occupied instead of worrying about not being asleep. The tea/coffee thing Chrissouth mentioned could be a factor, but for me it's the other way round - coffee affects me (which is why I don't drink it) whereas I grew up drinking tea and it has no effect on me even if I drink it right before bed. I also agree with Chrissouth about the routine. If your sleep patterns are unstable, you need to establish a routine. I get up the same time every day, within a few minutes anyway. I take my thyroid meds and wait 30mins before breakfast and so on. Even something as easy to overlook as needing to go to the toilet (Number 2s rather than Number 1s) can affect you, as can WHAT you eat - spicy food is a no-no for me in the evening. Room temperature too - if the room is too warm or you have too much on the bed, your body can't start to shut down properly. Your body can cope with a cold room so I sleep with no heating in the winter, airco in the summer and a minimum of bedding on my bed. That way I am able to cuddle up snug and float away. I have a big problem in hotels because of the heating - the rooms are ALWAYS too hot - if you live in dorms, you might have the same problem. Try a cooler room AND ventilation for fresh air. Also alcohol - it really disrupts the pathways and, unless you drink yourself into a coma, it's really not going to help the situation. But first and foremost - go to the doctor - it's what they're there for. Good luck :smilewave
