Anyone else having trouble with sleep?

[SeattleGirl]

I should have gone to bed 4-5 hours ago, yet here I am, awake and looking at needing to be at work by 9:00 AM.

For the past few months, I have not gotten a lot of sleep, because I can't seem to go to bed at a decent time, and then wake up at a certain time.

I don't have a job where I have to clock in, but there is an expectation that I would be in by 9:00.

I have accomplished that once in the two months I've had that job.

Right now, though I am tired, I'm not willing to go to sleep, because I fear that I won't wake up in time to get to work at a reasonable time.

I have been doing a major, every nook and cranny of the nooks and crannies in the house cleaning since Saturday. My job has exploded (not meaning that in a bad way; just that all of a sudden, I'm looking at having a lot of things to get done before the end of the year rolls around).

I'm so tired, mostly physically. I'm doing the nook and cranny cleaning because I realized that, as old as my house is, there are probably areas that have cobwebs and dust in them that were there in the beginning that I didn't notice, and over the years, more has accumulated. So, in my quest to make my home a healthier place, I am stirring up dust and stuff and it's making it a bit worse before it gets better. (Isn't that often the way it is? Plus, the job I started a little over two months ago is really starting to kick my backside. Don't mistake what I'm saying; I love my job. It's just that right now, it's very demanding, and having to do stuff on top of being tired, well....

Anyway, sorry to ramble on and on.

Thing is, I've very tired right now, but as I said, I'm afraid if I go to sleep now, I won't wake up in time for work.

So, for right now, I've decided to stay awake, go into work very early, but then leave early and go home and sleep for awhile.

Forgive me for going six times around the block and sideways to get to my point, but here it is, reiterated from my thread title:

Anyone else having trouble sleeping right now? If so, any idea why that might be?

[Shallah Kali]

1. I am having even more trouble than the usual. Part is the impending full moon

and I believe a good part is all the energy running through me for the past 3 weeks or so. The intensity just keeps upping and I do not feel this is all energy just for me specifically. A little yes but mostly it is going though anyone who is at all open. Grounding keeps me from overloading but doesn't help me relax. I have been getting by doing something I wouldn't reccomend without a health pro advising by combining melatonin with valerian but my dreams are getting odder and odder and if I don't stop now I know from past experience it will soon be all nightmares all the time unless I drop the melatonin. Valerian has a hang over effect for me, admittedly less than benedryl or other otc drug, that I hate but that is better than trying to operate without sleep. I am one of those who need a minimum amount of Zzzz or I am walking into walls (or worse) and all around zonked.

I hope whatever the cause is that it will get better for you ASAP.

[I Have A Dream]

2. Hi, SeattleGirl. No, fortunately now is not one of the times when I...

am having sleep issues, except that my job has been keeping me working until after 1:00am. I'd be more than able to sleep much earlier if I were able to get away from my work.

From your post, it seems as though you're saying that you're just not able to make yourself go to bed rather than not being able to sleep once you're in bed. Is this correct?

I hope that things get better soon; I know how much your job means to you. :hug:

[Callie McAllie]

3. My trouble sleeping comes in the morning

I wake up early and can't go back to sleep. That's been going on for a while now.

Hope you get some sleep soon, SG.

[Flying Dream Blues]

4. Yes, I've been having trouble both getting to sleep and

staying asleep, even with my Melatonin, which has always worked perfectly. I usually find I have trouble sleeping during Uranus transits, but right now I'm not having a Uranus transit, so who knows?

You might try Melatonin if you haven't, but be sure to get the sustained release kind...it works LOTS better. I usually get to sleep after 30 minutes, and wake up without any grogginess.
Good luck!

[SeattleGirl]

5. Thanks for the suggestion.

I stay away from OTC sleep drugs like Tylenol PM. I find that even taking half a dose leaves me very groggy the next morning.

[Mist]

6. Sleep disruption is part of menopause. Are you old enough to be having

menapausal symptoms? Just a thought. (I started menopausal symptoms at 38, and still have them, 12 years later.)

[Why Syzygy]

7. Sorry you're going through that, SG.

It sounds hormonal. All the de-dusting and de-webbing look to me to be hormonal. I can say that because since menopause, I have absolutely NO de-dusting hormones! All that nest making I used to enjoy is no longer a part of my life. It's awful. You certainly are displaying the nest making juice!

I've started taking a prescription again most nights to konk me. It also gives me leg cramps and dry mouth. My days and nights had gotten mixed up, and I had business this week during the day. I will take it only so long.

In order to entice yourself to the bed, make it nice in your room. Make it calm and pleasant, a place of rest. If I read just a little, it gives me something to look forward to by getting into bed. I was in the habit of taking melatonin right as I got into bed. I use a sub lingual. Over time I found that I prefer taking it as soon as it gets dark, which is the body's natural time of releasing mealtonin.

Once I've managed to get myself horizontal and lights out, it helps IMMENSELY to do a breathing routine. I EXHALE as much as possible. Sometimes I have a series of loud sighs and exhales. Get ALL the stress and strain out. Of course the natural response to the out breath is the in. Eventually the lungs are relaxed and take on a gentle rhythm of their own. I'm usually asleep very soon after.

Journaling is always good to do for a mind that won't let go. Perhaps you could reset the expectations of your management at work so that you can work a later work day. I find I do much better going in a little later than customary.

[Cleita]

8. I found that a couple of Benedryl allergy capsules helps to put me to

sleep when I can't sleep. Be sure that you have eight hours to sleep before taking them. The demands from your job are probably keeping you awake in the background churning away there so you need to shut down that part of your brain so you can sleep and function better the next day.

[SheilaT]

9. Yep. Benedryl is a wonderful sleep aid.

I have allergies so I take it legitimately, but only at night as it does put me to sleep. Other non-drowsy stuff is what I use in the daytime.

[liberalmuse]

10. Peri-menopausal here.

And on top of that, I wake up at 4:30 am and work 10 hour days and then end up going to bed late. I have sleep apnea and have woken up many times realizing I haven't been breathing for quite some time. After a few years of this, I started waking up and getting panic attacks, only because it takes me at least 7 minutes after waking up before I feel like I can breathe again. It's sheer hell, but so far, I've managed to talk myself out of falling into the abyss when this happens. I've never had anxiety attacks before this.

Then, in the wake of the election (no pun intended), I started having sleep paralysis where I felt like some nasty astral being was beating the crap out of me as soon as I drifted to sleep. One night a couple months ago, I woke up and saw a red dragon by my bed. WTF??? I'm not one to see weird stuff like this, so I waved my hand through it until it dissipated because I had to go to the bathroom and it was blocking my way. I felt I was awake, but in reality, I was likely in that in-between state of dream and awakeness. So basically, a full night of sleep is something I haven't experienced for a couple years now.

Stress is a scary thing. Negative thought forms are even worse. Be mindful of your thoughts, because that new-age jargon is pretty accurate in that we do create our realities.

I'm trying very hard to be more positive, but I'm also batshit because of being menopausal, so that certainly isn't helping. Is there anyone who is post-menopausal who can give those of us going through it some hope?

Also, I don't need an alarm because I usually wake up a few minutes before it goes off.

[Matariki]

11. OMG yes. Some of my coworkers having the same problem too

we think it's a weird flu.

I was dead tired the other night from only getting a couple hours of sleep the night before and still couldn't sleep until after 4:30. Then I slept right through my alarm without hearing it and missed a meeting.

[crikkett]

12. Have you thought about using St John's Wort?

Take care not to mix it with too much sunshine, it makes you sensitive to sunlight (but you're in seattle so...)

I've found it to help in the past. Also avoid caffeine after noon, avoid excessive alcohol (it screws up your dopamine levels and then you can't sleep).

I've had problems sleeping since the election - I wake up at 2am and can't sleep again until about 4:30. Many women I know are having trouble sleeping.

I read a random blog one night claiming the women of the world were supposed to be meditating between 2am - 4:30am to bring light down to the earth. So, if you're up and don't want to be, maybe give that a try...can't hurt.

good luck.

[Kookaburra]

13. Yes!!!

I can't sleep, and my cats are driving me nuts chasing each other all night. This full moon is something.

[latebloomer]

14. Haven't slept well in a year and a half

I attribute it to health issues and accompanying meds, urinary tract issues that make me get up every couple of hours, and being plunged into sudden menopause.

Sometimes I can't fall asleep sometimes I can't stay asleep I try to fight it, but a couple times a week I resort to Klonapin, a tranquilizer.

No trouble napping in the late afternoon, but then I'm not sleepy at bedtime- Vicious cycle.

[3littlebirds]

15. Yes

Yes, I haven't slept a full night since Sunday. It's making me crazy, I was sleeping so good before that. Almost too much. But since Monday night, nothing. I get to sleep about 4 and wake up 6:30 and work all day. Although it didn't feel so bad yesterday. But I look like hell.
I'm glad to know I'm not alone. I hope it ends soon.