Insomniacs anyone?

[taxlady]

I too love to dream. Some are so vivid I'm sure it is reality. To prove reality/non reality, I ask myself (in my dream) how did I arrive here? did I drive, take a bus, ride with someone. If I can't answer, it's a dream. Kinda fun. Once I realize it's a dream, then I can choose to stay in the dream, or wake up.

I once had a dream that was weird enough that I asked myself if I was dreaming. So, I pinched myself and couldn't feel it. I was surprised that it worked and woke up in the dream. I had to wake up a second time to be really awake.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Has anyone ever been woke up by a distressing dream and when you go back to sleep you are back in the same dream?

This happened to me 4 times one night and each time I would sit up for at least 30 minutes before going back to sleep. The proof I was awake each time was in the ashtray and the empty glasses the next morning.

 

[Claire]

Oh, yes; been there, done that. Sometimes a source of the insomnia. If it is a nightmare, and I keep falling back into it, I just get up and do some boring tedious house chore or read a book, which will re-set my mind. My poor husband actually has pulled me out of more screaming nightmares than I'm sure he'd like. It's only every year or so, but when they happen they're so real that I shake for hours after.

One ENT specialist took one look at my ears (it was when I was about 30 and had to fly from Virginia to Hawaii and needed to get rid of an ear-ache). He looked and laughed. This is funny? "Did you have bad nightmares as a child, and do you have problems with balance?" Yup. "No wonder. Your eardrums are so scarred that I'm surprised your hearing is good." He told me that bad nightmares are associated with childhood ear infections. Huh. Never heard that before, and don't think I have since. But when I mention it to friends with youngsters, they blink and then say, hey, that makes sense. One kid has bad nightmares, the other not, and the one who does is the earache prone one. Anyone else hear about this? (Don't have kids myself).

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I have at least one ear infection a year. I used to have screamers, but now they are just distressing or so realistic that I am mad at Shrek when I wake up...takes me a while to realize it was a dream and he had nothing to do with it.

 

[Zhizara]

When waking up after returning to the same dream, I turn over so more blood gets to the other side of my head. It sounds strange, but it works for me.

 

[fricassee]

Another insomniac here. Have had it for about 20 years but it has become worse the past 3 as I have intense chronic back pain that is disabling. I can never escape the pain, even at night, so take Zopiclone every few nights. That, however, is not a guarantee. There are many nights I literally do not fall asleep - the worst was 12 nights in a row and I was so jittery and scared I went to the hospital just to be given something and to sleep. I was afraid my organs would start shutting down.

Funny thing is, when I sleep well (rare) I awake feeling refreshed and have all kinds of energy. Those are fabulous days! Of course I need sleep so badly so my back can rejuvenate overnight as well. What a crazy cycle! It doesn't help that we have incredibly inconsiderate neighbours who play music on a huge sound system in their (open) garage a few nights per week for several hours (our house is literally 12 feet from theirs). The police have fined them over and over. Long story. It makes me perpetually tense. We are looking into moving. Sigh...

Maybe tonight will be one of the good nights!

 

[Zhizara]

I feel your pain, Friccassee. It's nice to be able to spend some time here at DC in the middle of the night. It helps with the back pain and is pleasantly distracting. It also helps if you like to read.

 

[fricassee]

Thankfully I am blessed with a vast culinary library and I LOVE to read! That really helps.

BTW, I have asked that "fricasse" be changed to "fricassee" as it should be - I inadvertently left off the second "e"!! That little detail bugs me...

 

[Claire]

I know some of you will probably not believe that I try to stay off the computer when I'm up at o'dark-thirty. Much as I love it, I'm not going to fall asleep sitting in the chair in front of my desk, in front of my computer. On the other hand, with a book, I can drop off. I don't turn TV on because of the volumes. I mean I can watch something that might be soothing, then a commercial or a part of the movie with "great" sound effects will come up, and blast me our of my sleep.

Soothing, soothing, is what you're looking for. Computer games, even this, is just not exactly going to get you an hour of sleep.

 

[Zhizara]

I know some of you will probably not believe that I try to stay off the computer when I'm up at o'dark-thirty. Much as I love it, I'm not going to fall asleep sitting in the chair in front of my desk, in front of my computer. On the other hand, with a book, I can drop off. I don't turn TV on because of the volumes. I mean I can watch something that might be soothing, then a commercial or a part of the movie with "great" sound effects will come up, and blast me our of my sleep.

Soothing, soothing, is what you're looking for. Computer games, even this, is just not exactly going to get you an hour of sleep.

Oh, Claire I do relate. Sometimes, especially lately, I get little bed sleep and that is so sporadic.

Ever since I got this little cold, I have not slept in bed much at all. I toss, turn, dream, but no more than a few minutes at a time. Get up, go to the bathroom, sit up, look for something on TV, check DC. If late enough, like 2:30, make some coffee.

Surprisingly, a cup of coffee can let me sleep for a couple of hours in the early AM. Go figure.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

We finally got our CD player (25 CD magazine) set up with a tuner and speakers. All of our soothing music is on it...I'm going to set it on "shuffle" and hopefully sleep.

 

[Zhizara]

We finally got our CD player (25 CD magazine) set up with a tuner and speakers. All of our soothing music is on it...I'm going to set it on "shuffle" and hopefully sleep.

Nighty Night, Sweet Princess:

Good Night, Sleep Tight. DON'T let the bedbugs bite.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Nighty Night, Sweet Princess:

Good Night, Sleep Tight. DON'T let the bedbugs bite.

It was quite nice, we like to listen to Celtic music going to sleep. I don't remember any dream and I woke up feelings very rested. Now if I could figure out how to wake up without every joint in my body aching...

 

[Zhizara]

It was quite nice, we like to listen to Celtic music going to sleep. I don't remember any dream and I woke up feelings very rested. Now if I could figure out how to wake up without every joint in my body aching...

You'll need to practice that one Princess. It gets worse and worse.

Can you imagine my surprise one day when my middle knuckle just brushed the cabinet, as I was opening it, and the pain was just heart stoppingly painful for a good 20 seconds. Yet I can crochet, easily?

My back has been behaving mostly, lately, but the cold is not being nice. My cheekbones HURT. I tried getting a washcloth as hot as possible to loosen up the mucus, not to mention the tightness in my upper chest. Not having much fun physically.

I am enjoying the dinners you are all having, the joy of being with family reaches me here.

Back to the weather: One big angry thunderbolt and then nothing. The sky is white. Not even a smidgeon of blue, but it's early yet. The weather can change here in the blink of an eye.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

You'll need to practice that one Princess. It gets worse and worse.

Can you imagine my surprise one day when my middle knuckle just brushed the cabinet, as I was opening it, and the pain was just heart stoppingly painful for a good 20 seconds. Yet I can crochet, easily?

My back has been behaving mostly, lately, but the cold is not being nice. My cheekbones HURT. I tried getting a washcloth as hot as possible to loosen up the mucus, not to mention the tightness in my upper chest. Not having much fun physically.

I am enjoying the dinners you are all having, the joy of being with family reaches me here.

Back to the weather: One big angry thunderbolt and then nothing. The sky is white. Not even a smidgeon of blue, but it's early yet. The weather can change here in the blink of an eye.

One of my avenues for pain relief is verboten...I can't take Ibuprofen(Advil) anymore as it interacts with a prescription med. I guess I'm going to resort to menthol based rubs. The med my doc gave me to replace to ibuprofen has been pulled from the market...

We have a saying here...if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes.

 

[taxlady]

One of my avenues for pain relief is verboten...I can't take Ibuprofen(Advil) anymore as it interacts with a prescription med. I guess I'm going to resort to menthol based rubs. The med my doc gave me to replace to ibuprofen has been pulled from the market...

We have a saying here...if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes.

Can't you take aspirin? That's what I use, since ibuprofen and acetaminophen don't work on me.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Can't you take aspirin? That's what I use, since ibuprofen and acetaminophen don't work on me.

Aspirin is an NSAID, the same as Ibuprofen (with the same interaction) and a blood thinner...I have problems with bloody noses that won't stop when I take aspirin. I do take acetaminophen, Arthritis strength, but it doesn't help with all of the joint pain. I'm trying to stay away from prescription meds, but it looks like mild narcotics are my only choice at this point...Darvocet was the one taken off the market and it was working well for me.

 

[Rocklobster]

I like to practice Raja Yoga a bit. I try to clear my mind of all thought by focusing on a small black hole, which I create in my mind. It takes practice. It works for me most of the time, but sometimes it doesn't. Its the thinking, or stressing, that keeps me awake.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I like to practice Raja Yoga a bit. I try to clear my mind of all thought by focusing on a small black hole, which I create in my mind. It takes practice. It works for me most of the time, but sometimes it doesn't. Its the thinking, or stressing, that keeps me awake.

When my thoughts won't stop, I imagine I am in an elevator and watching the numbers light up from 1-100, one at a time...if I don't make it by the time I hit 100, I go back down...I rarely make it to 40 going up...along with this is paying attention to your breathing...inhale (1) exhale, inhale (2) exhale, etc.

 

[Zhizara]

Can't you take aspirin? That's what I use, since ibuprofen and acetaminophen don't work on me.

Yes, I did and I feel a lot better now. With all the pains I have, I keep antihistamine, aspirin, ibuprophen, naproxen sodium and acetamenaphen on hand. Some work for some pains, some are useless at times. I try not to over do it with any of them, because more is not better.

The back had been being so good that I went a couple of days lately without anything.

Of course, I completely forgot to get some TheraFlu for the cold, but shopping on the 23rd of December at Walmart was a trip.

Honestly, I'll be glad when the holidays are over. I just want my life back to boring, dependable, normal.