Insomnia.

what are you doing in nigeria?

Apart from lying awake at 3am cursing my GP, my brane, the heat, lyfe, Goblin Boy and all hys works, etc. etc.? Hanging out in one of the British Embassy compounds mostly, redrafting a novel, swimming, quaffing g&t's. I'm in Abuja, which is like if they'd made Milton Keynes the capital of England. Hotter. It's boring but having a pool in which to unkink my writer's neck is A++.

I wish I had a more interesting reason to be here, but so it goes. My hostess has an exciting job (British representative to ECOWAS), and she spent last week covering for the British ambassador to Mali, up in Bamako. She had 8 bodyguards and ate out for every meal. I wasn't allowed to go. Sadface.

that's a pretty exciting reason. then again my standards are v low for excitement :)

yeah that sounds pretty cool, aside from the non-sleeping part!

It is pretty cool. I do wish I could get out of the compound more, though. We went out a lot in Cote d'Ivoire and I accompanied her up country for meetings with warlords & such, but she was flying solo in Abidjan whereas this is a full-scale mission, with rules and rule-enforcement. Also, Mali. I still think of... let's call her Paddington... I still think of us both as mostly being about 17, so it's a bit weird to wake up and find she's acting head of mission in Mali.

So wait, you're there keeping your friend company while she talks to warlords? That's quite an opportunity!

Nooo... I *was* keeping her company while she talked to warlords, back in 2007 & 2009. This time out I'm keeping the nanny company while Paddington jets off to play war games with the other big kids. I think I've got a role in a crisis simulation next week though \o/

I mean just being there is an opportunity -- not getting to talk to warlords, etc.. I wouldn't even want that sort of responsibility, personally, but appreciate that there are people in the world who do. Enjoy it imo.

i've been taking otc sleep aids the last few months, after a bout of mild insomnia. i tried some herbal stuff for awhile but it wasn't all that effective so i went on to that stuff that's made from allergy medicine. it was making me super groggy in the mornings, but then i figured out i just needed to take at least 90mins before bed, and at least 10 hours before i have to get up.

so last night was the first time i've skipped a dose and i had the WORST WORST night - i was wide awake til 4am (which is fine, my husband is out of town for the week and i didn't have to work today) and then i was in this weird dozing state for about 90mins, but it felt like hours and the whole time i had this terrible, awful feeling of utter dread. i can't really explain it. i wasn't fully asleep but i couldn't seem to wake up enough to calm myself down; i kept hearing weird sounds and feeling convinced there was an intruder in the house, and the sense of impending doom was just... ugh i felt like an enormous weight was on my chest. i finally woke up fully when 2 cats started a full-on brawl outside my window that scared the shit out of me.

listening to the rain is nice, at least

I'm not insomniac, just I find my mind gets more ideas last thing at night and i don't want to break my creative streak. After work I went to a band meeting, wrote a music review and a treatment for a music video we're working on. That's pretty normal for an evening, but if there's nothing to do I generally find I have SOMETHING to do at 2am. I do feel like shit right now though.

Fell asleep at 7 this morning after being awake all night, just woke up now and feel fine. Only problem is tonight will probably be the same.

so last night was the first time i've skipped a dose and i had the WORST WORST night - i was wide awake til 4am (which is fine, my husband is out of town for the week and i didn't have to work today) and then i was in this weird dozing state for about 90mins, but it felt like hours and the whole time i had this terrible, awful feeling of utter dread. i can't really explain it. i wasn't fully asleep but i couldn't seem to wake up enough to calm myself down; i kept hearing weird sounds and feeling convinced there was an intruder in the house, and the sense of impending doom was just... ugh i felt like an enormous weight was on my chest.

yeah this is every night w/o medication for me. strangely ive started to be able to sleep w/o meds in the day quite deeply and well. but yeah that's a pretty great description of sleep med withdrawal stuff probably complicated by you being alone in the house when you usually arent.

After rereading my post that day, I realized it was probably sleep paralysis?

I haven'ttaken anything since last friday, and I've been doing ok - getting probably 6 hours of interrupted sleep. Not ideal but not terrible. gonna try some different herbal stuff this weekend.

Has anyone discussed the paradoxical effect of sleep aid usage resulting in increased insomnia symptoms? I bring it up because when I was taking them (the pills), I would only do it on nights I needed to know that I could have a full night's sleep. But then the next night I was buzzing around 3 hours after my bedtime unable to fall asleep. Consequently, the following night (night 3) I would use the medication again and it became a really vicious/stressful cycle. Now that I don't take the medication at all I have a much more...how to say...predictable experience at bedtime.

yeah totally. although on night 3 i am usually too exhausted to need a sleep aid.

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/03/11/130311fa_fact_kolbert?currentPage=all

owls >>>> larks imo

What if I like to stay up late but also like to get up early?

u crazy?

Oh, I know that.

secret is non-24 hour sleep cycles, I managed a bit of it a while back and I felt really active and was unusually productive. I did something like: awake 6pm-8pm, asleep 8pm-6am, awake 6am-midnight. Then it broke.

I agree. I'm all about the naps.

Altho in my case it's more like awake 8-5pm, asleep 5-7pm, awake 7-2am.

Oh, I love naps.

naps are crucial.

Oh, I know that.

<3

the article mentions that one dude moved into a cave and tried to live a 28-hour cycle and failed. CHALLENGE ACCEPTED

mm that hour of sleep from 1am to 2am really hit the spot.

yeah totally. although on night 3 i am usually too exhausted to need a sleep aid.

― mookieproof, Wednesday, February 27, 2013 3:31 PM (1 month ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

one thing ive learned about my particular brand of insomnia is that exhaustion does not equal sleep. i can be physically exhausted as fuck but the brain still says 'no sleep for you, sucker'

has anyone tried that sleep aid that you can take at 3am?

vodka?

whiskey?

self-abuse?

As a possible temporary fix, there's another new benzodiazepine derivative that's become available online in the U.K. - Pyrazolam - that was apparently developed by the Russians & is currently legally available at very low price (30 pills for £10) - I won't name a reliable site these can be bought from unless requested.

Chemical info from government drug info site:

Pyrazolam is a benzodiazepine derivative which is water soluble.
Pyrazolam has a duration of action of approximately 6 hours
Pyrazolam has no active metabolites.
Pyrazolam has activity approximately x12 that of diazepam (Valium)
Pyrazolam acts as a high-affinity GABA positive allosteric modulator with a moderate duration of action.
Pyrazolam is used primarily as an anxiolytic.
Pyrazolam causes less ataxia and sedation than comparable agents at normal doses.
Pyrazolam is more selective for the α2 and α3 receptor subtypes than most benzodiazepines.

But it was this awesome 'trip report' I found online that persuaded me this was worth trying at least once:

Tried these last night was very happy with the results. As stated before they defiantly have the anxiolytic properties with sedation.

Just to note I have a bit of tolerance issues over from abuse of similar substances. Start lower if you are new to this class of drug.

9.00pm took one with a friend an hour or after eating some pizza.

9.10 Starting to feel something happening. Feel very content

9.40 Decide to add another one feeling this could add to the effect.

10.00 Feeling very content with life. Been outside with a friend to smoke and he agrees that we are in a good head-space.

10.40 Add one more while my mate chooses a movie. The Green Hornet really? Normally I might have objected but don't really care at this moment in time. I reach over and grab some ice cold peach ice tea which is going down well.

12.30 Decide to have another one.

1.30 1/2 Sublingual tastes pretty nasty. Did feel effects hit hard quick though although this could be from the one previous.

2.00 Took one more and chatted to a friends although the sentences were not long they were profound. I had a very calm mind and knew that pushing it any further wasn't needed. I probably could have stopped at 3 to be honest.

3h Went to bed. I could have stayed up but wanted to wake fairly early to continue cutting my garden hedges...

Woke up feeling great about 9.00am. If I could have stayed in bed for longer I would definitely have. Don't feel bad today at all. Still got a very clear head and been in a positive mood.

In reflection I did not need to take so much but alas it happened. Although this didn't negatively effect me at all it might others with less tolerance.

I wouldn't really rate this recreationally apart from that we were both very content with life. I had no memory problems at all etc

Sorry that it's brief but I am off to the pub to meet friends and don't want to be late.

the gap here especially funny:

10.40 Add one more while my mate chooses a movie. The Green Hornet really? Normally I might have objected but don't really care at this moment in time. I reach over and grab some ice cold peach ice tea which is going down well.

12.30 Decide to have another one.

On a serious note, from personal experience with lifelong insomnia, the shit that I would most advise fellow insomniacs never to take are the over-the-counter anti-histamine based 'sleep aids' like Sominex. These fuck up your mental equilibrium way worse than benzodiazepines IMO.

agreed

yeah, when I've tried those they've made little to no difference as far as getting to sleep goes, but in terms of struggling to wake after ten hours of sleep and my head being a fuzzy mess all through the next day, GOOD WORK THX.

they're especially inadvisable when you wish to wake up early to continue cutting your garden hedges

Benzos are really not the greatest choice of sleep aids. It's not really what they're for. But I've turned to them in moments of insomnia.

I agree that benzos are far from ideal, and in fact become soul-destroying if taken long-term. But as a short-term fix they're vastly superior to the likes of Sominex & Zopiclone

II'm not sure yet if its coincidence or not but since I started wearing a sleep mask I've been sleeping like a log - I'm only sleeping 4-6 hours but the quality seems a lot higher. I have no idea why its making such a significant difference.

Should note that the Sominex brand name is used on a completely different drug in the US and UK. In the UK it's promethazine, which in the US is the presription drug Phenergan and doesn't help me fall asleep at all. American Sominex is exactly the same thing as the Benedryl allergy med, which does make me groggy a bit but that effect wears off if I use it more than a few days in a row.

I've used benzos, mainly Xanax, to help me fall asleep, and like others here find it far better for that purpose than nonprescription antihistamines. But Ambien is the only thing that reliably knocks me out, and quickly, and doesn't leave me tired the next day. Although it does often make me forget what I did the night before. Also, it's the most addictive substance I've ever used, so be careful....

Yes, it's correct that Sominex is a different drug in UK as compared to US, but I didn't think this was worth pointing out because in both cases the active ingredients are horrible anti-histamine sedatives

yeah agree with your general assessment. Antihistamines suck as a sleep aid, but their status as the only non-prescription sleep med makes them way more popular than they should be.

Also a major dud - Lunesta (US only I think), which actually does help me fall asleep, but leaves this awful metallic tinge in my mouth, as if i'd been sucking on old pennies, that ruins my sense of taste for the next 24 hours. Over 30% of ppl experience this side effect with this drug.

Yes, Lunesta is Zopiclone and that metallic after-taste is just awful. If this is all your doctor is willing to offer you, don't settle for it, & just buy something better off the internet instead.

team insomnia

I can't believe what I need to do to get tired and have a good sleep.
On Monday, I got up at 5am, spent all day in Wales, walked about 15 miles along the coast and got home about 5pm. I Felt a little tired when I got back, but started coming around about 8.
I must have fallen asleep between 12 and 1am, but still woke up at 6am wide awake. I felt like I'd had a good sleep, but what do I need to do to get to sleep and sleep longer than 4/5 hours.
Unfortunately, I can't spend my days walking along beaches to get enough fresh air and exercise to make me tired.

hi dere

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/marek-doyle/help-me-sleep-magnesium-secret-to-sleep-problems_b_3311795.html

trying a magnesium supplement next week