I ordered a therapy light and started taking melatonin right after I started this blog. I noticed an immediate, profound improvement after several weeks. However, I haven't used the light in months, and with the winter time change, I'm feeling lost again. Over the weekend, I slept till 2 pm both days. I stayed up until 4 am last night and called in sick to work so I could go back to sleep. One more call in and I get written up. Very very bad.
Day in and day out I plan to wake up at 8 am can't do it. So, tonight I'm staying up all night with the help of Mountain Dew and will turn the light on at 8 am.
PS Please click the ads! Working on getting out of debt and every penny counts. Thanks!
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Last night's sleep...
Sunday I fell asleep around 10:30 am, then woke up at 7 pm.
I took Tylenol PM around 10 but didn't fall asleep until 2 am, then slept till noon Monday.
It's now nearly 7 am Tuesday and I've been up all night. I was hoping to stay up all day but I've been fighting sleep for a few hours now.
Hopefully the lamp I ordered off eBay will come soon and I can try some therapy. I also bought some melatonin today at the store. Can try that tonight.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
I took Tylenol PM around 10 but didn't fall asleep until 2 am, then slept till noon Monday.
It's now nearly 7 am Tuesday and I've been up all night. I was hoping to stay up all day but I've been fighting sleep for a few hours now.
Hopefully the lamp I ordered off eBay will come soon and I can try some therapy. I also bought some melatonin today at the store. Can try that tonight.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Sunday, April 3, 2011
When Sleeping is a Nightmare
Since around sixth grade, I started having trouble sleeping. My parents blamed it on reading too much at night, which was true, since I was a bookworm and never wanted to turn off the light. But within a few days after the start of the summer, I would snap into a different cycle: stay awake until 4 am and sleep till noon. Each year it got harder and harder to go back to a "normal" cycle. The night before my first day of high school I just stayed up the entire night.
Ever since then it's been a constant struggle. Sleeping pills, avoiding caffeine, exercising, getting up early - nothing worked to help me fall asleep on time consistently. Work and school have brought highs and lows of success and failure - depending on the time I needed to show up. Now I've been unemployed for 13 months, and have seven more weeks left of unemployment payments. Most likely I will get a job that requires me to be there by 9 am.
I first read about delayed sleep-phase disorder a few days ago. Naturally it was about 3 am when I read about it. I ordered a light off eBay the next day.
Friday (4/1): Fell asleep around 9 am. Woke up around 7 p.m. No caffeine, and took Advil PM around midnight in the hope I could wake up at a decent hour.
Saturday: Woke up at 5 am with terrible menstrual cramps. I possibly took more Advil PM instead of regular Advil. Fell back asleep at 6 am and woke up at 2 pm.
Sunday: 8:30 am and I'm still awake after being up all night.
Ever since then it's been a constant struggle. Sleeping pills, avoiding caffeine, exercising, getting up early - nothing worked to help me fall asleep on time consistently. Work and school have brought highs and lows of success and failure - depending on the time I needed to show up. Now I've been unemployed for 13 months, and have seven more weeks left of unemployment payments. Most likely I will get a job that requires me to be there by 9 am.
I first read about delayed sleep-phase disorder a few days ago. Naturally it was about 3 am when I read about it. I ordered a light off eBay the next day.
Friday (4/1): Fell asleep around 9 am. Woke up around 7 p.m. No caffeine, and took Advil PM around midnight in the hope I could wake up at a decent hour.
Saturday: Woke up at 5 am with terrible menstrual cramps. I possibly took more Advil PM instead of regular Advil. Fell back asleep at 6 am and woke up at 2 pm.
Sunday: 8:30 am and I'm still awake after being up all night.
Friday, April 1, 2011
What is Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome?
Delayed sleep phase syndrome is a sleeping disorder in which the body's internal clock is "off." It is not the same as insomnia. With DSPS, a person can usually fall asleep at the same time each day, but much later than desirable. Living with DSPS has been described as living with "permanent jetlag."
Many people with DSPS seem to adapt their lives to it by working late shifts, etc. However, I've decided to educate myself and try to treat this disorder instead. I will blog about my progress.
Delayed sleep-phase syndrome (DSPS), also known as delayed sleep-phase disorder (DSPD) or delayed sleep-phase type (DSPT), is a circadian rhythm sleep disorder, a chronic disorder of the timing of sleep, peak period of alertness, the core body temperature rhythm, hormonal and other daily rhythms, compared to the normal population and relative to societal requirements. People with DSPS generally fall asleep some hours after midnight and have difficulty waking up in the morning. (Wikipedia)I'm 34 and just heard of DSPS, whose symptoms describe exactly what I have struggled with for at least 20 years. I'm shocked that this is an actual condition and I have never heard of it before, despite many, many complaints to doctors through the years.
Many people with DSPS seem to adapt their lives to it by working late shifts, etc. However, I've decided to educate myself and try to treat this disorder instead. I will blog about my progress.
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