So, is there like an
Insomniacs Anonymous thread somewhere in this forum? :bigspecs:
:wave hi: Hello, all. My name is xSilverPhinx and I am an insomniac. It's 1 a.m. I really should have resisted the urge to drink all that caffeine just a couple of hours ago. I really don't think I've blinked this past minute. Not too sure. :watching: I've tried the sheepometry technique, when that didn't work I switched to counting badgers instead, but that only led to the Badger song playing over and over in my head.
For those who haven't had the pleasure of hearing the song, here it is:
Sorry but you are not allowed to view spoiler contents.
I just yawned right now. Could that be a sign of better things to come?:notsure:
I remember that from the early 00s, back when flash was getting big. Many great flash cartoons from back then.
Quote from: Davin on October 07, 2019, 04:26:48 PM
I remember that from the early 00s, back when flash was getting big. Many great flash cartoons from back then.
Yeah...it's been playing in my head since. :headshake:
;)
I've been an insomniac my entire life. Being up in the middle of the night can be OK, but being sleepy in the afternoon is a drag.
Quote from: Recusant on October 07, 2019, 11:59:21 PM
I've been an insomniac my entire life. Being up in the middle of the night can be OK, but being sleepy in the afternoon is a drag.
Yeah, it sucks. Do you take a nap during the day at some point?
Today it was nearly midday when I woke up. ::) Probably going to be up late another night, this time without the excessive caffeine.
So much for not consuming excessive caffeine. ::) I'm hopeless.
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on October 08, 2019, 12:04:04 AM
Quote from: Recusant on October 07, 2019, 11:59:21 PM
I've been an insomniac my entire life. Being up in the middle of the night can be OK, but being sleepy in the afternoon is a drag.
Yeah, it sucks. Do you take a nap during the day at some point?
Today it was nearly midday when I woke up. ::) Probably going to be up late another night, this time without the excessive caffeine.
When I'm in the UK, I sometimes get a bit of a nap in the afternoon. Not so in the US.
I've been getting better, up to 5-6 hours of sleep a night on average. I only slept for 3 and a half hours last night though.
Get a night time job.
I've been an insomniac for ages, I work a graveyard shift. It's a perfect combination. Add in some intense workout sessions, and you'll sleep pretty well.
Thanks, I'm cured.
Quote from: No one on October 08, 2019, 04:06:37 PM
Get a night time job.
Wouldn't work for me. Have you ever tried to handle a bunch of rats while they're fully awake? :panic: No thank you! :nu-uh:
Have you met some of my coworkers?
Quote from: No one on October 08, 2019, 08:45:32 PM
Have you met some of my coworkers?
:notsure: I don't think I have...do they bite? :grin:
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on October 08, 2019, 11:40:02 PM
Quote from: No one on October 08, 2019, 08:45:32 PM
Have you met some of my coworkers?
:notsure: I don't think I have...do they bite? :grin:
I'd be more worried about their fleas... :snicker1:
Seems we have some insomniacs here. This is both good and bad...:teadrink:
Sleep is overrated anyway.
Quote from: No one on October 12, 2019, 01:07:26 AM
Sleep is overrated anyway.
I used to think so, and resented the amount of time that I spent sleeping that could be used for doing something- "the tyranny of sleep". Now that I've amassed my fortune, ::) I treasure my sleep. I'm a MUCH more amiable person these days, even if I'm an old man who has to use a "handicapped" parking space. :smilenod:
I also treasure my sleep. I generally sleep poorly so every hour of good sleep counts.
I had a bad night yesterday because of the heat which reached about 40 degrees C during the day, and the ac in my room is broken. All I had was a table fan, which would throw hot air on me until finally my room cooled down enough.
So I was grumpy this morning but today it's about 25 degrees so I took a power nap after lunch and feel ready to take on the world again! :P
Most people think you need to eat and sleep every day. I've learned over the last few months that eating is fairly optional. You really don't need to eat every day, but sleep... That's something you can't do without. You think you can but everything suffers for it. I wish I had a way to knock myself out at night. It's very frustrating.
I've struggled with insomnia off and on since the end of college. Usually would happen in phases and obviously caused by some external stress, but not always. I think my record is 3 nights straight with no sleep, and I had to drive every morning to a training class that week. Not fun. Come to think of it, it tends to happen more right before I have to drive a long distance, which is a great combination. When I was in one of those phases, even Ambien wouldn't work.
Unisom seems to work best for me, not sure why. Luckily it's over the counter.
Quote from: Firebird on October 16, 2019, 11:06:08 PM
I've struggled with insomnia off and on since the end of college. Usually would happen in phases and obviously caused by some external stress, but not always. I think my record is 3 nights straight with no sleep, and I had to drive every morning to a training class that week. Not fun. Come to think of it, it tends to happen more right before I have to drive a long distance, which is a great combination. When I was in one of those phases, even Ambien wouldn't work.
Unisom seems to work best for me, not sure why. Luckily it's over the counter.
Hello again, Firebird! :wave hi:
Three nights? Wow, that's more than I've ever stayed up :o Worst that's happened to me was 2 nights straight and even then I felt like I just couldn't keep my eyelids open.
Have you tried any sleep aids?
I've run the gamut. I found Doxepin to be the most helpful.
Never have. :chin:
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on October 20, 2019, 10:36:00 PM
Hello again, Firebird! :wave hi:
Thanks! Hopefully will be around more.
One side effect of having two little kids: I can sleep through waaaay more noise than ever before. Drives my wife nuts when it's my turn to change a diaper. Told her she could kick me awake if necessary, so far it hasn't come to that but I'm betting it'll happen one of these nights.
Quote from: Firebird on October 21, 2019, 02:07:33 PM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on October 20, 2019, 10:36:00 PM
Hello again, Firebird! :wave hi:
Thanks! Hopefully will be around more.
One side effect of having two little kids: I can sleep through waaaay more noise than ever before. Drives my wife nuts when it's my turn to change a diaper. Told her she could kick me awake if necessary, so far it hasn't come to that but I'm betting it'll happen one of these nights.
Heh :grin:
But is it because you've grown accustomed to the extra noise or are just too tired to be a light sleeper? ;D
Quote from: Firebird on October 21, 2019, 02:07:33 PM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on October 20, 2019, 10:36:00 PM
Hello again, Firebird! :wave hi:
Thanks! Hopefully will be around more.
One side effect of having two little kids: I can sleep through waaaay more noise than ever before. Drives my wife nuts when it's my turn to change a diaper. Told her she could kick me awake if necessary, so far it hasn't come to that but I'm betting it'll happen one of these nights.
Firebird, hi! :computerwave:
How old are your two little kids?
:tellmemore:
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on October 22, 2019, 03:46:01 AM
Heh :grin:
But is it because you've grown accustomed to the extra noise or are just too tired to be a light sleeper? ;D
The latter, but my wife also says she gets a very visceral reaction when she hears a baby cry, especially now, so she'll leap up immediately, probably due to the hormones. Whereas I'm like "ugh, not again" and still slowly pulling my ass out of bed and she just gives up and does it herself. I'm definitely getting some shit for that, good-naturedly (I think?)
Quote from: Magdalena on October 22, 2019, 05:25:58 AM
Firebird, hi! :computerwave:
How old are your two little kids?
:tellmemore:
Hey Mags! :drink:
Younger is three weeks, and her older sister just turned 3 years this past weekend. Had a big birthday bash at a local play gym, which was good since she's a bit starved for attention these days. She's honestly been really sweet to her new sister, so she's mostly taking out her neediness on us, which is fine by us but can get a bit... Overwhelming.
I've had to clean up poop and vomit off my hands from both kids within the past 12 hours, and I'm typing this from the vet's office while checking on our sick cat, so it's been an interesting couple of days.
Quote from: Firebird on October 22, 2019, 04:48:07 PM
Quote from: Magdalena on October 22, 2019, 05:25:58 AM
Firebird, hi! :computerwave:
How old are your two little kids?
:tellmemore:
Hey Mags! :drink:
Younger is three weeks, and her older sister just turned 3 years this past weekend. I had a big birthday bash at a local play gym, which was good since she's a bit starved for attention these days. She's honestly been really sweet to her new sister, so she's mostly taking out her neediness on us, which is fine by us but can get a bit... Overwhelming.
I've had to clean up poop and vomit off my hands from both kids within the past 12 hours, and I'm typing this from the vet's office while checking on our sick cat, so it's been an interesting couple of days.
Wow! 3 years old and 3 weeks! One is potty training and the other one in diapers! Amazing! I can't stop using exclamation points! :lol:
Difficult, but rewarding, isn't it?
--The universe thanks you.
(https://i.imgur.com/EvpQNmj.gif?noredirect)
:grin:
Quote from: Magdalena on October 22, 2019, 09:42:44 PM
--The universe thanks you.
The universe is more thankful than the kids themselves! ;D
Like I said before, I love it despite everything, but I totally get why people choose not to have kids. Case in point, I'm still awake because the three year old woke up coughing, started crying, then yelled at me to get out when I went to check on her because I wasn't mommy. Then she proceeded to fall asleep on my legs and hey, that makes it all worth it! Ask me again in 6 hours when I have to wake up to drop her off at school.
Quote from: Firebird on October 23, 2019, 05:27:56 AM
Quote from: Magdalena on October 22, 2019, 09:42:44 PM
--The universe thanks you.
The universe is more thankful than the kids themselves! ;D
Like I said before, I love it despite everything, but I totally get why people choose not to have kids. Case in point, I'm still awake because the three year old woke up coughing, started crying, then yelled at me to get out when I went to check on her because I wasn't mommy. Then she proceeded to fall asleep on my legs and hey, that makes it all worth it! Ask me again in 6 hours when I have to wake up to drop her off at school.
You don't know you're born. We had one daughter followed by twins! Count your blessings! :D
Congrats, FB! 🥂
In hindsight, this was a wonderful time and remembered fondly.
My two are now 15 and 13 and have somewhat lost their charm...
Quote from: Firebird on October 23, 2019, 05:27:56 AM
Quote from: Magdalena on October 22, 2019, 09:42:44 PM
--The universe thanks you.
The universe is more thankful than the kids themselves! ;D
...
:therethere: ...I know.
Well, the "big" one is only three, I'm sure kids start to show how thankful they are for everything you do for them at around the age of six---ty.
:grin:
shoot, i have five, between 15 and 22.
they actually are thankful for the things we do for them, and tell us so.
. . . whenever they need doing again.
I had a really great discussion about insomnia with my therapist today. He told me that for some people, it's less of a problem falling asleep and more of a problem with falling asleep at the correct time. He said that some people are wired to have a different circadian rhythm that doesn't line up with the traditional 9-5 life. I think I'm one of those people. I've always been a night owl. I still have difficulty falling asleep before 11pm most nights even though I've had my day job for almost two years now.
Some things that have helped though were, surprisingly, weighted blankets and podcasts. Having something to focus on as I fall asleep has really helped otherwise my stupid ADD brain will jump from one thought to another all night.
Quote from: Buddy on October 24, 2019, 04:33:07 AM
I had a really great discussion about insomnia with my therapist today. He told me that for some people, it's less of a problem falling asleep and more of a problem with falling asleep at the correct time. He said that some people are wired to have a different circadian rhythm that doesn't line up with the traditional 9-5 life. I think I'm one of those people. I've always been a night owl. I still have difficulty falling asleep before 11pm most nights even though I've had my day job for almost two years now.
Some things that have helped though were, surprisingly, weighted blankets and podcasts. Having something to focus on as I fall asleep has really helped otherwise my stupid ADD brain will jump from one thought to another all night.
That's interesting :popcorn:
Weighted blankets sound like a great idea. I only wish the ac in my bedroom was working so I could use one. :(
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on October 27, 2019, 01:59:50 AM
Quote from: Buddy on October 24, 2019, 04:33:07 AM
I had a really great discussion about insomnia with my therapist today. He told me that for some people, it's less of a problem falling asleep and more of a problem with falling asleep at the correct time. He said that some people are wired to have a different circadian rhythm that doesn't line up with the traditional 9-5 life. I think I'm one of those people. I've always been a night owl. I still have difficulty falling asleep before 11pm most nights even though I've had my day job for almost two years now.
Some things that have helped though were, surprisingly, weighted blankets and podcasts. Having something to focus on as I fall asleep has really helped otherwise my stupid ADD brain will jump from one thought to another all night.
That's interesting :popcorn:
Weighted blankets sound like a great idea. I only wish the ac in my bedroom was working so I could use one. :(
Some people don't approve of sleeping with an ac on in the bedroom, but I love it all year round. Apart from keeping the room at a comfortable 18°, the low, almost white, noise is so soothing that I never suffer from insomnia.
Quote from: hermes2015 on October 27, 2019, 04:18:08 AM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on October 27, 2019, 01:59:50 AM
Quote from: Buddy on October 24, 2019, 04:33:07 AM
I had a really great discussion about insomnia with my therapist today. He told me that for some people, it's less of a problem falling asleep and more of a problem with falling asleep at the correct time. He said that some people are wired to have a different circadian rhythm that doesn't line up with the traditional 9-5 life. I think I'm one of those people. I've always been a night owl. I still have difficulty falling asleep before 11pm most nights even though I've had my day job for almost two years now.
Some things that have helped though were, surprisingly, weighted blankets and podcasts. Having something to focus on as I fall asleep has really helped otherwise my stupid ADD brain will jump from one thought to another all night.
That's interesting :popcorn:
Weighted blankets sound like a great idea. I only wish the ac in my bedroom was working so I could use one. :(
Some people don't approve of sleeping with an ac on in the bedroom, but I love it all year round. Apart from keeping the room at a comfortable 18°, the low, almost white, noise is so soothing that I never suffer from insomnia.
We have a noise machine that sounds like a fan. We get the noise without the environmental changes.
Quote from: hermes2015 on October 27, 2019, 04:18:08 AM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on October 27, 2019, 01:59:50 AM
Quote from: Buddy on October 24, 2019, 04:33:07 AM
I had a really great discussion about insomnia with my therapist today. He told me that for some people, it's less of a problem falling asleep and more of a problem with falling asleep at the correct time. He said that some people are wired to have a different circadian rhythm that doesn't line up with the traditional 9-5 life. I think I'm one of those people. I've always been a night owl. I still have difficulty falling asleep before 11pm most nights even though I've had my day job for almost two years now.
Some things that have helped though were, surprisingly, weighted blankets and podcasts. Having something to focus on as I fall asleep has really helped otherwise my stupid ADD brain will jump from one thought to another all night.
That's interesting :popcorn:
Weighted blankets sound like a great idea. I only wish the ac in my bedroom was working so I could use one. :(
Some people don't approve of sleeping with an ac on in the bedroom, but I love it all year round. Apart from keeping the room at a comfortable 18°, the low, almost white, noise is so soothing that I never suffer from insomnia.
I sleep better with background noise as well. Leaving the fan on all night usually helps, but only during the summer.
Maybe I should leave the fan on during cold nights
and get a weighted blanket. :grin:
Boston University research arm has inferred that when in deep sleep the human body delivers Cerebral Spinal Fluid (CSP) to the brain. CSP is said to wash away some of the collection of a certain protein like element to brain cells. That protein is conducive to the development of Alzheimers. The key point is that those who fail to sleep well are somewhat more likely to contract Alzheimers disease. This is preliminary stuff but the early studies do tend to affirm the correspondence with deep sleep and the absence of deep sleep when the CSF is most active, or less active
Is this some bullshit science or might it have some substance?
What say you Silver?
Quote from: Icarus on November 01, 2019, 04:59:11 AM
Boston University research arm has inferred that when in deep sleep the human body delivers Cerebral Spinal Fluid (CSP) to the brain. CSP is said to wash away some of the collection of a certain protein like element to brain cells. That protein is conducive to the development of Alzheimers. The key point is that those who fail to sleep well are somewhat more likely to contract Alzheimers disease. This is preliminary stuff but the early studies do tend to affirm the correspondence with deep sleep and the absence of deep sleep when the CSF is most active, or less active
Is this some bullshit science or might it have some substance?
What say you Silver?
I read about this a few days ago...it's very interesting and sounds legit, Icarus!
Of course, a multifactorial disease such as Alzheimer's has an orchestra of causes but this study suggests the lack of deep sleep and rhythmic CSF 'washing the brain' could predispose someone to the development of the disease by letting neuronal "waste" accumulate in the brain, which in turn disrupt sleep patterns.
It's also interesting because the elderly have very different sleep patterns compared to the younger population. Sleep is more disrupted in the elderly: less time in deep sleep, and less REM sleep.
But of course, there are exceptions to the rule that the accumulation of amyloid plaques (neuronal waste) in the brain will lead to Alzheimer's. It is not always the case. Some elderly people have plenty of this stuff in their brain but no symptoms that are beyond what is considered normal aging. In fact, there are people called 'superagers', elderly people who have excellent cognitive abilities, such as memory, for their chronological age. Many of these have just as much accumulation of amyloid plaques in their brains as people suffering from Alzheimer's.
It's a mystery, this disease.
NPR (national public radio) has a weekly program called Science Lab. Today the subject was again Alzheimer research. The Guest authority is a researcher at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of technology). She and her staff have been experimenting with mice and the beta Amyloids that can accumulate at the brain site.
The deal is that neurons fire at certain frequencies in the 10 to 100 cycles per second range depending on the problem at hand.. Certain frequencies indicate the cerebral effort that is being employed to resolve whatever problem. The frequencies vary with the difficulty and demand of the thought process. Sometimes the brain produces simultaneous and separate firing frequencies if the problem is difficult. The highly credentialed Chinese research doctor zeroed in on a frequency of 40 cycles per second for neuron firing base line.
She drilled tiny holes in mouse heads and inserted fiber optic threads to the mouse brain. The chosen mice had identifiable deposits of beta amyloids in or on the brain. The fiber optics used light flashes at 40 cycles. After the experiments the amyloid deposits were seen to have diminished by 50 percent. Repeatedly.
Well we cannot go drilling holes into human skulls so is there another option for this treatment? If it is light that triggers the change is there another way to do it? Maybe through the eyes? Subsequent experiments with the mice yielded the same result. Mice exposed to rapidly flashing LED light yielded the same result: 50 % reduction in amyloid presence at the brain site. Will that work for humans? Maybe, maybe not. It seems that research results with mice have not come even close to the result with humans.
The jury is out on this possible huge breakthrough.
I suspect that our brainiac person; Silver, is up to speed on this kind of experimentation.
Quote from: Icarus on November 04, 2019, 03:19:11 AM
NPR (national public radio) has a weekly program called Science Lab. Today the subject was again Alzheimer research. The Guest authority is a researcher at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of technology). She and her staff have been experimenting with mice and the beta Amyloids that can accumulate at the brain site.
The deal is that neurons fire at certain frequencies in the 10 to 100 cycles per second range depending on the problem at hand.. Certain frequencies indicate the cerebral effort that is being employed to resolve whatever problem. The frequencies vary with the difficulty and demand of the thought process. Sometimes the brain produces simultaneous and separate firing frequencies if the problem is difficult. The highly credentialed Chinese research doctor zeroed in on a frequency of 40 cycles per second for neuron firing base line.
She drilled tiny holes in mouse heads and inserted fiber optic threads to the mouse brain. The chosen mice had identifiable deposits of beta amyloids in or on the brain. The fiber optics used light flashes at 40 cycles. After the experiments the amyloid deposits were seen to have diminished by 50 percent. Repeatedly.
Well we cannot go drilling holes into human skulls so is there another option for this treatment? If it is light that triggers the change is there another way to do it? Maybe through the eyes? Subsequent experiments with the mice yielded the same result. Mice exposed to rapidly flashing LED light yielded the same result: 50 % reduction in amyloid presence at the brain site. Will that work for humans? Maybe, maybe not. It seems that research results with mice have not come even close to the result with humans.
The jury is out on this possible huge breakthrough.
I suspect that our brainiac person; Silver, is up to speed on this kind of experimentation.
That's awesome, Icarus! I wasn't aware of this research yet. Looks like I've got some database digging to do!
Have you tried reading the bible?
I've been trying out a new brand of melatonin gummies for the last month and I am pretty impressed. Here's (https://www.olly.com/products/sleep) the brand. It is a bit more expensive than other melatonin suppliments I've tried but it works well.
This (https://www.sleepwithmepodcast.com) is the podcast that I put on. Something about this guy's voice puts me to sleep almost instantly.
Quote from: No one on November 07, 2019, 04:43:49 AM
Have you tried reading the bible?
I have, and couldn't get past "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." It doesn't help me sleep though, just makes me feel annoyed thinking there are people who believe this book to be something more than a origin story and collection of myths.
Quote from: Buddy on November 07, 2019, 04:57:23 PM
I've been trying out a new brand of melatonin gummies for the last month and I am pretty impressed. Here's (https://www.olly.com/products/sleep) the brand. It is a bit more expensive than other melatonin suppliments I've tried but it works well.
This (https://www.sleepwithmepodcast.com) is the podcast that I put on. Something about this guy's voice puts me to sleep almost instantly.
QuoteBedtime stories to help grown ups fall asleep in the deep, dark night.
Sounds absolutely snore-inducing. I'll give it a try. :thumbsup:
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on November 07, 2019, 11:14:48 PM
Quote from: Buddy on November 07, 2019, 04:57:23 PM
I've been trying out a new brand of melatonin gummies for the last month and I am pretty impressed. Here's (https://www.olly.com/products/sleep) the brand. It is a bit more expensive than other melatonin suppliments I've tried but it works well.
This (https://www.sleepwithmepodcast.com) is the podcast that I put on. Something about this guy's voice puts me to sleep almost instantly.
QuoteBedtime stories to help grown ups fall asleep in the deep, dark night.
Sounds absolutely snore-inducing. I'll give it a try. :thumbsup:
I can say that I have never even made it to the bedtime story portion. I always fall asleep during the introduction
another call at midnight. no work today, again. zo im wide awake but wont be getting up for three or four more hours.
Quote from: billy rubin on November 10, 2019, 08:55:06 AM
another call at midnight. no work today, again. zo im wide awake but wont be getting up for three or four more hours.
Are you paid by the delivery or salaried?
Quote from: Tank on November 10, 2019, 08:55:59 AM
Quote from: billy rubin on November 10, 2019, 08:55:06 AM
another call at midnight. no work today, again. zo im wide awake but wont be getting up for three or four more hours.
Are you paid by the delivery or salaried?
by the hour.
normal work week is 60 hours. last week was only 35.
things always slow down in the oil fields in the winter, because everybody has blown their annual budgets by the end of the fiscal year, but this is leaner than usual.
Quote from: billy rubin on November 10, 2019, 09:13:55 AM
Quote from: Tank on November 10, 2019, 08:55:59 AM
Quote from: billy rubin on November 10, 2019, 08:55:06 AM
another call at midnight. no work today, again. zo im wide awake but wont be getting up for three or four more hours.
Are you paid by the delivery or salaried?
by the hour.
normal work week is 60 hours. last week was only 35.
things always slow down in the oil fields in the winter, because everybody has blown their annual budgets by the end of the fiscal year, but this is leaner than usual.
I thought as much. But presumably you do every hour you can get during the summer?
yes. the business is cyclic by its nature, and winter hours are always a bit low.
i worked wellhead for a while. that was nightmarish. 119 hours per week, 7 days a week, three days or so off between wells every month or so.
driving bottlez iz like a vacation compared to that