I don't mean to be nosy, but I've now read quite a few references to Ambien CR and insomnia. Is it a big problem among posters? How do you combat insomina or sleep deprivation during meets and training and life? I'm not a big sleeper myself in terms of # hours, but I seem to know a lot of folks suffering from insomnia. Some are resigned to their fate; others are unhappy. What gives?
Parents
Former Member
I go through bouts of insommnia myself. Last winter I was lying awake many nights until 5:30 am, when I would finally fall asleep then didn't hear the alarm clock and would wake up at 10:30 feeling like crap. If I tried to just get up at 5:30 and go to work, I was miserable during the day and drowsy on the roads ... then still couldn't get to sleep at night. I am supposed to be at work 8AM - 6PM.
Then the horrible sleeplessness just kind of stopped after a few months.
I am by nature a night owl and I really do best on 8+ hours. If left to my own, a schedule of staying up to 1:30 AM and getting up at 10:30 AM is where I end up. But that doesn't line up well at all with my job and when my swim team trains.
It's pretty unusual for me to sleep straight through the night. Since my teenaged years I've gotten up most nights even though I restrict my fluids after I get home.
When I get a cold it's the worst. All the OTC stuff with pseudoephedrine really wired me and I would go 4+ days straight without falling asleep. I would get to a twilight stage where I was having hallucinogenic episodes. If I didn't take the OTC meds, then I would just cough or be so stuffed up I couldn't sleep either.
Right now I have a floodlight pointed at my bed. It is on a timer so it pops on early in the morning. That has been somewhat helpful in getting my internal clock reset. I have tried taking melatonin within an hour of bedtime and sometimes that helps.
A really hard workout with a bad warmdown makes it very hard to fall asleep. I'll feel dead tired but have the sensation of floating over the bed as my back muscles twitch. Back when I was swimming in meets, I always wanted a 3-hour nap in the afternoon. Those were double whammies since I had to get up early to get to the meet AND I was physically wrecked afterwards when the adrenalin wore off.
Beer, wine, and my beloved margaritas ... I do find it easier to fall asleep after one or more. But I better have 8 hours to sleep it off as I won't be getting up any earlier.
A friend of mine was having problems with insomnia and was taking Halcion. He threw it out after he pooped his bed in his sleep one night. Another guy I knew was taking Halcion long-term during college and he had sufficient memory loss that he had to drop out of school.
Those people who awake feeling fresh and rested on a regular basis ... the ones who can doze off in an instant on planes or hotel rooms ... the people who feel fine on 5 hours of sleep a night ... that's a gift and I hope you folks enjoy it.
I go through bouts of insommnia myself. Last winter I was lying awake many nights until 5:30 am, when I would finally fall asleep then didn't hear the alarm clock and would wake up at 10:30 feeling like crap. If I tried to just get up at 5:30 and go to work, I was miserable during the day and drowsy on the roads ... then still couldn't get to sleep at night. I am supposed to be at work 8AM - 6PM.
Then the horrible sleeplessness just kind of stopped after a few months.
I am by nature a night owl and I really do best on 8+ hours. If left to my own, a schedule of staying up to 1:30 AM and getting up at 10:30 AM is where I end up. But that doesn't line up well at all with my job and when my swim team trains.
It's pretty unusual for me to sleep straight through the night. Since my teenaged years I've gotten up most nights even though I restrict my fluids after I get home.
When I get a cold it's the worst. All the OTC stuff with pseudoephedrine really wired me and I would go 4+ days straight without falling asleep. I would get to a twilight stage where I was having hallucinogenic episodes. If I didn't take the OTC meds, then I would just cough or be so stuffed up I couldn't sleep either.
Right now I have a floodlight pointed at my bed. It is on a timer so it pops on early in the morning. That has been somewhat helpful in getting my internal clock reset. I have tried taking melatonin within an hour of bedtime and sometimes that helps.
A really hard workout with a bad warmdown makes it very hard to fall asleep. I'll feel dead tired but have the sensation of floating over the bed as my back muscles twitch. Back when I was swimming in meets, I always wanted a 3-hour nap in the afternoon. Those were double whammies since I had to get up early to get to the meet AND I was physically wrecked afterwards when the adrenalin wore off.
Beer, wine, and my beloved margaritas ... I do find it easier to fall asleep after one or more. But I better have 8 hours to sleep it off as I won't be getting up any earlier.
A friend of mine was having problems with insomnia and was taking Halcion. He threw it out after he pooped his bed in his sleep one night. Another guy I knew was taking Halcion long-term during college and he had sufficient memory loss that he had to drop out of school.
Those people who awake feeling fresh and rested on a regular basis ... the ones who can doze off in an instant on planes or hotel rooms ... the people who feel fine on 5 hours of sleep a night ... that's a gift and I hope you folks enjoy it.
