Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Ordinarily I wouldn't care about a bout of insomnia, but at 8:30am, Thursday (today) I have a job interview.

(I'm not terribly keen on this job -- American Society of Hematology? -- but I haven't been getting many nibbles.)

Right now I'm drinking beer, and I was surfing various job sites, looking for and, I think, responding to, remotely suitable vacancies. (If I get any calls as a result, I'll be what the *BLEEP*, but hey.)

― j.lu (j.lu), Thursday, 10 April 2003 05:35 (twenty-two years ago)

i post to ilx. there's soemthing perverted, tho, about looking for work when i can't sleep. it seems much more apropriate to waste my time when insomnia sets in than to actually do someting "productive". it's like if i get stuff accomplished insomnia wins.

― dyson (dyson), Thursday, 10 April 2003 05:45 (twenty-two years ago)

have a couple shots of whiskey.

― phil-two (phil-two), Thursday, 10 April 2003 05:46 (twenty-two years ago)

lie awake going slowly insane

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Thursday, 10 April 2003 05:47 (twenty-two years ago)

I was like this a bit last night, grr. Partially because I had napped earlier in the evening, and when I WANTED to get to sleep I couldn't. I usually just try to think of story ideas or something if I'm not in a self-analytical mood.

Good luck with the interview! :-) Maybe hematologists just throw parties all the time.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 10 April 2003 05:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Thank you.

(shouts to the heavens) Goddamn I want that local music editor job at America Online why the fuck haven't I gotten a call to come in for an interview I used to do that sort of thing at washingtonpost.com (/shouts to the heavens)

(shouts to the heavens) Why WHY

WHY

am I invisible to guys who I think are hot??? (/shouts to the heavens)

― j.lu (j.lu), Thursday, 10 April 2003 05:51 (twenty-two years ago)

None of the things I usually do are helpful for I-have-insomnia-right-now-tonight type stuff (I have chronic insomnia, ergo bunches of sleeping pills, kava kava, melatonin). But what I'm doing tonight is drinking this thing that's pineapple, soaked in rum and tequila for four months, blended up in the Cuisinart with key lime juice and superfine sugar, and then stirred into champagne, in a margarita glass.

That'd probably help.

― Tep (ktepi), Thursday, 10 April 2003 06:16 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, I'm like Tep. I have chronic insomnia. I've tried everything. The melatonin did work for a long time, but I think I may have built up a tolerance to it. Then I tried alcohol - works really great - ! - (uh - you will go to sleep) - but just about THE WORST thing you could do for yourself. I mean, yeah, in a pinch - you absolutely have to get some sleep a shot of whiskey or something is a good option. Just don't let it get beyond that.

Lately I've been using this Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime tea, and you know what? It works really well! By golly I think I may have solved my insomnia! Do try and look for it j.lu (if you haven't already). It contains Valerian so who the fuck knows if one can in fact develop a tolerance to its effects, but so far it had produced a pleasant fulfilling sleep (I've tried it for a couple weeks now). Just brew a cup about a hour before bed - lights out!

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Thursday, 10 April 2003 06:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, actually drinking in order to induce sleep is Dud. Sober Tep would be with me on this one.

Oh, Sleepytime Tea, I haven't had that in years. It DID always put me to sleep. I'd completely forgotten about it.

― Tep (ktepi), Thursday, 10 April 2003 06:59 (twenty-two years ago)

crank this up and/or eat honey on toast w/ milk.

― Clare (not entirely unhappy), Thursday, 10 April 2003 07:01 (twenty-two years ago)

And I should maybe mention that kava kava has been linked (I don't know how strongly) with .. liver damage, I think? It's no longer sold at the story where I bought the current bottle. So if this is a persistent problem for you, you may want to find out more about that before going the kava kava route (I do find that kava kava and melatonin, together, help me sleep almost without fail).

― Tep (ktepi), Thursday, 10 April 2003 07:03 (twenty-two years ago)

If I am really tired and can't get to sleep I just close my eyes and rest. Even though you may not fall into a full slumber, if you just try to calm yourself down and get into relaxation mode, you'll find yourself refreshed enough to get on with the day. It may not be as good as full sleep but it's better than no rest at all.

― The Archbishop (Archbishop), Thursday, 10 April 2003 07:04 (twenty-two years ago)

STORE. Not story. Christ's sake, if I could hop around buying things in stories I wouldn't waste it on sleeping aids, I'd treasure my insomnia as a gift meant to provide me with extended opportunities to buy Wonka bars and monkey's paws.

― Tep (ktepi), Thursday, 10 April 2003 07:06 (twenty-two years ago)

This will be unpopular choice, but DO NOT post to ILX when you need to sleep. It gets my synapses firing like caffeinated jumping beans!

I always listen to dull and hilariously right-wing talk radio stations. That sends me right to sleep.

― Nordicskillz (Nordicskillz), Thursday, 10 April 2003 07:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Lose sense of your conscious mind, develop a split personality, and travel the country starting Fight Clubs!

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Thursday, 10 April 2003 09:23 (twenty-two years ago)

no one has suggested having a wank yet?

― gaz (gaz), Thursday, 10 April 2003 09:31 (twenty-two years ago)

That's to start the day, gets your heart going.

― Nordicskillz (Nordicskillz), Thursday, 10 April 2003 09:33 (twenty-two years ago)

I watch baseball, if it's on. It calms and pleases me. Usually, though, I am just too worried/panicky to sleep, so I try and think of specific happy things, say., being with a group of friends, in the hope that my mind will start working subconsciously, which seems to be the first step to sleep. Even if I re-awake, the awareness that my mind is capable of drifting off succours me and I start to relax.

Also, make sure you're not too warm. This is the single biggest problem I have related to not sleeping.

Wanking seems to make very little difference. IMHO.

― Mark C (Mark C), Thursday, 10 April 2003 10:05 (twenty-two years ago)

I do listen to music.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Thursday, 10 April 2003 10:09 (twenty-two years ago)

If I can't sleep, I do something mental like clean the windows or do the ironing.

(I know some Haematologists - they're great fun!)

― C J (C J), Thursday, 10 April 2003 10:16 (twenty-two years ago)

I had this problem last night. To take my mind off all the other weird shit that keeps cropping up to annoy me (namely 'Why can't I remember how to say "I will bring you a new fork" in Greek', 'Why is my flatmate continuing to see her boyfriend after he tried it on with me and I told her', etc - really purposeful stuff you see) I decided that I would focus on whether astral travel is truly possible. I have decided that it's complete and utter crap (as is meditation) and that much as I lay there and willed my non-physical self to be flying over the waters of the mediterranean in order to find someone who could tell me the correct words for 'bring' and 'fork' in Greek, it was never going to happen. So there you have it, don't try it at home people because looks like the air travel industry will be raking it in for a few years yet.

― Wouldn't you like to know (Amused), Thursday, 10 April 2003 11:14 (twenty-two years ago)

My moms a hematologist. I usually dance.

― Chris V. (Chris V), Thursday, 10 April 2003 11:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Lie awake pondering the meaning of life, or, read a book, or (sheer desperation option), start farting around on the Internet again.

― ChristineSH (chrissie1068), Thursday, 10 April 2003 11:47 (twenty-two years ago)

I go lie on the couch in the living room. For some reason I can usually sleep in there if I can't fall asleep in bed.

― Nick A. (Nick A.), Thursday, 10 April 2003 12:29 (twenty-two years ago)

This will be unpopular choice, but DO NOT post to ILX when you need to sleep

Very true, this.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 10 April 2003 12:32 (twenty-two years ago)

ya, nick, i don't know what it is about my couch that allows me to fall asleep instantly if i so desire. has there been any scientific research on this phenomenon at all¿

― dyson (dyson), Thursday, 10 April 2003 14:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Try running cold water over both your wrists, dab them dry, and then lie with your wrists tucked into your armpits. It's supposed to work. If not, then I recommend a Camberwell Carrot.

― SittingPretty (sittingpretty), Thursday, 10 April 2003 14:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Or you could just take your haloperidol instead of all that!

― Bryan (Bryan), Thursday, 10 April 2003 14:36 (twenty-two years ago)

A lot of PMS remedies actually just relax your muscles and knock you out - I take them when I feel agitated and tense and have time to take a nap.

Personally, I've got a prescription for Ambien.

― Kerry (dymaxia), Thursday, 10 April 2003 15:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Part of the reason the couch works for me is that when I'm in bed I worry that my tossing and turning is keeping my gf awake, and the bedroom tends to be too hot sometimes. The living room is cooler and I don't have to worry about bothering my gf. The main problem is the cats run around and jump on me sometimes, which is why they aren't allowed in the bedroom at night.

― Nick A. (Nick A.), Thursday, 10 April 2003 15:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Many thanks for all the suggestions. I went to the interview, which went better than I particularly wanted (not to insult hematologists). Considering I only got 3.5 hours of sleep, I'm surprisingly alert.

At any rate, now that the night is over, I remembered another way to go to sleep: a long, relaxing soak in a warm bath. And all of you who criticized using alcohol as a sleep aid, you're completely OTM.

― j.lu (j.lu), Thursday, 10 April 2003 15:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Sorry about the antipsychotic medication joke. Not funny.

― Bryan (Bryan), Thursday, 10 April 2003 16:02 (twenty-two years ago)

dude, i was on that stuff for like five years. that's some serious shit.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 10 April 2003 16:08 (twenty-two years ago)

(as a kid they put me on it for my hyperactivity instead of giving me Ritalin)

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 10 April 2003 16:10 (twenty-two years ago)

I get up at 4 in the morning and must be very alert when I start work at 5:30...no shuffling through the day or even morning allowed. Also, I'm one of those people who really needs 8 hours. When I get home, I have just one beer or glass of wine with dinner, which wears off by the time I go to sleep but is a nice ritual to disconnect from work. Even if I'm physically relaxed, though, my brain keeps going with all those ridiculous questions, so I gotta smoke up to make it shut up. I read a really silly or abstract magazine for a bit and go to sleep. A consistent bedtime is key, and it's not a good idea to watch TV or be on the computer if you have a CRT screen because the strobe effect excites your brain too much. If I get off my sleep schedule, I take a sleeping pill or melatonin. Valerian does't work for me but it adds an interesting edge to the other drugs. Keeping the bedroom warm helps me fall asleep, but I've got poor circulation.

― teeny (teeny), Thursday, 10 April 2003 16:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Hence the apology, JBR. SittingPretty's post does read like some good quality nonsense, though, right?

― Bryan (Bryan), Thursday, 10 April 2003 18:47 (twenty-two years ago)

I did not know that a Camberwell carrot was a giant joint. Still sounds silly!

― Bryan (Bryan), Friday, 11 April 2003 04:18 (twenty-two years ago)

When I can't sleep, I usually drink until I can't not sleep. I do not recommend this method.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Friday, 11 April 2003 04:29 (twenty-two years ago)

i play pictionary at www.isketch.com and then "can't" quickly becomes "won't"

― Honda (Honda), Friday, 11 April 2003 05:10 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.isketch.net/

― Honda (Honda), Friday, 11 April 2003 05:10 (twenty-two years ago)

i've had chronic insmnia since i was about 12. i used to watch movies, read or try to work. my new "solution" is to get drunk and post to ILX.

― H (Heruy), Friday, 11 April 2003 07:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Sometimes drinking doesn't work. On a transatlantic flight I drank about a pint of Cointreau and still couldn't sleep, but sat up watching the Bollywood movie that was showing. N.B. it was an Air India flight, num num Bombay Mix for snacking on.

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Friday, 11 April 2003 08:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Try vervaine tea. Although I hate drinking tisanes.

― suzy (suzy), Friday, 11 April 2003 08:41 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.thorne.com/altmedrev/fulltext/insomnia-fig1.jpg

― Alan (Alan), Friday, 11 April 2003 11:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Bryan - cool your boots, man. I suggest you take a toke on this and watch Withnail and I.....

― SittingPretty (sittingpretty), Friday, 11 April 2003 13:29 (twenty-two years ago)

My boots is cool.

― Bryan (Bryan), Friday, 11 April 2003 13:32 (twenty-two years ago)

I do still suggest watching Withnail and I, though. Great, great film :o)

― SittingPretty (sittingpretty), Friday, 11 April 2003 13:43 (twenty-two years ago)

Maybe I will. Richard E. Grant is really good. I'll probably skip the spliff, though (paranoid enough as it is, yo).

― Bryan (Bryan), Friday, 11 April 2003 13:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Good plan for me: read, maybe put some relaxing music on.

Bad plan: lie awake worrying about everything until you feel very like suicide.

Fortunately I've been mostly able to stay away from the second approach recently.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Friday, 11 April 2003 18:03 (twenty-two years ago)

two years pass...

Wow, this thread is so informative that it gets lots of hits.

― zombie vermin go home (dymaxia), Thursday, 12 May 2005 11:25 (twenty years ago)

I always find reading this to be a reliable cure for sleeplessness:

http://www.newleftreview.com/assets/images/NLR17cover.gif

― rasheed wallace (rasheed wallace), Thursday, 12 May 2005 12:21 (twenty years ago)

behave

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Thursday, 12 May 2005 12:38 (twenty years ago)

what do you do when you've been up all night and it's morning and you've had two cups of coffee but you're very tired but you're afraid that if you take a nap you'll be asleep all day and and and

― cindy williams permafrost (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 12 May 2005 12:44 (twenty years ago)

I went to sleep last night before 9pm - consequently I woke up at 2am and couldn't get back to sleep. I realise now I should've just read the MIA threads.

― $V£N! (blueski), Thursday, 12 May 2005 13:05 (twenty years ago)

Fortunately I don't suffer from insomnia too often, but when it happens, I usually find that it helps to get out of bed, go have a glass of water, and sit in the living room and read for a while. Usually I will eventually find my eyelids starting to lower and my head beginning to nod, then I'll go get back in bed. Usually sleep follows.

The worst insomnia I've had recently was a couple of months ago when I went on a group trip up to the mountains, and I was sleeping in a dormitory style room with a bunch of people - some of whom were snoring and some of whom (judging by how often they tossed and turned) couldn't sleep either. I think I lay there for about 4 hours before I finally dropped off.

― o. nate (onate), Thursday, 12 May 2005 14:06 (twenty years ago)

two years pass...

Ambien's generic now. Woot woot cheap sleep.

― Abbott, Tuesday, 22 May 2007 20:13 (eighteen years ago)

wait that must be why my ambien refill cost $25 instead of $10. need new script!

― bell_labs, Tuesday, 22 May 2007 20:15 (eighteen years ago)

Mine were like $100/mo. w/out insurance! So, I didn't buy Ambien. But now I CAN and sleep and sleep and sleep and wake up to find I've taken all of my pens out of the desk drawer and rearranged them tidily on the desk.

― Abbott, Tuesday, 22 May 2007 20:18 (eighteen years ago)

yay!

― bell_labs, Tuesday, 22 May 2007 20:19 (eighteen years ago)

Ambien + international flights = teh goodness

― Michael White, Tuesday, 22 May 2007 20:48 (eighteen years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.

What do you do when you can't sleep?

WHY