Sleeping, at my wits end, just me?

A place to talk about your experience of living with Dyspraxia

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Ulalia07
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Sleeping, at my wits end, just me?

Post by Ulalia07 »

Hi guys, this is my first post, yaaay =D>

I am 24, a single mum, studying full time and recently diagnosed with dyspraxia.

I have been having so many problems with sleep it is driving me back down depression street :( Some night I am up all night not feeling tired at all. Sometimes not feeling anything at all other times i feel stressed out and very anxious. Insomnia.

On the other hand, even if i am lucky enough to go to bed early (8-9pmish), I cannot wake up when my alarm goes off. I still feel so tired like i have only slept for ten minutes. I snooze my alarm and sleep a bit longer, sometimes i don't even realise i do this. If my OH is staying and talks to me I can't even respond I am so tired. This has lead to me being far to fatigued to get though the day so i have missed university, slept while my DS is at school and as a result i have no sleeping pattern and ever mounting uni work, which i am so behind on. I don't know what else to do, i have been to doctors and am waiting to see a counsellor.

Is it just me? Does anyone have ANY advice at all? Is this even dyspraxia causing this?
It's a recent diagnosis but i always slept 14-6 hours+ as a kid.
sp17
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Re: Sleeping, at my wits end, just me?

Post by sp17 »

I feel you exactly with not been able to sleep till late and can go through a working day without many obvious issues however its not good for long term health.

Ive always been a late sleeper but love my sleep, which led to skipping college and uni classes and can't be done at work :( Just like you my brain doesn't rest and over thinks things, which leads to worries and anxiety
Samuel.eats.grass
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Re: Sleeping, at my wits end, just me?

Post by Samuel.eats.grass »

I am also having trouble sleeping, partly because I'm on my holidays from university at the moment and my sleeping pattern is so messed up and other times because I can't stop thinking about serious stuff before I go to sleep. I find it helps me to escape to the world of my imagination before I go to sleep. I don't really understand why I think about serious things before I go to bed, things I don't even consider during the day but I do.

Last night I slept so badly that I felt sick when I woke up, experienced mild hallucinations and that strange sensation of feeling that you're awake but you can't move.
sasha2014
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Re: Sleeping, at my wits end, just me?

Post by sasha2014 »

I have the same problem
i cant seem to sleep
sometimes i sleep till half 10 in the morning
and im not tired till 3-4 in the morning
i get so stressed because i find looking for work really dificult
as no one wants to help me
:(
Tom fod
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Re: Sleeping, at my wits end, just me?

Post by Tom fod »

Hi Sasha

Welcome to our online community.

I can completely sympathise about the difficulty sleeping and the stress of trying to find work.

I often find my mind is still wide awake and spinning round even though I'm conscious I need to sleep if I'm going to function the next day. I find If I don't really have any reason to get up I'll lounge in bed for too long. I guess the trick is to try and change your routine so you get up earlier and go to bed and sleep earlier but it's easier said than done.

I can try and tell you not to be stressed about trying to find a job but I couldn't not be stressed myself. What aspects of your search for work are causing you most difficulty? Please check out our work section for ideas and don't be afraid to post any questions you have. Many of us here have struggled in the past or are currently struggling to find work so we'll understand where you're coming from.
Tom
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With a foot full of bullets I tried to run faster but I just hobbled on to the next disaster.
(from Peter and the Test Tube Babies, Foot Full of Bullets)
ThomBwha
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Re: Sleeping, at my wits end, just me?

Post by ThomBwha »

Hi, I really do relate to your situation, I'm 19 now, still live with my parents, who need to wake me up almost every morning because I can't seem to get out of bed when my alarm goes, most of the time vaguely remembering parts of the morning or how I put my alarm on snooze and fall asleep again.

I now have an alarm which I need to get out of bed for to turn off, that might help you too on these mornings, quite the loud alarm too, because i can even sleep through the alarm when the volume is low, or since my phone is my alarm, I just take it and lay on top of my phone to muffle the sound.

The weird thing is, my parents say it's a "just do it" thing, like one foot out of bed, then the next one and yay you did it. But for me it's a mystery every time to why I didn't "just do it". Does this sound familiar to you? Because this is what I experience with not realising I snooze of even turned off my alarm.
Tom fod
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Re: Sleeping, at my wits end, just me?

Post by Tom fod »

Hi

Someone I know has a ritual where he sets his alarm for one minute after he gets into bed to practise the act of getting out of bed and implant the action into his mind for the next morning when the alarm goes off.

While I'm not sure it would work for me, I have not tried it myself. I can usually manage to get up, as my sense of not liking to be late is just as strong, so as long as my mind is convinced I need to be somewhere, I find I can get up.
Tom
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With a foot full of bullets I tried to run faster but I just hobbled on to the next disaster.
(from Peter and the Test Tube Babies, Foot Full of Bullets)
Captain_Ludd
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Re: Sleeping, at my wits end, just me?

Post by Captain_Ludd »

Hi,

Yeah I can completely sympathise with this I've never really slept well at all I'm almost always tired, here's a few techniques if found that helped me.

I read somewhere that the place you sleep should be a little like a cave so:

* Keep it as empty as possible this especially goes for anything you associate with activity (this includes T. Vs radios etc if you can) your brain picks up on this and stays in sort of "active mode".

* Especially don't have anything in your sleeping area that you associate with work or stressful activities your brain picks-up on these subconsciously and keeps you in a stressed state while you sleep.

* Try to keep your bed room slightly cooler than the rest of the house (preferably below 21 C although don't freeze :) )

* Make sure the room is dark and quite (no d'uh :)) this especially goes for LEDs you often have on electronic tech these days particularly the blue ones, certain wavelengths of blue light are picked up by the daylight sensing receptors in the eye and kind of tell your brain to get ready to wakeup.

* If you have a clock in your room once you've set the alarm and turn it away from you, if you wake up in the night and look at the clock you subconsciously become more aware of the time even when you drift back to sleep.

* Use a proper clock for your alarm not your mobile as this is also something that you associate with mental stimulation (infact turn it off or leave it in another room if you can), personally I use an electronic clock I hate the tick tock ones, they keep me awake.

* Try to get some form of physical activity a few hours before you sleep although not right before as it releases helpful endorphins also avoid caffeine and alcohol before sleeping.

* I have read that you sleep better in the nude and have friends that will swear they sleep better when their not wearing anything, personally I only ever found this when its hot though.

* Always try to give yourself a little bit of relaxing "me time" before you go to bed (although I appreciate this may be difficult for a single mom) and this doesn't mean veging out to watch T.V. it means proper relaxation, Oh and on the subject of T.V. if you do watch it before bed don't watch anything like action or horror it puts you in a hightend state of anxiety which wont help you sleep.

* Try to keep some pattern to your sleep otherwise you knock your circadian rhythm out of whack and end up feeling jet lagged.

* Most importantly do whatever you can not to go to bed anxious or stressed (much easier said than done sometimes I know).

Few ! that's one long list, some of its really helped me hopefully it can do the same for you :) .
Mr_Tom_one
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Re: Sleeping, at my wits end, just me?

Post by Mr_Tom_one »

I've always really struggled with sleep. If I do everything correctly in terms of routine, avoiding caffeine etc. then I can usually get off, but never sleep well. Any disruption like travel or a late night out or stress and it's hopeless. I did crew work which had unusual hours for a little while and it destroyed me!

I used sleeping pills for a bit, but they are way too addictive so I wouldn't recommend that. I had the same experience with alcohol, which got me off to sleep but it was never good sleep and just became an excuse to drink and not do all the sensible stuff like going to bed at a decent time, so another thing to watch out for.

One thing I've started doing recently which might seem obvious but I think it may help, is preparing for the next day. So - make sure I know what clothes I'm going to wear, check I've got enough cereal etc., pack my bag. I think maybe subconciously that helps me relax. It makes a big difference the next day anyway :) Otherwise I'm rushing around not know where things are and getting stressed out.
Engel
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Re: Sleeping, at my wits end, just me?

Post by Engel »

Hello all,

I used to have the same issue as many of us, not being able to get out of bed in the morning, and not being able to sleep when I go to bed.

Recently though I have found that less sleep for me seems to work, instead I now regularly get around 5-6 hours of sleep a night, occasionally with a sleep n the early evening or late afternoon for about 20 minutes should I need it.

Sorting out my diet seemed to help as well, I went from the typical student diet of fast food, pizza and booze to following a diet consisting of mainly fruit and veg with some sort of lean meat. Seemed to give me some more energy compared to the amount of sugar that I was digesting... Funny that #-o

As much as an annoyance as it is sometimes, exercise has been proven to work as well.

I know some people that I study alongside use lavender scented candles and play soft music an hour before bed, just to help them relax. Might be worth a shot?

Hope I helped in the slightest! Let us all know how you get on :D
Feel free to PM me! :grin: :grin: :grin:
Philip
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Re: Sleeping, at my wits end, just me?

Post by Philip »

Some nights I sleep better than others. I am also still trying to get paid employment and it is getting more and more stressful at times. I also think about careful what I eat and drink a few hours before I go to bed. I try to avoid playing video games about a hour before I go to bed.

The times when I been in employment I have not slept well, worrying about what the day will bring, one or two temporary jobs really were taxing even though it was data entry which I am good at.

I don't have a mobile phone so don't have to worry about if I accidently leave it on during the night.

I have no problems getting up in the morning.
Jane
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Re: Sleeping, at my wits end, just me?

Post by Jane »

I know the feeling. It's so frustrating. Like right now. It's 4am here in Australia.

For me there are nights where I barely sleep and then days where I seem to have narcolepsy.

When my dyspraxia affected cortisol levels are high, apparently the melatonin the body releases to make people drowsy is not released in me until early morning. So I get my best sleep between 5 - 10am.

The only way I can get around this is to exercise heavily. Unfortunately the elevated cortisol has been affecting my heart, so too much exercise can give me tachycardia and arrhythmia.

I realised that I had to make my life work around this. So I work for myself which allows me to use the late nights to be productive. My clients know my phone is off in the mornings as I just can't hold down regular business hours.
taffyapple
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Re: Sleeping, at my wits end, just me?

Post by taffyapple »

I have to say that it is reassuring that I am not the only one who has issue with sleep.

Sometimes it really feels like I am hitting my head against a brick wall ](*,) because my perception is that going to sleep/getting up should be easy for a grown up and it is only me having these issues.

Having lost my job due to sleep related issues, I am now seeing a therapist but I've fallen into a rut since I'm out of work. I'm practically nocturnal as a result. So it seems that life is swings and roundabouts.

When I saw my therapist today, she came up with a routine for me to follow including a bedtime/morning plans. Plans are great but now I am the one that has to implement it. The key is that I have to get up at a certain time every day even if I have only gone the bed a couple of hours beforehand. I expect the next few days will be rough. :*(

I'm also looking for a cheap but effective alarm which I have to get out of bed to turn off similar to the alarms that "run away" but ideally one that doesn't look like its designed for children. Unfortunately, a lot of them do. :-s
Simon
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Re: Sleeping, at my wits end, just me?

Post by Simon »

I also have trouble getting to sleep and waking up.

I've had a job that involved working in shifts 06.00 to 14.00 one week and 14.00 to 22.00 the other week.
I was late a lot when I had the early shift, having to wake up at 05.00h in the morning.
My foreman was not happy with this and after a couple of times he started sending certified mail with a warning (they could fire me after 3 of such letters but I got like 14 of them)
Although I never got fired for this.
During this period my girlfriend and me started living together and then she would wake up so I could turn of the alarmclock. :)
When my girlfriend wasn't home for some reason I had to take a day off :)
Eventually I quit this job myself. (Now that I'm diagnosed and reading on this forum thinking that I should have done this a lot sooner) :)

In my current place of employment I have to start working between 08.00h and 10.00h in the morning. (I'm so happy with this arrangement) \:D/
Actually I just get up at around 07.00h and don't look at the clock anymore until I arrive at my workplace.
This reduces the stress, during my commute and start of the day.
Time is something that may change me, but I can't change time so f*** it.
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