# I do not wish to sleep **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 5, 2009, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-wish-to-sleep/516491 "2009-11-05T23:53:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-wish-to-sleep/516491/1 "2009-11-05T23:53:55Z")
Like a wayward child I do not wish to go to bed. I surf the web, program, watch documentaries; I just do not want to sleep. I can’t sleep. I would sleep for 3 hours, wake up with a pounding headache, and can’t go back. Or my thoughts ramble on and on. I just stay up until exhaustion claims or some such, I guess. Anyone has tips for insomnia? ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-wish-to-sleep/516491/2 "2009-11-06T00:06:53Z")
My insomnia is on the other end. I have trouble staying awake - but cannot sleep as long as I need to. I wake up and can’t fall back to sleep. ---
**Author:** ![Fetchund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b2d939/32.png) [@Fetchund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fetchund)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-wish-to-sleep/516491/3 "2009-11-06T00:18:20Z")
Check your levels of caffeine, alcohol and anything else that would cause insomnia - and the ventilation and comfort of your sleeping place… and good luck. That sounds nasty. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-wish-to-sleep/516491/4 "2009-11-06T00:28:38Z")
Watch _Titanic_ ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-wish-to-sleep/516491/5 "2009-11-06T00:29:59Z")
do you feel like you need more sleep? if you aren’t fatigued during the day then maybe you don’t need more. find something to do instead of being bugged that you are awake. try more sleep when you feel tired. if you wake up for some reason and can’t get back to sleep because of runaway thoughts and you want to get to sleep then try noise. there are electronic noise machines (white noise, pink noise, waves, wind) and have it loud enough to hear but not loud enough to disturb. if you don’t have then a clock radio with sleep timer tuned between AM stations could work. ---
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-wish-to-sleep/516491/6 "2009-11-06T02:11:05Z")
I am sleepy and tired throughout the entire day. A stomachache is also keeping me awake too. Tried an hour of trying to sleep (without sleep for about 16 hours now). ---
**Author:** ![EmAnJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@EmAnJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmAnJ)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-wish-to-sleep/516491/7 "2009-11-06T02:25:48Z")
Have you talked to your doctor yet? ---
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-wish-to-sleep/516491/8 "2009-11-09T08:25:46Z")
Same advice. Try to keep awake and sleep at the right timing. Now I have a problem waking up too. I think I sleep about 10 to 12 hours per day (when I managed to fall asleep), and I still could take a nap too! ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-wish-to-sleep/516491/9 "2009-11-09T08:36:15Z")
[Melatonin.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melatonin) Available over-the-counter at drugstores. Supplementing a naturally-occuring substance in your body which normalizes sleep cycles. I find it pleasant, mild and effective. YMMV ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_C](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Captain\_C](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_C)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-wish-to-sleep/516491/10 "2009-11-09T09:36:51Z")
> [@brujaja](#): > > [Melatonin.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melatonin) Available over-the-counter at drugstores. Supplementing a naturally-occuring substance in your body which normalizes sleep cycles. I find it pleasant, mild and effective. YMMV A thousand times yes. This is the only thing that seems to help me regulate my “go the hell to sleep” switch (other than knocking back a couple Tylenol PM or some Nyquil, which isn’t really a great idea every day). Seriously, get some of this. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-wish-to-sleep/516491/11 "2009-11-09T10:30:04Z")
One technique that may help you is to try a structured relaxation technique. The technique I sometimes use is: Begin by lying down. Focus on your breathing, and will yourself to slow, deep breathing. Your heart rate should also draw down to your normal resting rate. Now, close your eyes, and focus on your forehead. Tense all the muscles there, and hold them tensed for a period of about ten to fifteen heartbeats, or three to five breaths. I never found that it matters what the specific period was, but you want it to be something you can keep standard, while relaxing and keeping your eyes closed. After your period ends, relax the muscles of your forehead. Repeat the tensing, hold, and release one or two more times. Only tensing your forehead. It’s harder than it sounds, but that’s also part of the key to this - you’re going to be working down your body, tensing muscle groups or pairs of muscle groups in tandem, but only that specific set of muscles, you want to let the rest of your body relax. All this time I’ve always found I am thoroughly aware of my own breathing, and it’s very easy to keep it at a constant rate. When you finish with your forehead, move on to your jaw, or cheeks if you prefer. Repeat the same process of tensing, holding and relaxing with your next chosen muscle group. Slowly work down your body, taking things in as small a group of muscles you feel that you can voluntarily control, by themselves. Tensing, holding, and relaxing each group, and letting it alone once you’ve finished with it. For myself, by the time I get through with my feet I find I’m thoroughly relaxed, and it is simplicity itself to allow sleep to take me. I’ve heard this called both self-hypnosis or simply relaxation techniques. No one I’ve ever described it to has ever said it has any dangers associated with it, so even if it won’t help you sleep, you’ll just be out some twenty or thirty minutes, and feeling more relaxed for it. One more thing, you really have to focus on what you’re making your body do. You can’t be doing this and thinking about anything else for it to work. If you’ll bear me sounding kinda woo-woo, you have to have your mind and body working together on this. Another possibility is to print out a section of the Code of Federal Regulations to read in bed. (I can recommend 10CFR20, specifically.) Even if it’s something of professional interest to you, the writing in those regs remains a soporific of the first water. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-wish-to-sleep/516491/12 "2009-11-09T13:59:43Z")
Definitely melatonin. I work graves and have a fucked up sleep schedule. On those days when I simply can’t go to sleep as little as .75 mg melatonin (a 3 mg pill cut into quarters) is enough to give me that sleepy feeling. The pills I take have a very mild taste to them, so I chew them up rather than swallowing them. ---
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-wish-to-sleep/516491/13 "2009-11-09T14:09:23Z")
Thanks for the various techniques, everyone especially **OtakuLoki** , for typing out the instructions. I forgot to pick up melatonin at the pharmacy just now so I have to go back to the mall for it. I will try some self-hypnosis and hopefully ‘will’ myself to sleep. I have the most awful brain chatter ever. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-wish-to-sleep/516491/14 "2009-11-09T14:41:27Z")
> [@CrazyChop](#): > > Thanks for the various techniques, everyone especially **OtakuLoki** , for typing out the instructions. I forgot to pick up melatonin at the pharmacy just now so I have to go back to the mall for it. > > I will try some self-hypnosis and hopefully ‘will’ myself to sleep. I have the most awful brain chatter ever. My therapist says that rarely works. Part of your mind has to be active to “will yourself to sleep.” Sleep won’t come if you try too hard. With my anxiety disorder, I actually have to distract myself to fall asleep. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-wish-to-sleep/516491/15 "2009-11-09T16:25:09Z")
WAG, but stop surfing the web before bed, especially if you’re doing something interactive (e.g. commenting on the SDMB). About a year ago, I banned myself from going online right before bed. It just never ended. I’d act as if it were first thing in the morning, refreshing my email, checking out my usual sites. My brain thought it had to stay active, and I swear when I finally closed my eyes I saw flashing lights. Same thing if I played videogames right before going to sleep – I’d be on edge, my hands ready to L-L-R-Start at any moment. Now I enforce Luddite Hour. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-wish-to-sleep/516491/16 "2009-11-09T20:05:16Z")
I remember I’d take [L-Tryptophan](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tryptophan) before the government banned it. But you can still get it online. The banning resulted not from anything with L-Tryptophan itself, but impurities got into a batch and a bunch of people got sick from it. According to Wikipedia it is again available for sale since 2002 ---
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-wish-to-sleep/516491/17 "2009-11-10T04:06:21Z")
I just slept for 3 hours last night, and woke up being unable to sleep. Not that I feel refreshed though.