# Insomnia is What Keeps Me Up at Night **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 29, 2023, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insomnia-is-what-keeps-me-up-at-night/981822 "2023-03-29T05:40:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TruePisces](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/truepisces/32/13628_2.png) [@TruePisces](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruePisces)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2023, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insomnia-is-what-keeps-me-up-at-night/981822/1 "2023-03-29T05:40:16Z")
Yeah, I know. “Talk about the obvious, TP! You _do_ know what insomnia is, don’t you?” I wish I knew why I have trouble sleeping. It’s never about falling asleep in the first place. That usually happens without any trouble. But after an hour or two, I wake up and can’t get back to sleep for another hour at least. I wish I could be productive when I can’t fall back asleep. I wish I could just fall immediately back asleep. Sometimes I just futz until I get sleepy. Sometimes I try to listen to my audio book. Sometimes I run my brain through fantasies until I fall asleep. But nothing ever works each time. So what about my other insomniacs? What do you do to try to fight that inability to drift back into la la land? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2023, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insomnia-is-what-keeps-me-up-at-night/981822/2 "2023-03-29T05:48:20Z")
I gave up. Long ago. I sleep some better now I’m sicker but that’s nothing to be proud of. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2023, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insomnia-is-what-keeps-me-up-at-night/981822/3 "2023-03-29T06:04:30Z")
Under normal circumstances, I’m able to fall asleep within minutes. But, if I’m feeling stressed, or worried, I may wind up lying there for hours. If that happens, and if I haven’t fallen asleep within 30 minutes or so, I usually get back out of bed (so that I’m not disturbing my wife, the notorious light sleeper), go downstairs, and read, or listen to some quiet music, just to get my brain out of whatever rut it’s gotten itself stuck in. I’ll do that for a half hour to an hour, and in most cases, I can then head back to bed, and fall asleep reasonably quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2023, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insomnia-is-what-keeps-me-up-at-night/981822/4 "2023-03-29T06:05:33Z")
Yeah, I don’t fight it. I just deal. Most often, I’ll just flip on an all-night news station, surf the SDMB, do a crossword puzzle, or look at the news online. None really help, but it does get my mind off the “gotta get to sleep, gotta get to sleep, gotta do XYZ early tomorrow” thing, which is stressful and doesn’t help at all. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2023, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insomnia-is-what-keeps-me-up-at-night/981822/5 "2023-03-29T06:47:22Z")
What I don’t get, are those “morning people,” who think that late-night people, like me, are somehow lesser. My ex, who typically went to bed at 9 PM, was one of those. “Hey, let’s get going! It’s six AM; we’re burning daylight! Why can you not wake up?” Because, darlin’, I was up until two, because I can’t sleep before then. I’m a late-night person, and you’re not. You put me in bed at nine, and I’ll be up for the next five to six hours (during which you will constantly complain about me having the light on), and if you want me alive at six AM, you’re going to have a very grumpy Spoons who has only had three hours of sleep. I hate early-morning people. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2023, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insomnia-is-what-keeps-me-up-at-night/981822/6 "2023-03-29T07:00:32Z")
Funny. And you don’t hate anyone, I’ll bet. I just disagree with them, myself. And they can just hush their mouths! I’m sleepin’! ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2023, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insomnia-is-what-keeps-me-up-at-night/981822/7 "2023-03-29T07:06:52Z")
Well, I hate nobody, **Beck**. You’re right about that. But damn! What to do about those who think they are better than you because they can wake up before 7 AM on a regular basis? You wanna know why I suffer from insomnia? No. No, I’ll let this pass for now. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2023, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insomnia-is-what-keeps-me-up-at-night/981822/8 "2023-03-29T07:09:52Z")
Well, I know why I do. I assume we all have similarities in that regard. @TruePisces , I do wanna mention my horrible experience with Ambien. It is a cruel mistress. If you go that way, go cautiously. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2023, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insomnia-is-what-keeps-me-up-at-night/981822/9 "2023-03-29T07:15:01Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Well, I know why I do. > I assume we all have similarities in that regard. My good friend **Beck**. Yes, we do have similarities. Be well, take care, and _illegitimi non carborundum_. (Don’t let the bastards grind you down.) All the “early morning types” share similarities, and none of them are mine. A boss once told me that “Insomnia is just a fear of tomorrow.” Yeah, well you were a lousy boss, so I fear tomorrow. I can prepare, though. **Beck** , my good friend, my best regards always, Spoons ---
**Author:** ![slicedalone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slicedalone/32/12515_2.png) [@slicedalone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slicedalone)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2023, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insomnia-is-what-keeps-me-up-at-night/981822/10 "2023-03-29T07:29:02Z")
I brew coffee, and start my day. Nap as needed. Fortunately I’m retired and live alone, so taking a three hour nap at 10 AM is doable. ---
**Author:** ![Moonrise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonrise/32/14764_2.png) [@Moonrise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonrise)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2023, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insomnia-is-what-keeps-me-up-at-night/981822/11 "2023-03-29T07:59:15Z")
I’ve had insomnia regularly for almost 30 years now. The thing is, it’s unpredictable. Sometimes, I feel exhausted and can’t fall asleep. Sometimes, I’m stressed out by some important deadline the following day and get 6h of uninterrupted sleep. But that’s rare. There are times when I know I won’t be able to fall asleep the second my head hits the pillow. It feels as if my brain can’t turn itself off. I don’t even think about anything in particular, it’s more subtle than that. You know that faint buzzing sound that, say, fridges sometimes make ? That’s similar to what I hear in my head. Always on. Then, I know I’ll be awake for hours, perhaps for the whole night. It sometimes feels as if my brains shifted to a 48h cycle. I’ve had about 9h of sleep in the past 3 days. It’s not unusual. Perhaps tonight I’ll sleep well. Or tomorrow. At some point, I’ll get a good night’s sleep and all will be back to normal. Until the next, unpredictable bout of insomnia. Next week, or the week after at the latest, I guess. I don’t do anything to fight it. I just deal with the consequences. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2023, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insomnia-is-what-keeps-me-up-at-night/981822/12 "2023-03-29T09:51:06Z")
You should consider a weighted blanket. When I developed sleep issues I was sceptical but it really does work quite well. My doctor recommended I first try Gravol to help me sleep and that also works quite well. Worth a try, it’s over the counter, non addictive, easy peasy. I was a long time night owl all my life. But reaching retirement age caused an enormous shift. Suddenly I’m up before dawn, wide awake. And, when it first began, furious to be up and awake to no purpose whatsoever. I am now an early riser, but not by choice. And I’m certainly aware there is no piety in such a habit! ---
**Author:** ![Yosh99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ccd318/32.png) [@Yosh99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yosh99)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2023, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insomnia-is-what-keeps-me-up-at-night/981822/13 "2023-03-29T15:44:24Z")
I developed insomnia at the age of 40 when I quit smoking and still suffer from it at 72. I fall asleep easily, but wake around 2:00 and stay awake until 5:00 or so. It was a serious problem when I was working and there were many mornings driving to work that I feared I’d fall asleep. Now, that I’m retired it’s no big deal. I do a lot of reading. BTW, I’m convinced that there is a relationship between quitting smoking and insomnia. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2023, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insomnia-is-what-keeps-me-up-at-night/981822/14 "2023-03-30T03:42:14Z")
I can also attest to retirement making insomnia much less stressful. It’s been a problem for me since I started going into menopause some 15 years ago. I did all the things you’re supposed to do - made sure to get enough exercise, but not too late in the day, eliminated lighted screens from the bedroom, kept to the same bedtime all week - and none of it helped. I tried melatonin (nope) and started sleeping in a separate bedroom from my spouse. I tried a white-noise machine. Nada. Now that it’s legal in my state, i use gummies with 10 mg of THC. If all else fails, 5 mg of Ambien (with apologies to all those who’ve had bad experiences). I don’t take something every night, and I’m very careful not to take Ambien more than 3 nights in a row. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2023, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insomnia-is-what-keeps-me-up-at-night/981822/15 "2023-03-30T09:34:40Z")
Long term insomniac here. Actually it isn’t that i have insomnia, I have segmented sleep - and occasionally trouble sleeping totally. [last week I had a 4 day stretch of nonsleep with 2 90 minute naps and 4 flash naps [1 minute or less loss of awareness, not really any sort of productive sleep] I no longer try and force myself to sleep. I will use gummies and alcohol to force a sleep if I have a medical appointment the next morning - 3 of the delta 8-9 plus resin 100 mg kind, with a shot of schnapps, which will send me to sleep for an almost measured 4 hours. Otherwise, I deal. I will putter around, read and watch the idiotbox and wist for some sleep to hit me. ---
**Author:** ![TruePisces](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/truepisces/32/13628_2.png) [@TruePisces](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruePisces)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2023, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insomnia-is-what-keeps-me-up-at-night/981822/16 "2023-03-30T16:07:10Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I sleep some better now I’m sicker but that’s nothing to be proud of. {{{ **Beck** }}} I’m sorry, hon. > [@kenobi\_65](#): > > and in most cases, I can then head back to bed, and fall asleep reasonably quickly. I envy you that! I used to be able to but the older I get, the harder it is for me. Like I said earlier, falling asleep in the first place is always the easy part for me. It’s staying asleep that has me tossing and turning. I will go out into the living room for much the same reasons (Hubby isn’t a light sleeper, per se, but I don’t want to risk waking him if I can help it.) Sometimes reading a book will help, others not so much. > [@Spoons](#): > > None really help, but it does get my mind off the “gotta get to sleep, gotta get to sleep, gotta do XYZ early tomorrow” thing, which is stressful and doesn’t help at all. Yeah, sometimes mine actually hurts more than it helps because I’ll get caught up in playing a game or reading a book and the next thing I know, I’ve got an hour before it’s time for me to be up for the day. > [@Spoons](#): > > Because, darlin’, I was up until two, because I can’t sleep before then. I’m a late-night person, and you’re not. You put me in bed at nine, and I’ll be up for the next five to six hours (during which you will constantly complain about me having the light on), and if you want me alive at six AM, you’re going to have a very grumpy Spoons who has only had three hours of sleep. I have friends like this. I’m not a late night person (most of the time) but I don’t ever expect anyone else to be early people because they’re gonna sleep when they’re gonna sleep. It’s like hating the sun because it rises. It’s hard to change your patterns. > [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I do wanna mention my horrible experience with Ambien. It is a cruel mistress. I think I took it when I was pregnant with CtE and it didn’t help me in the least. For the most part, I’ll take a Flexeril because the back pain is acting up and that has the added benefit of helping me sleep. Melatonin has been hit or miss for me. As have gummies, but I think that’s in part because my friend that I use as my weed guru has me on very low doses while I’m still new to any of it. > [@slicedalone](#): > > I brew coffee, and start my day. Nap as needed. Fortunately I’m retired and live alone, so taking a three hour nap at 10 AM is doable. I’m a SAHM and, honestly, it happens far more than it probably should. I would get up and start my day when I wake at 2 or 3 am, but my computer is in the bedroom and I don’t want to wake up Hubby doing things on it. I’ll sometimes bring my phone into the living room and chat with a friend or check out places online but usually I lay in bed, curse my CPAP for being uncomfortable and pray that sleep will take me. When it doesn’t, the three hour nap (with an alarm to make sure I’m up in time to get my middle schooler by 4) is a regular thing. > [@Moonrise](#): > > It feels as if my brain can’t turn itself off. I don’t even think about anything in particular, it’s more subtle than that. You know that faint buzzing sound that, say, fridges sometimes make ? That’s similar to what I hear in my head. Always on. Then, I know I’ll be awake for hours, perhaps for the whole night. That’s what happens to me a lot too. My brain will run in circles of nothing and I just can’t get it to shut down. The next thing I know, it’s 3 am, or 4 am and I’ve got to be up at five to get my high schooler ready and in to school. That’s when I nap. > [@Moonrise](#): > > Perhaps tonight I’ll sleep well. Or tomorrow. At some point, I’ll get a good night’s sleep and all will be back to normal. I hope you’ve been able to! _sends sleeping wishes toward Moonrise_ > [@elbows](#): > > You should consider a weighted blanket. When I developed sleep issues I was sceptical but it really does work quite well. I’ve been wanting to get one for awhile. My youngest is ASD and it was recommended for him when he was feeling the need for pressure. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that could be the reason why I sometimes needed six or seven blankets atop me to actually sleep. I’ve been looking at them for a couple years but the price… I just haven’t had the extra income to justify it. Hearing that it’s helped for you, though, makes me think I need to save up for one. Or throw hints for Mother’s Day. > [@Yosh99](#): > > I fall asleep easily, but wake around 2:00 and stay awake until 5:00 or so. That’s what happens to me as well. When Hubby was able to drive (he hurt his foot somehow so now all the driving has been placed on my shoulders), I could sleep later while he drove the kids to school. Now I’ve got to be up to take CtE to high school, come home and pick up BtY to bring him to middle school. Only then can I think about maybe napping. > [@Yosh99](#): > > BTW, I’m convinced that there is a relationship between quitting smoking and insomnia. There could be. I know that’s not my reason for it - I haven’t smoked for 20 years and I was never an addict but more a social smoker (most of the time). But there’s no reason for their not to be a correlation. > [@InternetLegend](#): > > It’s been a problem for me since I started going into menopause some 15 years ago. That could be some of it for me. I should be going through menopause soon, though I don’t know for certain (Thanks to having an IUD for the last 14 years which means no monthly visitors,) > [@InternetLegend](#): > > Now that it’s legal in my state, i use gummies with 10 mg of THC. As I mentioned above, I’ve got a friend who takes me to get gummies. I’m not sure of the dosage that I take, just that whatever the dosage is, he’s told me to quarter it. It may be time to up the dosage a little, I think. > [@aruvqan](#): > > I will use gummies and alcohol to force a sleep if I have a medical appointment the next morning - 3 of the delta 8-9 plus resin 100 mg kind, with a shot of schnapps, which will send me to sleep for an almost measured 4 hours. I suspect that would probably do the same for me, though I’d probably be switching out schnapps for vodka. Probably not that dosage of the gummies though. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2023, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insomnia-is-what-keeps-me-up-at-night/981822/17 "2023-03-30T19:49:41Z")
I agree that the price to buy is very spendy. And if it’s being shipped, yikes! I made my own, maybe you know someone who can sew, the sleeve part? I made mine out of cotton sheeting as I would need to use it in the summer, too. I considered a lot of things for weights, but landed on a large collection of smooth tiny stones I had from going to a nearby beach. Worked just fine. When I needed to add extra weight and was out of stones I used nickels, (Pennies rust!) I love mine, made a big difference for me. I get up a couple of times in the night, I was easily going back to sleep mostly, but wasn’t getting deep enough sleep to be restive. It was exhausting. The weighted blanket did the trick though. Good Luck! ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2023, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insomnia-is-what-keeps-me-up-at-night/981822/18 "2023-03-30T22:29:20Z")
> [@TruePisces](#): > > I’ve been looking at them for a couple years but the price… I just haven’t had the extra income to justify it. I bought mine at Amazon and it wasn’t that pricey. If you don’t like it, you can usually send it back. My trick is milk. I somehow managed to convince myself that drinking milk after dark will put me to sleep and it does. Half a glass at bedtime will put me to sleep almost as soon as I shut off the light and keep me sleeping until I get up to pee, but I don’t usually have problems going back to sleep after visiting the toilet. ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2023, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insomnia-is-what-keeps-me-up-at-night/981822/19 "2023-03-30T23:52:45Z")
For about the last five years I’ve been sleeping in the guest room on week nights. I have a radio going at a low volume, on either CBC or NPR as there’s usually good stuff to listen to on them. The whole lockdown/wfh thing also really buggered up my sleep, though I have had insomnia to some extent for the last ten or 15 years. ---
**Author:** ![Tride](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tride/32/13907_2.png) [@Tride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tride)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2023, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insomnia-is-what-keeps-me-up-at-night/981822/20 "2023-03-31T00:08:52Z")
Ambien… AM Bien? A few times, then not so much. Really enjoying being retired and snuggling with my honey until 7 am. I totally get the whirling thoughts, especially when I was being a general contractor. Ambien brought me out of one 5 day spiral when I thought I was going to lose it, but then bit me in the ass the next time.