# So so tired. Caffeine has been utterly useless. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 13, 2017, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-so-tired-caffeine-has-been-utterly-useless/784414 "2017-04-13T22:38:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-so-tired-caffeine-has-been-utterly-useless/784414/21 "2017-04-14T13:50:18Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > …Or some physical activity, like a walk. YMMV of course. Okay, that’s just mean. Please report to the department of sensitivity training, first thing in the morning. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-so-tired-caffeine-has-been-utterly-useless/784414/22 "2017-04-14T14:08:34Z")
> [@The\_Librarian](#): > > If you are too tired to function properly; just go to bed. The lost productivity will be easily caught up by your rested self. I mean, not everybody has the luxury of just going to sleep when they are tired. Jobs, kids and all that. Also, it can really screw up your routine sleep schedule in the long run. I speak from experience. (Also, excellent username/sig combo!) ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-so-tired-caffeine-has-been-utterly-useless/784414/23 "2017-04-14T14:33:19Z")
Even if you don’t actually sleep, I find a 20 minute rest can be very helpful – just lay back (or sit comfortably), close your eyes, and do nothing. I really do feel somewhat refreshed afterwards. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-so-tired-caffeine-has-been-utterly-useless/784414/24 "2017-04-14T18:17:54Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > IME the gym helps. Or some physical activity, like a walk. YMMV of course. I’m going to kill myself now. ☹ 😉 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-so-tired-caffeine-has-been-utterly-useless/784414/25 "2017-04-14T19:14:25Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Okay, that’s just mean. I’m willing to believe AK84 was responding to the post and not the poster. How are you feeling today, Ambivalid? (but I can’t believe I’ve been mis-reading Ambivalid as Ambiva-lad all these years! The cute but indecisive side-kick of Morally Ambiguous Man!) ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-so-tired-caffeine-has-been-utterly-useless/784414/26 "2017-04-14T19:16:09Z")
> [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](#): > > I’m willing to believe AK84 was responding to the post and not the poster. He was. But he also left an epic opportunity to purposely misunderstand.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-so-tired-caffeine-has-been-utterly-useless/784414/27 "2017-04-14T19:19:48Z")
I was busy yesterday and wasn’t reading the board. Pseudoephedrine. Whatever your pharmacy’s generic for Sudafed is - the real stuff behind the counter that you have to sign and show ID for. That’s the best legal stimulant you’ll find without a prescription. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-so-tired-caffeine-has-been-utterly-useless/784414/28 "2017-04-14T19:22:02Z")
I find the easiest way to take a nap is to try and watch something on TV. The more I want to watch it - the more likely I am to doze off - put on some stupid show that I can’t stand, and I couldnt fall asleep if you paid me. Caffiene does nothing for me - its liekly because in my youth I used to slam 20oz dews taking lots of no-doze to work multiple jobs. (and becuase, well, stupid youth). Drinking plain water (which I hate) actually has a tendency to wake me up a little - maybe I should drink more plain boring cold water - but blech - need a diet coke. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-so-tired-caffeine-has-been-utterly-useless/784414/29 "2017-04-14T19:56:34Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > I was busy yesterday and wasn’t reading the board. > > Pseudoephedrine. Whatever your pharmacy’s generic for Sudafed is - the real stuff behind the counter that you have to sign and show ID for. That’s the best legal stimulant you’ll find without a prescription. Which does jack shit for me. 😕 ETA: well, other than a very non-traditional use for sex. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-so-tired-caffeine-has-been-utterly-useless/784414/30 "2017-04-14T20:02:27Z")
So, for the sake of anecdata, did any of the proffered suggestions do you any good? ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-so-tired-caffeine-has-been-utterly-useless/784414/31 "2017-04-14T20:18:37Z")
> [@Balance](#): > > So, for the sake of anecdata, did any of the proffered suggestions do you any good? Unfortunately no. This isn’t a thread about chronic insomnia (which I’ve suffered from for decades). I am more than familiar with all the standard responses to insomnia: sleep hygiene, no electronic screens before bed, only use the bed for sleep and sex, meditation, getting up and doing something else until tired. None of it has had any impact. Sleeping medication doesn’t work either. Strangely, they (practically all sleep aids) will have a positive impact for the first day or two and then suddenly just stop doing anything. This thread is about this particular episode of insomnia that seems to have produced much more pronounced effects of lack of sleep than I am used to (and I’m very used to it). The things that prior would help have suddenly been rendered useless. I’ve always been pretty insensitive to caffeine but jesus christ! It’s never been utterly useless. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-so-tired-caffeine-has-been-utterly-useless/784414/32 "2017-04-14T20:19:45Z")
I need some goddamn Adderall. Any crooked docs here wanna fax a script? 😉 (kidding, of course) ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-so-tired-caffeine-has-been-utterly-useless/784414/33 "2017-04-14T20:25:00Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Which does jack shit for me. 😕 > > ETA: well, other than a very non-traditional use for sex. 😉 At the risk of TMI, the use of Sudafed has a specific use amongst some of those with spinal cord injuries. A common problem for SCI men is that they still orgasm but the ejaculate travels backwards and ends up in the bladder. Retrograde ejaculation is the official term. It works _fantastically_ for me in that regard, but as a stimulant, it does nothing I can feel. At all. I was actually surprised the first time I read that it was a stimulant. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-so-tired-caffeine-has-been-utterly-useless/784414/34 "2017-04-14T21:19:25Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > This thread is about this particular episode of insomnia that seems to have produced much more pronounced effects of lack of sleep than I am used to (and I’m very used to it). The things that prior would help have suddenly been rendered useless. I’ve always been pretty insensitive to caffeine but jesus christ! It’s never been utterly useless. Well, I meant more the temporary perk-up suggestions, rather than the insomnia advice. I figured the thread was about this specific instance, since you didn’t actually mention insomnia in the OP. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-so-tired-caffeine-has-been-utterly-useless/784414/35 "2017-04-14T21:41:27Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Feeling like this makes me wish we had total drug legalization. I could use some strong stimulants about now. 😉 I _hate_ the jittery feeling stimulants cause. If I’m tired, a few hits of cannabis kinda/sorta wakes me up, as long as I stay active. It makes whatever mundane task I’m involved in (mowing the lawn, shoveling horse manure, soldering copper) much more interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2017, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-so-tired-caffeine-has-been-utterly-useless/784414/36 "2017-04-15T00:13:58Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > A common problem for SCI men is that they still orgasm but the ejaculate travels backwards and ends up in the bladder. You say that like it’s a bad thing. Is there actually anything wrong, dangerous, unpleasant, or otherwise undesirable about retro? ETA: JAQ, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2017, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-so-tired-caffeine-has-been-utterly-useless/784414/37 "2017-04-15T00:18:53Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > You say that like it’s a bad thing. > > Is there actually anything wrong, dangerous, unpleasant, or otherwise undesirable about retro? > > ETA: JAQ, of course. Well there IS the obvious. You cant impregnate a woman if your semen is in your bladder. It can become an obstacle when planning a family. Also, the orgasm feels so much better when you cum a big load. Psychologically, I’m sure but I think there is a bit of objective truth to it (I don’t know what it is and admit I could be wrong). ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2017, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-so-tired-caffeine-has-been-utterly-useless/784414/38 "2017-04-15T00:19:17Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Let me know how you respond to them. Looks like I’m SOL with acquiring stimulants. My doctor is hesitant to lower my seizure threshold or make my PTSD worse. She prescribed me something called Tetrellix, which is relatively new, and not technically for ADHD. It is for depression and anxiety but apparently helps her ADHD clients with concentration as well. We shall see… Also, apparently there is a freaking medication indicated for PTSD-induced sleep disorders, which is the first I have ever heard of a medication for PTSD. I don’t understand why I’m just finding this out now after fifteen years of shrinks. Is anxiety also a factor in your insomnia? It hadn’t occurred to me that you might also have PTSD related to your accident. The medication she recommended is called _prazosin_. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2017, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-so-tired-caffeine-has-been-utterly-useless/784414/39 "2017-04-15T00:31:23Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > Looks like I’m SOL with acquiring stimulants. My doctor is hesitant to lower my seizure threshold or make my PTSD worse. She prescribed me something called Tetrellix, which is relatively new, and not technically for ADHD. It is for depression and anxiety but apparently helps her ADHD clients with concentration as well. We shall see… > > Also, apparently there is a freaking medication indicated for PTSD-induced sleep disorders, which is the first I have ever heard of a medication for PTSD. I don’t understand why I’m just finding this out now after fifteen years of shrinks. > > Is anxiety also a factor in your insomnia? It hadn’t occurred to me that you might also have PTSD related to your accident. The medication she recommended is called _prazosin_. Anxiety that only EVER manifests itself when I’m trying to get to sleep. I’ve never really suffered anxiety issues in my life, altho it has been filled with depression. But yes, I get anxiety when I’m relaxed and trying to sleep. This manifests by obsessing over problems currently in my life, long term issues, my own path I’m taking in life, many things. These are things that I never really think about during the day. I describe the feeling of anxiety as a pulsing, gray matter centered right below my boobs (man boobs or woman boobs) that I want to just cut into my body and grab this disgusting gray blob and flush it down the toilet. (I actually have NO memory of my accident or the immediate aftermath. I suffered a pretty bad (but not permanent) head injury and was in a medically-induced coma for a few days. It wasn’t until I awoke from that coma that my memory re-started. I remember calling this large black woman nurse “Aunt Jemima” over and over. Now. the normal me would never do anything like that. To her credit, she just laughed. She was a professional, she understood what was happening and had probably seen/heard much worse). ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2017, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-so-tired-caffeine-has-been-utterly-useless/784414/40 "2017-04-15T00:43:39Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > I describe the feeling of anxiety as a pulsing, gray matter centered right below my boobs (man boobs or woman boobs) that I want to just cut into my body and grab this disgusting gray blob and flush it down the toilet. That is some compelling imagery. My anxiety is usually at its worst at night. At best, it’s just a general feeling of existential dread. But sometimes it manifests as imagining vivid horrible things or just me obsessing over my mother. I usually pop an Ativan before bed when I’m particularly het up, but it’s not the most effective thing ever. I do not typically drink caffeine but I swear sometimes I feel like a gallon of it has been dumped into my system. It’s so predictable I have a little mental mantra, something like, ‘‘I’m thinking about the Holocaust. It must be 10 o’ clock.’’ It reminds me it’s _just anxiety._ But anxiety sucks. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-so-tired-caffeine-has-been-utterly-useless/784414.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-so-tired-caffeine-has-been-utterly-useless/784414.md?page=3)