Curse

dansamy · Oct 22, 2009, 06:11 AM // 06:11

That's all I have to say. Especially when I have to be at work in 6 hours.

Grim Aragorn · Oct 22, 2009, 06:27 AM // 06:27

i hear ya, when i started 2nd shift 2 years ago i would go to bed right when i got home (10:45pm) now i stay up til like 2am lol, sleep is for pussies tho.

**cosyfiep** · Oct 22, 2009, 08:57 AM // 08:57

sleep is highly over rated (I cant sleep about 3-4 days every week....)
watching some really boring tv shows can help (if you are into sci-fi the original dr who from the 1960's in b/w are very hard to stay awake thru).

kostolomac · Oct 22, 2009, 08:21 PM // 20:21

I hate insomnia too. It's fine and dandy in the summer time, but right now it just plain sucks.

makosi · Oct 22, 2009, 10:13 PM // 22:13

I find that diphenhydramine (Nytol in the UK, Benadryl in the USA) is a good over-the-counter sleep aid. Failing that, ask your doc for low doze trazodone (50mg~). It's dirt cheap, non-addictive and doesn't zombify you when you wake.

Kerwyn Nasilan · Oct 23, 2009, 01:40 AM // 01:40

Or dress up as a bear an ravage an neighborhood.

Diddy bow · Oct 23, 2009, 01:57 AM // 01:57

I can't ever get to sleep, but belive me when I sleep, I sleep

dansamy · Oct 23, 2009, 02:57 AM // 02:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by makosi

I find that diphenhydramine (Nytol in the UK, Benadryl in the USA) is a good over-the-counter sleep aid. Failing that, ask your doc for low doze trazodone (50mg~). It's dirt cheap, non-addictive and doesn't zombify you when you wake.

I am immune to the drowsiness effect of diphenhydramine. I have horrid allergies and have been taking assorted antihistamines since age 5. However, your suggestion is certainly useful for those who do not have a tolerance to it. Our Nurse Practitioner generally prescribes Restoril (temazepam) for any of our nurses who have insomnia that won't respond to a mild OTC anithistamine. I need to go ask her for a scrip.

I did oversleep, but I got a nice surprise when I got to work (10 minutes late, may I add) in that I had an intern assigned to me! Guess who did all "our" work today?

To be fair, although she is a new nurse, she's been working at the hospital for the last 6 years in various capacities and is a very capable young lady. And my patients loved her today!

Snograt · Oct 23, 2009, 11:42 AM // 11:42

Want a scary story?

The effects of downers like Temazepam make it more difficult to judge and assess situations than normal. Because of this, if you use the drug you are more vulnerable to accidents (for example when crossing a busy road). You can overdose on Temazepam (causing loss of consciousness), especially if you are using another depressant drug like alcohol or heroin.

If you vomit while you are unconscious, you may choke - avoid using this drug on your own if you can. As with any drug that reduces inhibitions, you may be more likely to have unprotected sex, risking unwanted pregnancy and exposing yourself to sexually transmitted diseases. Temazepam is a drug that should not be injected - the gel in the capsules can resolidify after injection.

This can cause thrombosis (a blood clot) and lead to collapsed veins; if you hit an artery by mistake, the blockage can cause gangrene, possibly leading to amputation of a hand, a foot, even an arm or a leg. If you do inject and are with other people, the effects of the drug could make you careless or forgetful - mixing used and clean needles and syringes increases the risk of exposing yourself to infections like Hepatitis B or C, or HIV.

...think I'll stick to my insomnia (although the extra sex would be nice.)

dansamy · Oct 23, 2009, 12:54 PM // 12:54

Snog, every drug has potentially awful side effects and can cause various assorted problems. And your quoted source is discussing illicit use/abuse of a drug in a manner in which it was not intended to be administered. Yes, benzodiazepines affect your judgement. And yes, this effect is exacerbated if you are also using other CNS depressants. That is to be expected. If you are stupid enough to try to draw the gel out of the capsule to inject it instead, then I think a blood clot or gangrene is a pretty fitting "idiot wound".

Malice Black · Oct 23, 2009, 01:18 PM // 13:18

Few bottles of red wine = sleep.

Couple Cuban cigars.

Happy days.

dansamy · Oct 23, 2009, 01:34 PM // 13:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Malice Black

Few bottles of red wine = sleep.

Couple Cuban cigars.

Happy days.

Nyquil has enough alcohol in it that it usually does the trick. I overslept this AM too. Kids missed the bus and I had to drive them.

Nothing I hate more than having to leave the house before 9am on my day off.

Abedeus · Oct 23, 2009, 02:06 PM // 14:06

You know what's even worse? Insomnia caused by a digestive system virus. I can't sleep because I'm curled up, or else it hurts like hell. In the past 5 days, I haven't fallen asleep earlier than 15 past midnight.

**cosyfiep** · Oct 23, 2009, 02:22 PM // 14:22

Abedeus I feel your pain (really I do--my 'digestive' problems wake me in the middle of the night .....and keep me awake until they are a little less painful).

I never use drugs to go to sleep---most KEEP ME AWAKE (yeah nice side effect that is). Nyquil has stuff I'm allergic to so I cant even take it.
Alcohol while a depressant will only keep me asleep for about an hour, then I awaken feeling yukky. (and only once have I been drunk---wont do that again, being sick is not getting sleep).

Natural remedies dont seem to work either (warm glass of milk---heart burn, chamomile tea---gotta pee, etc).....

so I still go with the old dr who wm hartnell, guaranteed to put you to sleep ....dont think I have seen a full episode of his yet.

Olim Chill · Oct 23, 2009, 02:25 PM // 14:25

*hits snooze button*

Eskimoz · Oct 25, 2009, 09:27 PM // 21:27

Just count sheep....

Mercury Angel · Nov 28, 2009, 01:03 AM // 01:03

If anyone experiences chronic sleep problems, start the checkups, bloodwork, etc. early. If you wait, you'll quickly find that no matter how disrupted your life is, you're not a high priority patient.
The wait times for testing and treatment at sleep clinics can be several months, and most won't consider you without a referral from your primary care doctor. If you have any serious complications (physical or psychological), you may receive urgent care or emergency treatment for those - but probably not for the underlying cause.

Similarly, be wary of just letting it go with drug-only intervention plans. Most sleep medicines build tolerance and dependency, and scaling up the drug dosage can be very dangerous. (My grandmother became highly resistant to 10 mg doses of Ambien. At 25 mg, she started doing things that she'd later have no recollection of while medicated. One of those things was taking more tablets, leading to her hospitalization.)

After sleeping for 2-6 hours a night for a couple of weeks, 4 on average, I went to the hospital because of repeated and frequent suicidal fantasies. The doctor said I had insomnia (really?!) and prescribed zolpidem. (That was pretty much the entirety of the 7 minute appointment.)

Zolpidem helps, but 4 hours of sleep is a far cry away from the advertised 7-8 solid hours of sleep. I've found it works best if I sleep normally, then take it when I inevitably wake up 2-3 hours later.
Despite the poor efficacy on me, and the clear instructions not to use it for long periods of time, my primary care doctor seems to think it's the solution. He won't authorize behavioral therapy, so my insurance won't pay for it.

Divinitys Creature · Nov 28, 2009, 04:41 PM // 16:41

Step 0: follow the good advice above.
Step 1: don't listen to the douchebags that glorify insomnia or wear it like some badge of honour how strong they are. Sleep is precious.
Step 2: stop reading or watching depressing news - altogether.
Step 3: read something that challenges your mind to think and tire yourself and you will sleep - it should be fun not something that will keep you awake.
Step 4: tire out your body with some exercise.
Step 5: figure out if you sleep well when the room is warm or cold - get a barometer or thermometer and make sure your room is at the temperature you sleep best at.
Step 6: check to see if you need a new bed/mattress - you spend 1/3 of your life in bed, get a good one.
Step 7: are you always thinking about stuff that keeps you awake - throw some things off your to-do list entirely.

I hope you get to sleep.