Fourteen Reasons You're Not Sleeping

[MA-Caver]

I think this is a good article and worthwhile reading. Sleep is a very important part of our daily regime. Getting enough each night makes for better days each tomorrow. Read on.

Fourteen Reasons You're Not Sleeping
http://www.forbes.com/2008/07/16/he...life-cx_avd_0716health.html?partner=yahoobuzz
Allison Van Dusen, 07.16.08, 4:00 PM ET
Maria Hetem, the 47-year-old owner of a dog grooming salon based in Lebanon, N.J., noticed changes in the way she was sleeping over a decade ago but never thought to talk to a doctor about it.
Instead, she sought out medical advice pertaining to her frequent headaches but doctors were never able to determine the cause. Hetem attributed the fact that she never felt well rested and was frequently waking up at night to the growth of her business and her age.
Eventually, thanks to the suggestion of a friend, Hetem got a sleep test and found she had sleep apnea, a sleep disorder that disrupts breathing and can cause headaches. She guesses she's had the condition, which causes sleep deprivation, most of her adult life.
"You just start to think, 'This is normal,' until somebody points out that it isn't," she says.
In Pictures: 14 Reasons You're Not Sleeping

I myself suffer from sleeplessness. A lot of it is now-a-days, a combination of stress, worry, wanting to be light enough to hear anything/everything in the house (something I gotta work on getting rid of that particular want... because I don't sleep with my hearing aids and without 'em... I'M DEAF!!) and a host of other reasons. I've pretty much cut out the caffine right before bedtime... or at least scaled it back to an hour before going to bed.
But still... I'll probably need to see a doctor here soon about it.
I wake up with heart-burn sometimes and sometimes just wake up for no reason at all.

What about you? What problems do you have sleeping... if any?

 

[Kacey]

The main thing that affects me is stress... it keeps me from sleeping; then I don't sleep well the next night, and can get into a bad cycle where I don't get to sleep until late and then wake up early. I don't drink caffeine later than 4 or 5 hours before I want to sleep, or it keeps me up.

 

[Flying Crane]

My main problem is two cats by the names of Beowulf and Grendel, who like to howl, play, fight, get into trouble, and jump on me in the middle of the night.

 

[MA-Caver]

My main problem is two cats by the names of Beowulf and Grendel, who like to howl, play, fight, get into trouble, and jump on me in the middle of the night.

Well with names like those whaddya expect dude? Sheesh! Close the door on 'em.

 

[girlbug2]

I first started experiencing sleep difficulties when I was pregnant, then when the babies were still waking in the middle of the night, but even after they began to sleep 8 hours through I couldn't stop waking up after 3 or 4 hours, horrible insomnia, this lasted for a few years. I'm telling you I was walking around with my brain in a fog. I am sure I also had bouts of apnea.

Then I read somwhere about wheat sensitivity and how it is an inflammatory agent but goes undiagnosed in the majority of people. In itself it might trigger sleep apnea. I put myself on a wheat-free, low glycemic diet and in less than 2 weeks my sleep troubles vanished. It is like being a different person. Now the only time I have trouble sleeping is when it gets really hot in the summertime.

 

[arnisador]

Penn & Teller's show on Showtime this week was about insomnia products.

 

[Sukerkin]

Helpful observations and personal experiences, everyone :tup:.

For me, the insomnia is easy to explain - manic depression. It's evil, no two ways about it. Even on a 'school-night', for me to get to bed and asleep before three is unusual and then I awake after a few hours and slumber fitfully until it is time to go to work.

This has gone on for more years than I can count and it can't be doing me any good .

 

[Flying Crane]

Well with names like those whaddya expect dude? Sheesh! Close the door on 'em.

I can't. We live in a big artist live/work loft, and we have no doors and no walls. The bathroom is the only place with full walls and a door. It's below the bedroom and if I shut them in there, they will HOWWLLLLL until we let them out. It's just my cross to bear.

 

[stickarts]

For years I had bad insomnia. I did a lot of my thinking and stressing at night instead of sleeping. Plus I grew up in a very loud and stressful home.
Now I let every muscle in my body relax and try and take a few moments to detach from everything. I fall asleep within minutes now and sleep most of the night. I also listen to relaxation tapes and that helps when I need extra help relaxing.