I've had sleep problems since i could remember. Always a light sleeper, combined with my ears ability to home in on any sound (a fantastic gift as musician but a fantastic obstacle to sleep too). Having tinitus does not help either and the last years my ears have gotten oversensitive to certain sounds too....
....oh how i envy those of you who can sleep a whole night without interruption...
Other insomniacs here?
And in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love you make.
I've gone through several bouts of insomnia in my life, mostly related to my panic disorder. It's awful. I wouldn't wish sleeplessness on anyone.
I also have tinnitus, though a mild form, not enough to keep me up at night. I run a fan on my nightstand year-round, and the white noise tends to drown out the ringing.
Mild tinitus here too. I normal listen to my iPod on shuffle on very low volumes. Normally enough to drown out the ringing. And essential to my sleep. I never travel anywhere without my ipod and ipod speaker. But some nights any sound is anoying, and since i have tinitus that goes in the any sound category too......Originally Posted by Adrian
And in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love you make.
I have had tinnitus for 20+ years. Luckily, I don't suffer from insomnia. I guess everyone's tinnitus may be different but having anything on when I try to sleep makes me crazy. I usually with sleep with earplugs if there is any noise such as road noise, air conditioners or fans. My ringing will go into overdrive and sometimes I get a buzzing on top of the ringing in my left ear with any other noise. I can handle the ringing but when I get additional sounds, its going to be a real long night. I can also get this anytime when I hear noise such as TV,music, subways etc. what I would give for silence.
Kim - have you tried "white noise?" Like, one of those machines, or an "environmental" CD, etc.?
Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
I have had insomnia problems for years and it can be one of the most frustrating things in the world to deal with. I have been with the same company for 26 years, but have worked just about every shift there is at one time or another. At one time I had to be in at 5:30AM everyday and it was a nightmare from an Insomniac perspective. When I tried to sleep I was so worried about getting to sleep that I could not sleep. I remember more than once going 48 hours without any sleep at all even though I was completely exhausted. About 8 years ago, in order to take a promotion, I switched to 3rd shift and got my doctor to give me an Ambien prescription. 3rd shift was a whole other animal, but the Ambien did help. About 2 years ago I switched to 2nd shift, which from an insomnia perspective is the best fit. If I can’t sleep, I often do not have to be up early in the morning so that I can sleep in. I can still easily stay up to 3 / 4 in the morning with no problem most of the time. I still take Ambien a lot although I have built up a tolerance and it does not work as well as it once did. The worst thing with Ambien it works much better on an empty stomach. With food in my stomach the stuff is practically worthless, if my stomach is empty it still works pretty good. My boss is currently trying to talk me into going back to 1st shift, and my biggest fear is having to deal with major insomnia problems again. We’ll see……
Steve Sly
Back when I was working 3rd shift I got a “white noise” machine in order to help block out sounds while I tried to sleep during the day. I would recommend these to anyone as they really do work well. Even though I am no longer on 3rd I still use it every night. I have it sitting on a table right next to my head on the bed. Another thing that they are great for is travelling. If you are staying in a hotel or in someone’s house they block out all of the noise from other rooms, outside, etc.
Steve Sly
I have to have a white noise machine and a fan going.
Been off the Ambien and Lunestra for a year and a half now after needing their help for about 2 years. Great stuff. Only took a teeny nibble to get the racing thoughts to stop and sleep. Felt great when I woke, although I was only able to get about 6 hrs. sleep from the pills, or nibbles. Very easy to stay up. Especially if you think you "only" have x amount of hours before you need to wake. What helped me was just trying to get any amount of solid rem shuteye and not worry about the time. Those pills really helped and were not addicting, ok, to a point, but was able to finally not need them. Had some apnea issues too which fed into the insomnia trouble. Stopped seeemingly as fast as the trouble started. Sleep soundly, although the slightest noise wakes me up. Sun mask and earplugs helped too. Good luck.
"Henry Cow always wanted to push itself, so sometimes we would write music that we couldn't actually play – I found that very encouraging." - Lindsay Cooper, 1998
"I have nothing to do with Endless River. Phew! This is not rocket science people, get a grip." - Roger Waters, 2014
"I'm a collector. And I've always just seemed to collect personalities." - David Bowie, 1973
Static noise is hell to me. If i stay in a place where there is any kind of that i'm positively without sleep. I have my ipod and a little speaker playing at very low volumes. If i listen to music that i'm not familiar with the musicianbrain starts analyzing chord structures etc and i wake up rather than go to sleep.
And in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love you make.
No insomnia (can sleep in relatively/reasonably noisy conditions or evendon't need curtains if there are no stretlight shining on my bed
I'm always a bit astounded how some of our US colleagues can still be posting around in the European morning... It's around noon in Brussels, so it must be 3AM in LA and 6AM in NY... Dontcha have jobs, you bloody up-to-no-good bums???
I'm not complaing though... Because European mornings can be boring on PE
my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.
These posts reflect my situation. Since cutting out most morning work about 4 years ago my condition has been gradually improving. I tend to sleep after 4am and wake up at midday.
Lifetime insomniac. Serotonin uptake disorder.
I stopped taking all prescription meds due to them leaving me a zombie the next day.. Except Ambien, which doesn't make you a zombie the next day, it makes you a zombie while you're sleeping (you could sleep right through a deadly fire.)
I take regular old over the counter melotonin if I have 2-3 straight sleepless nights. That stuff knocks me out good but not TOO good, with little in the way of side-effects next morning.
As a lifelong apartment dweller, my biggest problem is entertaining myself during long sleepless nights without waking the neighbors. Ambient music works well. Music For Airports is part of the soundtrack of my life for this reason.
High Vibration Go On - R.I.P. Chris Squire
In an insomnia thread?
Can't sleep without it. IF the power goes out, I'm screwed. Every little click and pop in the house bugs me, and if I do manage to doze off I get awakened by the wife complaining that I'm breathing.
That's usually me - and a few other fellow insomniacsI'm always a bit astounded how some of our US colleagues can still be posting around in the European morning... It's around noon in Brussels, so it must be 3AM in LA and 6AM in NY... Dontcha have jobs, you bloody up-to-no-good bums???
I seem to have it under partial control since I started doing extensive physical activities. But there's always that one f***ing night where it doesn't matter what you do - you're awake. The worst is when your head hits the pillow and you fall asleep immediately. Then half an hour later you're suddenly awake, and you know that you won't be getting any more sleep for the next 24 hours...
Same here - works well IF you go to bed immediately after taking it.
Regards,
Duncan
I work out 4-5x a week so physical exertion, unfortunately, doesn't help me.
I do rely a lot on white noise, usually a fan.
Drinking alcohol does not help, it hurts. Luckily, I rarely drink anymore after my medical scare 2 years ago.
High Vibration Go On - R.I.P. Chris Squire
Long time light sleeper with ADHD so yeah, some wicked insomnia. I take melatonin as well and it usually shuts down my rampaging brain enough so I can get to sleep. I've also had some luck with that new Zquil but I have serious doubts if it is safe. What is the worst if the melatonin wears off and I am woke up by something. If my mind gets racing, there's no going back to sleep. Best thing for me to do then is get out of bed and read or sit in front of the computer. At least I'll accomplish something.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
Good lord is there anyone on PE who's not an insomniac or has tinitus?
I'm not making fun of anyone, I might be an insomniac myself. For years my alarm was set for 4:30am (until recently), but I'm one of those guys that wakes up a couple times a night to look at the clock (1:02am, 02:15am, 3:20am). In the last year or so I started beating the alarm. It was the anxiety of being startled by the alarm that got me up at 4 or 3:30am. On my days off I actually "sleep in" till around 5:30-6am. The only thing that works for me is those PM type pain relievers. I don't do serious, prescription type stuff at all. If I average 3-4 good hours of REM sleep I'm up and at 'em, and bright eyed n' bushy tailed
.
Not an insomniac, but definitely have tinnitus.
/not trying to derail the thread
Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
I definitely have both.Good lord is there anyone on PE who's not an insomniac or has tinitus?
I wonder how much of a link exists between the two?
Regards,
Duncan
I'm sure you've all heard tons of advice over the years on how to get to sleep. I've been on so many pharmaceuticals over the years for insomnia, panic disorder, and generalized anxiety that I've lost count. I got off all of them because I couldn't deal anymore with the side effects, especially the weight gain, which I struggle with to this day. Now I focus on herbal supplements. If you're looking for something else to try, valerian root has been -- for me, anyway -- a great herbal remedy for relaxing and getting to sleep. Just thought I'd throw that out there.
Sometimes a good wank helps.
Here is an occasional remedy that works for me. C-SPAN, with the volume too low to make out what's being said, but high enough to hear. Face away from the TV. The Sylvian/Czukay CDs make good soundtracks, too. Sometimes I find that a hooded sweatshirt helps if it's cool enough in the room.
I generally don't have insomnia but I do tend to wake up at night, although usually a piss and a sip of water and I am back to sleep quickly. Part of it is chronic sinus problems. I started using Breatheright strips and they do help, I sleep much longer and feel more rested in the morning. Also avoiding diuretics (eg alcohol, coffee, soda etc) before bed helps.
Now right now I do have insomnia but I think it may have something to do with having about six cups of coffee (my usual is three in the morning and that is it) at a diner with a friend of mine tonight
Normal people are just people you don't know very well.
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