That was the most f*cked-up 22 hours of my life...

[SmileyBoy]

Here's how it went down in terms of what I've done since 4pm yesterday. And also, I have 14 sketches to do for an architecture class I have that are due by Thursday at 5pm that I haven't started yet. Good thing that's the only work I have to do this week.

4pm: Took nap for three hours

7pm: Woke up, studied architecture textbook for 90 minutes, watched half an hour of Monday Night Football while I ate a microwaveable dinner and went on DU a little bit

10pm: Slept again for almost seven hours

4:45am: Woke up, couldn't get back to sleep. Surfed net for a couple hours

8pm: Finally got back to sleep. I thought I could wake up by 12pm, in time for my lecture in my architecture class. But...

2:15pm: Woke up after six hours of sleep.Well, I missed one class.

Man, I've GOT to do something about this sleep cycle problem of mine. I REALLY don't want to go through that again. Good thing that I only have sketches to do in terms of schoolwork, and I'm almost a prodigy at drawing.

I REALLY need more sleep help other than these meds I'm taking. They don't seem to work. :boring::boring::boring::boring:

[Racenut20]

1. Watch a Gore speech. Thats a real snoozer.

[SmileyBoy]

2. I'd need to watch it at 11pm or so...

...so I could get to sleep at a reasonable time.:D:D:D

Maybe listen to some Radiohead CD's??? That used to help me back in high school, seriously.

[UrbScotty]

3. You mean watch a Bush speech?

[SmileyBoy]

4. No, watching a Bush speech would keep me awake...

...by giving me the urge to go off to the nearest gun store.

Not that I'm threatening the Resident, or anything...:-):-)

[SlavesandBulldozers]

5. you need off the meds

and then get back in a natural rhythm. once you have your natural rhythm back you can tweak it by sleep deprivation cycles. the meds are throwing the rhythm off, man, stick to the organics like coffee or chai. I'm pretty well experienced at sleep dep, as probably anybody who is going thru college is.

[SmileyBoy]

6. I'm an insomniac without the meds. I have a messed-up cycle with them.

I'm starting to think that having insomnia would be better than a messed-up cycle, because then I'd at least be catching all my classes.

[nofurylike]

8. i humbly suggest learning self-hypnosis

and lemonbalm tea a half hour before you want to sleep.

sweet dreams!

[Cleita]

7. How much coffee do you drink?

I found out I couldn't drink coffee after one in the afternoon without being jazzed at midnight. Other stimulants like coke or pepsi can do the same thing.

[SmileyBoy]

9. I don't drink coffee. And I don't drink caffienated pop after 6pm.

It's getting very weird.

[geniph]

10. You may suffer from Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome

It's a bitch. Those of us who suffer from it are not meant to be day people, and can't really adjust to it - oh, we can learn to survive it, but never without exhaustion, mental fogginess, and moodiness. Light therapy, drugs, etc., are only temporary fixes; left to our own devices, we revert back to our own "natural" cycle. Studies have shown that true DSPS sufferers CANNOT go into deep sleep phase except at certain times of the day, and for some of us, unfortunately, that time is about 6 a.m., which means if we have to work a normal day shift, we never get the deep, restorative sleep necessary for restful repose.

The only way to really diagnose it is to go to a sleep specialist, but there isn't currently any real cure. You can try chronotherapy, medications, light therapies, but they don't always work. And those of us on a non-24 hour cycle have it even worse (my natural cycle is about 28 hours, with 10 hours of sleep, so I'm perpetually groggy and irritable on a 24-hour schedule).

[Snow]

12. One of the top experts on this sort of thing, circadian rhythms

and the like, is Dr. Lynne Farr. Give her a google or a pubmed. She's faculty in the U. Nebraska Med Center.

[Ilsa]

11. How old are you?

If you are in your late teens to early twenties, you might "grow" out of it.

I know. I'm not much help.

[SmileyBoy]

13. I'm 21, and I've had the problem for many years now.

...

[Ilsa]

14. Changed with puberty?

Something about the melatonin/pineal gland not working the same way after puberty for a few years due to a shift. I knew many college students that didn't go back to a regular sleep pattern until they were several years into their careers, one was my roommate. Mornings are miserable. Can't perform or learn easily until at least 10 am. Several high schools in Corpus Christi changed their schedule to help meet students needs by not having school start until 9:00 am.

Good luck. I hope you get an answer. Exercise always helped me sleep better.