Looks like another long night of insomnia ahead.

I'm seriously getting tired of this. It seems like every few months, I'll go through a period of three to ten days with little to no sleep. I get through the day just like any other, but when my head hits the pillow, I just can't sleep.

At this time, anything and everything goes through my head, what TV show I watched last week, what I ate for dinner, Whatever's been happening on the forums, everything.

Also, I've been going through a lot of stress lately. Nothing major, just the average growing-up stuff, but it's stressful just the same. I've been studying to get my GED, I still don't have my drivers liscense, I'm now old enough to legally vote and need to get ID, I really need to get a job so I can move out and stop leeching off my parents, all that jazz.

And as if all that weren't difficult enough, the holidays are coming up fast. Now, for most of you, that means days off and vacays and stuff, but for my family (and especially me), that means tons of extra work. We always have tons of people over at our house during holidays, so that means extra cleaning, extra cooking, and just all around "Guests are over so you're on your best behavior" stuff.

I'm also heavily involved in my church. We do a free meal twice a week, and I help cook, set up, serve, clean up, and tear down, We do a free clothing giveaway once a week, again, I help with setup and tear down, I help in kids church on Wednesdays by taking care of the smaller kids, and I'm on the worship team, so I sing onstage once a week and also have to be there for rehearsal. Plus, today I agreed to start filming some kids church services on Sunday mornings and put together videos about what we do. I did that before, for a VBS we did over the summer, and I had fun and the video turned out great, but still, it's just one more thing to add to the plate.

And again, with the Holidays coming up, the church is going to be really busy. We're going to help run games at an all-day local carnival on Halloween, and then we're going to pass out candy to trick-or-treaters from the church porch. We're going to put together Thanksgiving dinner food baskets for needy families in our community. We're going to have a Christmas Eve service, and the worship team's going to do a lineup of Christmas music. Then there's New Years, and then we get a short break until Easter, the point is, we're busy.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. I love every minute of it, this is my favorite time of year. I don't want to drop out of any of it, and even if I wanted to, I wouldn't, because our church is so small, and we have so few volunteers, that if even one worker quits, all our ministries would come crashing down like a stack of dominoes minus one.

But if I can't sleep, I'm liable to break down completely. I'm absolutely exhausted all the time, and I can't focus, and I've been getting irritable with my family, and I've been getting headaches, and today I even felt weak and feverish. I've been drinking a lot of water and I've been trying to eat regularly (which reminds me, I think I forgot to eat dinner because I was so tired. I did that Friday, too). I even took a Tylanol today, which is rare for me because I hate medicine and only take it when absolutely neccesary. I just can't sleep.

I guesss, what I'm saying is if you guys have any suggestions, any at all, about natural, medicine-free stress relievers or nerve soothing stuff, please let me know. Any kind of sleep-inducing snacks or activities, I'm just about ready to give anything a shot, within reason.

I'm tired of being tired.

 

I was about to reply D;


Rest is really important for your well-being. If something is really stressing you more than enough, you need to re-assess how you want to go about it, or if you want to do it at all.

I know that you may like to help out in church and the like, but your health comes first and foremost. You can't help anyone unless you're healthy.

I'd recommend tea, since it really helps you relax. I know there are some specific ones which help with sleep. Also, prepare yourself for sleep beforehand. Have a specific time and separate it to relax and just try to fall asleep from there.

This is really, really true. From what you're saying, it looks like you're an involved person already. If you don't need a job, it's best you focus yourself on things which you can do at the moment and enjoy your days as a...leeching academic, lol.

 

lol, Thanx, Machina. I'll definately try those things, and I'm getting ready to read your link right now.

BTW, in regards to your sig, I chose #4. XD

And Chevalier, again, I say thanx. I'd forgotten all about tea, and I'll try that whole "seperate some time to relax" before bed thing.

And yeah, I don't exactly need a job right now. I mean, it'd be great to have some extra cash, but really, I do have all I need and should focus my energy into other things.

 

i found what really helps me sleep is to get into the habit of waking up and going to sleep around the same time everyday. i really used to have problems with going to sleep but going through the same sleep schedule everyday helps quite a bit. also, don't break the schedule just because it's the weekend or something, that can cause you to have problems all over again. i realize this isn't possible for everyone so i have another advice. if you can't fall alseep within 20 minutes, get up and do something else for about 15 minutes (sometimes i just do some leisure reading or play on my PSP for a little bit) and try again. rinse and repeat until you fall asleep. works for me.

 

Thanx. lol, with all these great tips, I should be sleeping well again in no time! :)

So last night I tried some of your tips, and although I didn't have great sleep, I got better then what I have been getting. Thanx for all your tips!

 

Mm... Sounds like you've just got a lot on your mind. Try not to worry so much. Hell, the fact you can juggle all those things at once is pretty impressive. Set aside the time you need to relax and get some shut-eye, otherwise you'll just be drained and it'll bring you down. Everything has its proper place, sleep included; even robots have to recharge every now and then, so of course we do. And don't worry that you're losing time. If you have ten hours and you spend eight of them sleeping, you'll probably be more productive in the remaining two than you would have if you tried to work the whole ten. Trust me, I've tested it over and over.

Seems like you're making progress, but I have another tip that always helps me. Music. Try turning on something soothing right before you go to bed. If you have the option, ask your mother what she listened to when you were in the womb; a lot of things our mothers do at that time influence our tastes and preferences, and she may have the perfect mood music for ya. Failing that, you can always try that ocean waves thing, or Rainymood if that's your thing.

Also, try to associate your bed with sleep. I dunno about you, but I do tons of stuff on my bed: play games, do homework. It's a bad habit. Make as many associations with sleep as you can, like turning off the lights or the TV, going to bed at the same time each night like people have said, or just pulling up the covers. Whatever helps you foster a sleeping atmosphere. We're fickle creatures, we like sensory cues as to what we ought to be doing. Maybe you just have to help yourself realize it's time to sleep.

 

Thanx, lol, I'm about to hit the sack about now anyway, hope all this works!

 

Marushi, I am sorry. I went through that phase too. Just think about what you do before bed, and stop. I lost sleep over some of the stupidest things. Try not to stimulate your brain or body too much (I mean dont go for a jog just before bed, nor start an arguement).