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Feb. 13th, 2012 12:59 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
party_of1 posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
who_needs_sleep hi. im ariel. its 12:59am. ive got quite the vicious cycle here: i take an insane amount of time to fall asleep, then i cant STAY asleep, which gets made up for by "sleeping late" in the morning. the quotes are there cause its not really sleeping late cause i didnt really fall asleep until maybe 4 or 5am. so then i get my sleep, but then that night, once again, i cant get to sleep.
my mom turned me onto these tablets called MidNights, theyre self-dissolving and non habit forming. only one is supposed to be enough; i took two last night and still managed to see 4-something am on my clock. and i had things i NEEDED to do today (college open house, anyone?) which started early, so i couldnt really stay in bed and catch up, but when i did get back i crashed from 3 something til around 7. now, as per usual, im WIDE awake.
i have been diagnosed and medicated for depression (actually thats how i got here, someone on a depression comm linked me here.), and i take welbutrin. it was suggested that i take it at the same time every morning so i could 'get a move on' so i wouldnt be up late. mom and dad and i chose 8:30am for med time. so, in addition to my evil sleep cycle, i also wake up at various times thinking i missed my window but it winds up only being like, 4am. but i hate the way alarms pretty much SCARE me awake, so no alarms. so i dont really think it was ONLY the meds keeping me up, before. its gotta be something else. but i have no idea what. i dont know about a sleep cycle/circadian rhythm or whatever. i did keep a sleep journal for about 2 weeks, but when i did the math, it said i wasnt losing any sleep (probaly cause i make up for what i lost by sleeping in).
TL,DR:
1)cant go to sleep
2)when i go, i cant stay asleep (whatever non med reason)
3)cant stay asleep (med reason)
4)finally fall and stay asleep early morning
5)make up for lost night time sleep w/ daytime sleep
6)because of #5, we're back at #1
my mom turned me onto these tablets called MidNights, theyre self-dissolving and non habit forming. only one is supposed to be enough; i took two last night and still managed to see 4-something am on my clock. and i had things i NEEDED to do today (college open house, anyone?) which started early, so i couldnt really stay in bed and catch up, but when i did get back i crashed from 3 something til around 7. now, as per usual, im WIDE awake.
i have been diagnosed and medicated for depression (actually thats how i got here, someone on a depression comm linked me here.), and i take welbutrin. it was suggested that i take it at the same time every morning so i could 'get a move on' so i wouldnt be up late. mom and dad and i chose 8:30am for med time. so, in addition to my evil sleep cycle, i also wake up at various times thinking i missed my window but it winds up only being like, 4am. but i hate the way alarms pretty much SCARE me awake, so no alarms. so i dont really think it was ONLY the meds keeping me up, before. its gotta be something else. but i have no idea what. i dont know about a sleep cycle/circadian rhythm or whatever. i did keep a sleep journal for about 2 weeks, but when i did the math, it said i wasnt losing any sleep (probaly cause i make up for what i lost by sleeping in).
TL,DR:
1)cant go to sleep
2)when i go, i cant stay asleep (whatever non med reason)
3)cant stay asleep (med reason)
4)finally fall and stay asleep early morning
5)make up for lost night time sleep w/ daytime sleep
6)because of #5, we're back at #1
no subject
Date: 2012-02-13 05:56 pm (UTC)Are you managing to take the Wellbutrin at 8.30am without an alarm, or are you taking it later in the day on days when you sleep late? It does have a stimulant effect on many people, so if you're taking it late, that might be contributing to the insomnia.
I'd also second (third, fourth, whatever) the suggestion that it might be worth investigating some of the alarms that wake you up gradually -- e.g. with gradually increasing light or music. If you could find something tolerable, then it might help with making your sleep patterns more regular.
I think a first thing to try would be getting an alarm you can tolerate and seeing if waking up at a consistent time in the morning and not sleeping during the day helps reduce the insomnia.
You might find some of the resources on "sleep hygiene" (it's a horrible term, I know) useful, e.g.:
http://www.umm.edu/sleep/sleep_hyg.htm
Are you managing to take the Wellbutrin at 8.30am without an alarm, or are you taking it later in th
Date: 2012-02-24 12:52 am (UTC)Re: Are you managing to take the Wellbutrin at 8.30am without an alarm, or are you taking it later i
Date: 2012-02-24 08:04 am (UTC)Sounds like you need to investigate possible non-stressful alarms (maybe ones that wake you with light or music or whatever) and/or talk to your psych about switching to an antidepressant that won't have to be taken at the same time each day.
Obviously, depression can mess with your ability to sleep all by itself, so it can create a vicious cycle.