Sleep Questions

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I typically get three to four hours of sleep a night and anymore I'm really starting to feel it. I've heard some different things and am wondering if anyone knows fact from fiction and any advice.

I've heard, somewhere - don't know where, that when you miss sleep you can never make it up. I took that to mean I get three hours of sleep tonight that means I'm tired tomorrow will probably go to bed early and the day after tomorrow isn't really effected by lack of sleep today. Is this right?

The doc I use to go to years and years ago was always telling me I needed to get more sleep, that being a given. He said that when you don't get enough sleep, at any point in your life, as you age you have to make up for that sleep. In other words if you don't get enough sleep in your thirties your more tired and require more rest in your forties and fifties, and so on and so forth. Is what he said correct?

The reason I ask is I've been running on four or five hours of sleep now for the last twelve years and over the last year I've been finding myself increasingly tired and wanting to sleep more than anything else. This is starting to effect all facets of my life. When I was at the lake this last weekend I slept instead of doing anything. I didn't even get in the water all day Saturday. The minute I get home I sleep. I sleep instead of doing things that I find pleasurable, such as gardening. I would rather sleep than have sex. I would rather sleep than do anything. It's like this need for sleep is taking up all the pleasurable time in my life and all I'm awake for is work, and some days I'm not all that awake for it.

This catching sleep here there where I can thing has gone beyond simply missing out on some stuff I want to enjoy and is leading into deeper depression. Imagine that the only thing your conscious for is work and everything else is just kind of a blur between unrestful naps. It's getting to the point that I genuinely don't enjoy life anymore because I'm at work or asleep.

Is my tiredness just age catching up with me? Could my sleepiness be a symptom of something else? I sleep super-super lite. If a gnat farts across the room it wakes me up. I go right back to sleep but I wake up several time a night on work nights. Strangely though, I could sleep through a tornado on weekends. Nothing wakes me up if I don't have to get up and go to work the next morning.

A side note, don't tell me to get more sleep, if that was an option, I would. I generally have about two hours from the time I get home from work till the time I go to bed and generally get up between three and four in the morning to head to work, sometimes earlier if I have to get something out.

I have no idea if what you ask is true or not.I generally go to bed about 11:30 to 12 and get up about 6.. That means I sleep 6-6.5 hours per during the week. I do know that it starts to add up and by the end of the week I feel the need to catch up. I work a 4 day week so my catchup days are Fri-Sun.I don't get your schedule... do you have long commutes or work long hours?

Yes, very long commutes.

Just because I am going through being very tired, have you had your thyroid levels checked recently? I was feeling EXTREMELY tired for several months so my doctor ran some blodo tests and found out my thyroid is low. Since I have been on the thyroid medication I have been less tired (though I am still in the balancing stage of my medication and will probably end up uping the dosage).Just something to think about. But as for whether its true or not that you cannot catch up on lost sleep.. sorry I have no clue Have you tried sleeping medication to try and get a more restful sleep? When I am having trouble sleeping, or having multiple nights where I constantly wake up I'll take over the counter Unisom to help put me into a deeper sleep.

I've thought about the the thyroid but the doc was more concerned about other stuff the last time I went and my boss won't let me off to go to the doc anymore anyway.I've never thought of using sleep drugs not only do I not like them my waking up isn't that bad. I set up look a the clock and go right back to sleep. Going to sleep isn't a problem either. I will always fall asleep between 11:30 and 12:00 regardless of what time I go to bed, or whether I'm in bed.I don't know, I guess it doesn't matter. I'm just getting really, really depressed and despondent sleeping my free life away. It's getting to the point I see no reason in living, other than my absence would upset my mother and wife. Who wants to sleep away every frickin' hour that they're not at work. If work is all your conscious for what's the point in living. It's just getting me real down, but I suppose that they way life is supposed to be and I'm just a pussy that can't except it._________________________________________________________________Just to be clear I'm not suicidal, I just wouldn't mind dieing.

But constant disruption while sleeping will also make you feel more tired during the day, at least I know that's how it works for me.What's nice about Unisom is that its non-habit forming, so you don't have any worries about becoming addicted.I still think you might wanan consider having your thyroid checked.. screw your boss. He cannot deny you going to the doctor, this is your health we are talking about!

How does Unisom work if you don't get a full eight hour of sleep? Can I take it and only get four hours or so and be fine to drive?

IDK... I have no desire to find a better job if it requires for me to spend many hours on the freeway. San Diego has bad traffic congestion and I have no desire for that. I live 13 miles away from work and it takes me 20-40 minutes depending on the time of day I'm driving (city and country roads with only 3 miles of freeway).How far are your commutes & drive time?

I don't really know about sleep medication. I would say, maybe go to a sleep center, like Cardinal. I'm not sure if you have them, but my brother had to go there once. He has mild insomnia, often enough to cause him trouble.But I would agree that you should go get your thyroid checked, regardless of what your boss or other doctor says the problem is. My mom had this happen too, and it was gettin gMORE sleep than you said you get. She'd wake up, drive 10 minutes, go to work (7-3/4), come home, sleep for 2-3 hours, we'd eat dinner, then an hour later, she'd go to bed for the night. Since she'd gone and seen her doc, and been given proper meds, her sleep has balanced it's way out over the course of 6 months to a year, and she even felt a lot better about a month after taking them.Something else that you can try, I'm actually working on this myself, (it's not necessarily scientifically proven or anything, but it works, and makes sense) is to let yourself sleep no longer than (it says 6 hours) as long as you can sleep, say 4 hours, then wake up, and get up, regardless of how much you want to go to bed. It's supposed to train your body to know that bed isn't for rolling over and being restless, it's for rest and sound sleep. The few times I've actually gotten up at 6 (I usu. go to bed around 12, 10 on school nights), I could feel that I slept better, although I was tired in the morning. Maybe you could try that for a week or so and see how you feel? Here's the article.

I believe on the box it does say you should take it with a full 7-8 hours of sleep. Not sure if maybe taking half a pill would make a difference? Or maybe take it a few hours before you'd normally go to bed so it'll have a couple extra hours to work out of your system.For me I usually get 6 hours of sleep a night, and I still take Unisom and have no issues in the morning when I wake up with being too tired. Unisom mainly seems to put me in a deeper sleep so I feel rested the next morning (like you I am a light sleeper).

I have an 85 mile commute one way. It takes about 2 hours plus to get to work. Getting home take a little longer even though it's the same distance. A work day is usually 9 to 10 hours counting lunch.

I think more than anything the difference is that I used to be able to get along with about four hours of sleep a night. I can't seem to do it anymore but the demands on my life and my responsibilities are greater now. I have to give more but don't get any more rest and stay more tired.It doesn't matter. Maybe I'll get lucky and slam into a tree some day.

Well that's just f'd up.

Then I say, sleep when you can. If you're not getting enough, and you know you're not, and you need it...(wow, all of that was rather understood.. )what I mean is...try to work it in anywhere you can. Go to bed earlier, even if you're not tired, go into bed around 10, things like that?

Is this thread not new? I swear I read it a few months ago. Anyway:Some people's genes allow them to live their entire lives perfectly with little sleep while some (myself) can't function on less than 10 hours a night. I'm assuming you're the former and you might be going through a crap phase. The whole thyroid thing- get it checked out. Tell your boss to fuck off and go to the doctor and don't let him speak- tell him you've tried everything and that you want tests done to see if your thyroid is functioning properly.  Quote:This catching sleep here there where I can thing has gone beyond simply missing out on some stuff I want to enjoy and is leading into deeper depression. Imagine that the only thing your conscious for is work and everything else is just kind of a blur between unrestful naps. It's getting to the point that I genuinely don't enjoy life anymore because I'm at work or asleep. That's the story of my life from 5th grade all the way through high school. My friends hated me and didn't want to hang out with me and gave up on me as a friend because of it. Life 100% sucks when that's all you do, but you aren't alone.What you wanted to know: I've heard and read about "sleep debt," or "sleep deprivation." Getting less sleep than your body requires. It exists and can be a problem but I have heard that you can "pay back" the debt by sleeping off those extra hours at a later date. Whether or not it eventually catches up to you, I don't know. Here's the only site I've found that talks about it (not official): http://www.sleepdex.org/deficit.htm and there's Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_debt

I've been wondering about this lately. Are things getting any better?

I was wondering about you yesterday and how life was going for you.

Things aren't really any better, my depression is worse, the doc just put me on more anti-anxiety drugs. I find myself, quite often, starting to cry while I'm driving anymore. Well, often considering I never used to show any kind of emotion. The doc is considering writing a letter signed by all my docs that says I need to work at home one day a week because my physical health as well as my mental health is suffering greatly. The only thing she's afraid of is that my boss will find some other to get rid of me. And he would, he's old school "you have to be here eight to five" even though our work is pretty solitary. So basically, no, noting has changed for the better or the worse, just the same. :smirk:

As for the crying while driving.. I can relate. You and I are similar to a point that we both seem to hold in emotions. I'm not one to show a whole lot of emotion either, I'd rather hold things in than bother other people with my problems and/or emotions.Than I'll have moments when driving home and I'll just start crying. Not alwyas sure what triggers it, I know sometimes its a sad song or a sad memory... sometimes it's just things get to the breaking point. I think its just the bodies way of relieving stress and letting go. I also think its the bodies way of letting us know there is something wrong as well. The body can only take so much before it has to let go..HUGS .. We could all use a little more hugs in life. Did you know hugs are a good stress reliever?

ya know, I skip in and out of here all the time, but should ya need to bullshit or fuck off or what ever, you do have me personal email, and my phone number.Just cause im not around does not mean Im NOT AROUND.Should ya feel the need, you know how to reach me, and you and I have alot of the same frustrations and angers and need to cause pain.You and I are fucked up in the same fashion. Maybe not twins in head fucking, but definitely brothers.

my depression is worsei feel it;s all my faulti 2nd what chance said. To I feel like the talk we had on face book is why you feel worse .. I’m sorryDid you know hugs are a good stress reliever?your a hugger arnt you?