Anyone else have a sleep disorder?

[sleepydreepy]

I have narcolepsy and was wondering if anyone else on here has a sleep disorder of some kind, and if so let me know how you cope with it.

Narcolepsy wasn't too much of a problem for me when I was in college because I was able to take naps in between classes but now that I work a 9-5 job I am really struggling haha. I am trying to get an appointment with my sleep doctor to see if there is some sort of medicine I can take, otherwise I have been drinking a bunch of caffeine so I can get through the day without falling asleep at my desk, but even then its still been rough : p

so I was just wondering if any of yall have any tips or tricks

 

[Damn71]

yup, most nights i find it impossible to fall asleep and when i do finally fall asleep i cant stay asleep :[

 

[DarkDesertFox]

I am pretty sure I have sleep apnea. The Breathe Right nasal strips seem to help me sleep a little better. The only problem is I pull them off in my sleep sometimes. I tried using a pillow wedge to elevate myself but it does not feel good as a side sleeper. I really should try to sleep with it again.

 

[Croconaw]

I don’t have a sleeping disorder, at least not that I know of. I used to think I had insomnia to some degree when I was younger. There was a time when I couldn’t sleep for a whole three days it seemed. That was a very long time ago.

I am a night owl though. I’m able to sleep for seven to eight hours and wake up on my own, but I prefer to do so during the morning hours after going to sleep at about 4:00 AM or 5:00 AM. I feel like I’m just meant for the night shift. People willing to work overnight or during late hours are difficult to find so there are some pay incentive to do it, but I’d voluntarily do it. I’m more productive at night anyway. I think some people are night owls and some not.

 

[Orius]

I don't have a sleeping disorder, but much like Croconaw, I'm a night owl too, though I'm far more night owl since I literally woke up at 7pm yesterday and would usually sleep around 11am in the morning.

Thank god for these "work from home" jobs popping around in recent years.

 

[Croconaw]

I don't have a sleeping disorder, but much like Croconaw, I'm a night owl too, though I'm far more night owl since I literally woke up at 7pm yesterday and would usually sleep around 11am in the morning.

Thank god for these "work from home" jobs popping around in recent years.

I tried to transition to sleeping at night like “normal people,” but I accepted that I wasn’t normal. I’ve been doing the overnight shift or other late shifts for years, and I wouldn’t change it.

 

[TheWildShadow55]

I had insomnia as a kid so I'd often have a VERY hard time falling asleep (quite a few days I just wouldn't fall asleep at all) and just around a year ago I broke free of what I can only describe as a melatonin gummy dependency, until last year if I didn't have 10mg a day, I wouldn't go to sleep. I sometimes still need to take them but not NEARLY as much as I used to, I can sleep naturally finally

 

[shellbell]

I've been an insomniac for most of my life and I sometimes experience sleep paralysis.
I don't take any medication since it doesn't affect my life much because I'm self employed. I basically live in 28 hour day cycles, so my sleep/awake times are constantly shifting. The tricky part is when I gotta meeting up with friends and family, for those days I usually just suck it up and don't sleep for that period of time. As I'm typing this, I realize this sleep deprivation could be a contributing factor for why I don't like holidays

I don't know much about narcolepsy but I think there is medication for it. I'd be against drinking caffeine cause it doesn't work that long and you can develop a dependence on it. My advice is probably find a lifestyle that accommodates your condition. Like Croconaw said, they prefer to work night shifts. And I just don't do any kind of daily scheduled jobs. Maybe you can talk to your superior about it and find some kind of compromise? I think having people you socialize with understand how narcolepsy works would be helpful.
Also there's this thing called a happy light, it simulates daylight and maybe it'll help you stay awake/alert since our bodies are more attuned to think daylight=awake
Good luck

 

[rip]

i don’t think i have any sort of official sleep disorder but i suffer from nightmares or super weird n vivid dreams almost every night and it’s super annoying, i also have trouble getting comfortable and can’t sleep on my back. the reason being is that every time i fall asleep on my back WITHOUT FAIL i get sleep paralysis. i actually find it super comfortable to lie on my back however i really don’t like sleep paralysis so i can’t sleep like that

 

[Stella-Io]

I think I may have one, thou not in an extreme degree so I'm not sure. I'm not even sure what I would have. I think I maybe might have Delayed Sleep Cycle (forgot its actual name) along with somethin else.

I have trouble going to sleep almost every night. Some nights it'll take me hours, like anywhere from 3-5 before I actually go to sleep. To add insult to injury, almost every night without fail I will randomly wake up for no damn reason at random times usually ranging from 3-5am and will be unable to go back to proper sleep or it will be very hard to go back to sleep.

I also feel like I need 10 hours of sleep to be fully rested, my body usually sleeps for that long. Idk if it's to make up for my body randomly waking up or what, but that on average is how long I will sleep for, assuming I have no obligations to wake me up earlier. I'm not stressed or depressed (I think I heard people with depression sleep longer?) nor am I taking any medicine so idk what causes it.

Some days I can function on 4-5 hours, waking up feeling fine but other days I get an 8 hours rest and wake up tired. One night I went to sleep around 10pm and woke up later, thinking it was 4am cause I felt rested. It was midnight. I slept for 2 hours and woke up not groggy or sleepy. Ofcourse it was difficult to go back to sleep after that.

I am a night owl, I can easily stay up aaaaall night but waking up in the mornings is a drag. I'm more alert and awake at night, to the point that if being nocturnal was an option in my life I'd do it very easily.

Also I *talk*, move around and sleep with my eyes open, so I think that also hinders it. When I say talk, I don't mean mumble. I mean like I had a small conversation with my sis one time, eyes open, giving somewhat coherent responses to questions she asked/statements she made, while being asleep. I have absolutely no memory of that.

 

[HopeForHyrule]

Definitely have insomnia, and I think I may have some form of sleep apnea (dunno for sure), but sometimes I'll be dreaming that I can't breathe and I have to basically force myself awake. So I definitely feel like it's a dry run for how I'm going to die. And anyway, yeah...not fun.

 

[LadyDestani]

I'm pretty sure I have Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome. My body's natural sleep to wake time is about 3-4am to 11am-noon. If I'm allowed to sleep on that schedule, I always wake up feeling refreshed and rested. However, I work an 8-5 job, so that's not an option for me. I have to try to force myself to go to sleep early and it rarely works. The best I can do is get to sleep by 1-2am, but I never hit a deep sleep until after 4am and I always feel exhausted when I have to wake up.

I'm at my most active and productive from about 9pm to midnight and it takes me a while to wind down from that. And even though I'm awake for work in the morning, I never feel like my body is awake. I have terrible circulation in the morning and I always feel cold. I can't eat or drink anything other than water before noon or I get violently nauseous. I put off most of my more complex work until the afternoons as well because my mind is too sluggish in the morning. I could live and work so much better if I were able to do so on my own schedule.

 

[Livia]

I think I have some form of insomnia. It takes me forever to fall asleep and then I also can’t stay asleep. every night I wake up 4-5 times or sometimes more. I seem to wake up after every dream.

I wish I could sleep more because it probably contributes to my constant lack of energy. I’ve tried melatonin and a sleeping pill from my doctor, but they both kept me awake longer than usual.

 

[Shawna]

yup, most nights i find it impossible to fall asleep and when i do finally fall asleep i cant stay asleep :[

This happens to me a lot .-.

 

[Mimi Cheems]

I think I have some form of insomnia? Some nights I find it incredibly hard to fall asleep and even stay asleep. Maybe it's because I'm a night-owl and can never shut my mind off when I attempt to sleep? But... Most nights it's easy for me to fall asleep. Every once in a while I'll be staring at the ceiling until the sun rises.... :/

 

[sleepydreepy]

I think I may have one, thou not in an extreme degree so I'm not sure. I'm not even sure what I would have. I think I maybe might have Delayed Sleep Cycle (forgot its actual name) along with somethin else.

I have trouble going to sleep almost every night. Some nights it'll take me hours, like anywhere from 3-5 before I actually go to sleep. To add insult to injury, almost every night without fail I will randomly wake up for no damn reason at random times usually ranging from 3-5am and will be unable to go back to proper sleep or it will be very hard to go back to sleep.

I also feel like I need 10 hours of sleep to be fully rested, my body usually sleeps for that long. Idk if it's to make up for my body randomly waking up or what, but that on average is how long I will sleep for, assuming I have no obligations to wake me up earlier. I'm not stressed or depressed (I think I heard people with depression sleep longer?) nor am I taking any medicine so idk what causes it.

Some days I can function on 4-5 hours, waking up feeling fine but other days I get an 8 hours rest and wake up tired. One night I went to sleep around 10pm and woke up later, thinking it was 4am cause I felt rested. It was midnight. I slept for 2 hours and woke up not groggy or sleepy. Ofcourse it was difficult to go back to sleep after that.

I am a night owl, I can easily stay up aaaaall night but waking up in the mornings is a drag. I'm more alert and awake at night, to the point that if being nocturnal was an option in my life I'd do it very easily.

Also I *talk*, move around and sleep with my eyes open, so I think that also hinders it. When I say talk, I don't mean mumble. I mean like I had a small conversation with my sis one time, eyes open, giving somewhat coherent responses to questions she asked/statements she made, while being asleep. I have absolutely no memory of that.

I think you might have REM sleep behavior disorder!

When I was first talking to my primary doctor about my sleeping problems (before I went to a specialist), she told me about different types of sleep disorders. I remember one of them was a lot like what you described (especially the talking and moving in your sleep). People with REM sleep disorders also have trouble getting the good quality of sleep known as "REM" sleep which is why you feel so exhausted. Here's a link I found that tells you more info, I'm sure you can also learn more by googling it yourself !

REM Sleep Behavior Disorder | Sleep Foundation

Normally during REM sleep, the body experiences temporary paralysis of most of the body’s muscles while the brain is active and dreaming.

www.sleepfoundation.org

 

[Stella-Io]

I think you might have REM sleep behavior disorder!

When I was first talking to my primary doctor about my sleeping problems (before I went to a specialist), she told me about different types of sleep disorders. I remember one of them was a lot like what you described (especially the talking and moving in your sleep). People with REM sleep disorders also have trouble getting the good quality of sleep known as "REM" sleep which is why you feel so exhausted. Here's a link I found that tells you more info, I'm sure you can also learn more by googling it yourself !

REM Sleep Behavior Disorder | Sleep Foundation

Normally during REM sleep, the body experiences temporary paralysis of most of the body’s muscles while the brain is active and dreaming.

www.sleepfoundation.org

Yooo this sounds so much like my sleep patterns, thanks for linking this article!

Weird that so many men have it, esp since I'm afab so I'm the minority in this case. That and I fall way below the typical age range. But like the article said it could be caused by other sleep issues so maybe that's why it effects me so much even thou I'm not part of the majority. Not to say the minority doesn't go throu it.

 

[Neb]

I genuinely wonder if I’ve developed one. I just don’t get sleepy unless I’ve read something. No matter how hard I try to wake up early my body chooses to wait until 11 A.M. at the earliest.

 

[hakutaku]

I don't think this is a disorder, but it's really inconvenient. Basically my whole life, my body naturally sleeps well during the day but cannot sleep at night. I'm nocturnal at this point tbh. If I have university or stuff to do in the morning, I still cannot sleep through the night and end up going through my day super tired.

I think the darkness makes me anxious and so I can't sleep, but the minute the sun starts to rise and the sky is a little bit lighter, I'm fine and I can relax enough to sleep.