Welcome to the night shift

[Callender Girl]

Maurice sounds like a godsend! Thank goodness it finally ended.

I used to know someone whose nightmares were so violent -- night terrors -- that he would throw himself out of bed. He finally began tying one arm to the headboard so he wouldn't propel himself onto the floor.

Also, he would yell loudly, but always in some unintelligible language. He said he was always being chased. Although he sought all kinds of medical and mental health help, the nightmares plagued him for the rest of his life.

Maybe I'm glad I can rarely remember any of my dreams.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

Nightmares can be so much more serious and disruptive than the average person would understand.
In my early 20s I had a terrible months-long problem with sleep paralysis. It's scary enough all on its own, but towards the end it started happening in conjunction with nightmares. When that happened I couldn't tell if I was truly asleep and dreaming or aware but unable to wake (while terrible things were happening around me.)
It was a little rescue kitty named Maurice that pulled me through it. I stared sleeping with him next to me (touching me) thinking if I started to panic he could wake me. Not sure if it actually worked, or if it was more of a placebo of sorts, but I finally got through it.

I, too had sleep paralysis as a teen and in my 20s. It would happen so often that I avoided sleep. I spent countless hours roaming the house, the property, anything to avoid sleep..it was awful.
It rarely happens now, but last week I had a very bad event of it. I took a popular nighttime sniffle, sneezing, coughing flu medicine (I have Covid, still) that had a sleep aid. I also took a sleeping pill, not thinking, which was not smart. Well I developed sleep paralysis with apnea. I could not breath, move, wake.. it was terrifying. I could feel myself smothering and was helpless. I could feel a cold sweat. Somehow I woke but did not go back to sleep. I sat up watching my chick cam. That was that event which prompted me to begin this thread!!
I never knew what sleep paralysis was before 10 yrs ago, didn’t know there was a name for it, and I have never met anyone else that experienced it..until now. Very scary stuff.

 

[Gizabelle]

I, too had sleep paralysis as a teen and in my 20s. It would happen so often that I avoided sleep. I spent countless hours roaming the house, the property, anything to avoid sleep..it was awful.
It rarely happens now, but last week I had a very bad event of it. I took a popular nighttime sniffle, sneezing, coughing flu medicine (I have Covid, still) that had a sleep aid. I also took a sleeping pill, not thinking, which was not smart. Well I developed sleep paralysis with apnea. I could not breath, move, wake.. it was terrifying. I could feel myself smothering and was helpless. I could feel a cold sweat. Somehow I woke but did not go back to sleep. I sat up watching my chick cam. That was that event which prompted me to begin this thread!!
I never knew what sleep paralysis was before 10 yrs ago, didn’t know there was a name for it, and I have never met anyone else that experienced it..until now. Very scary stuff.

I'm so sorry to hear that. I do hope it was interaction of the cold medicine and sleep aid (and can be avoided at all costs in future) Certainly hope you're doing better with the Covid now too.
Feel free to msg me anytime if you need someone to talk to. My usual "schedule" has me up until 2 most nights, but it was nearly 4 last night.
Hugs.. I know it's horrible; hopefully it was just a nasty outlier incident.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

I'm so sorry to hear that. I do hope it was interaction of the cold medicine and sleep aid (and can be avoided at all costs in future) Certainly hope you're doing better with the Covid now too.
Feel free to msg me anytime if you need someone to talk to. My usual "schedule" has me up until 2 most nights, but it was nearly 4 last night.
Hugs.. I know it's horrible; hopefully it was just a nasty outlier incident.

You are kind, thank you.

 

[Gizabelle]

The mind-racing insomnia used to be a problem for me too. Audible was a game changer in that regard. Just pop in one ear bud, drop a bookmark and set the sleep timer.
Less stimulating than tv, and less disruptive to DH than having a light on to read.

 

[saysfaa]

For the mind racing... I've found picking a project to plan helps. If I think about whatever-it-is then I don't think about the 101 things that lead to other things. The real benefit is eventually, just starting to think about what-ever-it-is puts me to sleep.

My friend, who had a lot of trouble sleeping, discovered this accidentally. She tried relaxing her muscles to try to help herself sleep. She couldn't just relax all kf them at once but she could relax any of them. So she started with her big toe, then the next toe, the next... the top of her foot, the inside, outside... and so on all the way to her scalp. By then, her feet had tensed backbup and she started over. But after she had been doing it every night, she realized she wasn't starting over as many times. Then ghat she wasn't making it to her scalp. Eventually, she could simply lay down and thing of her big toe and be asleep.

I think it works but I don't usually have enough discipline to do it consistently. And sometimes I like the time without distractions to think and plan something. For a long time it was a farm but I got to where I didn't get much past the equivalent of the big toe... which is one of the reasons I think it works.

Anyway, I was thinking about this again because of the posts about racing thoughts. And because I found a new thing to think through... I've not watched many reality shows but I caught a bit of "Alone" season7 when I was flipping channels. Then binge watched the whole season. First, I couldn't figure out why no one was eating the spruce and birch trees. Then, why no one used a rocket stove. The thought train now starts there.

I get bored thinking about big toes but I can stick to farms and wilderness shelters and fires. At least, I can if I'm not stressing about something too much. Unfortunately, I don't listen to me very well sometimes.

 

[Callender Girl]

Some years ago, I was injured and couldn't walk for months. At first, I spent a lot of time at night worrying about the future -- not conducive to a good night's sleep.

I started forcing myself to count backward from 1,000 and any time I realized I had skipped or repeated a number or otherwise messed up, I would start over from 1,000 again. It worked every time.

I still sometimes use that method; I rarely get to 900.

And, BTW, @saysfaa, I find it infuriating that so many people don't take advantage of the obvious in those kinds of shows. I never understand why folks on "Survivor" -- which is set in warm, tropical places -- don't do a little research on how to forage food. Or start fires.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Some years ago, I was injured and couldn't walk for months. At first, I spent a lot of time at night worrying about the future -- not conducive to a good night's sleep.

I started forcing myself to count backward from 1,000 and any time I realized I had skipped or repeated a number or otherwise messed up, I would start over from 1,000 again. It worked every time.

I still sometimes use that method; I rarely get to 900.

And, BTW, @saysfaa, I find it infuriating that so many people don't take advantage of the obvious in those kinds of shows. I never understand why folks on "Survivor" -- which is set in warm, tropical places -- don't do a little research on how to forage food. Or start fires.

Probably because they don't have a cell phone?

 

[Callender Girl]

You probably right. I would have gone old school -- and maybe even read a BOOK before I set sail.

 

[CapricornFarm]

You probably right. I would have gone old school -- and maybe even read a BOOK before I set sail.

Yes, like people who don't read up before getting chickens. Oh , help, emergency! Is this a male or female chicken!