Insomnia - kill it or embrace it?
Discussion
Morning all!
It's 03:35, and I'm part way through a workout at the gym, just me and the poor cleaner in the whole place!
I never really struggle to get to sleep when I go to bed but have always had episodes of waking up at 2-3am and really struggling to get back to sleep. Recently, however, it has become pretty much a nightly occurrence.
There could be one of several reasons for this that I can think of... Work is particularly stressful at the moment, and in a way that's preventing from getting on with projects pending management strategy decisions rather than overloading me, I've recently started what seems to be successful treatment for sleep apnoea, so those hours of sleep I am getting are probably doing more for me than the previous 7-8, and I've also recently been moved on to a higher dose ADHD med. Lots of potential for correlation vs causation there!
Question is, should I just go with it?
If I lie in bed tossing and turning and trying to get back to sleep whilst my brain runs a marathon at sprint speeds, I end up getting massive anxiety, feeling crap all day and also disturbing my poor wife's sleep.
If, on the other hand, I embrace it, get up, go to the gym, get some work done, take the rather bemused dog out for a long walk if it's warm enough or whatever, then maybe get another sleep cycle in when I get back, the whole day just seems to roll out without problems!
So, should I just embrace it, or am I storing up problems? My brain is telling me I'm supposed to sleep through the night, but my body is saying nah, f
k that, do what feels right!
I'm in my early 50s if that makes any difference to people's thoughts, and I have dropped a line to my ADHD consultant, so I'm not going to base my whole future on Internet advice, but thought it might be interesting to see if others share this experience?
It's 03:35, and I'm part way through a workout at the gym, just me and the poor cleaner in the whole place!
I never really struggle to get to sleep when I go to bed but have always had episodes of waking up at 2-3am and really struggling to get back to sleep. Recently, however, it has become pretty much a nightly occurrence.
There could be one of several reasons for this that I can think of... Work is particularly stressful at the moment, and in a way that's preventing from getting on with projects pending management strategy decisions rather than overloading me, I've recently started what seems to be successful treatment for sleep apnoea, so those hours of sleep I am getting are probably doing more for me than the previous 7-8, and I've also recently been moved on to a higher dose ADHD med. Lots of potential for correlation vs causation there!
Question is, should I just go with it?
If I lie in bed tossing and turning and trying to get back to sleep whilst my brain runs a marathon at sprint speeds, I end up getting massive anxiety, feeling crap all day and also disturbing my poor wife's sleep.
If, on the other hand, I embrace it, get up, go to the gym, get some work done, take the rather bemused dog out for a long walk if it's warm enough or whatever, then maybe get another sleep cycle in when I get back, the whole day just seems to roll out without problems!
So, should I just embrace it, or am I storing up problems? My brain is telling me I'm supposed to sleep through the night, but my body is saying nah, f
k that, do what feels right!I'm in my early 50s if that makes any difference to people's thoughts, and I have dropped a line to my ADHD consultant, so I'm not going to base my whole future on Internet advice, but thought it might be interesting to see if others share this experience?
Has it got worse since you started ADHD meds? It is effectively pharma grade speed you are being prescribed, taking a stronger dose might not be the best solution.
I go down the opposite route with mine and prefer to be more chilled than wired but each to their own. Still wake up at 4/5am but got to sleep by 10/11pm and that works for me.
I go down the opposite route with mine and prefer to be more chilled than wired but each to their own. Still wake up at 4/5am but got to sleep by 10/11pm and that works for me.
LaterLosers said:
Has it got worse since you started ADHD meds? It is effectively pharma grade speed you are being prescribed, taking a stronger dose might not be the best solution.
I go down the opposite route with mine and prefer to be more chilled than wired but each to their own. Still wake up at 4/5am but got to sleep by 10/11pm and that works for me.
I've emailed the psychiatrist about dropping back from 70 to 50mg for precisely this reason, but that's as much to rule it out as anything else, as i suspect the work stress may be more to blame.I go down the opposite route with mine and prefer to be more chilled than wired but each to their own. Still wake up at 4/5am but got to sleep by 10/11pm and that works for me.
Even with the Insomnia, I'm feeling way better than I was before starting on the ADHD meds and the sleep apnoea treatment, and I'm just finishing my workout now and pretty sure I'll get back to bed, have another solid 90 minutes of sleep and the wake up naturally ready to take on the day, so maybe I just need to embrace my new normal?
.I share your pain, I’m a 4am riser. Also have ADHD, but don’t take meds.
Get to sleep no problem, but as soon as I’m awake the brain just gets busy and I can’t get back to sleep.
Depending on my sleep deficit for the week and what workload I have on, I either:-
A. Get up and just crack on with work
B. Put on a sleep story - these have really helped me get back to sleep as they calm my mind
C. If I don’t have to get up for anything (Sunday), take a sleeping aid (50mg over the counter) and enjoy some extra sleep
I have to say, I’m usually running on a sleep deficit which is not healthy, but I’ve learnt to live with it.
Enjoy your gym time with the cleaner!
Get to sleep no problem, but as soon as I’m awake the brain just gets busy and I can’t get back to sleep.
Depending on my sleep deficit for the week and what workload I have on, I either:-
A. Get up and just crack on with work
B. Put on a sleep story - these have really helped me get back to sleep as they calm my mind
C. If I don’t have to get up for anything (Sunday), take a sleeping aid (50mg over the counter) and enjoy some extra sleep
I have to say, I’m usually running on a sleep deficit which is not healthy, but I’ve learnt to live with it.
Enjoy your gym time with the cleaner!
I'm very much the same, no trouble at all initially getting to sleep but only ever get about 4 hours max of solid unbroken sleep, after that I'm just fitfully snoozing for the rest of the night and waking up every 20-30 minutes.
Been like that as long as I can remember, certainly from a pre-teen age (49 now)
I also just embrace it and don't let it bother me, I just read or listen to an audiobook or podcast.
I'm so used to it that the concept of sleeping for 8+ hours that most people manage just feels completely unnatural and weird to me.
Been like that as long as I can remember, certainly from a pre-teen age (49 now)
I also just embrace it and don't let it bother me, I just read or listen to an audiobook or podcast.
I'm so used to it that the concept of sleeping for 8+ hours that most people manage just feels completely unnatural and weird to me.
LaterLosers said:
Has it got worse since you started ADHD meds? It is effectively pharma grade speed you are being prescribed, taking a stronger dose might not be the best solution.
I go down the opposite route with mine and prefer to be more chilled than wired but each to their own. Still wake up at 4/5am but got to sleep by 10/11pm and that works for me.
That all sounds very counterintuitive... I always assumed just by its very title that the main symptom and feature of ADHD is the sufferer effectively being too 'wired'?I go down the opposite route with mine and prefer to be more chilled than wired but each to their own. Still wake up at 4/5am but got to sleep by 10/11pm and that works for me.
Surely the very last thing anybody with ADHD needs in that case is pharma grade speed!!?
LaterLosers said:
Has it got worse since you started ADHD meds? It is effectively pharma grade speed you are being prescribed, taking a stronger dose might not be the best solution.
I go down the opposite route with mine and prefer to be more chilled than wired but each to their own. Still wake up at 4/5am but got to sleep by 10/11pm and that works for me.
Do they kill appetite as well?I go down the opposite route with mine and prefer to be more chilled than wired but each to their own. Still wake up at 4/5am but got to sleep by 10/11pm and that works for me.
Dylano said:
That all sounds very counterintuitive... I always assumed just by its very title that the main symptom and feature of ADHD is the sufferer effectively being too 'wired'?
Surely the very last thing anybody with ADHD needs in that case is pharma grade speed!!?
It's one of those conditions where the causes aren't really fully understood, but the general thinking is that my brain either doesn't produce enough of chemicals like dopamine or isn't good at the uptake of them, so is constantly flitting around, looking for that next hit of them. The speed - lisdexamphetamine in my case - basically solves the problem, so calms everything down even though it would indeed be a major stimulant to a "normal" brain.Surely the very last thing anybody with ADHD needs in that case is pharma grade speed!!?
The racing of the brain at 3am is down to the dose having worn off, but I don't think taking another dose then would be the answer, as I suspect it would stop the rushing, but still leave me awake and alert.
When I was first diagnosed, my mind shot back 25+ years to the one time I tried speed as a recreational drug at Uni. My two mates were giving it the full on buzzing raver act, whilst I was convinced we'd been ripped off and they were just deludedly going through a case of the emperor's new high! The diagnosis explained a lot!
Kermit power said:
It's one of those conditions where the causes aren't really fully understood, but the general thinking is that my brain either doesn't produce enough of chemicals like dopamine or isn't good at the uptake of them, so is constantly flitting around, looking for that next hit of them. The speed - lisdexamphetamine in my case - basically solves the problem, so calms everything down even though it would indeed be a major stimulant to a "normal" brain.
The racing of the brain at 3am is down to the dose having worn off, but I don't think taking another dose then would be the answer, as I suspect it would stop the rushing, but still leave me awake and alert.
When I was first diagnosed, my mind shot back 25+ years to the one time I tried speed as a recreational drug at Uni. My two mates were giving it the full on buzzing raver act, whilst I was convinced we'd been ripped off and they were just deludedly going through a case of the emperor's new high! The diagnosis explained a lot!
Thank you, very interesting.The racing of the brain at 3am is down to the dose having worn off, but I don't think taking another dose then would be the answer, as I suspect it would stop the rushing, but still leave me awake and alert.
When I was first diagnosed, my mind shot back 25+ years to the one time I tried speed as a recreational drug at Uni. My two mates were giving it the full on buzzing raver act, whilst I was convinced we'd been ripped off and they were just deludedly going through a case of the emperor's new high! The diagnosis explained a lot!
Kermit power said:
It's one of those conditions where the causes aren't really fully understood, but the general thinking is that my brain either doesn't produce enough of chemicals like dopamine or isn't good at the uptake of them, so is constantly flitting around, looking for that next hit of them. The speed - lisdexamphetamine in my case - basically solves the problem, so calms everything down even though it would indeed be a major stimulant to a "normal" brain.
The racing of the brain at 3am is down to the dose having worn off, but I don't think taking another dose then would be the answer, as I suspect it would stop the rushing, but still leave me awake and alert.
When I was first diagnosed, my mind shot back 25+ years to the one time I tried speed as a recreational drug at Uni. My two mates were giving it the full on buzzing raver act, whilst I was convinced we'd been ripped off and they were just deludedly going through a case of the emperor's new high! The diagnosis explained a lot!
Strong caffeine/tourine has a similar effect I have read.The racing of the brain at 3am is down to the dose having worn off, but I don't think taking another dose then would be the answer, as I suspect it would stop the rushing, but still leave me awake and alert.
When I was first diagnosed, my mind shot back 25+ years to the one time I tried speed as a recreational drug at Uni. My two mates were giving it the full on buzzing raver act, whilst I was convinced we'd been ripped off and they were just deludedly going through a case of the emperor's new high! The diagnosis explained a lot!
z4RRSchris said:
70mg is loads,
the misses is on 40mg and if she takes them past 8am she isnt sleeping, or will have st sleep. maybe try and take your meds really early.
as above, its speed your taking.
It's also bodyweight sensitive though, and I suspect I'm probably pushing twice your wife's weight! the misses is on 40mg and if she takes them past 8am she isnt sleeping, or will have s
t sleep. maybe try and take your meds really early. as above, its speed your taking.
z4RRSchris said:
didn’t think about that!
I have all the same dropped the dose back down to 50mg from today to see if it makes a difference.The odd thing is that I'm having no trouble going to sleep, just waking up in the middle of the night. I don't see how the higher dose would cause that.
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