I have always had a problem sleeping.

I am on just 4 hours sleep right now, is it cool to go to the gym?

sure it might even help with your sleep. Is the problem waking up or getting to sleep?

What remedies have you tried?

I dont have a problem falling asleep but i have early morning awakenings. For instance I went to bed at midnight and woke at 4:00 AM. Over the past 10 years I've tried lots of sleeping pills, various benzodiazapines (temazepam [Restoril], clonazepam [Klonopin]), etc). I am reluctant to try anything new but I will ask my doctor. I see him today. I just dont want to fall asleep during my workout.

Do you work odd hours?

For starters, why do you go to bed at midnight (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circadian_rhythm)?

How do you feel after you wake up? Rested/refreshed or tired?

Have you tried
Melatonin?
Gaba?
Valerian root?
white noise (running low speed fan creates a dull hum)?
What's your diet like?
What kind of cardio do you do?
High stress life?
What do you do currently to relieve daily stress?

Have you been to a sleep disorder specialist or does your GP just keep writing scripts for your particular case of insomnia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insomnia)?

Thanks for responding.
I am under treatment for bipolar disorder so it isnt cut and dry.
My GP is not treating me. A psychiatrist is.
In fact, I see him in 1 hour.
I will look at that wiki link, thanks.
I don't work out hours.
Regarding, white noise, not a bad idea.
I recall running fans in the summer, and I slept a little better.
My diet is good. Lots of protein, no caffeine, limited sugars.
I don't do cardio. My trainer says not to as I might lose weight.
To relieve stress. Hmm. Movies, sex, reading. Normal stuff.
My therapist recommended yoga/meditation this morning.
I've tried GABA, didnt help, but at the time I did I was under stress.
I will ask my pdoc what he thinks.
Thanks and I will take some suggestions for sure.

I don't do cardio. My trainer says not to as I might lose weight.

Uh.....what?????? I'm missing something here. Are you considered underweight?

Cardio can be all forms and doesn't have to have weightloss with a goal. Cardio can be as light as an evening half-hour walk. I don't think there's weight-loss concerns there and many benefits (http://walking.about.com/od/healthbenefits/Benefits_of_Walking_How_Walking_Reduces_Health_Ris ks.htm) including de-stress (http://www.fi.edu/brain/relieve.htm)

My trainer said since I dont need cardio now.
That I am getting it in my workouts.
Not underweight.
But I will consider the 30 minute walk.
Thanks!

I know the feeling well, lying in bed wide awake getting excited at the sound of a car in the distance or footsteps reverberating with the doppler effect. I sure you will get things sorted soon, but i know those sleepless nights suck.

I have the same sleep disorder, the only thing that works for me is DOING CARDIO ! Also im trying to put on weight as im a little skinny, i just make sure i eat loads and loads and loads to compensate for the cardio. Cardio cheers me up in the morning, and the weights at night knock me out.

I still wake maybe twice a week at 3-4am for an hour, thats not that bad as it was every night when i was a child. Pup keep us apdated on how you get on.;)

Good luck pup, take care now. And dont ever let yourself sleep during the day.

Living with insomnia is so difficult.

When I am laying in bed and can't sleep I do muscle contractions. I start with my toes (contract and release 5 times), my calves, and all the way up my body. By the time I get to my hips i am out.
Here is instructions....

http://www.guidetopsychology.com/pmr.htm

Well I took 750MG GABA last night.
25mg Seroquel and got some sleep.
It's still just 4:21 AM right now, and I'll lay in bed in a few minutes.
Thanks for all your links and suggestions !

try combining GABA with
1mg melatonin time release (30 to 60 mins before bed)
http://www.nowfoods.com/?action=itemdetail&item_id=3873

I would add a good probiotic to your diet as well.

Garden Of Life (http://www.gardenoflifeusa.com/detail_primal_defense.shtml) expensive but worth it since it's the best.

Good luck

Thanks Gordo

I picked up the Primal Defense and some Melatonin.
Ended up with Vitamin Shoppe 1mg Melatonin since I couldnt find
the one that you recommended there.
So I'll give that a try along with the GABA.
The melatonin was only a few bucks.
The Garden of Life was about $55.
Thanks again.

Well, im in for some insomnia too :P
But your problem seems different, you ALWAYS get like 4 hours of sleep?
I've read somewhere to try to do the same things everyday before going to bed, so your body gets to know its time to shut down when you do these things..., also having a good sleep habit would help, sleeping early, and at the same hours every day..., i've found for example on myself, that if i sleep later than 4 AM (10-20 mins later), i just wont sleep ok..., that way, i got to bed earlie 3 AM, watch some serie (Simpsons or Family Guy will let me fall asleep very fast), so i can be out by 3:40 or 4, or if i do some stressing activities JUST before bed, like stopping playing a game at 3 AM and going immediatly to bed, will keep my nerves up, thinking about the game still...

For the past year I've been getting, every night, between 3 and 6 hours. I function completely fine on 6 hours. Every once in a while, I get a nap in. But it's been rare lately. Last night, 3 hours sleep. I do the same routine every single night. The only thing that changes is the time I go to sleep. With bipolar disorder it's a bit more complicated. I'm coming off an antidepressant (Cymbalta) that could have been contributing to the problem. In fact, yesterday was my last day on it. I already feel less energetic, which is a good thing, and I feel calmer, almost like I'm in for a good night sleep tonight.

I'm also on .5mg Klonopin, which is practically nothing. I've been on that drug for almost 4 years and I'm trying to get off it. It's initial purpose (sleep aid) has not worked for a year. But it's not so simple coming off Klonopin. I have to do it slowly. It has a chemical dependance in the brain. Believe me, I've tried to quit cold turkey before and it has landed me in serious trouble. Luckily enough as soon as I take one pill I feel normal again. So my plan is to come off Klonopin by April.

And then there's Zyprexa, an antipsychotic medication that has been wonderful for me. Most people who take this get knocked on their butt and will sleep for about 14 hours straight every single night. But I've been on the drug for 5+ years. It's a great drug but has a diabetes risk that is very well known. Google "Zyprexa and class action lawsuits" and you'll see what I mean. I think they just settled one last week for $500 million. Just got a blood test on Friday to see if everything's cool cuz I want to stay on the drug.

To complicate things further, sleep issues are inherent in someone with bipolar disorder. Years ago it was not uncommon for me to sleep 15 hours a night. Very unproductive but I was a different, more depressed person back then. I am very careful I do not fall into that horrible place again.

So in a nutshell I take it one day at a time. I am thankful when I get 6 hours. When I get 3 hours, like last night, I analyze what is going on. I've tried all the "tricks" to get to sleep. Probably every trick in the books over the past 10 years. It's a struggle but I'm not so depressed about it that I can't function. It's a problem that needs to be fixed.

Pup,

This lady is very smart and has offered advice for this kind of thing before. You may want to look into this thread and see if anything sounds similar.
She's pretty decent to talk to and offers solid advice FWIW but I understand she's been going through some life stuff lately and may not be able to answer questions right now.
Good luck

http://www.ironmagazineforums.com/showthread.php?t=70344

Thanks gordo. I will visit that link. I actually almost 6 hours last night, and I'll catch some more rest later. Today I'm off after 3 intense days at the gym. Yesterday I took Cymbalta again at 20mg (lowest capsule dose). Looking back, I believe it was actually helping me sleep (one side effect is fatigue), plus I was getting extremely irritable going off it and its not worth that. I am on day 3 of the melatonin as well, so it could be helping.

Do you think a nitrix supplement powder could cause sleeplessness even though it's taken in the early AM?

hehe....yeah, absolutely. You're jacking your CNS with Nitric oxide. It would be part of the problem.

What other supps are you on? What's your caffeine intake like?

If you suffer from a clinical disorder....I don't think I'd be taking pre/post-workout supps that play on your CNS. At the very least, you should be informing your docs.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?itool=abstractplus&db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=abstractplus&list_uids=9932444
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=7546627&dopt=Abstract

for example

I dont intake any caffiene other than occasional dark chocalate...
I drink no caffienated sodas or anything.
I did tell my doctor last time I saw him about the Nitrix,
but they dont know anything about this stuff.
I figured it was giving me trouble. I will stop taking it.
Thanks.

Heres a decent article on NO and bipolar disorder.

And yea I think it's a good idea I avoid this stuff.

http://content.karger.com/ProdukteDB/produkte.asp?Doi=48677

Well I haven't been avoiding the n.o. explode and I've been sleeping good. My psych had told me it is ok to use it. Turns out my sleep issues were more due to bipolar mood fluctuations more than anything else. I am still taking the probiotic. Actually my mood dipped into a mild depression about 2 weeks ago and my sleep had very gradually improved and now I'm out of the depression and still sleeping good. I am also taking 1mg melatonin.

Weird, I came on here because I couldn't sleep and was about to post and I read this thread. I can't sleep because for some reason or another I get a lot of anxiety at night, today I slept for two hours just because my mind was clear for once but at night I can't turn off my brain. Does anyone of any suggestions?

Weird, I came on here because I couldn't sleep and was about to post and I read this thread. I can't sleep because for some reason or another I get a lot of anxiety at night, today I slept for two hours just because my mind was clear for once but at night I can't turn off my brain. Does anyone of any suggestions?

When I can't sleep I stay in bed, but read or listen to the radio. I figure it's helping even if I'm not asleep. For me, listening to a radio show that's pretty laid back is distracting, and helps me nod off. Like, political shows don't work at all, because they wind me up. But sports, money, or whatnot is usually fine. Here we have this goofy show called coast to coast AM that talks about aliens and ghosts and stuff, that's pretty good for nodding off to.

Of course, I know how it is to be wound up and anxious and unable to sleep. At some point you have to address the underlying issues that are making you anxious.