[pete]

Hello all,

It's late, and (surprisingly?) I'm awake. I'm totally new to this forum but hope to share experiences of sleeplessness with like minds. I live in London which is a city that apparently never sleeps, though it definitely likes to take a nap most nights! Hoping to meet other urban insomniacs to hear what they have to say about being surrounded by lights and noise, and that perhaps contributing to their stay awake state. When the sun rises I call myself an anthropologist, and am currently writing a paper which explores how people use cities at night. Obviously, this has drawn me closer to my own experiences, and would very much like to share stories of the city at night with those who also find themselves “out of sync” with daily life in a built urban environment. I'd also love to talk about real things, “normal things”, and interests with others on this great space for people who are either liberated or imprisoned by those uncontrollable bouts of open eye time.

Look forward to participating!

Pete

[Martin Reed]

Welcome to the forums, Pete – and thank you for taking the time to introduce yourself. I am sure a few other members will drop by over the next few days to welcome you, too.

We have a few urbanites here as members. Off the top of my head I think Baron and Matt are our chief city-dwellers.

We have a great community here – we offer each other support but also try to have fun by chatting about completely off-topic things, too. I'm sure you'll fit right in.

Enjoy, and I look forward to getting to know you better.

—

If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.

The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.

[Caers]

Hey Pete! *waves from Manchester*

[MarinaFournier]

Hello, Pete!

There are other reasons I don't live in a traditional big city–I start getting claustrophobic, as I don't deal well with large masses of people.

At this point, I have no real sleeping pattern, because part of recovering from surgery to remove a bonespur from my right heel NYE 2010, is not being able to go up stairs (in a chair lift only) unless someone also brings up my knee scooter. So mostly I'm in this room, mostly by myself, and don't really have a schedule.

I suppose noise level and activity depend on where in a large city you live: you can be in the city centre, or in a quiet neighborhood. I live in a town adjacent to San Jose CA. We live in a very quiet neighborhood with few ways in. While I'm a block away from a heavily travelled street, we seldom hear much in the way of noise from it–nor from the freeway, a few blocks further west. Some of it is all the nice tall trees in the neighborhood, but I really don't know the secret–but I AM happy to take advantage of it.

I'm current off everyone else's schedule in the house. I've noticed I never seem to visit the blog save when it's very early in the morning.

Welcome, and I hope you find what you need here.

[Mike Hooker]

Hi, Pete,

Welcome!

[Baron]

it's me, one of the aforementioned city dwellers. los angeles. koreatown area, to be more precise. as much as i've been insomniac, i've never found it to be the noise of the city (though getting buzzed by an lapd ghettobird flying low over my building at 4am doesn't help much) that keeps me up, but rather the noise in my brain. i've lived in the bay area, eugene, or, kirkland, wa, and a bunch of other fairly serene places and the fact is, it's never made a difference for me at all.

i've tried a number of sleep therapies. i've in fact just put in an order for a melatonin spray (i've tried melatonin in other forms before with limited success but have heard good things about this product), and will have to report back in after a month or so to see if it does anything for me. a friend of mine just took her son in to a sleep study and received some mind-blowing data, and at this point i feel that if i really want to get a handle on anything, this may be the way to go.

has anyone here done a sleep study?

however i'm also quite happy to write all of this off as me simply being a nocturnal person. i get quite a bit of work done at night, be it writing, or inking, or anything creative. i recently started working on a very simple strip called “boy & dog” (martin wants me to do an insomnia-related panel sometime, and i think i'll try!) which gives me great pleasure to do at 3 or 4am when i've woken up and can't get back to sleep. so, in an effort to practice radical acceptance, i try to make good use of the time i spent up at nights, instead of fighting the insomnia and getting altogether frustrated at not being able to sleep.

i understand not everyone, or in fact most people, can't do this. most people have jobs to wake up to in the morning, or children or loved ones to care for, and so i have to admit my bohemian lifestyle affords me enough flexibility to roll with things. still, a good sleep routine to keep me in stride with the rest of the world seems like a nice idea, and i often do entertain the fantasy of being able to sleep restfully at night when i close my eyes, and wake up feeling pretty great.

i'm thinking about a sleep lamp and other things. but at the same time, i have to think about the hundreds (thousands, mayhaps?) i've already spent on various supplements and machinations (white noise machines, iphone apps, etc.), all with limited success, and the dollar amount attached to future endeavours can seem so endless. that's mainly why i decided to practice acceptance instead.

in any case, welcome to the forum. it's a nice little community with a low signal-to-noise ratio, which is hard to find on these internets. i hope you find some answers or clues and solutions to your sleep-related problems.

cheers,

baron

[pete]

Thanks for the welcome everybody!

Baron, I like your take. I think insomnia can be interpreted in many different ways, depending on exactly the constraints set before people in their own lives. I don't have a traditional 9am – 5pm job myself, and so perhaps find it easier when I get struck with irreconcilable sleeplessness, to justify spending that time “getting on” with other things. Industrial work patterns are hardly the most natural of dispositions placed on the human mind, and I'm sure they are what adds to the anxiety that some people suffer when dealing with insomnia. Its hard not to think of insomnia as something abnormal, though surely a regulated, like clockwork, sleep pattern is just as abnormal? Its a shame that we don't live in some sort of utopia that allows for people to labour and love as and when they choose, though if we did, then perhaps many ailments and conditions would no longer be seen as negative!

Also, I understand that the sensual affects of the city as a place are rather superficial in regards to exactly what disturbs or prevents the elusive realm of sleep. Though the flip side of it can be the liberation of exploring dark spaces that are so often portrayed as demonic and criminal in the media. Walking the city at night when not out socialising or travelling elsewhere can really open up new paths and new insights into the places that we think we already know so well. That's what I'd like to think anyway!

Cheers,

Pete

[Baron]

cheers, pete! and i agree with you wholeheartedly. there are many things my insomnia affords me that i appreciate, and knowing a side of the world or city many forego out of necessity is a rather nice silver-lining. and koreatown is filled with 24/7 eateries that serve amazing food, much of which just somehow tastes better/more appropriate at 3.30am than 3.30pm.

sometime ago (if i can find the article i'll link it, but it's been a while and i'll have to search my instapaper account to see if i saved it) i read that there were real, evolutionary reasons for insomnia. the gist of the article was that we all couldn't possibly sleep at the same time at night, or we as former tribes and colonies would be vulnerable to night attacks by predators and enemies. so, insomniacs today may have once upon a time been the guardians and sentries of the human species. it makes good sense. something to think about, yes?

baron

[Martin Reed]

I don't think this is the article you were referring to, Baron; but your post reminded me of this blog post from last December:

http://www.insomnialand.com/blog/you-could-have-been-destined-for-insomnia-at-birth/

—

If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.

The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.

[yourfavoritecyn]

Welcome, Pete 🙂

[Author]

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