[Tired Ted]

Well . . . I appear to be suffering from early doors awakeness ( formally known as insomnia ! ) again but luckily ( for me ) my pal Groggy is in the same boat.

I have just sent a private message to Grogz ( our messages are a bit big for the normal forum ) and I have posted parts of it below to let others know that insomnia is likely to return now and again but that it is okay and it can be managed with support from fellow insomniacs . . . Here it is and we are here for you too . . .

If I am honest I am struggling with itsy-bitzy insomnia . . . I have decided to look on the positive and say I am having a slight awake period early doors . . . Insomnia then !

It has been a great comfort for me to know that I am not the only one who has fallen off the ” sleep ” wagon and if you remember we were able to beat insomnia at its own game together by being positive and going with the flow . . . We didn't stick in bed getting frustrated, we made the best of it, got up and got active and insomnia got sick of us not being ” bovvered ” that we couldn't sleep !

I still class myself as an insomniac as I don't sleep right through . . . My sleep pattern is certainly not the ” norm ” but if you remember we accepted that it was okay for us to sleep differently to our family, friends et al and we learnt to live in peace with insomnia.

Please don't worry about this little glitch . . . This is only a couple of nights after 3 WHOLE months of peaceful sleeping and you can get that back . . . I am always here to help and support you and at least we are in the same boat again so if all else fails and sleep evades us for a while we will have each other.

Take care and keeeeeep smiling . . . At least getting up early gives us time for a decadent wake up session and we will feel more up for enjoying a lovely bright day. Yesterday was glorious here . . . I went without a coat on my lunchtime walk and it was a bit fresh but very bright . . . I love that. I will be driving to work with my roof open again . . . Love my MENOPAWS~mobile as it lets the fresh air whoosh through my hair and makes me feel alive . . . not bad for someone with insomnia !

Tired Tedzzzzz who is just short of getting plenty of ZZZZZZ

[rusty rake]

Well you are not suffering alone. Its a bit like band of brothers here. Oh and tell Groggy to post more in the public forum so we can all help each other out.

I try not to call myelf an insomniac anymore it's kind of like admitting defeat. Yes looking forward to summer here as well. So I assume you can fall asleep fine but wake up too early?

[Tired Ted]

Hey Rusty

Thanks for your support and for letting me know I am not alone, which is a great comfort in the dark of night.

Great to see you taking a positive stance on insomnia and not letting it in ” officially ” . . . That is pretty much how I deal with it and you are quite right . . . My problem is not getting off to sleep . . . It is sleeping through the wee small hours.

I bobbed off c 8.15 pm on the sofa last night ( only awake this late because I met a friend for a meal after work ! ) I went to bed half an hour later and I fell asleep straight away . . . I woke up about an hour ago so I am half way there with my sleep allowance. I am starting to feel a bit bobby now and hope to be able to drop off again after I have sent this message.

I seem to have got into a pattern of falling asleep on the sofa c 7 pm and then having a slight awake session . . . Not enough to get me from vertical to horizontal mind you ! I then roll over and can sleep again until midnight, or more usually 2 am. I then go to bed and most times will sleep after a bit of settling, until it is time to get up at 5.30 am ( on a work day ), which is a marked improvement on the very poor sleep I was getting before Martins emails saved the day.

This is not where I had hoped to be but it is sooo much easier to bear and I now call this my ” norm ” and accept that this is okay because essentially I am getting more sleep than some people without insomnia but not necessarily in the right order !

How do you sleep, or have a problem with sleeping ? Mine started because of pain which was misdiagnosed and ultimately caused a delay in treatment. I have got that little problem sorted now ( well with long term medication ) but the delay and resulting continued pain had a significant impact on my sleep, or lack of it.

There are 2 good things to come out of my Insomnia . . . finding my insomniatic buddy Groggy ( I have asked her to start posting on here again ) and having a much more positive outlook. My glass was never half full or empty . . . I was more of a ” there is only a splash in my glass ” kinda girl but learning to live with insomnia has made me see that looking at things from a positive perspective really can make them easier to bear and make life more fulfilling . . . Watch out Mother Teresa !!

Oh well must close before I over stimulate myself and miss the sleep boat !

Tired Tedzzzzzzzz

[Tired Ted]

Silly Tired Teddy . . . I got my verticals and horizontals mixed up . . . Surprising considering how much time I spend in the horizontal !!

[Martin Reed]

It's good to hear your sleep is still improving, Ted – keep at it!

—

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[Tired Ted]

Thanks Martin . . . I have had an interesting sleep week . . .

I seem to have solved the slight awakening early doors . . . I have slept on the sofa ( luckily I am only short and my sofa is verrrrry comfty ! ) and this has meant that if I wake up I can just switch my iPal on ( it is strategically placed on the reclinig part near my head ! ) and see who is on Insomnia Land, or if I have a message from Groggy. I can also flick the TV on briefly, if I am really struggling once I have been awakened by a toilet stop ! I have found that since Wednesday I can just get up for the loo and then roll over Rover and get back to sleep . . . YEAH ! I can't believe how quickly 5.30 am ( getting up time ) has come around over the last few days ! Not saying that I have resolved the issue forever ( and I really do need to upgrade to being able to sleep through the night in bed ) but for the moment I am just celebrating my success this week and enjoying the sleep . . . Small steps !

I am always here and will always help anyone on Insomnia Land because if it wasn't for Martins inspiring emails I would more than likely still be frustrated at getting no sleep and behaving like the Grumpy Drawers lack of sleep had turned me into . . . THANK YOU Martin.

Tired TedZZZZZZZZ x

[Mau]

Does anyone else obsess when they lose sleep, or is that unique to me? I become depressed then the ruminatin kicks in!

[owl2020]

Yes, when I don't get enough sleep I become depressed and wonder what is going to happen to me. When I have a good night (4-6 hours of sleep) then I feel better the next day but don't look forward to bed time. I try not to think about it, but easier said then done. I usually can fall asleep quickly, but my problem is getting back to sleep after waking up. So you are not alone with your problem. I have no easy answer except to keep trying and hoping for the best. I suspect there are many like us.

[Mau]

It's the constant ruminating when I don't sleep that is annoying. I go to bed thinking about it then it's a no go! Frustration sets in which I have to control! I'm convinced it's this Zoloft ( A.D.) that my Dr. has me on. I was fatigued for months now this! It's just so annoying. I'm retired so maybe I'm focusing on it too much! How do you put it out of your mind?

[Tired Ted]

I used to stress about not sleeping but then came up with the idea of a sleep bank which sorted me out . . . I have always been one to bob off early evening after my meal and got into the very bad habit of falling asleep c 6.30 pm . . . Waking up c midnight and then not being able to get to sleep when I went to bed. Martins sleep emails helped me immensely and this added to coming up with my sleep bank idea did the trick. I suppose I am still an insomniac as I am generally awake / out of bed doing some activity or other for at least a couple of hours c midnight ( it is not unusual for me to not get back to sleep before getting ready for a day at work ) and I can often feel soooo tired that I cant keep my eyes open but I don't call it insomnia now . . . I have accepted it as a sleep pattern that works for me. I still sleep in the same pattern but I bank my sleep and as I get my required minimum of 6 hours wherever this may be in the day psychologically I can cope. I had an early doors project planned for whenever I could not get to sleep and in the end I got to want to wake up to do one of my projects and yes, you have guessed it . . . I slept like a dream and ended up with more early doors projects than time ! I can't tell you how pleased my husband was to not hear the trill of the sewing machine c 2.30 am !

The key to it, in my opinion is to find a way to not get annoyed that you are not sleeping because as Martin quite rightly tells you c email 6 . . . The more you try to sleep, the more it will evade you !

I still go through phases of getting a bit vexed when I can't sleep and I keep meaning to stack up a few projects again . . . Another good tip is to get sleep when you can and don't worry that it is not in the ” normal ” part of the day like friends, family et al . . . Sleep is sleep and it will help you get back to the rest you so desperately desire.

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