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'Martin' wrote on '05:
Good to hear you're OK.
So, will the government be introducing a cyclone tax to go along with the flood tax?!
Wouldn't be surprised Martin. Some people are pushing for a permanent “Disaster Tax” or levy as they prefer to call it. The way things have been going in recent years it's probably not a bad idea! If it's not floods & cyclones, it's fires and drought! And some people still prefer to believe climate change isn't really happening. 😮
'sleepy wrote on '04:Hey Dozydame,
how are you doing down under? I saw on the news today there's also a hurricane coming your way. I sure hope everything's fine!
Hi All,
Well Queensland is starting to get back on it's feet after the floods, although of course it'll take years to rebuild everything. Some people have lost everything they own and will never recover and apparently it's quite common for suicides once all the support people leave and people are left to face the reality of their situation. The floodwaters continued South after leaving Queensland and there was further flooding as far away as Victoria which is 2 states away and some 2000 kilometres in distance. Fortunately there was no further loss of life.
Then 36 hours ago North Queensland was hit by a category 5 (strongest) Tropical Cyclone (I think you call them hurricanes or typhoons in other parts of the world. This one was similar in size and intensity to Hurricane Katrina). The area was battered by 300 kph winds and driving rain for about 8 or 9 hours. Fortunately the area where the storm centre crossed the coast was not as densely populated as Cairns, which is the biggest city in North Queensland and where it was first expected. Nevertheless the area it hit with full force has been flattened and once again flooded due to heavy rain and ferocious seas. 90% of the banana and sugar cane crops have also been wiped out, which will mean major damage to the local economy and employment. There are many overseas backpackers who were relying on fruit picking to pay their way and now have no money, no work, nowhere to stay and no way to get out of the area. Fortunately, authorities were well prepared and had evacuated thousands of people early and so the only life lost was someone who was overcome with fumes from a portable generator, which he was using while sheltering from the storm. Once again, some people have lost everything and the clean up will be massive both in scale and cost. The residual effect of the cyclone will bring heavy rain to other parts of the coast and that's not an appealing prospect. The ground is still so sodden from the last rain it will just run straight off.
It's really hard to believe what has been happening up here in the last couple of weeks and I feel incredibly fortunate to have escaped so lightly. The aftermath of these two disasters will be felt for many years to come and the worst part is there may be more on the way. There are a total of 5 cyclones predicted for this summer, so we could be going through it all again any time in the next couple of months.
Most people think of this area as paradise, but it's been anything but just lately. Suddenly the cooler climates down South are looking a lot more appealing!! 😕
Hi Aimee,
Well one of the reasons I haven't done a review of Sleep Tracks is because I stopped using it as soon as my sleep improved – which is not really the reccommended way to use it. The reason I stopped using it is because I didn't want to be trying to stay awake until the end of the track so that I could take my earphones out and turn my mp3 player off and risk waking myself up again in the process. I figured that since I'd started falling asleep more easily I'd just see how it went. I am thinking of buying a product called SleepPhones which is like a headband with built in headphones which you just plug your iPod into but leave on all night and blocks noise also. They are out of stock at the moment though.
Anyway, I did use the Fall Asleep track, the Whole Night track and the Insomnia Buster track. I found I preferred the Fall Asleep track because it was shorter – about 20 minutes. I also did use the Whole Night track on loop, but am not sure it made much difference. All I can tell you is that I was just not able to get to sleep at all without drugs for quite a while (but I'm really leery of using drugs much because I've been hooked on them before and don't want to go there again – so only every 3rd night) anyway within about 6 days of starting Sleep Tracks I found that I began to at least fall asleep again. I wish I could tell you that I'm now sleeping like a baby, but sadly not. However, I am getting some sleep most nights and am feeling more rested AND I've stopped taking drugs again. Most importantly, I'm now going to bed expecting to get some sleep instead of dreading another night of NO sleep. It seemed like it just broke the cycle I was on and allowed a better cycle to begin. After 40 years of insomnia I'm well acquainted with the fact that I go through cycles with it, but I still can't work out what the triggers are. Before I tried Sleep Tracks I tried hypnotherapy again but it made no difference at all. That last bad patch was the worst I've ever had and I was feeling absolutely desperate.
When I read about Sleep Tracks, like you I thought I really had nothing to lose and in fact they offer a money back guarantee if after 60 days you're not happy with it. I don't know how easy it is to actually get a refund, but the guy does come across as pretty genuine and you do get follow up info once you start the program.
Hope this helps Aimee and if you do try it I'll be really interested to see how it worked for you. Maybe you'll be a little more disciplined than me and use it correctly. Best of luck!
Hi Aimee,
Welcome. I don't know if we can help you to cure your insomnia, but you'll certainly get plenty of support.
How long have you been having sleeping problems? I know I had a helluva time when I was studying. My insomnia started about 40 years ago and I've suffered from depression on and off for probably about the same period. There seems to be a connection, but it's hard to decide which one came first and was one caused by the other?
I hope some of the suggestions in the insomnia part of the forum can help in some way.
If not, at least you can complain freely here! LOL
I look forward to hearing more from you in the coming weeks.
Welcome Annelies.
I'm sorry to say I also know exactly what you're going through. In fact I just reread my first post to this forum and discovered I'd said much the same thing as you have.
My insomnia started 40 years ago and unfortunately I'm still struggling with it! I've certainly changed a lot of things along the way to try and accommodate the insomnia, so I know it does have a big impact on your life.
Like you I've mostly stopped telling people about it for all the same reasons, so it is a relief to be able to communicate with other people who do understand. About the only thing I can offer in the way of comfort is that my body has adjusted over the years, so I find I can still function even if I've hardly slept. I'm not saying I'm not tired, but I can still manage to get through the day reasonably well.
When I first joined this forum, I was not sleeping at all except every third night (briefly) when I took drugs. That was the worst I've ever been and I was feeling really desperate by that stage and really wasn't coping. Since then I've returned to a slighty improved pattern and feel much better. In fact, I'm coming around to the idea that maybe how you feel, depends a lot on what you're telling yourself. It's amazing how good 2 hours sleep looks (and feels) compared to none at all.
I did use a product called Sleep Tracks, which I feel helped me to break the cycle I was on. Martin has asked me to review it and I intend to do that soon.
I'm sure you'll get lots of support from everyone here Annelies and if I can help in any way please feel free to ask.
I look forward to hearing more from you soon.
Hi Cherrychapstick.
I have tried quite a few antidepressents over the years and quit almost immediately because I hated the side effects. A few years ago I was having panic attacks and the shrink put me on an SSRI called Cipramil (think that's how you spell it). After a few days I was ready to give that up too, but he pleaded with me to stay on it for at least 3 weeks and give it a chance to do some good. I started taking it at night as it seemed to make me nauseous in the morning. Anyway, after 3 weeks nearly all the side effects had gone and I was able to stay on it for an extendeded time. It certainly helped with my depression and panic attacks and the only real side effect I noticed was inability to orgasm.
Since then I have been back on it a few times (or actually Lexapro which is a later version) and I still have the same side effect, but none of the others. I now just keep it on hand to take if I feel I need it and go off it again when I feel better. I don't like the sexual side effects, but I feel it's a small price to pay when I consider the alternative. Especially if I don't stay on it for too long. The doctor initially didn't like me self medicating, but now he accepts that I use drugs responsibly and has no problem with it. As I no longer get the nausea, I can take it in the morning so it's less likely to affect my sleep.
Based on my experience I would reccomend sticking with the drug for at least a couple of weeks unless the side effects are really unbearable. Then if you're not getting a good result from it, perhaps try another type of SSRI. Good luck Cherry x
Hi Molly, I don't know what type of meds ur on, but many of them stop normal dream sleep or stop you remembering them. I think using dreams as a measurement of sleep won't help you much. Being anxious is the biggest enemy of sleep, so you have to find a way to relieve some of the stress. What works for one person, may not work for another, but there are all sorts of suggestions in the insomnia part of the forum. Have you read through that? There may be something there that you can try which will help.
I was going thru a really bad patch a couple of months ago when I was getting no sleep at all. I was becoming really desperate like you, so I tried a program called “Sleep Tracks“.
I believe it helped me to break the cycle I was on and I feel much better – any sleep beats no sleep! Even if you don't want to buy the program which you just download, the guy has some suggestions which I think are quite helpful. Just remember your sleep will improve sooner or later – no matter how bad it seems right now. If you know something helps you to relax, just do it! For me, things like massage, music, aromatherapy, reading etc. definitely help to relieve some of the stress. Try to go to bed and not worry about whether you actually sleep or not, knowing that you'll feel better the next day if you can just get some rest time. Your body and mind can cope with very little sleep as long as it gets a chance to recharge. I hope some of this helps, Molly.
Have you been diagnosed with a medical condition or is it just the insomnia & depression? Remember, I've been dealing with these issues for 40 years and I'm still here. You will be ok! Hugs to you, xx♥
Hi Molly I really understand how you feel. The problem is that the more desperate you feel, the more difficult it is to sleep. Are you taking any antidepressant medication? I think it's more important to tackle the depression than the insomnia at the moment. I know that I feel better almost straight away when I start taking antidepressants even though it's probably more of a placebo effect, but just knowing I'm doing something positive definitely helps. I hate taking drugs for depression, but it's necessary sometimes just to lighten the load a little. Once you start to feel better it's easier to tackle the insomnia – or you may find it'll improve by itself once the depression abates. I know sometimes it's a bit of a chicken and egg situation – are you depressed because you're not sleeping or not sleeping because you're depressed? It took me a few tries to find an antidepressant I was comfortable with – most have some side effects – but these days I take Lexapro if I need to take one. I'm not using it at the moment, but I always have some here in case I feel myself sliding into a hole.
I think it really helps to remember that it doesn't matter if you don't sleep, your body will cope if you can just relax and rest as much as possible. The worst thing you can do is go to bed thinking about how much you really need to sleep tonight. The other rule I have these days is I never look at the clock if I find myself awake in the middle of the night. As soon as you do that you'll start getting frustrated about being awake and thinking about how tired you'll be in the morning. I just try to relax and rest and I'll usually go into a sort of daydream state. If you can do that you'll feel much more rested the next day even if you don't sleep. I hope this helps a little Molly. Please tell me a little more about what kind of sleep problem you're having at the moment and whether you're taking medication. Take care Molly ♥
Well the good news is that the rain has eased so the prediction for Brisbane is now that it will only reach the same height as 1974, 20.5 metres = 67.25 feet. If you've never seen a flood like this, it's hard to imagine. I was in Brisbane in 1974 and you'd drive up to the top of a hill and in front of you would be an ocean of dirty brown water where a whole suburb used to be. Houses completely under water!
Thousands of people have been evacuated and they've got nothing to do except watch as the water creeps higher. Sadly this wasn't the case for the people in places like Toowoomba the other day where it just came out of nowhere like a tsunami and just washed away everything in it's path. There are currently 10 confirmed dead and 90 missing. The death toll is going to be much higher, but they just haven't been able to find the bodies yet. It's so sad, many of these are children. Some of the stories are horrific, people saving others from being swept away and then being swept away themselves.
Sadly the worst is not yet over as the weather moves South and new areas come under threat. Cities were always built near rivers because water gave life – now they're taking it away!
I'll keep you posted!
These are some of my faves.
“I love humanity but I hate people.”
– Edna St. Vincent Millay
“Experience is a comb that life gives you after you lose your hair”.
Stern, Judith –
“The difference between school and life: In school, you're taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you're given a test that teaches you a lesson”.
– Tom Bodett
“Age is such a high price to pay for maturity”.
– Stoppard, Tom
“Despite the cost of living, it's still popular”.
– anon
“Growing old is like being increasingly penalized for a crime you didn’t commit”.
– Powell, Anthony –
“Never lend your car to anyone to whom you have given birth”.
Bombeck, Erma –
Thanks Martin. Chloe is the border collie cross blue cattle dog. They are both girls. Zuri (means beautiful in swahili) is a real mixture, but I think there's some poodle in her. Yes they are great dogs and going stir crazy from being inside to keep out of the rain.
Your cats are adorable Martin. Good on you for rescuing them. I have two dogs I rescued from the shelter where I also volunteer one day a week.
I know you won't want to hear this Matt, but the best thing you could do for any of these cats is get them to a vet who'll do you a good deal on desexing. The better they're looked after the more they'll reproduce. It's a never ending cycle.
My mutts are Chloe & Zuri.
