Main      Site Guide    
Message Forum
Re: Sleep Deprivation.
Posted By: Howard, on host 205.184.139.76
Date: Thursday, March 30, 2000, at 17:24:59
In Reply To: Re: Sleep Deprivation. posted by Faux Pas on Wednesday, March 29, 2000, at 10:22:56:

> > > ...And I never get as little sleep as some of you seem to. For me not enough sleep means less than 6 hours more than one night in a row.
> >
> > I used to be the same way. For a long time (we're talking years here) I had a very systematic need for 8 hours sleep. Anything below that, or even above that, would cause me to be tired all day. However, for the past month or so, it has severely withdrawn. I am getting about 5.5 hours a night right now. I'm sure it started with a couple of days of late night homework, where I forced myself to stay up longer than usual, but now it's become completely routine, even when there is nothing I need to do. I'm a little frightened at this because I don't think it's healthy, but so far I haven't found a way to get the sleep. Even going to bed early doesn't help because I just get up earlier and earlier. Of course this means more fatigue throughout the day, and I'm not really on top of things like I should be.
> >
> > If anyone has any ideas on what I could do.. besides taking sleeping pills, please let me know. I haven't been to a doctor yet, but I think I might have to if this continues.
>
> My first guess is you use your bed for other activities than sleeping -- sitting and reading, as a sofa for watching tv, as a chair when friends come over. If this is the case, what you've been doing is disassociating your bed with sleep. If you only use the bed for sleeping, you will be reinforcing the sleeping behavior.
>
> Unfortunately, this will take a little while for your body to relearn that bed=sleep. If you intermittently use the bed for non-sleep purposes, it will take much longer to reinforce the sleeping behavior.
>
> That said, you should talk to a doctor about a possible sleeping disorder.
>
> -Faux "'night." Pas

And if the doctor can't help, you should try:
Rain on a tin roof
A fire in the fireplace
Chocolate
Camping
A long, slow freight train passing by (Not too close and not to far away.)
Crickets
A mountain stream
A long-winded history professor
Or if all else fails, take an all-day canoe trip, upstream, against the current. You'll sleep!
How"Zzzz"ard
PS. I guess I need to explain that chocolate is my solution to everything.
H