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lionesss
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18 Jan 2009, 10:33 pm

Exercise is important, but I need to find the time to do it! I know exercise during the day does help you sleep better at night. I am relying on melatonin and Imovane to sleep and it's no good.



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18 Jan 2009, 10:48 pm

Wow, PSPD sounds exactly like me, hehe. Maybe that's what my problem is... (posted at almost 4am, lol).


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18 Jan 2009, 10:55 pm

Along with the Asperger's I also have bi-polar, the two often go hand in hand and it is said that the two disorders overlap each other. I am on Seroquel and Clonazapam for sleeping. Yes, even with the medication it can take a while to doze off and yet it feels as though I don't get enough rest!!

As for dreaming, god do I dream. Especially having unpleasant dreams and nightmares (which I also categorize 'bad dreams' into as my nightmares usually don't wake me up but make me suffer through them.)

I often do get up and my sleep is broken, I often have to have a bottle of juice nearby as my Lithium makes me thirsty hence I often have to get up to use the bathroom.

I am a night owl and usually don't go to bed until 3am so I don't know if that is a pattern with Asperger's or not but I definately have been told that those with bi-polar are often "3rd shifters"

Weather


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18 Jan 2009, 11:05 pm

Keirts wrote:
LabPet wrote:
Did you know there is an alarm clock now on the market that is robotic, in that it 'walks' about your room. This means when the shrill alarm goes off, you - the sleeper- must FIND that alarm clock! If that doesn't wake one up I don't know what will.


Sure, it would wake me up. But after shutting it off, I'd be right there next to a nice warm bed and invariably, I'd go back to sleep. I just don't have enough reasoning power when forced awake to realize that every time I crawl back in to bed, I fall asleep again, and this time will be no different. It never fails. I'm simply "stupid" when I wake up. It's almost like looking after a child in that I have to think of myself as a different and less intelligent person when coming up with ways to get myself out of bed. Had I the same level of intellect in the first few minutes of the morning as I do the rest of the day none of all that would be necessary. It's like my brain just needs time to warm up first - the neurons just aren't firing yet.

I always wear a watch now, unless I forget it, which is rare. I hate being late, and hate even more not knowing whether I am late or not. My watch is always set to within two or three seconds of CNN, as is every timekeeping device in the house - it's my little OC trait.


That does seem rough and may be a physical problem. If sleep problems are manifested in such a way as to interfere with your life, such as your functioning at work (!) or school, then there are sleep clinics that can help. This could be an option.

Like Weather stated, who also has bi-polar disorders, there are medications. I really don't know if the sleep is that disarrayed......at this point your physical health is affected. I do wonder if a sleep clinic could help. Know there are neuro-feedback treatments for those with sleep disorders. Celtic Rose gave a great link on Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder.


Whilst exercise and other 'basic' remedies are always in order, I think if the sleep problem is at severe levels medical treatment is necessary. I hope you feel better!


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Xelebes
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18 Jan 2009, 11:08 pm

I often stim myself to sleep (wiggle in bed.)



Keirts
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18 Jan 2009, 11:54 pm

LabPet wrote:
That does seem rough and may be a physical problem. If sleep problems are manifested in such a way as to interfere with your life, such as your functioning at work (!) or school, then there are sleep clinics that can help. This could be an option.

Like Weather stated, who also has bi-polar disorders, there are medications. I really don't know if the sleep is that disarrayed......at this point your physical health is affected. I do wonder if a sleep clinic could help. Know there are neuro-feedback treatments for those with sleep disorders. Celtic Rose gave a great link on Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder.


Whilst exercise and other 'basic' remedies are always in order, I think if the sleep problem is at severe levels medical treatment is necessary. I hope you feel better!


Indeed, I have seen sleep psychiatrists before, I even brought up the idea of a sleep clinic. They seem to believe that in my case, the clinical setting itself would invalidate the results, and nothing would be learned. I even had one sleep shrink who started charging me for missed appointments at 9AM (and quite often that seemed the only time slot available) because I slept late. YOU'RE A GODDAMNED SLEEP DOCTOR! With that lack of compassion towards his patients, especially considering the problem, he was shown the door rather quickly.

I brought up the possibility of DSPS as without management I will naturally fall into a 1pm wake up time and be in bed at 3 or 4 in the morning. Unfortunately the lack of daylight with a schedule like that depresses me (nothing is quite so beautiful as a sunrise over the lake), not to mention the inability to function in the world on such a schedule. It would have been diagnosed if not for other tests. What one doctor finally figured out is that my brain does not respond to or produce melatonin, when we were using different treatments as a diagnostic technique. That gland just doesn't work, which very much explains why I have so much trouble waking up.

My brain knows enough that 16 hours of wakefulness is enough and it should be bedtime, but if it keeps getting signals to remain active, say from too much exercise too late or challenging mental problems, or my mind just racing (sometimes I'll rehearse in my head for the next day), it has no other way of determining it's bedtime, which would normally be melatonin. I need to subtlely send those signals by consciously bringing down my mental and physical activity level.

Sleeping pills do help, although I use them as infrequently as possible. I adamantly refused to accept any medication for it after a brief attempt with Valium until my GP recommended one that is not also a tranquilizer (Imovane). I have used valerian root, chamomile, and st. john's wort all with some degree of success. Meditation has worked to some degree as well, although I'm not very good at it so far.

I would highly recommend Imovane. It has far fewer side effects than most other pills available, and is priced at around $1/each (CDN) here. For me the two biggest side effects are a horrible taste in my mouth the next morning, somewhat metallic, which normally subsides by 12 or so, and short term memory loss - it somehow prevents short term memory from being stored to long term memory, so I might forget where I put my keys or wallet if I move them once the pill kicks in, or the details of a conversation. I believe Lunesta is very pharmacologically similar to it.

It's mostly manageable these days with a combination of herbal remedies (such as chamomile, st. john's wort, valerian root and warm milk), self-regulation (get myself up the same time come hell or high water, regardless of how delirious I am), meditation, exercise, and sometimes self-induced sleep deprivation. I can avoid the use of medications most of the time.


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vulcanpastor
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19 Jan 2009, 12:45 am

I asked my doctor about it, and she suggested Benadryl before trying something like Ambien. That works for me and helps my mind to not race so much.



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19 Jan 2009, 1:06 am

It is truly amazing to me that so many of you experience problems falling asleep.
I've always had the totally opposite issue.
I cannot sit down in a comfortable chair for very long without getting drowsy.
Never mind trying to read in bed or anything like that.
I generally fall asleep within minutes after laying down.

Now, of late I seem to be in a pattern of not getting enough sleep and being tired all the time.
But even when I do get 8 hours of sleep every night, I still have the same problem.
I've been this way as long as I can remember, and my dad does the exact same thing.
I wonder why???


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Keirts
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19 Jan 2009, 2:07 am

Acacia wrote:
I generally fall asleep within minutes after laying down.


You have no idea what a blessing that is. Don't ever take it for granted.


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Acacia
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19 Jan 2009, 2:28 am

Keirts wrote:
Acacia wrote:
I generally fall asleep within minutes after laying down.


You have no idea what a blessing that is. Don't ever take it for granted.


While I totally understand where you are coming from, and certainly do not take this for granted, my nearly automatic sleep response has been somewhat troubling in some cases (driving, romantic encounters, homework, etc.)
I need to be really aware whenever I am seated comfortably or laying down. If I'm not paying clear attention, I start to fall asleep.

I with I could give some of this sleepiness to you all!!


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