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So as I have learned from previous experience, Teamliquid is the absolute best place to ask for advice, especially when it comes to girls and business/finances. Fortunately, my problem has nothing to do with those!
I'm having troubles staying awake. For the past 2-3 years I have been sleeping on average 12 hours a day, and I'm currently near 14 hours a day for the past few weeks. It is affecting my QUALITY OF LIFE. I never feel well rested and I'm always in a foggy state of mind. Before anyone makes quick speculations, I have gone through sleep studies and they do not think I have sleep apnea or anything else that could be causing my sleep to be of low quality. I enter REM and everything just fine. So I'm getting the sleep, but I'm not feeling it. This is not always how I have been, as I got through the day perfectly fine with 5-7 hours of sleep during High School / College. I currently only have a mid-day obligation that I have to wake up for and it is extremely hard to get myself awake and drive to it everyday.
Some other relevant info that I think is important is... I don't think I have narcolepsy, and I don't think I'm depressed. I have tried many times to "break the cycle" and get to sleep at a normal time and set a schedule of an 8 hour sleep and no matter how hard I try my body just doesn't want to move on at a certain point through the day and I go back to sleep before I can wait until night again. To best describe my sleep schedule, I sleep from like 6-7am to 12-1pm everyday for the most part. And then I take a nap from 4-5pm to 9-10pm, sometimes longer. And wait, it isn't FUCKING FINISHED YET. Then sometimes I even manage to sleep from 12-1am to 3-4am, but that widely varies from an hour of sleep to maybe four. This is just how my body decides "yo faust time to shut off".
It isn't as much as "I can't move and I'm extremely tired" as much as it is everything becomes extremely dull to me and I feel very fatigued. I won't feel like eating, playing video games, or moving. The only thing that feels good to me is getting in bed and then when I wake up I feel at the very least a little bit recharged to actually put effort into something. I do exercise, and I am pretty fit. Maybe not as active as most people on Teamliquid but I'm at a very healthy weight, maybe a bit on the skinny side. I eat okay (not very healthy but I wouldn't say terrible - I eat my veggies and meats and grains. I drink tea quite a bit, and average 1-3 beers a day) and I do move around.
Anyways, this is really bothering me and I probably made a blog similar to this before but it is ruining my LIFE. I am going to die as a person who slept most of their life away. It is my dream goal to average 4-6 hours of sleep a night. I think I can function on less sleep, I know I did before. All of this fatigue and sleepy feelings are making me not want to be social, play games, or do anything. I have even been thinking about possibly getting Vyvanse or just something to keep me awake for a few days so I can power through it and get on a schedule with the help of drugs I guess. That is my only option imo atm! Anyone have this problem or experience or something?
Thnx.
 
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Hong Kong9151 Posts
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I did, he told me to come here.
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If I read this correctly, you go to sleep at 7 in the morning?
If you really do then I would immediately point to that as the cause of your problem.
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Hong Kong9151 Posts
On April 17 2013 05:54 SCC-Faust wrote:
I did, he told me to come here.
A competent physician would not be sending you to an internet forum to seek help about issues that are "affecting [your] QUALITY OF LIFE" after a meeting with them.
In addition, the fact that your original post talks about self-medicating with amphetamines and other controlled substances speaks to the fact that you really should see a doctor.
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Despite the harsh critisms, I also face the same problem, so if you find a solution please update. I find that mostly its because I am slightly overweight, but when I exercise I actually feel well rested afterwards.
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On April 17 2013 06:28 solidbebe wrote:
If I read this correctly, you go to sleep at 7 in the morning?
If you really do then I would immediately point to that as the cause of your problem.
Yup.
Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor of any sort.
Given the information presented, I'm pretty sure there are a number of things that aren't 'right'. Your diet sounds pretty bad. Just because you're not overweight doesn't mean you're healthy. Eating some amount of 'meat veggies and grains' doesn't mean you're eating right either. I could eat a couple slices of bread in the morning and a chipotle burrito for dinner and skip lunch and that's meat veggies and grain, but certainly not ideal in the long run. And while we're talking about food, averaging 1-3 beers a day doesn't sound good either. Actually it sounds horrid. Whether you're actually having a beer every day or downing 30 beers in a weekend of partying, it can't possibly be good for you. The way you describe your life isn't really like depression, but a lot more like just plain unmotivated and lazy, which also leads people to do nothing but sleep.
If this sleep thing is really ruining your life, you're probably going to need to change your life style. I don't know why you're sleeping at 7am, but unless you're working a graveyard shift or something, there's no excuse for sleeping that late. Get a real diet, and get some real exercise every day, because it doesn't sound like you're doing enough. If you're not sweating and sore every so often, do more. Pick up an active hobby. Get busy.
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On April 17 2013 06:28 itsjustatank wrote:A competent physician would not be sending you to an internet forum to seek help about issues that are "affecting [your] QUALITY OF LIFE" after a meeting with them. In addition, the fact that your original post talks about self-medicating with amphetamines and other controlled substances speaks to the fact that you really should see a doctor.
Okay, I know when to man up and admit I lied about the doctor telling me to post here. You caught me. It was all a fucking ruse damn you. Every single letter connected to every single word.
Anyways, the reason why I posted it here is because I've already been to a doctor a few times and I have had 2 sleep studies done in the past 6 years. They see nothing "medically" wrong with me and they do not wish to help me further because it is out of their expertise. So I dunno, maybe it is a psychological problem, or maybe I need more willpower and determination. So I posted here in hopes that someone else experiences this problem and they found a solution that works for them and I can apply it to myself. Or maybe someone just has some vague knowledge on the subject of oversleeping that I can make use of.
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You could do some internet research on hypersomnolence and excessive daytime sleepiness but really (as a healthcare professional myself) you need to see a physician.
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Excessive sleeping could be like a tumor or something wrong with your glands. How old are you? I am 28 now and I can operate on like 5 hours a sleep a night, or around 40 a week and that is with having an active schedules of work, working out, etc.
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On April 17 2013 07:04 MarlieChurphy wrote:
Excessive sleeping could be like a tumor or something wrong with your glands. How old are you? I am 28 now and I can operate on like 5 hours a sleep a night, or around 40 a week and that is with having an active schedules of work, working out, etc.
I have hypothyroidism if that counts but I got my levels checked a few months ago and it is under control w/ medication.
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Notwithstanding potential medical problems, it sounds like you don't have any kind of daily regimen. People who work an 8 hour day do not sleep 14 hours each night. If you wake up at the same time every morning and keep yourself active (mentally) throughout the day, you will notice a difference.
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On April 17 2013 05:54 SCC-Faust wrote:
I did, he told me to come here.
Ok, this is hilarious.
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there is something called light entrainment for your circadian rhythm. going to sleep about the time when the sun rises doesn't sound like the ideal thing considering your circadian rhythm can be/is adjusted by light.
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- Daily strenuous exercise, no more than an hour flatout is needed (enjoy your newfound fitness too)
- Go to bed at the same time every night, 10-11 for most is fine.
- Set your alarm for 6 or 7, get out of bed then and don't go back (if you end up dozing off out of bed, so be it, it should pass)
- No drugs at all, including caffeine/alcohol
- Good breakfast, smaller dinner, and general good dieting habits
If you do all this you will sleep properly. Chances are you won't, and you'll keep blaming something else other than a lack of motivation.
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if you're a normal person 8 hours per night is enough for you. stop making weak ass excuses like "my body just wants to sleep" because thats how every fucking person feels when they wake up for work or something. When that fucking alarm rings you get out of your bed, shower/eat, and go outside. Doesnt matter if you dont have a job, just go somewhere wher sleeping is not an option. Again, if you are a normal person this is a question of willpower. BE A (WO)MAN
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You normally fall asleep at 12:00-1:00am, right?
Set your alarm to 10:00am. Then sleep at 12:00am. Your current sleep schedule will have you waking up at around 3:00am, but keep lying down, put your head down, sleep. Do NOT get up until your alarm rings.
Get up at 10:00am, and no matter what, do NOT sleep until 12:00am. There are many ways to keep yourself awake. Personally I also feel incredibly drowsy around 4:00pm... slap yourself, take a cold water shower, exercise, play StarCraft 2, watch an extremely exciting show, find some way to stay awake.
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Sounds like your life is too boring. I get the same way when I have nothing going on - sleeps for 12 hours, feel muzzy when awake.
When interesting stuff happens, instantly change to 4-8 hours sleep and being awake feels awesome, hell can work 14 hour days and not feel tired at the end.
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On April 17 2013 07:46 Rollin wrote:
If you do all this you will sleep properly. Chances are you won't, and you'll keep blaming something else other than a lack of motivation.
Pretty dumb assumption. I do lack motivation but when I put my mind to something I can accomplish it. Despite sleeping a lot I always manage to accomplish my obligations without fail. I mean I made this blog expecting criticism and ready to accept it, especially when I want to make a big change like this. But I'm not naive, I know it isn't going to change magically over night with no effort.
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I personally think most of it has to do with your current setting in life. You admitted that when you were busy with school you had no problem following a regular sleep schedule, but now that you have basically no obligations in life, you have no reason to get up. Secondly, its pretty easy to become depressed and not want to do anything when you first wake up if you have nothing in life to do. A job for most people is what keeps you getting out of bed in the morning. Not having anything can lead to a person not caring to do anything.
I think you should exercise better willpower, and pull yourself out of bed whether you want to or not. Many people, myself included feel tired throughout most of the day. Thats the downside of working / being busy. You just deal with it and try to carry on until bed time.
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Since this is going on for years, i think we can rule out a tumor, you would be dead by now.
But i think you should seek out a good physician and tell him about all of this and ask him to rule out phyical malfunctions.
When he does that, you know your problem is psychological. The sleep study shows that you get enough sleep and your symptons are not that of sleep deprevation, they are symptoms of exhaustion/depression. Sleep deprevation is more similar to being drunk and the brain simpy, not working full capacity. You are more about not getting out of bed/not feeling like moving at all.
Go seek professional help, noone here will know some magic words that will fix you.
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Have you gotten blood tests? Anemia and other blood issues will leave you with zero energy and make you super tired, also vitamin deficiencies.
also wtf is wrong with you letting this go on for years...you're an idiot
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To be blunt, if I may.. Your post sounds like a lot of BS. Sounds like you don't have a job and have little to no obligations to get to throughout the day. As a result you sleep all the time; because it's the easy thing to do/no one's motivating you to get out there and get a job etc.
What do you do when you aren't sleeping? Because it sounds like all you do is play video games, drink beer and pass time until it's time for the next nap. When you say exercise, what do you mean specifically? Your post is really vague man-- seems like you aren't being completely honest with us, in an attempt to make your lifestyle seem healthier than it really is. JM2C, best of luck, etc...
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On April 17 2013 10:53 l3iRdMaN wrote:
To be blunt, if I may.. Your post sounds like a lot of BS. Sounds like you don't have a job and have little to no obligations to get to throughout the day. As a result you sleep all the time; because it's the easy thing to do/no one's motivating you to get out there and get a job etc.
What do you do when you aren't sleeping? Because it sounds like all you do is play video games, drink beer and pass time until it's time for the next nap. When you say exercise, what do you mean specifically? Your post is really vague man-- seems like you aren't being completely honest with us, in an attempt to make your lifestyle seem healthier than it really is. JM2C, best of luck, etc...
I'm learning Mandarin Chinese and I have been reading a lot. Specifically books by Franz Kafka. I also take a dog on walks daily and spend time with him, if that counts for something. Like, sadly I'm probably living a lot healthier lifestyle than everyone in this thread assumes for some reason. I was recently on a "healthy" diet and had no soft drinks or candy in my diet at all. I was eating tuna/salmon, eggs, lots of spinach and steamed kale, sweet potatoes, etc. Those were pretty much my staples and I didn't have too much variety besides that I'm not overplaying how healthy I am eating or living. Beer is probably my vice when it comes to diet, but I drink lots of water as well and stay hydrated.
Like, I agree that not having a stable 9-5 job is a problem in that I have a bulk of free time and I don't know what to do with myself and a portion of it is I need to work on my motivation. But I think that has to come from me, and not from being obligated towards a job. Aside from this constant fatigue and oversleeping I do live a decently healthy lifestyle.
I was sort of looking for someone who may have dealt with this problem before or has experience with oversleeping and could weigh in on their opinion but instead I got a few posts who judge me off of a few paragraphs or make cliche "lazy video gamer" assumptions. I've been writing articles for an income, studying SEO and working on an amazon associates account along with blogs for a good portion of the time I'm awake. And this is alongside getting paid for the job I do during the day.
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On April 17 2013 10:17 sob3k wrote:
Have you gotten blood tests? Anemia and other blood issues will leave you with zero energy and make you super tired, also vitamin deficiencies.
also wtf is wrong with you letting this go on for years...you're an idiot
I am a hemophiliac if that means anything.
EDIT: HOLY SHIT WHAT THE FUCK IT MADE A NEW POST WHEN I TRIED TO EDIT
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Northern Ireland24215 Posts
Haha, wow so many 'you lack motivation' responses. It's really over-simplistic, at least if you're anything like me it's never been a case of popping into consciousness when your alarm goes off and thinking 'screw it I'll go back to bed', more a I did not stir from blissful unconsciousness. That said, I did sleep through a 500lbs bomb blowing the windows in of much of our street as a three year old
I have been experimenting with fixes to similar solutions. Been to the Doctor numerous times, tested for various things without much improvment. Cumulatively I think the blood tests I've had could have saved a trauma victim. Currently on a slightly better path with forcing myself to eat at standard mealtimes, even though I used to be close to vomiting in the morning once that hurdle was overcome and a routine established I noticed an improvement, especially in energy levels when I was awake. I'd love to get some kind of proper exercise routine going in as it just stands to reason that it'll improve things in some way. Cut out alcohol pretty much entirely, and caffeine past 4 or 5pm and those again helped.
As an aside, the 9-5 working standard seems a bit strange to me. The Romans altered their working days around the seasons and when hours of daylight fell. Don't see why 9-5, year-round is particularly sensible.
I do feel having a void in terms of time filling does have a role as well, especially in a routine thing but some of the responses here smack of pettiness.
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Try putting up a strict schedule and follow it. Like already mentioned, exercise + several meals a day + staying off caffeine and alcohol does a lot for most people.
I used to not care much about when I ate and when I slept - my body would just adapt. Until this one moment when I was 22 where too sudden changes in sleeping coupled with stress would completely shut off all capabilities of getting deep sleep. I'd wake up after 4-5 hours every night, and every morning I'd be tired. Not sleepy, but that feeling you have when you've been awake for too long. After my normal ~8 hours of class I'd be dizzy and feel drunk, needing naps to stay sane.
The only thing that broke the cycle for me was getting a medicine which helped me sleep a lot deeper. I'd wake up sleepy as hell, but at least I'd be rested. Once I got out of it, exercise and food would make me more resilient to changes (even 8-hour jet lags are ok now), but if I mess up too much on sleeping again I often have to resort to the pills again to get myself back.
Not saying it works for everyone, but it sure did for me. If you have time, why not attempt to change your habits? You have the time and you have nothing to lose :> First few weeks might not be easy though
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In the old days, it was normal to have 2 sleep cycles. Try sleeping at normal hours and breaking your sleep up into 2 cycles of 4-6 hours each.
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Honestly I can feel you there (although i don't sleep 12-14 hours it's 9-10).
I know mine is just because I have nothing going on except for school at 2 pm monday - friday and work at nights friday - sunday.
I think it really just comes down to habbit (assuming you don't have mono or anything but you said you were tested so you obviously don't have mono or anything like that).
If you were to get up, work out or do something physically to get your blood pumping I imagine you would be more awake a lot of the time. I know I get 9-10 hours of sleep and am still tired and then I go through my normal period of the day where I get super tired (4-5 PM every day LOL).
I know it's nothing medically just habbit and not doing anything doesn't help xD
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I used to sleep a lot too, like 10-12 hours a day. I often slept until 14.00, or even until sundown. During the day/evening i was never really well rested.
Currently I'm much better, I sleep 7-8 hours, get up in the morning (still tough) and am rested during the day.
What's changed:
- I now need to be at school/work at a specific time in the morning. No matter how late I go to bed, I need to get up.
- I go to the gym and exercise my ass of at least twice a week. Not just walking with dogs. On top of that I cycle 2x30min every day.
- No alcohol during the week, and I skip as many energy drinks and coffee as possible.
So start working out, it does wonders. Health & Fitness forum
And try to find a job that requires a rhytm. Then you have to force yourself (or lose the job lol). It will be tough at first but after a few weeks you feel much better.
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Go to sleep at 12 AM, get up 8 AM, eat decently, try to exercise a bit, force yourself not to sleep during the day. Do this for a few days and if it doesn't help, you better go see a doctor because it's obviously something seriously wrong.
Going to sleep at 7AM is not a good idea, sleeping too much isn't good either.
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You have a job during the day + write articles for income on the side + have time to study + work on an amazon associates account + blogs.. And this is your sleep schedule:
6-7am to 12-1pm everyday for the most part. And then I take a nap from 4-5pm to 9-10pm, sometimes longer. And wait, it isn't FUCKING FINISHED YET. Then sometimes I even manage to sleep from 12-1am to 3-4am, but that widely varies from an hour of sleep "
Makes no sense man
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Hi there,
I work at a sleep clinic up here in Canada, I am no Dr., I am a sleep technician.
Obvioulsy my first recommendation would be to go get a second sleep test done at a different clinic. Always go see a Doctor!!!! With that said I'll give you some information.
First off, what were the results of your previous sleep studies? Your AHI (apnea/hypopnea index), %REM stages and how many arousals an hour?
Mostly we deal here with sleep apnea probably 80%, 10% insomnia and then the other 10% a mixture of restless leg, narcolepsy and then much rarer disorders.
My personal recommendation is that you should try a CPAP for therapeutic use. You have way too many symptoms of sleep apnea, CPAP use has almost no negative benefits and there is very little reason to not try one (cost is a slight factor, but if this is effecting your life in such a negative manner it should be a no-brainer). Our Dr. always says that 10-20% of sleep tests have limited reliability.
Here in canada it is mostly covered by OHIP, but alot of our home care companies will give out a CPAP for a few week trial so you can see how they work for you before you buy them!
EDIT - 1-3 beers a day can irritate most sleep disorders
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Here is an update even though no one probably cares.
I put a lot of effort into fixing my sleep schedule and what would take two days of work would only last a a day at a time of a correct sleep schedule. I'm currently on synthroid and have been for a long time for hypothyroidism and recently I stopped taking it for other reasons (the doctor didn't tell me to, this was a dumb decision I made on my behalf) and after being off of it for 2 weeks I noticed I wasn't constantly sleeping nearly as much. I would get through the day with 6-7 hour sleeps. However I had some other side effects and I was strongly advised to go back on the synthroid, and I've recently found myself sleeping a lot again and having troubles getting through the day awake. So it sort of just hit me that I think the problem with my sleep schedule and general "lazy" attitude can be somewhat contributed to my synthroid.
Unfortunately last I got my blood taken, they said my thyroid levels were perfectly normal thanks to being on the medication and if I was not on the medication they would drop below normal levels so I need to be on it to keep it in check. So I'm basically fucked or something? I don't understand why taking a medication to give me normal thyroid levels is making me sleepy.
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PassionFruit's steps to success:
1. Grow a pair of balls.
2. Set a sleep schedule.
3. Wake up when you're supposed to wake up (yes that means get up even if you feel like shit).
4. Sleep when you're supposed to sleep (yes that means lay in bed for hours even if you don't sleep).
5. Do not sleep in between (yes that means drink coffee, cold shower, exercise, go outside, watch porn, etc... to stay awake).
6. Stick to the schedule for 1 month.
7. If you see no improvement or worsening after 1 month, see a doctor.
8. No whining, quitting, or writing on TL about it for 1 month (yes that means just fucking do it).
Yes it'll be tough, but that's why this requires step (1). Then you'll at least definitively know whether your restlessness is a genuine health concern or just a byproduct of poor personal discipline and habit.
By the way I'm not an MD, so this is my lay opinion. So if you die from this harsh schedule, my bad dude. But this type of regime has worked for me in remedying many of the poor habits encountered thus far in my life which include sleeping, working, exercising, and studying to name a few.
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EPT
also yeah sleeping at 7 am is not a good way to go about it.
