Posted by
ryuzaki0
on from the because-ms.-right-pursues-me dept.
An anonymous reader writes "Slate has a story about the guy who registered tired.com in 1997 and put up on the home page "Are you tired? Tell us why." He's collected 32,000 emails from tired people, including an one from a Navy ship at sea that's too good to be fake."
Navy ship email
by
phalse+phace
·
· Score: 4, Informative
"Tired of being in the navy and on a fucking ship in the middle of the god damn ocean with 400 of my not so closest friends who dont bathe as regular as normal folk should. Tired of my ugly little toe. Tired of wonderring why my bellybutton smells like cheese. Tired of masturbating into a pack of bologna. Tired of wondering what my man chowder tastes like and if I did taste it, would anyone think differently of me? Tired of you."
Okay. Now that's just disgusting.
Re:Er. what's the point ?
by
Bloody+Pulp
·
· Score: 3, Informative
People who get more than enough sleep and are still tired should consult their doctor.
Fatigue can be caused by wide variety of infections, nutritional deficiencies, and other physical and mental disorders.
Re:why i'm tired
by
el-spectre
·
· Score: 2, Informative
Luckily, random touchiness is global. Amazingly, people tend to view the world from -wait for it- their OWN perspectives. Get over it.
-- "Faith: Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel." - A.B.
Re:Work-Life Balance
by
Telex4
·
· Score: 2, Informative
There's still a strong movement in Europe to tackle this. The 40 hour working week should, in the near future, be reduced further to 36 hours.
It's quite possible for us to reduce working hours and maintain the same levels of productivity and pay.
Of course alongside laws on working hours, we also need to tackle the culture of working at home, on the train, on holiday, at weekends, etc.
Re:Agreed, insomnia is not a joke
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 2, Informative
I used to be like this when I was young.
It was just an allergy to margarine. Some cerebral allergies prevent you from going to sleep. So consider what you're eating if you haven't already.
Even today if I touch margarine I'm wide eyed for 24hours solid.
Re:Agreed, insomnia is not a joke
by
peterwilm
·
· Score: 5, Informative
Just to make really sure: Have you tried
*totally* abstaining form caffeine (including coffee, tea, soft drinks)?
totally abstaining from alcohol
totally abstaining from sleeping aids(!)
doing some light to medium cardio activity in the morning or early afternoon (but not in the evening)
refraining from taking naps during the day (only one sleep interval -- at night)
getting up at 7 a.m. (or even earlier), no matter what
Have you followed the above hints together and religiously for at least four weeks?
Many insomniacs are "cured" with the above mentioned measurements.
Additionally, has a psychiatric doctor checked you whether you suffer from clinical depression? Really severe insomnia often is a symptom of clinical depression.
The problem is that, unlike with the tired mails, you actually want to _look_ at the stuff you get. And there, of course, you run the risk of running into the rack-flashing equivalent of really bad "I'm tired" nonsense. And that's not necessarily something I need to see when I'm too tired to deal with anatomical catastrophes.
Re:Agreed, insomnia is not a joke
by
merdark
·
· Score: 4, Informative
I have had the exact same problem for most of my life. Drinking is not a good solution in the long run. I tried it, and while it does work, it also causes other problems as I'm sure you've found.
If it helps any, here is what I've done to combat it. First, I don't drink coffee or caffine in general past 12 noon. Second, I try to keep a regular schedule. Sadly that schedule is often sleeping 1 am to 10 am, or 2 am to 11 am, but it's better than the completely random schedule I had before. Most important though, is that I can't do ANYTHING that requires significant thought after dinner (or at least 2 hours before sleeping).
Most times I can now get to sleep within an hour, sometimes I can even sleep the whole night without waking up. Of course, occasionally I am still hit with a bout of insomnia where I lie awake for 6 hours. But all in all, I'm doing better than I used to. I guess I'm lucky to have the flexability to choose my own timetable though.
Anyways, try to get off the chemical sleep aids, and see if you can somehow restore your circadian rythem (sleeping pattern) via repatition. Just go to sleep at a fixed time each night regardless of if you're tired, and get up 8-9 hours later, regardless of if you're tired.
Good luck. You are not alone.
Re:Agreed, insomnia is not a joke
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 3, Informative
I have similar problems sleeping, and have had since I was about 14 (I'm 26 now).
I've found that whilst the above can help sometimes they aren't garunteed to work every night.
My doctors tried a number of things but option number 1 was always Prozac. What nonsense, they hand that out without thinking about it (in Britain anyway) and it really bugs me. No I won't take Prozac.
However one thing I found really did make a difference was to eat a sugary snack 20 mins before trying to sleep - raising my blood sugar really did seem to make a big difference. The other thing that helped was making a routine of going to bed - always doing the same things in the same order (now it's feed the fish, go to bathroom for a wash etc, then go to straight to bed). If after 20-30 mins I'm not asleep then get up, read/do something (not video games that get adrenalin pumping) for a further 20 mins and then go through the entire routine again. Furthermore only sleep in your bed - don't read or take long snoozy mornings, that way you're enviromentally preconditioned that being in bed means sleeping.
So I'm still insomniac but far less often and I've noticed it's definatley stress related, but it's still a load easier now.
I hope some of that helps someone else too.
Re:Agreed, insomnia is not a joke
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 2, Informative
Tylenol and alcohol is not a good combination. You are risking serious liver damage for no real reason. It's the antihistamine in the Tylenol PM that helps you sleep. You can buy antihistamine alone without any acetaminophen. Benadryl is the most well known brand name, but you should save money by buying a generic witht the same ingredients.
You really sound like you need to see a doctor again. There are newer drugs and treatments. If you are honest with the doctor about your history he would have warned you to stop taking acetaminophen. I understand it hard to afford that.
Sleep apnea is life threatening. Sufferers stop breathing many times while sleeping. Eventually, changes in blood gases (rising CO2 and/or falling O2) become large enough to cause breathing to resume. Sleep apnea is classified into two types, obstructive and central. Obstructive is due to airway blockage. Central is due to some loss of respiratory drive from the central nervous system. More information is here.
I urge you to contact your doctor. You might benefit from subsequent consultation with a sleep specialist. Nobody should force you into modifying your lifestyle if you do not want, but you might benefit greatly from learning more about the various known conditions and about your own problems.
Re:Agreed, insomnia is not a joke
by
wfberg
·
· Score: 4, Informative
My doctors tried a number of things but option number 1 was always Prozac. What nonsense, they hand that out without thinking about it (in Britain anyway) and it really bugs me. No I won't take Prozac.
Actually, Prozac is a selective serotonic re-uptake inhibitor. So taking it causes more serotonin to be present in the brain. Serotonin plays a very big role in your sleep patterns. In fact, one commonly marketed sleeping drug (which actually works) is L-tryptophan (a chemical also present in milk - momma told you, didn't she?), which is converted into serotonin in the body. Unfortunately it is now banned from over-the-counter sale, because of a tainted batch causing a nasty illness. You can still get it as a prescribed drug (Tryptan).
The other thing that helped was making a routine of going to bed - always doing the same things in the same order (now it's feed the fish, go to bathroom for a wash etc, then go to straight to bed). If after 20-30 mins I'm not asleep then get up, read/do something (not video games that get adrenalin pumping) for a further 20 mins and then go through the entire routine again.
Re:I'm tired
by
Fnkmaster
·
· Score: 2, Informative
That does royally suck, but you're not the only one who's had life, and particuarly family health issues, unpleasantly get in the way of career and success. I have had to temporarily stop working full-time to help take care of my mother several times due to her illness (yes, I can afford help, but that only goes so far with repeated lengthy hospitalizations, surgery in different states and so on). In my case, I don't think it will make a long term impact on my career plans, once I get back in the swing of things, I hope (I'm still 25 and have done an awful lot since college despite these issues).
Some recommendations for you though based on personal experience: look into living in states where reasonably priced personal health insurance is mandated - Massachusetts, relative to other places I've been at least, seems well ahead of the game on this. It's still freaking expensive, but compared to New York (where a single individual can pay about 800 a month for a decent POS, not even a true PPO plan), it's reasonable. This can give you a bit more freedom to make reasonable career decisions without having your health insurance be used as a weapon against you - in states like Massachusetts, you can't be refused coverage for pre-existing conditions, like your wife's lupus or your cancer, as long as you've had continuous coverage. Say what you will about the nasty liberals in Mass., their health insurance legislation is far more civilized and enlightened that Florida or New York (the others I have experience with).
Anyway, a hiring manager who's had some similar rough shakes in life should be willing to listen to your story and cut you some breaks if you can figure out how to get your resume past HR. Best recommendation is to try networking with people a bit, and get a personal recommendation to a hiring manager somewhere that will at least get your resume and life story in front of them. If I were in a hiring position and I heard that story, I'd be much more understanding about your job hopping or underemployed status and give your resume due consderation with that in mind.
Slashdot Mirror
Okay. Now that's just disgusting.
People who get more than enough sleep and are still tired should consult their doctor.
Fatigue can be caused by wide variety of infections, nutritional deficiencies, and other physical and mental disorders.
Luckily, random touchiness is global. Amazingly, people tend to view the world from -wait for it- their OWN perspectives. Get over it.
"Faith: Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel." - A.B.
There's still a strong movement in Europe to tackle this. The 40 hour working week should, in the near future, be reduced further to 36 hours.
It's quite possible for us to reduce working hours and maintain the same levels of productivity and pay.
Of course alongside laws on working hours, we also need to tackle the culture of working at home, on the train, on holiday, at weekends, etc.
I used to be like this when I was young.
It was just an allergy to margarine. Some cerebral allergies prevent you from going to sleep. So consider what you're eating if you haven't already.
Even today if I touch margarine I'm wide eyed for 24hours solid.
- *totally* abstaining form caffeine (including coffee, tea, soft drinks)?
- totally abstaining from alcohol
- totally abstaining from sleeping aids(!)
- doing some light to medium cardio activity in the morning or early afternoon (but not in the evening)
- refraining from taking naps during the day (only one sleep interval -- at night)
- getting up at 7 a.m. (or even earlier), no matter what
Have you followed the above hints together and religiously for at least four weeks?Many insomniacs are "cured" with the above mentioned measurements.
Additionally, has a psychiatric doctor checked you whether you suffer from clinical depression? Really severe insomnia often is a symptom of clinical depression.
Been done--http://www.flashyourrack.com
The problem is that, unlike with the tired mails, you actually want to _look_ at the stuff you get. And there, of course, you run the risk of running into the rack-flashing equivalent of really bad "I'm tired" nonsense. And that's not necessarily something I need to see when I'm too tired to deal with anatomical catastrophes.
Cole's Law: Thinly sliced cabbage
I have had the exact same problem for most of my life. Drinking is not a good solution in the long run. I tried it, and while it does work, it also causes other problems as I'm sure you've found.
If it helps any, here is what I've done to combat it. First, I don't drink coffee or caffine in general past 12 noon. Second, I try to keep a regular schedule. Sadly that schedule is often sleeping 1 am to 10 am, or 2 am to 11 am, but it's better than the completely random schedule I had before. Most important though, is that I can't do ANYTHING that requires significant thought after dinner (or at least 2 hours before sleeping).
Most times I can now get to sleep within an hour, sometimes I can even sleep the whole night without waking up. Of course, occasionally I am still hit with a bout of insomnia where I lie awake for 6 hours. But all in all, I'm doing better than I used to. I guess I'm lucky to have the flexability to choose my own timetable though.
Anyways, try to get off the chemical sleep aids, and see if you can somehow restore your circadian rythem (sleeping pattern) via repatition. Just go to sleep at a fixed time each night regardless of if you're tired, and get up 8-9 hours later, regardless of if you're tired.
Good luck. You are not alone.
I have similar problems sleeping, and have had since I was about 14 (I'm 26 now).
I've found that whilst the above can help sometimes they aren't garunteed to work every night.
My doctors tried a number of things but option number 1 was always Prozac. What nonsense, they hand that out without thinking about it (in Britain anyway) and it really bugs me. No I won't take Prozac.
However one thing I found really did make a difference was to eat a sugary snack 20 mins before trying to sleep - raising my blood sugar really did seem to make a big difference. The other thing that helped was making a routine of going to bed - always doing the same things in the same order (now it's feed the fish, go to bathroom for a wash etc, then go to straight to bed). If after 20-30 mins I'm not asleep then get up, read/do something (not video games that get adrenalin pumping) for a further 20 mins and then go through the entire routine again. Furthermore only sleep in your bed - don't read or take long snoozy mornings, that way you're enviromentally preconditioned that being in bed means sleeping.
So I'm still insomniac but far less often and I've noticed it's definatley stress related, but it's still a load easier now.
I hope some of that helps someone else too.
You really sound like you need to see a doctor again. There are newer drugs and treatments. If you are honest with the doctor about your history he would have warned you to stop taking acetaminophen. I understand it hard to afford that.
Sleep apnea is life threatening. Sufferers stop breathing many times while sleeping. Eventually, changes in blood gases (rising CO2 and/or falling O2) become large enough to cause breathing to resume. Sleep apnea is classified into two types, obstructive and central. Obstructive is due to airway blockage. Central is due to some loss of respiratory drive from the central nervous system. More information is here.
I urge you to contact your doctor. You might benefit from subsequent consultation with a sleep specialist. Nobody should force you into modifying your lifestyle if you do not want, but you might benefit greatly from learning more about the various known conditions and about your own problems.
My doctors tried a number of things but option number 1 was always Prozac. What nonsense, they hand that out without thinking about it (in Britain anyway) and it really bugs me. No I won't take Prozac.
;-)
Actually, Prozac is a selective serotonic re-uptake inhibitor. So taking it causes more serotonin to be present in the brain. Serotonin plays a very big role in your sleep patterns. In fact, one commonly marketed sleeping drug (which actually works) is L-tryptophan (a chemical also present in milk - momma told you, didn't she?), which is converted into serotonin in the body. Unfortunately it is now banned from over-the-counter sale, because of a tainted batch causing a nasty illness. You can still get it as a prescribed drug (Tryptan).
The other thing that helped was making a routine of going to bed - always doing the same things in the same order (now it's feed the fish, go to bathroom for a wash etc, then go to straight to bed). If after 20-30 mins I'm not asleep then get up, read/do something (not video games that get adrenalin pumping) for a further 20 mins and then go through the entire routine again.
DO NOT OVERFEED FISH. Thanks.
SCO employee? Check out the bounty
Some recommendations for you though based on personal experience: look into living in states where reasonably priced personal health insurance is mandated - Massachusetts, relative to other places I've been at least, seems well ahead of the game on this. It's still freaking expensive, but compared to New York (where a single individual can pay about 800 a month for a decent POS, not even a true PPO plan), it's reasonable. This can give you a bit more freedom to make reasonable career decisions without having your health insurance be used as a weapon against you - in states like Massachusetts, you can't be refused coverage for pre-existing conditions, like your wife's lupus or your cancer, as long as you've had continuous coverage. Say what you will about the nasty liberals in Mass., their health insurance legislation is far more civilized and enlightened that Florida or New York (the others I have experience with).
Anyway, a hiring manager who's had some similar rough shakes in life should be willing to listen to your story and cut you some breaks if you can figure out how to get your resume past HR. Best recommendation is to try networking with people a bit, and get a personal recommendation to a hiring manager somewhere that will at least get your resume and life story in front of them. If I were in a hiring position and I heard that story, I'd be much more understanding about your job hopping or underemployed status and give your resume due consderation with that in mind.