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."
Re:Agreed, insomnia is not a joke
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
I've suffered with insomnia for the longest time, and it's killing me. I've found that the only way I can get to sleep at a decent hour, if at all, is to tear myself apart with exercise. Last week, I couldn't sleep a wink, so I left the house at dawn and walked ten miles around this relatively tiny county, just so I could get some sleep. If I don't go to the gym, I don't sleep. It's an exercise program for the sleepless.
On my death march earlier this week, I was having mild hallucinations, the nature of which was such that I was hearing things, specifically, music. At one point, a plane flew overhead, and the sound sort of morphed into a saxophone; this could have been a genuine auditory coincidence, but then I started hearing piano chords, specifically, a diminished seventh if my ear training serves me correctly.
My affliction is unique in that I can't so easily cope with the sleeplessness with caffiene, because the diuretic effect of it triggers a long-standing mild case of enuresis, which first, makes it even more difficult to sleep, and second, is obviously extremely embarassing (hence the AC).
I, too, am bound to Tylenol PM, a drug that at least sates my affliction such that I can usually sleep within an hour of taking it, and then I have a half hour window in which I can sleep, because the effect passes all too quickly. If I don't capitalize on it quickly enough, I have to wait another hour.
Since this is summer, and I'm 16, I'm presented with an unusual opportunity to avoid sleeping altogether. I've taken to staying up 24 hours at a time to work on my pet project, a fully equipped arcade cabinet, faithful down even to the coin mech. It's a lovely way to pass the time, though I'm reluctant to saw anything at odd hours, because I wouldn't want to wake my parents, who suffer from their own sleep-related ailments; my mom is an extremely light sleeper, and my dad is jetlagged with such frequency that he often finds himself sleeping in the rear storage of his Tahoe in the airport parking lot.
It's a hard knocks' life.
Re:Agreed, insomnia is not a joke
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
Is it posible your just a night person in a day-walkers world?
I have come to belive that there is a small portion of the population that is geneticly predisposed to be the "night watchman". Perhaps its not as much now as when your tribe didn't want to get eaten in their sleep.
Re:I have a sleep disorder
by
Xiver
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
I used to have obstructive sleep apnea. No matter how much sleep I had I still woke up tired. I was pretty overweight and sleeping next to me was like sleeping next to a chainsaw. In 2000 my oldest daughter was born and since I was already suffering from severe sleep apnea the first two weeks with her at home almost drove me over the edge. I was falling asleep at work, while driving, and even while talking a few times. I started to develop narcolepsy and even had a couple of hallucinations. When I finally went to the doctor and had a sleep study done they said that I was waking up 72 times an hour! I was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea. The doctor tried a few different pressures and types of breathing machines and determined that I would be best suited with a bypap(sp?) machine. The bypap is has a different pressure for inhalation than it does for exhalation.
At first the bypap(sp?) machine seemed like a huge pain in the butt. I had to wear that stupid mask at night and listen to the machine, but my snoring had stopped, which my wife assured me was reason enough to use the machine. For the first two weeks I really didn't feel any different I was tired all of the time and missing out on my young daughters early antics. Then one morning I woke up and realized that I wasn't tired anymore. It was unbelievable. I used the bypap machine for 6 months before the inside of my nose became so raw that sleeping with it became almost impossible. I often had nightmares that someone was going to take the bypap away and my life would go back to what it was before.
In the 6 months that I was on the bypap I lost 30 lbs and was enjoying life in a way I had not been able to since I was a teenager. Since sleeping with the bypap machine was beginning to become unbearable I decided to see a doctor about having some kind of surgery, so I would not have to sleep with a machine for the rest of my life. They scheduled me for surgery and a short time later I had widened sinus passages, no adenoids, no tonsils, and much less of a palette in the back of my throat. The two weeks after the surgery really sucked, I couldn't even drink water for 4 days. I was constantly coughing up blood and required an IV and home health to administer the much desired pain medication. After two weeks I was feeling much better and had lost another 20 pounds. It didn't take long to lose 10 more and become a bit more active. I've bounced around a bit since then, but I've never gained more than 20 pounds of the weight back and since I've started exercising it looks like I might drop another 10 - 15 pounds.
My life has never been better, I'm not tired, I don't fall asleep, and my wife doesn't have to elbow me at night as much anymore. If the cpap didn't help you sleep you should give it another shot. I say it will be at least two weeks before your body and mind recover from sleep depravation. I'm sure you also know the consequences of ignoring sleep apnea, which include increased risk of heart attack, increased risk of stroke, and narcolepsy.
I thought pretty much as you did that the sleep cycles that I had were just normal for me, but believe me you don't know what you are missing with a regular sleeping pattern. I was an all night gamer and worker. The only time I could stay awake was when I was really focused on something like programming or video games. Now I can still game all night and sleep late if my wife lets me...err I mean if I want too, but I also have the benefit of being able to live an alter, happy, and somewhat normal life.
-- 10: PRINT "Everything old is new again."
20: GOTO 10
Re:why i'm tired
by
fuzzix
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
Slashdot Mirror
I've suffered with insomnia for the longest time, and it's killing me. I've found that the only way I can get to sleep at a decent hour, if at all, is to tear myself apart with exercise. Last week, I couldn't sleep a wink, so I left the house at dawn and walked ten miles around this relatively tiny county, just so I could get some sleep. If I don't go to the gym, I don't sleep. It's an exercise program for the sleepless.
On my death march earlier this week, I was having mild hallucinations, the nature of which was such that I was hearing things, specifically, music. At one point, a plane flew overhead, and the sound sort of morphed into a saxophone; this could have been a genuine auditory coincidence, but then I started hearing piano chords, specifically, a diminished seventh if my ear training serves me correctly.
My affliction is unique in that I can't so easily cope with the sleeplessness with caffiene, because the diuretic effect of it triggers a long-standing mild case of enuresis, which first, makes it even more difficult to sleep, and second, is obviously extremely embarassing (hence the AC).
I, too, am bound to Tylenol PM, a drug that at least sates my affliction such that I can usually sleep within an hour of taking it, and then I have a half hour window in which I can sleep, because the effect passes all too quickly. If I don't capitalize on it quickly enough, I have to wait another hour.
Since this is summer, and I'm 16, I'm presented with an unusual opportunity to avoid sleeping altogether. I've taken to staying up 24 hours at a time to work on my pet project, a fully equipped arcade cabinet, faithful down even to the coin mech. It's a lovely way to pass the time, though I'm reluctant to saw anything at odd hours, because I wouldn't want to wake my parents, who suffer from their own sleep-related ailments; my mom is an extremely light sleeper, and my dad is jetlagged with such frequency that he often finds himself sleeping in the rear storage of his Tahoe in the airport parking lot.
It's a hard knocks' life.
Is it posible your just a night person in a day-walkers world?
I have come to belive that there is a small portion of the population that is geneticly predisposed to be the "night watchman". Perhaps its not as much now as when your tribe didn't want to get eaten in their sleep.
I used to have obstructive sleep apnea. No matter how much sleep I had I still woke up tired. I was pretty overweight and sleeping next to me was like sleeping next to a chainsaw. In 2000 my oldest daughter was born and since I was already suffering from severe sleep apnea the first two weeks with her at home almost drove me over the edge. I was falling asleep at work, while driving, and even while talking a few times. I started to develop narcolepsy and even had a couple of hallucinations. When I finally went to the doctor and had a sleep study done they said that I was waking up 72 times an hour! I was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea. The doctor tried a few different pressures and types of breathing machines and determined that I would be best suited with a bypap(sp?) machine. The bypap is has a different pressure for inhalation than it does for exhalation.
At first the bypap(sp?) machine seemed like a huge pain in the butt. I had to wear that stupid mask at night and listen to the machine, but my snoring had stopped, which my wife assured me was reason enough to use the machine. For the first two weeks I really didn't feel any different I was tired all of the time and missing out on my young daughters early antics. Then one morning I woke up and realized that I wasn't tired anymore. It was unbelievable. I used the bypap machine for 6 months before the inside of my nose became so raw that sleeping with it became almost impossible. I often had nightmares that someone was going to take the bypap away and my life would go back to what it was before.
In the 6 months that I was on the bypap I lost 30 lbs and was enjoying life in a way I had not been able to since I was a teenager. Since sleeping with the bypap machine was beginning to become unbearable I decided to see a doctor about having some kind of surgery, so I would not have to sleep with a machine for the rest of my life. They scheduled me for surgery and a short time later I had widened sinus passages, no adenoids, no tonsils, and much less of a palette in the back of my throat. The two weeks after the surgery really sucked, I couldn't even drink water for 4 days. I was constantly coughing up blood and required an IV and home health to administer the much desired pain medication. After two weeks I was feeling much better and had lost another 20 pounds. It didn't take long to lose 10 more and become a bit more active. I've bounced around a bit since then, but I've never gained more than 20 pounds of the weight back and since I've started exercising it looks like I might drop another 10 - 15 pounds.
My life has never been better, I'm not tired, I don't fall asleep, and my wife doesn't have to elbow me at night as much anymore. If the cpap didn't help you sleep you should give it another shot. I say it will be at least two weeks before your body and mind recover from sleep depravation. I'm sure you also know the consequences of ignoring sleep apnea, which include increased risk of heart attack, increased risk of stroke, and narcolepsy.
I thought pretty much as you did that the sleep cycles that I had were just normal for me, but believe me you don't know what you are missing with a regular sleeping pattern. I was an all night gamer and worker. The only time I could stay awake was when I was really focused on something like programming or video games. Now I can still game all night and sleep late if my wife lets me...err I mean if I want too, but I also have the benefit of being able to live an alter, happy, and somewhat normal life.
10: PRINT "Everything old is new again."
20: GOTO 10
My personal favourite of this ilk is Not Proud