Wake up exhausted, but wide awake at bedtime

[yourbrokenoven]

What an adventure. Just when I think I've got everything figured out. I'm back to being unable to become tired when I have to work in the morning.

Basically, I slept too late today. Kept trying to wake up but was too tired and kept closing my eyes and dozing off until around noon. I've been trying to get up early to avoid this problem, but I've been going to bed late unintentionally.

Sleeping pill didn't even phase me this time. All my masks hurt and leak no matter what I do.

All I can do now is manage it and learn to enjoy the nights of insomnia. Best cure for my insomnia is less sleep.

None of this needs to make sense. I'm just venting thinking maybe it'll make me drowsy.

Here goes
.

[yourbrokenoven]

Looks like Sonata kicked in after all. Now I'm off to work, though I'd love a couple more hours sleep.

[Rob K]

Insomnia is horrible, I'm very familiar with the frustration. I suspect some of us are predisposed to it. When you get it under control it's always attempting to creep back in.

I've had the exact problem you describe and still do occasionally. What I learned from a lot of internet studying and experience is that our bodies produce adrenaline when we are overtired. It is what gives us our "second wind".

In my example I was not getting enough sleep each night or the quality of sleep was poor. I would get very tired, almost comatose in the late afternoon and early evening. Way to early to go to bed, so I would ride it out. After a while the feeling would pass from the adrenaline doing it's work. Around 8-9pm I was wide awake and not able to sleep for 3-4 hours. To late to get a good nights sleep before getting up for work, thus repeating the cycle.

For me the solution was to break the cycle on a regular basis until a new normal was reached. The two things that helped the most were optimizing my xpap therapy and greatly simplifying my life. The machine settings prescribed by the doctors were not working for me. It took some adjustments to get a better quality of sleep. My AHI numbers needed to be around 1 and now I'm starting to think they need to be less. Many thanks to the people on this forum.

The other big thing was to eliminate as many things as possible that keep you from getting a good nights sleep. Change the things that cause stress and anxiety. Consequently getting quality of sleep helps us to deal more easily with stress and anxiety. Also stop trying to do so many things in a day. Make rest your number one priority above all else and allocate a larger block of time for sleeping. I figured out that I'm the type of person that needs a good deal of time to unwind before sleep and to wake up in the morning. I personally need about a 10-12 hour window for my nightly routine. Turns out I was pushing myself way to hard and not getting enough rest. I took pride in doing more than everyone else. I had to change that mindset because it was slowly killing me.

Another important thing is to study "sleep maintenance"; do a search and read about it. In short change all the things that keep you from getting quality sleep.

Many of us are chronically sleep deprived in this fast paced life we have. I personally stopped worrying about what everyone else is doing in this world and now go at my own pace, thus I feel much better. Hopefully all this preaching and rambling will help you in some way.

[yourbrokenoven]

Yes! I need a long time, hours even, to unwind. Sometimes I need entire days to relax. I feel guilty for it, but going out and doing something maybe once a month is enough for me. Just grocery shopping leaves new not wanting to do anything else that day.

I'm running on about to and a half hours of sleep right now. I don't feel that bad, but it took me a while to feel fully mentally alert.

[jimbud]

Insomnia is horrible, I'm very familiar with the frustration. I suspect some of us are predisposed to it. When you get it under control it's always attempting to creep back in.

I've had the exact problem you describe and still do occasionally. What I learned from a lot of internet studying and experience is that our bodies produce adrenaline when we are overtired. It is what gives us our "second wind".

In my example I was not getting enough sleep each night or the quality of sleep was poor. I would get very tired, almost comatose in the late afternoon and early evening. Way to early to go to bed, so I would ride it out. After a while the feeling would pass from the adrenaline doing it's work. Around 8-9pm I was wide awake and not able to sleep for 3-4 hours. To late to get a good nights sleep before getting up for work, thus repeating the cycle.

For me the solution was to break the cycle on a regular basis until a new normal was reached. The two things that helped the most were optimizing my xpap therapy and greatly simplifying my life. The machine settings prescribed by the doctors were not working for me. It took some adjustments to get a better quality of sleep. My AHI numbers needed to be around 1 and now I'm starting to think they need to be less. Many thanks to the people on this forum.

The other big thing was to eliminate as many things as possible that keep you from getting a good nights sleep. Change the things that cause stress and anxiety. Consequently getting quality of sleep helps us to deal more easily with stress and anxiety. Also stop trying to do so many things in a day. Make rest your number one priority above all else and allocate a larger block of time for sleeping. I figured out that I'm the type of person that needs a good deal of time to unwind before sleep and to wake up in the morning. I personally need about a 10-12 hour window for my nightly routine. Turns out I was pushing myself way to hard and not getting enough rest. I took pride in doing more than everyone else. I had to change that mindset because it was slowly killing me.

Another important thing is to study "sleep maintenance"; do a search and read about it. In short change all the things that keep you from getting quality sleep.

Many of us are chronically sleep deprived in this fast paced life we have. I personally stopped worrying about what everyone else is doing in this world and now go at my own pace, thus I feel much better. Hopefully all this preaching and rambling will help you in some way.

Very sage advice. Well worth repeating.
JPB

[zonker]

All I can do now is manage it and learn to enjoy the nights of insomnia. Best cure for my insomnia is less sleep.

i understand you are venting. and NOT looking for advice. i can dig it.

nevertheless-

viewtopic/t175067/CBTi--Therapy-for-Insomnia.html

mind you, i haven't tried it myself. not urging you to try it. just putting it out there.

[Islandwoman]

My discovery, no electronics(screen time) an hour before bed. Tried it after reading it and it is true for me. I sometimes listen to music or part of a noveI I have already read(important) and found to be "mellow" no thrillers. I set the timer on my phone to turn off at + or - 30 min. It works well for me.

[Dog Slobber]

None of this needs to make sense. I'm just venting thinking maybe it'll make me drowsy.

If you think venting is prohibitive to sleeping, may I suggest the diffused ports on the P10, a lot quieter.

[yourbrokenoven]

Yeah, just venting.

It's frustrating because some days I struggle to stay awake, but then one day I sleep too long and can't fall asleep when I need to.

If I think back, the actual first time this happened was my first sleep study. I could not fall asleep until 3:30 or so.

I'm just overall discouraged because I hear so many people who feel rested after using CPAP, and I just don't. And right when I think I have it figured out, I'm back to square one waking up exhausted.