Why are my 6 hrs not enough?
Posted , 4 users are following.
Hi all,
I have a problem of early morning awakening going on for more than 2 years now. Some of you may recognize me from this forum , some from other forums, but I decided to post this question here since I like the way Lily (whose answer I hope to get) and some others think.
So, long story short - I can't get enough sleep to feel good during the night, and I can't make up for lost sleep during the day since for whatever reason I can't nap. So day in and day out I'm getting between 5.5 and 6.5 hrs of sleep, while my body needs 7-7.5 hrs to feel good.
Here's the problem - I KNOW that many insomniacs would kill for 6 hrs of sleep every day, and if you asked me this question say 3 years ago, I would be the first to tell you to quit your whining and that 6 hrs is a blessing!
But, I now know that, for some reason, it isn't... Not when you are unable to nap and unable to sleep in on the weekends. So day in and day out I get about an hour/hour and a half less sleep than I need. Each and every day I'm fine until about 11 a.m., after which my brain gets so exhausted that I can't do anything but stare at people like a creep (and many of my colleagues do indeed find me creepy now), I can't even maintain a conversation. I am as exhausted as I used to be back when I would miss entire nights of sleep in college!
So here's my question - how normal is this? How is it that despite 6 hours of sleep I feel so utterly, utterly terrible? People on other forums tell me there could be something else in process, and that although 6 hrs can't make me feel incredibly refreshed, I certainly shouldn't be feeling this terrible.
The difference between my sleep before and now is that before I would get some bad nights, even some with zero sleep, but on other nights I would get my 7 or 8 hours, and the bad nights would immediately be forgotten. Now, as if under a curse, I'm persistently getting just a little under the desired amount, but each and every day, with no exceptions and no rest.
What should I do? Is there anyone else who can't nap? How many hours of sleep do you get at night, then?
0 likes, 4 replies
ro77360 edgar30813
Posted
What do you do to try to get yourself back to sleep after that 6 hours?
Counting, listening to book (Audible) or any of the Deep Sleep Meditations - the real long ones?
There is a natural sleeping pill I believe its called Herbal Medicine Deep Sleep.
Do you wear a sleep mask to keep the light out?
I have an electric heating pad under my backside and when I need to sleep I turn it on and that heat plus listening to an old Harry Potter book I know by heart plus breath counting works for me, usually,
I once read that we sleep in 3 or 4 hour segments - and don't expect to sleep straight through for 8 hours. Maybe when we were young but not as we get older.
ro77360
Posted
P.S. I sleep for 4 hours then I'm awake for an hour or so then back to sleep for 2 or 3 more hours. 3 if I'm lucky.
michelle70460 edgar30813
Posted
Hi edgar. You haven't mentioned your age but if i were to assume you were abit older as we age our sleep does change. However it doesn't have to ruin your life. For some people 6hrs a night is sufficient but it depends on things such as lifestyle & regular actuvity. Exercising a little more (if you can find the time) nay help you to sleep longer at night. DON'T nap through the day if you can as this messes with your circadian rythmn & make it more difficult to sleep at night. Apart from these suggestions, i don't what else to recommend. Like you say maybe lily maybe able to help you more with this one.
edgar30813
Posted
hi everyone, thanks for your reply,
yes, I forgot to mention my age - one would assume that I'm older since this is typically a problem of a bit elderly people, however I'm only 31. I've had trouble falling asleep all my life and I'm well acquainted with that, but this sneaky inability to get as much sleep as I need once I fall asleep is a whole new battlefield for me. I just don't know how to respond to this. I'm stuck in a rut of approximately 6 hrs, I go to bed tired and I wake up tired. It's terrible.
ro7736o - I use a sleep mask and ear plugs, though I'm pretty sure they're more of a psychological crutch for me than actual sleeping aids. Once or twice I've fallen asleep without them and the result was the same.
What do I do when I wake up - sometimes I stay still in the hopes of at least dozing off, other times I get up. I used to help myself to 2.5 mg of Valium, which worked for a while, but when it stopped I didn't want to up the dose.
I haven't yet tried listening to a book, nice idea.
I think I have to sleep in a consolidated block, if I wake up in the night I generally stay up, sadly.
michelle, exercising is something I would love to try, I just never seem to have the time. I will , though. I do stay active, try to socialize and work full 8 hours. On the few occasions when I got some light exercise (hiking), I didn't notice a difference, unfortunately.