That time of year (insomnia)

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

Well, it's that time of year again.  Every winter I begin to suffer from insomnia.  It gets progressively worse as the season drags on.  My waking and sleeping periods start to shift around until I can't fall asleep until well into the night, and I can't stay awake during the daylight hours.  Eventually, by about January or February, I can't fall asleep until 10:00am or later, and I can't drag myself out out of bed until after most people have eaten their dinners.

Here it is, 5:30am and I haven't gone to bed yet.  I 'm not tired, not even a little.  I can hear my neighbors starting to wake, and I know that I should get to sleep, but I just can't do it.  If i went to bed right now I know I'd end up staring at the ceiling for a few hours.

I work from home mostly and I can set my own hours, so being awake during the dark hours and asleep during the daylight isn't necessarily a problem.  But it is an inconvenience.  And, well, it's just plain wrong.  I don't like it.  I don't like the feeling of uncontrol over my self and my life.

I want to beat this problem.  I want it badly.  Any thoughts or advice?  Anyone been here before?

[SpookyPistolero]

Other than all the norms that help to beat insomnia sometimes, such as getting more excercise, making sure your bed is only for sleep (no reading, watching TV), etc., I might suggest some full-spectrum light bulbs that release UV light. Not getting exposure to actual sunlight is one of the more irritating aspects of winter to me.  I know some seasonal depression sufferers that like to use them a lot.

[280plus]

What about the Ambien kind of stuff? Or try forcing yourself to stay up today and not going to sleep tonight until it's what you'd consider a regular bedtime. I kind of know what you're talking about. I developed a bad habit of waking up at like 3 AM and not getting back to sleep. Staring at the ceiling is definitely part of all that. I've been taking one Tylenol PM before bed these days and it gets me to 4:30-5:00 which is OK by me. How many hours of uninterrupted sleep do you normally get while this is going on?

[Paddy]

I also experienced the same 'circadian rhythm sleep disorder', but to a lesser degree.  Two things have helped.  I take 3mg melatonin before bedtime and regulate my circadian clock each morning with exposure to sunlight.  Here's some more information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circadian_rhythm_sleep_disorders

be sure to see this link on that page, as it talks about what you described:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-24-hour_sleep-wake_syndrome

[El Tejon]

I don't I have "slept" in over 15 years.  The rare times that I do exercise is the best remedy.

[The Rabbi]

My advice to you is to start drinking heavily.

Seriously, I have heard about the sun light thing and it makes sense to me.  Worth a try.  Otherwise, some brisk walking just before dinner.  Maybe a warm bath. Avoid alcohol and caffeine.
I never do well with the winter either.  I hate the cold and the dark.  Maybe we should just move to Brazil or something for those months.

[Nightfall]

I've got that non-24-hour thing RileyMC linked to. Sounds like you have the same problem, except on a seasonal basis. For me, it's year round, and means I have to find various methods of trying to induce sleep at night. Mornings always suck unless I'm sleeping completely naturally, which is really never.

I wish I could offer you a real fix, but I can't find a long term one. It takes effort to get to sleep around the same time at night, and just the slightest disturbance that keeps me up a little longer can throw me into combat with my natural cycle for weeks on end.

The best advice I can give is to create a pattern of events that your mind starts to associate with upcoming sleep. For me it's shutting down the computer(s), turning off the lights, and changing my clothes. This helps, as long as I don't disturb the series of events with a different action, or I don't start thinking about the next day, for example.

Since your problem is seasonal though, I think you should try the full-spectrum bulbs that were recommended, too. Use them to make winter as much like summer as you can.

[Ex-MA Hole]

I get this, too.

Melatonin works well, but used to give me horific nightmares.  To the point that I would wake up crying.

I'm not trying to sound macho, but I dodn't usually cry, so this was a bit off/ odd for me.

I LOVE Ambien.  Good stuff.  Also Tylenol PM or Benadryl works for the short term.

[Monkeyleg]

I'm in the same situation as Nightfall. I'll go for weeks with only an hour or two or perhaps three of sleep.

After weeks of this, I'll crash for an entire day.

I've tried the prescription sleep aids like Ambien, and they didn't help.

The only thing that seems to work to any extent is going to bed at the same time every evening, and getting up at the same time. Getting the body clock set properly.

But, then, I wind up sitting at this computer writing useless drivel on this forum until 3 am and screw up my body clock all over again.

[Perd Hapley]

But, then, I wind up sitting at this computer writing useless drivel on this forum until 3 am and screw up my body clock all over again.

That's funny.  I do that all the time, and my body clock is fine. 

[Monkeyleg]

Yeah, but that's because you're "awesomer."

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

Thanks, y'all.  That 24 hours sleep-wake syndrome sounds like exactly what I'm going through.  It's interesting to note that ir's a fairly common occurrence.  I'll try some melatonin tonight and see what happens.

[Declaration Day]

I have bouts of insomnia as well.  I'll be fine for about 3 months, then I'll have a stretch of 2-3 weeks where I can't get to sleep at a decent hour.  Then the cycle repeats.  I just use over the counter sleeping pills, they do the trick.

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

I've tried sleeping pills before.  They don't work for me.