No sleep whatsoever tonight - could cry!

[Squirrelthoughts]

So I have literally had zero sleep for no other reason than my brain hasn’t been able to switch off. I have a long work day ahead with a commute into the office, and then the rest of the working week.

The house is coming down with a coughing type bug, DH was coughing when we went to bed which woke me as I was drifting a couple of times and then that’s been it, for the rest of the night.

I have never experienced an all nighter caused by myself. I can deal with being woken up when needed but that has not been the case and I am so, so frustrated at myself (and tired, and worried that I won’t sleep again tonight).

I’m worried about driving and generally being alright to get through the day. Can anyone share any tips? Thank you

Morning 🥱

You and me both

I've got up and made a drink and toast
Am going to read and hope I doze off

Strong coffee and decent breakfast in the morning - tho you won't feel like eating

If you look in topic The Wide Awake Club, the happy place cafe is the insomniacs thread!

Solidarity! Am up too but because my child can't sleep. But I have had nights like that, you just power through the next day on adrenaline and it will be OK. It will catch up so try to go to bed early for the rest of the week. I would take a nap when I'm home from work in that situation and then go to bed at normal time but that's cos I find it hard to sleep early.

Solidarity yesterday didn’t sleep till 6am woke at 9am and I’m still awake almost 24 hours later I am a chronic insomniac.
what I have found helps me is just to accept that I won’t have sleep but rest is important being awake stressed is worse than being restful listening to a podcast/music not ideal but relieved the stress of it

Solidarity :)
Slept about 4 hours and have to go through a day's work too so getting up in less than 2 hours. I am dreading it but as other posters all you can do is to go to bed early the next days. Better to read and try to relax than worrying about it.
Wishing you all an easy day xx

2 hours here 😭 Hope my class are really good today. I’m going for lots of coffee I think 😔

Yep... same! No sleep sisters!!!! I'm in between having children and what I'm
Lead to believe is peri menopause related sleep disturbances. I used to panic about no sleep and the fall out from it. Battling against this thought process makes it worse. I power through and like someone said earlier, adrenaline kicks in. Cuppa tea, two paracetamol and a chapter of book I usually grab an hour or so. It's not much but does help. Failing that coffee (plenty of) and don't be too hard on yourself today... go with the flow!

It feels a bit less lonely to read other people is awake somehow.
I keep thinking about a meeting I have this morning and stressing about not getting proper sleep. @Browniesandcustard hoping your class will be good for you, maybe after the Christimas break they will be all sleepy!
@WatermelonLou coffee will be my friend today :)

Also peri-menopausal insomnia here. Good luck today OP. Coffee this morning (not after midday) and hope the adrenaline gets you through.

What works for me is discipline. Absolutely no looking at my phone. Focusing on a single thing, breathing, counting etc. Meditation essentially. I'll lapse repeatedly but force myself to focus back again because I know it works if I do it properly.

Insomniac here...lots of tea and smiling...honestly, it will be okay. Once you get going, it will fine. Your brain won't work as well as it normally does but you'll get through it.

Exercise until I’m going to die is about the only thing that has ever worked consistently for me. Clearly yesterday I did not exercise hence I’ve been up since 2am 😔

I have nothing but sympathy for those who struggle with sleep. It’s such an essential to a quality of life.

I will probably shamefully fall asleep on camera during mindlessly dull meetings. My mind loves to decide to switch off during a meeting and I could sleep peacefully and deeply all throughout, it’s just tragic.

Exercise works for me too. It really helps staying asleep.
I slept very well lately while on annual leave over Christmas. I think this must be work related plus children going back to school, their activities etc. It's relentless.

@Squirrelthoughts Ugh I feel your pain, this is a weekly occurrence for me on a Sunday. Keep mainlining black coffee and you'll be surprised how you power through. I usually feel sickly all day but I can always stay awake. Hope you have a good day after all this.

Keep moving! If you need to drive and can't avoid it - although if you're too tired maybe consider alternatives - don't have heating on in car/open a window a bit. I used to drive home from a nightshift in winter with windows down. There's usually a slump in the afternoon so if you haven't opportunity to grab a sleep try doing something in that time that involves movement. Regular meals but avoid high sugar/energy things as you'll crash. Good luck!

Another insomniac here! Peri menopausal as well, no advice really just wanted to offer sympathy💐

Hi OP,
Long time insomniac here. There are a lot of us. Over the years of my sleeping problems I have had two helpful pieces of information offered to me.
Some lucky humans including me and maybe you have evolved to be able to stay up all night and day when needed , this is a great skill for doing guard duty, not so much for school teachers in the 21st century.
And, don't go to bed early the next night you will give yourself jet lag. Just stay up to your normal time, or later.
You will be fine today try not to dwell on the bad night. And reward yourself with lovely treats. I always think I deserve a nice chocolate biscuit if I haven't slept!

This has been me too! My baby was sleeping soundly 😫

Are you sure it's not Covid? I had it recently and before my symptoms kicked in properly I had a full night of insomnia. It was the same for my parents.

Thank you everyone. I just feel so rough and dizzy. I was contemplating ringing in sick because of how bad I feel but then I think that will only feed my anxiety if there are any future nights where I can’t sleep, I’ll be worrying about having another day off. I’m going to try to push through.

I know this feeling only too well, whether it's kiddies or an active mind. It's a horrible feeling the morning after, almost like a hangover but with added irritability. Tiredness controls my mood, appetite, productivity and goodness knows what else.
I hope you managed to struggle through the day and had a better night sleep.

@5831bob123 I actually had a very good night sleep last night after a terrible jet lagged day. I agree is the worry that wakes you up and keeps you completely alert. I hope everyone else managed to sleep well last night x

@girlswillbegirls Glad to hear it. I'm hoping for a good night tonight. My 5 year old had me up last night. I slept poorly but still woke up just after 5am 😴

How'd you do @Squirrelthoughts ?

@5831bob123 did you manage to get a good night's sleep last night?
Had two good nights in a row....not too bad!