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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To ask what you’re doing awake post-midnight?

999 replies

5YearsLeft · 12/01/2022 00:24

I had a day that just really banged me about, physically, emotionally, just all the ways, and now, I’m laying here awake and staring at the ceiling.

So why are you awake? Crying baby? Can’t stop thinking? Worried about something tomorrow? Pain somewhere in your body being an arsehole?

Welcome?

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Thread gallery
22
catwomando · 02/02/2022 01:06

@5YearsLeft I'm hoping your lack of posts mean that you are sound asleep and your body is readying itself for a lovely trip out. I've always wanted to go to Lausanne so look forward to hearing all about it (hopefully!).

After a calm but stressful day I went to bed at 10, slept then woke up at midnight 30. Wah!

I have a very important work decision to make tomorrow and I think the old brain is whirring. It will mean a total change in income (a huge drop) and lifestyle change but I think it's for the best. I think !

The big fat cat has just arrived (I think they have 'the human is awake' radar. I really do). She's a funny old bugger- comes up all Purry and friendly and tarting around, so you stroke her gently , and she bites Grin cats. Unfathomable.

purpleme12 · 02/02/2022 01:09

I'm lying with my tabby cat under the covers (as usual)

Heisrotten2thecore · 02/02/2022 04:21

Wondering what I've done with my life

sofakingcool · 02/02/2022 04:32

Been awake for the last 90 mins, chewing over some work stuff. Nothing major, just wondering whether working part time minimum wage is worth all this stress, the two just don't add up

LadyNell · 02/02/2022 05:05

Worrying about problem at work....

Cupcakesandjam · 02/02/2022 05:06

Dog poorly. Sitting up with huge silent poorly dog whom just looks so miserable. He keeps being sick and we don't know why. The other dogs are alright and just staring at him.

autienotnaughty · 02/02/2022 06:57

@5YearsLeft hope you had a good nights sleep. I was woken at 12 to what sounded like a child crying. It turned out to be a cat outside. Managed to get back off so not the worst night sleep.

5YearsLeft · 02/02/2022 07:01

Um… I fell asleep Confused

@catwomando I think just about everyone knows a cat like that! My husband jokes that it’s overstimulation. As in I was petting a cat, it turned around and bit me, I went wtf, and the husband just went, “well… he’s overstimulated!!!” It sounds even more ridiculous in person, bloody cat psychology. Perhaps he’s right though. We won’t know until cats can talk. And I wish you the very best with your work decision! Sometimes even if it leads to lower “things,” it’s still the right decision.

@purpleme12 Excellent, your tabby is doing good work!

@Heisrotten2thecore I’m truly sorry I wasn’t awake for this. I know these are the kinds of thoughts that happen at nights when you can’t sleep sometimes. But whatever is making you think this, I promise, you have MORE time. I imagine the voice that is telling you that you haven’t done enough is wrong anyway, but let’s say that all you’ve done is sit in a chair in a closed room and hum “Jerusalem” for the last 10 years, and I very much doubt that, I’m sure you’ve done lots of things, you still probably have another 10 years minimum that you can use to do all the things you wanted to do in the last ten years. Start today just doing one very small thing you want to do. It can just be VERY small. One tiny 5-minute thing you’ve been thinking about that you wish you’d done. We all have them. Your life can become your own again. I really do wish you the best of luck today.

@sofakingcool It’s tough. A lot of people don’t realize that some of the hardest work of all gets paid the very least. I had a friend who had no idea that many care home workers are still minimum wage! She just assumed since it’s such a difficult, often thankless job that it MUST pay more than that. I hope you can find a way to work it out, or possibly a job that won’t cause you this stress (though I know that’s seldom an option).

@LadyNell It’s work night on the thread! Good luck to you and I hope that the knot (of the problem) untangled so you were able to get some sleep.

@Cupcakesandjam Oh no! Poor thing! I’m sure he IS miserable. Hell, as humans we’re miserable even when we can explain exactly how we feel, and he doesn’t have that luxury. I really hope you figure out what’s going on, and why him and not the other dogs. Good luck!

Well, I took my pill for “special” nights and I slept almost the whole night, and now I’m up for the aquarium! I hope you all are safely asleep by now, if you’re going to get any sleep, and if you’re not… sigh, I know. Sometimes nights are like that.

Also, it looks like @Flashinggreen your new medication is working! If you see this, I’m so glad and happy that we haven’t seen you on the thread!

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5YearsLeft · 02/02/2022 07:07

@autienotnaughty Just saw you there! Hearing that would have been so bizarre to wake up to, and I definitely would have had a tough time getting back to sleep, so I’m glad you were able to! Sounds like at least a few of us had an okay night.

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catwomando · 02/02/2022 07:53

@5YearsLeft so happy that you had a decent sleep. Have fun today.

Thethuthinang · 02/02/2022 09:37

Spouse is snoring. Keep poking him and he rolls over and stops and then starts up again.

5YearsLeft · 02/02/2022 17:46

@Thethuthinang Argh, that’s annoying when you push spouse a bit to stop the snoring, it stops for a minute, and then… there it goes again. Admittedly, this only happens in my house when DH has a cold or allergies, but it’s obnoxious.

I’ll be here for the Night Shift tonight @catwomando. The aquarium went fine but then everything went absolutely to hell. I didn’t take my wheelchair, I slipped and fell out of the metro, hurt myself, then I didn’t eat enough with my medication before that so spent half the train ride home in the WC and the other half trying not to vomit, and had to take a taxi home from the train station even though it’s only a 2-minute walk. And the taxi still got us home one minute before I needed the WC again. Then I got out of the WC just to fall into bed with stabbing pains in my stomach, thinking I still might vomit… and fell asleep for three hours. So tonight’s sleep is piffled and I hurt everywhere.

See you after midnight, all.

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Flashinggreen · 02/02/2022 19:00

Thank you @5YearsLeft for your support over the weekend. Sorry to hear your day went tits up. I didn’t go for the x2 tabs last night as I am worried about how addictive they are so did one and it did the trick, going to do another tonight then go without tomorrow… I’m hoping that’s me done for a few months of these wobbly nights, but it was a whopper!

Sending sleepy thoughts to you all x

5YearsLeft · 02/02/2022 19:10

Ah, @Flashinggreen, so glad to hear from you pre-midnight and SO glad to hear that you’re not dealing with the horrible insomnia now. I do hope, as well, that’s broken the pattern for you and now your sleep will come more easily for quite a while. Absolute best of luck!

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ImNotDancing · 02/02/2022 21:27

Oh @5YearsLeft I’m so sorry you had such a rough time!!

I am pleased to report I’ve been given some sleeping pills to take 3 nights on 3 off to try and kickstart a better sleeping pattern!

catwomando · 02/02/2022 22:00

@5YearsLeft that's a bit shit, so sorry. The needing the loo thing is just so stressful. People thinking you just need a wee and can hold on, but there's far more at stake !

I've had a breakthrough with my work thing and have got a way forward so have had wine to celebrate but that will stop me sleeping for sure but what the hell! See you in the small hours everyone!

jowly · 02/02/2022 23:05

@5YearsLeft I thought about you earlier and your day out, I'm sorry it ended up that way.

I've been reading the first one of those books you mentioned the other day.. the Lady Hardcastle ones. I used to read a lot but haven't in ages as I can't concentrate enough and my mind wanders off.. but this one I'm enjoying, so thank you. Chapters are short enough and the plot easy enough to follow without it being too simple.. perfect bedtime reading in fact

My OH has had a positive covid test today, so I'm a little concerned about that. We're both vaccinated x3 so fingers crossed it'll be mild.

Hope you sleep a little a recover from your day x

5YearsLeft · 02/02/2022 23:46

Might as well go ahead and start us up. Welcome to the (almost) after midnight thread, everyone. If you’re awake after midnight, regardless of the reason (fussy babies, snoring spouses, COVID cough, illness, grief, stress, work anxiety, any type of anxiety, insomnia in all its forms, and of course, poorly pets), we’re (usually) here (except last night when I passed out, ha) and you’re welcome to share!

@ImNotDancing Wonderful! Hopefully you’ll be asleep for after-midnight!

@catwomando Eh, I know, we can’t win them all. Sigh. BUT. So glad your work thing is hopefully off your mind, and maybe will lead to you getting better sleep. Well, except the wine might not, ha.

@jowly So glad the books are working for you! I really do find them lovely, I love that the main characters don’t need a man around to handle things even during the time period, and that the author has thought of a good reason why that makes sense, and that they’re just right for bedtime reading, so if you do nod off, you can pick them up tomorrow. So sorry to hear about the positive COVID test! We’ve been through it here, all vaccinated, and it was MUCH better than 2020 when I had COVID and wasn’t vaccinated. I felt like I was in hospital for a check-up for pneumonia every two days for the 2020 bout. I did need one check-up this time (I’m CEV), but my housemate who is normally healthy had no symptoms at all except some light fatigue. So I hope it’s really light for your OH!

I’ve attached the first pic from today’s aquarium visit. It was a vivarium as well, so they had these dwarf mongooses and we happened upon them right at their most active time which was probably the best bit of the day. They were running around everywhere.

To ask what you’re doing awake post-midnight?
OP posts:
purpleme12 · 02/02/2022 23:49

What a lovely picture ❤️

5YearsLeft · 03/02/2022 00:17

Thanks @purpleme12! It’s not quite as cute as some of the cats we’ve had on this thread, but I told them to do the best they could. Har har.

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optimistic40 · 03/02/2022 00:52

I always am!!

I want to learn to get to bed early but do not seem to be capable of it.

Coroico97 · 03/02/2022 01:16

Hi @5YearsLeft! Sorry to hear about your not-so-perfect day out. How frustrating. But yes, lovely pic!
I am still awake with painful leg/back. But now the busy legs is the most annoying. Happens with nerve damage apparently. Had another MRI scan yesterday. Surgery on 23rd. Need to contact the doctor as been taking painkillers for three weeks now and not made blind bit of difference. Ugh.
Hope you are feeling sleepy?!

5YearsLeft · 03/02/2022 01:18

@optimistic40 I wish I had a magic formula but… mostly, you just have to make sure that your bed doesn’t try to run away from you Grin

But you can also set a timer for maybe 11pm and stop using phone/TV/computer/screens then (blue light from the screens will keep you more awake). Do something without them until your “bed time,” then hop in bed and try for sleep. But really, I don’t think it’s any more ridiculous having a sleep alarm than a morning alarm - it’s common to get wrapped up in TV or looking at the internet or doing any one of 1,000 things and not watching the clock, so it just reminds you that it’s time to start winding down for bed.

That said, if you know when you want to go to bed and you just can’t stop your mind, well, if I had a solution for that which worked for everyone (besides medications that can be hit or miss, and also a bit dangerous), then I’d be a zillionaire. Ha.

Good luck!!!

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5YearsLeft · 03/02/2022 01:25

Oh no, @Coroico97, sorry to see you back here! Glad to hear surgery is getting closer. I’m so sorry to hear you’re still having the leg/back/busy legs issue when you’re want to be sleeping. I did finally remember that I have a friend who took gabapentin for severe restless legs, but it’s a medication with some side effects, so I don’t know if you want to try it. It’s prescribed a lot for nerve pain, nerve damage, and overactive nerves (which can cause busy legs). But it also takes a while to work, so I don’t think you’d see efficacy before your surgery, which means it’s not much good to you now, I guess. Argh. I do hope the MRI showed everything’s on track for surgery and no bad surprises. And the 23rd will both feel ages away and be here so soon, so just try to hang in there. Any chance when you talk to the doctor of trying targeted painkilling like the lidocaine patches? It can’t hurt.
As for me, I’m tired but the pain is… yeah. It’ll be a difficult night to sleep.

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Silentraindrops · 03/02/2022 01:27

Wishing I could sleep! Laying in bed in the dark, have been for ages. Given up and got my phone back out and found this thread!

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