Insomniacs - how do you get through the work day?

[Thejewellershands]

I sleep very badly, I always have. But sometimes I go through phases where it gets even worse for a few weeks or months. During these phases I will fall asleep for a couple of hours then wake up at about 3am and can't get back to sleep. When I work from home it's ok because I can usually fall back to sleep at about 7am for a couple of hours, but when I have to be up at 6am on my office days I often have to go in on only 3 hours sleep. If its a one off I can push through, but when I've had a few nights of only 3 hours sleep I feel very ill.

I've had to call in sick once before because of this. I couldn't concentrate, the computer screen was giving me headache and making me dizzy and I was just so tired that I couldn't push through, I needed to go home.

The past week has been this same and today I have once again been awake since 3am and it's making me actually feel depressed. I am wondering how I'm going to get through the day today, I already have a banging headache and feel absolute crushing exhaustion.

How can I make these work days bearable when I have to keep going in like this? I don't drink tea or coffee so don't have caffeine to help me. I have thought about taking things like pro plus but I'm worried it will make me feel worse

Caffeine makes it worse when it's been more than one day of it. I eat more, that's the only thing that I can really tell makes a difference. You can't go on like this though. Have you tried valerian?

Are you me? I've been up since 3 too.
I've slept for about 4 hours. The only good thing is I've done 3 hrs of work and am now taking a break.
I often take an hours nap at lunchtime could you do that?
What time do you go to bed?

You get used to people saying ‘are you okay? You look tired’.

I'm in the same position today... no advice really, I rely on coffee to get me through.

I get into bed at 10pm and read for a bit until 10:30

When I work from home I can nap on my lunch break but not in the office, no 😔

No i havent tried this. I've tried magnesium and also melatonin. Sometimes I take a sleeping tablet when it's bad but they don't always work and when they don't work I end up feeling even worse so it's a gamble

I have no advice for the insomnia but could you get an occupational health referral? They might have suggestions and you might be able to have reasonable adjustments like working from home more or changing your hours to start later if you're able to fall back to sleep at 7.

Have you tried the Sleepstation online course? It’s worth asking if your GP surgery will pay for it. Some do. Mine didn’t but I got it at a reduced rate. I think I paid £165. Anyway, one thing that it tells you to do is try to stay up until midnight and I do find this helps my insomnia a lot.

Do you know what your natural sleep pattern would be if you didn’t have to work at your specific set times ?

Not really because I go through phases. Sometimes I will fall asleep at 10:30 then wake up at 2, then fall back to sleep at about 4 and sleep through until 8. Sometimes I'll wake twice in the night. Sometimes I'll wake once and then not be able to get back to sleep again. Sometimes I'll lie awake until 3am unable to sleep and then finally get a few hours in at 5am.

I just recently turned 31, no kids, I'm a light sleeper so me and DP sleep in separate rooms. So I don't really know what wakes me up or keeps me away other than.. my brain. I do need to find a solution because it affects my quality of life because I spend every day exhausted and don't enjoy anything because of it

Those don't do anything for me either. And melatonin can actually make it worse because most doses are too high. My doctor gave me a lecture once. Melatonin should only be used when you're resetting your circadian rhythm. I find that sleeping pills of any kind tend to mess me up the next day. So I rely on valerian, as well as passion flower, lemon balm and CBD- the high concentration (like 1000mg) ones work but it's expensive. There's a lot of prescription meds that aren't sleeping pills, they are meant for other things but have sleepiness as a side effect. I have a daily migraine med I take, it also helps me fall asleep, but I think it's actually an antidepressant. Doesn't touch my depression but the side effects are great. It was such a process to get though. Doctors don't seem to grasp how bad insomnia really is. But the herbal stuff is great, inexpensive, and no side effects at all. Hope something helps!

No I have never heard of this but I'll Google it, thank you

I would see if you can work from home more. Have you tried working in the middle of the night? You could then sleep later.

Thanks so much for sharing that. I'm going to try some of the things you mentioned. It makes sense about the melatonin as well because I often find that when I take it my sleep is actually worse

I’m a lifelong insomniac. I’m 68 now and over the years I’ve come to the conclusion that there’s nothing that anyone suffering this condition can do. I’ve accepted that it’s something I have to live with. I never sleep all night and sometimes don’t sleep at all, particularly when the moon is full.

I’m retired now but worked full time with children so I know how difficult it must be for you. Personally I just get on with the day and try not to focus on the amount, or lack, of sleep. If necessary I go to bed really early if I’m going through a really bad patch.

I take 2 Phenergran tablets each night and codeine these help a bit.

You have my sympathy - it’s not easy.

I've found that reading a book at 2/3 am is more restful than scrolling. I also stopped listening to audiobooks. I have adhd and though I don't sleep well the medication stops me ruminating and feeling negative about my life so I feel able to get through the day ok.
There is the ice on the chest (vagus nerve) Tik Tok trick if you wake in a panic.
But no caffeine helps that for me none, even chocolate.
There are new medications available - the one available in the UK is Quivviq - but very expensive, possibly only privately. Look them up.

I usually sleep from 10om to 3am. Some days worse, some days better. Today I've been awake since 3. Caffeine is the answer. I've been living with insomnia for a few years due (I think) to peri. HRT not working. It's so hard.

I'm so sorry, I really sympathise with you. I don't know how you got through it with kids as well!

@Thejewellershands

thanks… it really is quite debilitating isn’t it?

I think that, for me, it’s been an acceptance of it. Lots of people live with less than ideal health so, if there’s no solution, I think the only way it to get on with life in the best way you can and not focus on it as far as possible.

My sleep pattern is like yours. I fall asleep but am fully awake a couple of hours later. It’s as if I have Adrenalin coursing through me. Once this happens I just lay there with my mind racing… not pleasant.

I hope your insomnia is a temporary phase in your life.

I’ve read if you have a chronic sleep disorder ideally you should attempt to structure your life around when you sleep. Sleeping pills are good but they only work if you don’t use them too much.

I work a really weird schedule and that works for me. I'm a really poor sleeper and after many years I have a fairly good routine. I have an audio book that I've trained my body to sleep to and need to have heavy blackout curtains and an eyemask and a weighted blanket. If I have a few bad nights in a row I take 25mg of phenergan and do feel drowsy the next day but it resets things. I avoid all caffiene. I work nightshift once a week and sometimes until 2am and then work 2 office hour days a week. I find the office hours much harder to be well rested for. I have also accepted that when we go away anywhere I just will never get more than 2-3 hours sleep.

Unlike your pp I actually think that being an insomniac is helpful when having young kids up during the night for me. I never found it a struggle to get up with them because 9/10 I was up anyway waiting for them. Plus breastfeeding releases prolactin which makes you sleepy and relaxed so I was able to get to sleep easier than I normally would. Pregnancy insomnia was a whole other ball game though, I was awake and wandering for 9 months solid.

This is tough OP. I've had disrupted sleep most of my life - even as a baby / toddler, I'd wake up about 2, and just want to talk!

For a lot of my adult life I was a night owl, up until the early hours. I am fortunate that I don't need lots of sleep - 6 seems fine, 5 will do.

I've managed on 3 - 4 hours as well, after a few days I've absolutely crashed. While I managed, I'm sure an analysis would show that I didn't perform as well as I think.

It served me well with small DC, though I do remember being drunk with tiredness at times ...

Now with perimenopause, it's completely different - I would ideally be in bed for 9, I get up at 5 to exercise. Busy teens mean I never actually do get to bed when I want; my sleep was terrible for a while, until I went on HRT, and now while my hours of sleep are limited, the quality is much better.

There's nothing you can really do while you are experiencing this - ear small amounts of protein-rich foods regularly; and try to get a nap during the day.

It's really worth looking into anything that might help, exercise in particular (vital for me).

Hello! I’m sorry to hear this, I resonate and it sucks. getting through the day, I resort to coffee usually, paracetamol for headaches and just going easy on myself/reminding myself that I can do it. It can be horrible tho.

sometimes a very quick cat nap can help me if I can manage it - just 10-20 mins or so - if I’m feeling delirious… but it can be hard not sleep for longer (I can’t remember whether u said naps were a possibility)

this is a bit of a side-ball but I had insomnia intermittently since I was a teenager, along with other symptoms….. which turned out to be bipolar. Now my sleeping is a bit better (at least I understand my triggers etc).

Are you actually able to concentrate at work though? I'm an insomniac too and it's infuriating when my DP bangs on about how he's an early bird and lazy me sometimes doesn't get up till 7/8. But that's because I've been listening to him sleep peacefully all night long and I only fell asleep at 5/6am. If I slept through the night like him I would be a blooming early bird as well. Sorry this is a personal grievance!

Anyway, I can normally drag myself to work and do a few things, but I do really struggle to concentrate and be property productive when I've had a row of bad nights. So even though I drag myself through the day, it definitely affects my work quality and quantity. Is there anything that actually helps with this?

I also find that listening to bedtime story podcasts and stuff like can help to fall asleep. But like you there are nights where nothing works and I just lie there wide awake till morning and then suddenly I'm exhausted.

Thanks everyone for your replies. I guess there's not really much I can do to get through the day other than push on. It's so hard though as like someone said, my focus and concentration isn't great so I'm not as productive