Sleeping Problems

[warsaw]

I'm 17, and I have some sort of severe problem with sleeping and sleepiness. I need all the help I can get right now, and I've heard that you guys give really good answers to questions like these.

I have school weekday morning at 9:15. I generally wake up around 8:00 or 8:15. Usually, I go to sleep around 11 or 12 PM, but this always leads to one result: constant falling asleep in my 1st-4th periods. It's almost inevitable. And worse, being this tired during school is terribly painful, especially when the teacher will go off on you at the sight of closed eyes. And I'm positive I could be performing better if more conscious.

I require more sleep than any friend I've ever met. On weekends, it's not uncommon for me to go to sleep around midnight and to wake up the following day around 2 PM. When left unattended, it can easily stretch towards 3 or 4. However, this isn't the norm.

I play a lot of Counter-Strike, and on the weekends I generally stay up 'till around 3-5 AM, but then wake up the next day around 2(PM). My Dad has suggested that my late-hour benges on the weekends cause my falling asleep in school, but since it just means I'm waking up later, aren't I getting the same amount of sleep in the long-run?

I look at other friends of mine, who habitually stay up until midnight or 1 AM on school-nights, all of which wake up without feeling the least-bit drowsy the next morning. They stay awake perfectly in classes, no problems. I've tried to be like them, especially by drinking lots of caffeine-drinks in the morning, but it literally will not work.

My question is this: What can I do to be like my friends? I know everyone has their own unique sleep requirements, but how can I stay up later, get more hours into my days, and never fall asleep at school, or have that painful sleepy feeling? Is this even possible!?

Thanks in advance for your help.
--Mike

 

[Locutus of Board]

If you have sleeping problems, one thing that will help is to have a ritual.

Do not eat, read, or watch TV in bed.

Use your bed for sleeping only. (I know you jerkys on the board will have remarks.)

You also will need to go to bed closer to the time that you do all week.

That's throwing you off.

Good luck. Been there, and not being able to sleep sucks.

 

[NoreagaCNN]

<< Use your bed for sleeping only >>



Only for that?????????????

-Nore

 

[Azraele]

If it really concerns you, try to get in 1 sleeping pattern and stick to it. You might also check a doc just to be on the safe side, it might be a sign of chronic fatigue syndrome.

 

[Locutus of Board]

I'm a better psychic than that nutcase on TV.


<< (I know you jerkys on the board will have remarks.) >>

 

[Total Refected Power]

I play a lot of Counter-Strike, and on the weekends I generally stay up 'till around 3-5 AM, but then wake up the next day around 2(PM). My Dad has suggested that my late-hour benges on the weekends cause my falling asleep in school, but since it just means I'm waking up later, aren't I getting the same amount of sleep in the long-run?

This is what is killing you. Your internal clock is being reset on the weekends and comes Monday you are forcing yourself to establish a new clock. Doesn't work out well. You should get up and go to bed the smae time everyday to avoid these serious problems.

Believe me. It is the only way.

 

[eakers]

i slept a lot when i went through my growth spurt
get more sleep, you need it because of puberty. volia problem solved

or buy a bottle of ephidrine if its legal where you live. but dont get addicted
*kat. <--ephidrines got her through many a long night/day

 

[Azraele]

<< Use your bed for sleeping only >>

Only for that?????????????

LOL

 

[GL]

Don't eat anything just before you go to sleep, in addition to getting into a regular sleeping pattern. If you eat before you sleep you won't get a good night's sleep...I read that somewhere in a Men's Health article. And drink water during the day...not sure if it'll help but it sort of has for me.

-GL

 

[Thegonagle]

Have a doctor make sure your thyroid function is normal. My sister had to start taking drugs when she had a sleep disorder related to her thyroid.

Also, drink either no caffeine or accept that you'll need to drink some in the early afternoons.

Good Luck!

 

[NovaTerra]

Used to do exactly the same thing as you (only it was DOOM--and I was in my 30's). The weekend hours ruined me for the week. You need to play CS during the day and leave your nites for sleeping.

 

[Chelm]

Getting exercise gives you a lot of energy in the long run, even doing something for a half hour 3 or four times a week will help. I have a hard time getting up in the the morning to exercise, but some people I know go for a 15-20 minute walk in the morning to help clear their heads and wake up. any way good luck, always try getting exercise and eating healthy and use medications as a last resort.


Chris

 

[rahvin]

Who ya been kissing? Sounds like a mild case of mono-nucleosis to me.

 

[Barrak]

I am a guy who worked 3rd shift for 10 years of his life, no worse sleeping disorders than those who live like vampires. Things I did was, Everyday get some sort of exersize!! probably the most important thing. Keep you room cool when you try to sleep. Lay off the soda in the evening,you dont need that sugar and caffeen in your system. And get exersize.. did I say that?

 

[The Wildcard]

Your father is correct. The more you sleep and the later you wake up, the more tired you are. It's called...oversleeping, lol.

For example, my prime number of hours to sleep is 7 1/2 -8 1/2 hours. IF i don't wake after 8 1/2 hours, I feel grogdy and actually..WANT TO SLEEP MORE. LAter, when i wake up after 10 hours of sleep, I don't feel refreshed. Instead...i feel like I WANT TO SLEEP MORE, lol.

In addition, you need to maintain a steady sleep pattern. You are really screwing around with your body when you wake up at 8:15 am during the weekdays and then on the weekends, wake up 6 hours later at 2 pm.

So my suggestions:

1. Go to sleep at the same time you are, DURING the weekdays.
2. On the weekends, STILL, go to sleep AT THE SAME TIME during the WEEKDAYS. No early morning stuff.
3. On the weekends, wakeup maybe only 2-3 hours later than you normally would on the weekdays. DON'T OVERSLEEP. No AFTERNOON stuff.
3. Try as hard as you can to stay awake in school. Then when you get home, take naps.

 

[The Wildcard]

Oh and if you constantly feel tired THROUGH OUT the ENTIRE day....it could be a medical condition. Maybe it's a thyroid condition. Go see a doctor.

 

[AMDJunkie]

My God, we could be brothers!

<< This is what is killing you. Your internal clock is being reset on the weekends and comes Monday you are forcing yourself to establish a new clock. >>

Not true. I have similar sleep habits and I always get up before 6:30 without an alarm clock on school days. It's been wired into my memory. Still, he does have some truth there that establishing a regular clock will leave you more refreshed, because in reality oversleeping is just as bad as undersleeping and it does not make up for lost weekday sleep.

 

[Sluggo]

I think most of your problem is your age. It has been well documented that teenagers need far more sleep than adult counterparts. Some teenagers NEED 10-12 hours of sleep a night.

It is best to get in a regular pattern, all days of the week. The trick is to find your magic number of hours, and stick to it, no matter what. BTW, the amount of sleep you actually need decreases the older you get. You would think it would be opposite, but it isnt.

 

[warsaw]

Hmm... so it looks like the key things to do are to get excercise and get on a regular schedule. But let me ask you this -- if I started getting less sleep each night, let's say, going to sleep at midnight instead and waking up at 8:00, but also carried this onto the WEEKEND, could my problems of falling asleep in class be magically cured?

I forgot to mention one other thing -- I'm SEVERLY addicted to caffeine. I drink some-odd 5-8 cans a day (Diet Coke, to avoid the callories,) though this has never seemed to really draw out how long it takes me to get to sleep. I still manage to fall asleep within 10 minutes of laying down.

Thanks a million for all the responses... I really owe you guys.

 

[The Wildcard]

Hmm i dunno about the caffiene.

 

[poop]

Eh, colas really have little caffeine (compared to coffee). So if you try not to drink more than 1 in the hours before bed, you should be ok. But if you guzzle a coke or two at 11, then try to sleep, it probably will not happen.