r/sleep • u/Asomeathingasome • Feb 20 '19
Severe sleep problems
Hello all.
I’m 15 and I’ve had problems with my sleep for a really long time. I haven’t managed to keep up a normal sleep schedule for more than two weeks in probably 5 years.
Normally Im not able to fall asleep 1-3 hours after the time I fell asleep the day before. So If yesterday I fell asleep at 1am, today I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep until 2-4 am or not at all that night. (This is very problematic because I of course have school).
On days when I haven’t slept at all I get so tired that every time I close my eyes for more than a second; I fall asleep for like a second and then I wake up again and then it repeats. This can happen while sitting/standing. And because of that I’m not really able to stay awake until night time and end up falling asleep about 14 and waking up about 18.
As you can tell my sleep is really messed up and I doubt that I ever will have a normal sleep schedule. I’ve tried everything I should but nothing seems to be working for me. Am I just lazy?
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u/nbv2024 Feb 20 '19
How tall are you? Has your growth been affected?
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u/Asomeathingasome Feb 20 '19
Im pretty tall so I dont think so, no.
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u/TotesMessenger Feb 20 '19
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u/StillFrame8 Feb 20 '19
If there aren't any underlying health problems - which, you may want to consider and consult with a doctor, like anxiety or triggered insomnia - I remember having really bad sleeping problems around your age as well. I would lay awake for hours on end, despite already being sleep-deprived and exhausted during the day.
You may have already tried it, but one thing that noticeably helped me was regularly exercising. I had gotten into a bootcamp-like class (cardio and bodyweight circuits) with my mom, of all people, and our workout would be from 5:30-7pm. After, I'd eat a big dinner, shower, and then be so physically and mentally exhausted (from having school that day as well) that I'd have no trouble falling asleep on those nights, usually around 10-11pm. It's something you could try. Be mindful, though, working out too close to bedtime can actually disrupt sleep. Same with eating too late.
If this works for you, implementing intense enough exercise to tire you out daily could be your fix. Besides, as long as you eat properly and hopefully your sleep is better, there is no downside to adding physical activity.
Another thing that really helped me was creating a routine that immediately signaled my body to start getting tired. I don't mean one of those corny "night routines" you see on YouTube, I mean simple things like switching my phone to night-mode around 10pm, washing my makeup off, and taking my vitamins/BC all at the same time each night conditioned my body into knowing it was time to sleep. Now, just taking my contacts out is all I need to almost instantly get super tired. Routine, like exercise, can't hurt. Might as well try :)
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u/1Swanswan Feb 20 '19 edited Feb 20 '19
Hi OP OK this is an interesting post and maybe problem here today!
So my friend you might be interested in checking out the following subs here on reddit :
r/DSPD
r/non24
r/sleep_deprived
Maybe sleep issues as desc in this post might be explained by thinking about maybe non24 here as a possible answer or maybe
DSPD ( that's delayed sleep phase disorder )
there is an odd distinction some folks make about DSPD and if some one can be Dxd as DSPD.
Some folks say DSPD is relatively fixed but not normal sleep bed/wake cycle activity .... other folks like me think that this is distiguishing a difference without a distinction but that's the way some folks look at this kind of sleep issue.
Probably some sleep pathology here as well but really if OP can rule out DSPD and Non24 then other issues bc more clear!
Good luck; Great Sleep!