Yeah, Tired.

I've just spent the last four and some hours reading - nay, devouring - Bitter Is The New Black by Jen Lancaster (and hey, why won't Typepad let me turn her name into a link to her website?). Anyway, her site is http://jennsylvania.com, and her book was damn funny. It took me a moment to not be annoyed by the constant footnotes, but other than that, it was a great read. I recommend it, if you enjoy reading snappy commentary, blog-style. (I have to laugh, because I used to write that way. Alas, I no longer do.)

It's now a proven fact that I cannot sleep without chemical enhancement. This is not new, but I suspect my lack of exercise for the past two three months isn't helping either. So, um, yeah. I've got the four a.m. migraine coming on and am not confident in ibuprofen's ability to help.

Random thoughts that come shooting out of my brain, hooray for insomnia! And lack of coherent thought! Or ability to channel synapses! And that last one didn't even make sense!

So. How ya'll are?

Edit: Has anyone out there tried valerian as a sleep aid?

Comments

[Katherine]

I'm ok, just full of cold, which has been crap whilst my mum and stepdad have been here. But I felt well enough to go to Monster Mash, which made me think of you and Allan and the kids.

Hope you didn't get a migraine. :-(

[token]

I've had a migraine going on 2 days now. I haven't had one in a long time. I didn't miss them. Why are they visiting?

[gina]

I have had a very bad start to my day - locking myself out of my home (and only the landlord has another set of keys). I am feeling pretty crappy as a result. :(

My cat keeps ME up throughout the night. I fear taking the sleep meds prescribed to me, afraid I might not wake to my alarm and be late for work as a result.

[AlisonM]

I haven't been sleeping either - but it's OK. It's a side effect of Adderal, but the Adderal also makes me able to get through the day. I've cleaned the bathrooms, including walls, woodwork, and floors, as well as sanitizing the cat boxes, replacing the shower curtain liners and washing the OUTSIDE of the toilets. The wash is in the dryer, the dishwasher's loaded and running, and my reward will be to sit in front of the TV for a bit sanding and buffing the clay beads I made a couple of days ago. It's like an alien came and took over my body, but we're getting along pretty well so far.

[sallyrogers]

I take Valerian regularly to help me sleep. It works best if I take it about an hour before bed. The miracle of Valerian is that it KEEPS me asleep since I have a habit of waking up at 3:30 ready for the day only to collapse again about 20 minutes before the alarm goes off. I swear by it. And Mr. Jones will love the residue smell of the capsules on your hand.

[rebecca]

in months i haven't slept without a generic version of tylenol PM. bad, i know. but i can't. i even take my antidepressant at night so that it will help make me tired. it does, but doesn't help me sleep.

i'd say it's the thinking. can't stop it.

[ally bean]

I haven't been sleeping very well lately either. I've been blaming it on the freaky, extreme weather. This blaming doesn't necessarily make me sleep any better, but I do enjoy griping about it. Maybe the weather has you off-kilter, too.

[ALY]

I have used every kind of sleep aid (non-prescription) and, although they all work to some degree, Valerian is by far the best stuff. I take two or three capsules about an hour before bed, and it just makes me drop right off and sleep all the way till morning. Nothing else produces this "natural" sensation of getting sleepy and dropping off--The other pills are more like getting hit over the head with a brick. Plus, I have no hangover on Valerian, whereas tylenol PM & the others tend to leave me depressed the next day. The only problem is the smell...it's, um, rather potent!

[Kathryn]

I haven't been sleeping so well lately either but I suspect it has a lot to do with stress (unemployment looms) and the extreme amounts of coffee (my drug of choice)that I've been ingesting lately.

[Margaret]

I would sleep better if not for worries about one thing or another. I need to turn off my brain at night.

[Susan]

I think I tried it and it did not work.
But I have been on prescription sleep aids for years. Ambien has worked well for me.
Insomnia runs in my family. I say do whatever works. Try theValerian first and see what happens and if it does not help ask your doctor what to do.

My new doctor made me do a sleep study and I found out (much to my surprise) I have severe sleep apnea, so maybe you might want to think about that study.

[Emil]

Two words: Fight Club.
Might not mix well with migraines, though.

Seriously, though, maybe you need to shock your system with some physically exhausting exertion--not a simple activity, but something that challenges your body and your mind. Yoga might be a bit to yin--besides, I think you might benefit from a workout that allows you to release some anger, frustration, and/or tension. Got a boxing gym near you? Or a kungfu studio? Not for getting beat up, mind you, but for working your body and mind.

[Emil]

Oh, yeah, I must second ALY's valerian observation--it's quite strong smelling, sickeningly sweet. I've found if I take it and don't get a full 8 hours, it leaves me pretty groggy.

[edieraye]

Years ago I did Bikram yoga. A side effect was the ability to totally relax almost at will. Spent a few days with friends in a cheap Mexican hotel during that time and I was the only one who slept comfortably through the night.

Personally, I love being up when the rest of the world is asleep. It is when I am at my most creative. But I rarely have trouble sleeping at will so no good advice here.

[Betty C.]

How about this as a positive take on it all: I used to be one of those people who could live on 4-5 hours of sleep a night. Go, go, go. Then I became a mother and an almost-French one at that, and realized I couldn't get overly tired. Now I need -- no, cherish -- my sleep, although I never really sleep in as such.

To get to the point, sometimes I really wish I could still "pull all-nighters," and be up while the others aren't.

I guess the biggest question is how you feel during the day...

[newwavegurly]

Valerian didn't work for me when I tried it many years back.

I don't take any sleep aids unless I have had a number of bad nights in a row. Then I take an Ambien (my Dad gives me some out of his prescription), and only if I don't have to be anywhere the next day.

Instead, I just deal with the ebb and flow of my sleep cycle. For better or worse.

[meredith]

Yes I did, but didn't have much luck with it.

[AlisonM]

You know what else you should do is get your thyroid levels checked. I went hypothyroid in my mid-30's and went through weeks of the worst insomnia (2-3 hours a night, max.) before I was diagnosed. The day I started on synthroid, the insomnia went back to, well, normal insomnia. I did feel much better. Hypothyroidism is extremely common in women 30 and over, and is one of the most commonly undiagnosed problems, too, so go get a blood test, girl!

[Dan]

I'm so sorry to hear that you're suffering from insomnia. Melatonin often helps me. I usually retire at midnight. If, at 11:30pm I'm still wired, I take a melatonin pill and it helps me get to sleep.

I hope you enjoyed your Easter or Passover.

[sandra]

Ooh, I may love you a little; I've been wanting a new book to read that would be...fun. And this sounds like it qualifies.

[melanie]

would love to hear how the valerian works. I have a feeling I am going to be taking some sleeping aids very very soon.