Insomniacs Unite (by request)

[arctic-stranger]

Most excellent! Splinters and all! Yes manual labor rocks for sleeping deeply. I used to do technical theatre...man I was both in good shape and tired. woo woo!

I used to work in a summer stock theatre. One show would close on Sunday night, the next would open Tuesday. The sets were always so fucking elaborate, it took a week to put them up, but we only had Sunday night to Tuesday night, so we would work all the way through....

the theater was in an old reconverted barn. ONe night, i was so tired i fell off the rafters TWICE before it finally hit me that when i let go with both hands to hammer a nail, i would soon be on my butt on the ground.

 

[esclave_PP]

Yep! Nothing quite like a strike after the show...I've been there...ugh. I do feel that pain...oh wait, I'm a masochist...I liked it...hee hee....

 

[arctic-stranger]

Yep! Nothing quite like a strike after the show...I've been there...ugh. I do feel that pain...oh wait, I'm a masochist...I liked it...hee hee....

Striking the set was for dom's. I loved that part!

Building the new set...that was for masochists!

No matter how many times i cut this board, it is still too short.

 

[sincerely_helene]

I'm going to KC's house for breakfast. Ciara's currently in the plaster cast sorority too, S_H so I'm doing all the cooking. How come you're casted? I got 3 hours last night. Of sleep that is. 3 hours of other, now I wouldn't be bitching about that!

Ok, sorry for the delay in response. After I posted I succumbed to temptation and consumed a few shots of vodky and a cup o' Neo Citron. Slept like a baby!

Tell Ciara I hope she's feeling better soon; you're a real doll for taking care of her. I'm pretty much on my own here, and understand well the struggles of trying to cook dinner.

 

[rosco rathbone]

a few shots of vodky and a cup o' Neo Citron. Slept like a baby!

bad idea, insomniac.

 

[Kajira Callista]

i will sleep tonight
i will sleep tonight
i will sleep tonight
i will sleep tonight
i will sleep tonight
i will sleep tonight
i will sleep tonight
i will sleep tonight
i will sleep tonight
i will sleep tonight
i will sleep tonight
i will sleep tonight
i will sleep tonight
i will sleep tonight
i will sleep tonight

 

[esclave_PP]

Yes little known fact that alcohol is a stimulant...fancy that...you'd think it would be the opposite...

Here is an article for those interested:

Alcohol and Sleep

The average adult sleeps 7.5 to 8 hours every night. Although the function of sleep is unknown, abundant evidence demonstrates that lack of sleep can have serious consequences, including increased risk of depressive disorders, impaired breathing, and heart disease. In addition, excessive daytime sleepiness resulting from sleep disturbance is associated with memory deficits, impaired social and occupational function, and car crashes (1,2). Alcohol consumption can induce sleep disorders by disrupting the sequence and duration of sleep states and by altering total sleep time as well as the time required to fall asleep (i.e., sleep latency). This Alcohol Alert explores the effects of alcohol consumption on sleep patterns, the potential health consequences of alcohol consumption combined with disturbed sleep, and the risk for relapse in those with alcoholism who fail to recover normal sleep patterns.

Sleep Structure, Onset, and Arousal

Before discussing alcohol's effects on sleep, it is helpful to summarize some basic features of normal sleep. A person goes through two alternating states of sleep, characterized in part by different types of brain electrical activity (i.e., brain waves). These states are called slow wave sleep (SWS), because in this type of sleep the brain waves are very slow, and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, in which the eyes undergo rapid movements although the person remains asleep.

Most sleep is the deep, restful SWS. REM sleep occurs periodically, occupying about 25 percent of sleep time in the young adult. Episodes of REM normally recur about every 90 minutes and last 5 to 30 minutes. REM sleep is less restful than SWS and is usually associated with dreaming. Although its function is unknown, REM appears to be essential to health. In rats, deprivation of REM sleep can lead to death within a few weeks (3). In addition, a transitional stage of light sleep occurs at intervals throughout the sleep period (4).

Sleep was formerly attributed to decreased activity of brain systems that maintain wakefulness. More recent data indicate that sleep, like consciousness, is an active process. Sleep is controlled largely by nerve centers in the lower brain stem, where the base of the brain joins the spinal cord. Some of these nerve cells produce serotonin, a chemical messenger associated with sleep onset (5) and with the regulation of SWS. Certain other nerve cells produce norepinephrine, which helps regulate REM sleep and facilitates arousal (6). The exact roles and interactions of these and other chemical messengers in orchestrating sleep patterns are not known (6). Significantly, however, alcohol consumption affects the function of these and other chemical messengers that appear to influence sleep.

Alcohol and Sleep in Those Without Alcoholism

Alcohol consumed at bedtime, after an initial stimulating effect, may decrease the time required to fall asleep. Because of alcohol's sedating effect, many people with insomnia consume alcohol to promote sleep. However, alcohol consumed within an hour of bedtime appears to disrupt the second half of the sleep period (7). The subject may sleep fitfully during the second half of sleep, awakening from dreams and returning to sleep with difficulty. With continued consumption just before bedtime, alcohol's sleep-inducing effect may decrease, while its disruptive effects continue or increase (8). This sleep disruption may lead to daytime fatigue and sleepiness. The elderly are at particular risk, because they achieve higher levels of alcohol in the blood and brain than do younger persons after consuming an equivalent dose. Bedtime alcohol consumption among older persons may lead to unsteadiness if walking is attempted during the night, with increased risk of falls and injuries (3).

Alcoholic beverages are often consumed in the late afternoon (e.g., at "happy hour" or with dinner) without further consumption before bedtime. Studies show that a moderate dose1 of alcohol consumed as much as 6 hours before bedtime can increase wakefulness during the second half of sleep. By the time this effect occurs, the dose of alcohol consumed earlier has already been eliminated from the body, suggesting a relatively long-lasting change in the body's mechanisms of sleep regulation (7,8).

The adverse effects of sleep deprivation are increased following alcohol consumption. Subjects administered low doses of alcohol following a night of reduced sleep perform poorly in a driving simulator, even with no alcohol left in the body (9,10). Reduced alertness may potentially increase alcohol's sedating effect in situations such as rotating sleep-wake schedules (e.g., shift work) and rapid travel across multiple time zones (i.e., jet lag) (9). A person may not recognize the extent of sleep disturbance that occurs under these circumstances, increasing the danger that sleepiness and alcohol consumption will co-occur.

Alcohol and Breathing Disorders

Approximately 2 to 4 percent of Americans suffer from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a disorder in which the upper air passage (i.e., the pharynx, located at the back of the mouth) narrows or closes during sleep (11). The resulting episode of interrupted breathing (i.e., apnea) wakens the person, who then resumes breathing and returns to sleep. Recurring episodes of apnea followed by arousal can occur hundreds of times each night, significantly reducing sleep time and resulting in daytime sleepiness. Those with alcoholism appear to be at increased risk for sleep apnea, especially if they snore (12). In addition, moderate to high doses of alcohol consumed in the evening can lead to narrowing of the air passage (13,14), causing episodes of apnea even in persons who do not otherwise exhibit symptoms of OSA. Alcohol's general depressant effects can increase the duration of periods of apnea, worsening any preexisting OSA (14).

OSA is associated with impaired performance on a driving simulator as well as with an increased rate of motor vehicle crashes in the absence of alcohol consumption (9,10). Among patients with severe OSA, alcohol consumption at a rate of two or more drinks per day is associated with a fivefold increased risk for fatigue-related traffic crashes compared with OSA patients who consume little or no alcohol (15). In addition, the combination of alcohol, OSA, and snoring increases a person's risk for heart attack, arrhythmia, stroke, and sudden death (16).

Age-Related Effects and the Impact of Drinking

Little research has been conducted on the specific effects of alcohol on sleep states among different age groups. Scher (17) investigated the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on sleep patterns in infants. Measurements of brain electrical activity demonstrated that infants of mothers who consumed at least one drink per day during the first trimester of pregnancy exhibited sleep disruptions and increased arousal compared with infants of nondrinking women. Additional studies revealed that infants exposed to alcohol in mothers' milk fell asleep sooner but slept less overall than those who were not exposed to alcohol (18). The exact significance of these findings is unclear.

Normal aging is accompanied by a gradual decrease in SWS and an increase in nighttime wakefulness. People over 65 often awaken 20 times or more during the night, leading to sleep that is less restful and restorative (3). Age-related sleep deficiencies may encourage the use of alcohol to promote sleep, while increasing an older person's susceptibility to alcohol-related sleep disturbances (3,19). Potential sources of inconsistency among study results include different doses of alcohol employed and failure to screen out subjects with preexisting sleep disorders (3).

 

[sincerely_helene]

Wow.

You people really know how to suck all the fun out of being a bedtime lush.

 

[esclave_PP]

LOL sorry wasn't trying to do that. I am just a chronic insomniac...I don't want you suffering the same fate! Besides Roscoe might sic his posse on you and then you'll never sleep....hey pass that teddy bear would ya?

 

[rosco rathbone]

It just doesnt work.

 

[graceanne]

Yes little known fact that alcohol is a stimulant...fancy that...you'd think it would be the opposite...

Here is an article for those interested:

Well, if that won't put you to sleep, nothing will.

 

[esclave_PP]

Hehehehhe found out...I'm busted! Grace got it!!!! Bing! She gets the prize!

 

[graceanne]

Hehehehhe found out...I'm busted! Grace got it!!!! Bing! She gets the prize!

I do? I get a prize? Oh, goody, goody. Is it chocolate?

Actually I know a guy who reads the dictionary when he can't sleep. *shrugs* never did anything for me, but it's worth a try, I guess.

 

[esclave_PP]

It's either the dictionary or "The psychology of the imagination," by Jean Paul Satre -- that is sure to put you to bed...believe me, when I am hard up I last about half a page...and yes...truckloads of chocolate...as long as you're allowed to eat it!

 

[graceanne]

It's either the dictionary or "The psychology of the imagination," by Jean Paul Satre -- that is sure to put you to bed...believe me, when I am hard up I last about half a page...and yes...truckloads of chocolate...as long as you're allowed to eat it!

*pouts and mutters* chocolate nazi's, there everywhere. nobody ever lets me have chocolate. *sigh*

 

[esclave_PP]

Can I sneak you some anyway? Theoretically -- wouldn't want to cause harm Or the wrath of K

 

[graceanne]

Can I sneak you some anyway? Theoretically -- wouldn't want to cause harm Or the wrath of K

LOL No, you dont' want the wrath of K. But I won't tell if you don't. . . .

 

[arctic-stranger]

Wow.

You people really know how to suck all the fun out of being a bedtime lush.

Dead on. I dont care what the critics say, a glass of wine or two before bed helps me more than almost anything....

Long walks help
i also take sinemet, which is for people with parkensons...it helps my restless leg syndrome

Here is what DOESNT work:

Watching Late Night TV
Playing computer games
looking at Porn
chatting
Coffee after 7 at night
Ephedra after noon


I'm siure there are other things, and you can all chime in

 

[SweetDommes]

I'm siure there are other things, and you can all chime in

Getting a call at 2:30 pm when your supervisor knows that you are scheduled to work tonight and need to sleep, telling you that you need to come in and see your boss. Followed by meeting with your boss and finding out that you're fired.

 

[blue kat]

(((((sweetiedommes))))))) If it helps, I'm now unemployed, too. Never insult your boss's taste in women when you work at a strip club. Especially when he's the one who hires the girls. The part that really sucks was that I wasn't even at work when it happened.

 

[SweetDommes]

Thanks Kat ...

The whole thing is, I work pretty much exclusively with women (no male nurses or aides at that hospital) and they get really really catty ... and half of the things that people are still complaining about are things that my boss had talked to me about already and that I had worked on ... but of course, if they are determined to be two-faced, backstabbing bitches, then they are determined and there isn't much I can do about it *sigh* (and yes, I was flat out told that I needed to watch out for a couple of them when I first started, and a couple of them commented to me that I had been improving ... but apparently not everyone thought so).

 

[blue kat]

Hmm.. I'm thinking about renting out my roomate as a hit subbie.. How much is it worth to you?

 

[snowy ciara]

At least one of Unca Rosco's posse is dead to the world. How much you guys gonna pay me to go wake ciara up so we're not alone in our misery? It's just not fair! She's all sprawled out looking sweet and innocent and angelic and it's bringing out my sadistic side.

You weinie-head! Cursing my sleep pattern that way. That was the last 6 hour stretch I've had since then..

 

[arctic-stranger]

You weinie-head! Cursing my sleep pattern that way. That was the last 6 hour stretch I've had since then..

It is like NOT thinking of purple handcuffs.....try it...right now...


you get thinking about sleep and bingo! instant insomnia.

 

[snowy ciara]

You see, as. I was busy not thinking of sleep last night so I was thinking of artichokes. I'm not sure why artichockes, but that was on my mind when I dozed. So about 2 hours later I had a nightmare that somehow featured rampaging artichokes. I'm not sure why they were rampaging, but they were.

So if I dream of rampaging artichokes with purple handcuffs as, I'm going to Alaska and taking you down.