I can't sleep. I've had this problem for a while. Years, actually. I talked to my doctor about it, and he told me that I have 'terminal insomnia.' It sounds way worse than it is. It's not going to kill me (not any time soon, at least). It actually refers to the fact that my sleep 'terminates' - I wake up.
I've done a bit of research, and it actually sounds like 'middle insomnia' is a more accurate diagnosis, since I wake up several times, and usually end up going back to sleep in fairly short order. I was surprised to see that the main cause is thought to be anxiety or stress. I'm actually feeling way more relaxed in the last few months than I have in a while. My doctor suggested that it might be allergy-related - as I get all icky, my nose and throat don't let air pass as easily, and I might not be breathing properly.
Lately, I've been waking up about three times a night. It's been remarkably regular. I usually go to bed around 10, and fall asleep around 10:30. I'll wake up around 12:30, 2:30, 4:30, and 6:30... which is ten minutes before my alarm goes off! That part really sucks.
But then I did more research, and I found this pretty graph, which indicates that a standard sleep cycle is in the neighborhood of 2 hours long. And I've been waking up about every two hours... So now I'm wondering just what is going on in my head to make me wake up every time I get into that lighter sleep phase. Maybe that's when I'm suddenly more aware of sounds outside? Or my dog's movements? Or my sniffling? Hmm... much to think about.
Section A: 10/10 rows complete
Section B: 90/90 rows complete
Section C: 15/111 rows complete
Section D: 0/90 rows complete
Section E: 0/10 rows complete
Total length: 17.5 inches
Percentage complete: 36.9%
3 comments:
No sleep sucks! Hope it gets better soon...as a fellow insomniac, I feel your pain
I didn't know there was such a thing as terminal insomnia. Or even middle insomnia. I thought insomnia was pretty much just insomnia.
Well, I have insomnia now... but it can be blamed purely on the small being kicking the crap out of my bladder 2-3 times per night. I wouldn't be surprised if part of the cause was your allergies.... that's why my doctor told me to get a humidifier for our room at night.
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