What to do with all these wakeful hours....

[SandDune]

So I find I finally can get to sleep about 1am to 3am.

If I go to bed earlier I toss and wake feel sore and get hellish depressed.

So I have quite a few more hours of waking life than most humans.

Brain switches off sort of though... can't do anything useful with that time.

But it gets lonely / boring. I feel like a ghost, wandering through the night. (Quite often I don't feel any less ghostly during the day, since the reality of whats inside my mind is equally invisible...)

So here I am, Sanddune the friendly ghost, wandering through the 'nets, bored and lonely.

I tried wandering through the meatspace city this evening... nobody interacts with anybody they don't interact with almost everyday anyway.

Made me feel even more ghostly and depressed.

What do other night owls do to deghostlify their existence?

[dangergirl]

I was wondering the same thing last night...my sleep cycle has shortened itself, despite my best efforts. My tdoc made a bad joke about putting me on a med that made me horrid, but allowed me to sleep...very bad joke indeed. I'm wide awake but force myself down around 1am, but it doesn't matter...I toss and turn. Even having a glass of wine with dinner seems to intensify the toss and turn effect...pooh on that (yes, I know alcohol disrupts sleep patterns, but ONE glass of wine?? COME ON!). This morning I was up with the sun (5:30am?). 4.5 hours. No good.

The last few nights I was also feeling bored and lonely...can't get into the CB chat room most of the time, had caught up on all of my emails (other than the pm's and emails that required thought to reply to)...was too distracted to reply to most blogs (brain fogged but able to read). Wouldn't absorb anything I read (perhaps a good time for my NY Mags?)...not really interested anyway, if I were, I could read stuff online...I could wander the streets of the city, but it's really not much fun to do alone...cooking, but that would wake hubby (I cook with reckless abandon)...cleaning, but well, I've been a nut about it lately, nothing left to clean...workout? That would only wake me up more...

I guess I could count my socks, or pet my kitty (my real cat ya pervs)...of course, the other kind of petting would be good too, but again, that would wake the hubby. I'm at a loss too - just wanted you to know that you're not alone.

[mrsloony]

I go through these sleepless phases too.

Mostly I park myself on the couch and glue myself to the tv.

I feel so much safer at night somehow- no flicking by news channels reporting horrible things- no "breaking news" ( as you might gather these are things that trigger crazy anxiety).

I also often find that they play great movies in the middle of the night- and somehow I can sit still and watch. ( I have a huge list of old recommended movies- i'll have to find it- so every time I see a title that's familiar I figure here's a chance to check another off the list.

then of course there's the dazed and confused boredom where I flick from one infomercial to another and another and another. ( i've tried the skincare, have the makeup- time for a new vacuum cleaner? and no way am I buying anything home gym like)

I'm more likely to eventually fall asleep if I zone out and fall asleep on the couch with the tv still on.

Hubby calls me "couch lady".

( of course there are also the hypo times where you will never wake up to a more sparkling kitchen floor- all done on my knees with paper towels and some orange-glo equivalent!)

[Silver]

Fold laundry (it needs to be done and it's quiet)

Paperwork and bookkeeping

Read old familiar books

Baking (my boss looks at me askance when I come to work with muffins now) (and asks me if I need time off when I bring a layer cake)

Walk the dogs - they're a little confused, but game

Go out and do barn chores

Paint my toenails, although not so much with the lithium tremor

If my husband isn't home, then I can knit and listen to BBC World or something like that, but it's a very small house.

[dangergirl]

Silver - got any other ideas? I've either tried those or some just won't work (no barns in this section of NYC, although, there was one just a 3 blocks from my old place in brooklyn!)...I might try knitting but the clacking of the needles might keep hubby up...still thinking...sudoku helps fill the time, but that generally winds me up.

[crazycatnapper]

Have you had a sleep study? Your patterns sound off and there may some kind of disorder going on. After 20 years I was diagnosed with a sleep disorder and a LOT of sleep disorders are missed by pdocs. I had to get a sleep study done to finally realize why me sleep was so erratic.

Just a though.

[olga]

I've started coloring mandalas, and it is definitely a relaxing activity.

When I've been up all night, I have found the CB chat room WAY too stimulating. Conversation just wakes me right up.

Familiar books do it for me, usually. I keep Jane Austen on my night table.

A bath with lavender bath salts is also sleep-inducing for me.

But I agree with Catnapper that you insomniacs need to make sure you don't have a sleep disorder.

Oh, and a warm puppy is a good sleep-aid. heh

olga

[crazycatnapper]

When I have one of those nights, I also use relaxation music to help. I have one disc that just plays tones and moves your brain from alpha waves into the deeper, delta waves and it really works to relax my mind. I also bought one of the Sound Soothers from Sharper Image. It has 20 sounds to choose from and when I remember to use it, I like the way it calms me. I may not sleep, but I don't toss and turn as much.

And a warm puppy is good, but a purring cat is better. On a serious note though, having one the cats curled up next too me and purring is one of the most relaxing sounds I know. IF I can get my mind to shut the fuck up and concentrate on the purr, it will put me to sleep almost every time.

I know I have a sleep disorder, and there isn't much I can do to control my sleep cycles, but I do try to stick to a regular schedule and it does help. Good luck. Being unable to sleep sucks as much as not being able to stay awake. I'm so lucky I suffer from both.

[SandDune]

The last few nights I was also feeling bored and lonely...can't get into the CB chat room most of the time, had caught up on all of my emails (other than the pm's and emails that required thought to reply to)...was too distracted to reply to most blogs (brain fogged but able to read). Wouldn't absorb anything I read (perhaps a good time for my NY Mags?)...not really interested anyway, if I were, I could read stuff online...

That's the heart of the problem. Too awake to sleep, to brain fogged to do anything meaningful.

I could wander the streets of the city, but it's really not much fun to do alone...cooking, but that would wake hubby (I cook with reckless abandon)...cleaning, but well, I've been a nut about it lately, nothing left to clean...workout? That would only wake me up more...

I wonder if they dream of sizzling bacon... (wakeful brains are hungry brains)

I guess I could count my socks, or pet my kitty (my real cat ya pervs)...of course, the other kind of petting would be good too, but again, that would wake the hubby. I'm at a loss too - just wanted you to know that you're not alone.

Sigh! Something about the "Caution! Do not disturb! Grumpy and Irritable!" night shirt tells me not to ignore the other tell tale signs of sleepy dormouse.

Sometimes I think about buying a old rambling house on the edge of the inner city and running a bookshop / bakeshop / coffee shop /bar that is designed to create real interaction between people.

When you come in, you'd be lead to sit _with_ strangers. The waitresses wouldn't just wait, they would sit with the customers and encourage conversation. Circus arts performers would mingle with the crowd to bust up moments of awkward silence. The only TV would be one that had obviously been extensively shot at. Board games would be scattered on the tables.

Sigh! Too depressed, cannot maintain the extended gumption required to implement such an idea.

[SandDune]

But I agree with Catnapper that you insomniacs need to make sure you don't have a sleep disorder.

Nah. The depression and the mood swings are the disorder. The avoiding sleep is the workaround.

Oh, and a warm puppy is a good sleep-aid. heh

What's the dose? Do you have to swallow a whole one? I only have a kitten, not a puppy, are they an acceptable generic substitute? His claws would make a bit like trying to swallow a rose bush. (Ok, it's 3am here and my sense of humour is getting a little silly :-))

[crazycatnapper]

Just want to reiterate that depression and mood swings can be caused by a sleep disorder. I thought I was just depressed and moody for over 20 years and it turned out my sleep disorder was the culprit. I'm not saying it is in your case, but almost everyone I know with a sleep disorder suffers from depression and mood swings because of the sleep issues. Most had no clue they even had a sleep disorder. I just don't want to you to discount it when having a test done may really help you.

[Smac]

I tend to take circuitous walks around the city/nearby neighborhoods/campus. It's great what you can find, just taking in everything that's around you, no noise, not much moving. I have so many pretty rocks now, and I even fashioned a walking stick out of a random metal pipe/pole I found, and some duct tape!

If you ever get really bored, you can go online and watch an entire series over the course of a night or two, using a website like veoh. In the past two weeks I've gone through three half-way decent series, generally passing out around 7 am.

[dangergirl]

Sometimes I think about buying a old rambling house on the edge of the inner city and running a bookshop / bakeshop / coffee shop /bar that is designed to create real interaction between people.

When you come in, you'd be lead to sit _with_ strangers. The waitresses wouldn't just wait, they would sit with the customers and encourage conversation. Circus arts performers would mingle with the crowd to bust up moments of awkward silence. The only TV would be one that had obviously been extensively shot at. Board games would be scattered on the tables.

Sigh! Too depressed, cannot maintain the extended gumption required to implement such an idea.

That sounds wonderful...hubby and I wanted to do a seating chart at our wedding where everyone would have to sit with people they didn't know and there would be trivial pursuit type questions on the table, meant to get to know one another and test how well they knew us (the bride and groom). We knew that our families would just lose their shit and sit where they wanted to anyway, so we gave up and let them (the horrified looks of terror on their faces at the mere suggestion clued us in).

I was also at a retirement party for someone where circus performers came and engaged people at the tables - it was absolutely wonderful. I love audience participation. One of my most favorite photos of me is from that day - I have a "Lois Lane" bob and am holding a Tommy Gun. I look so happy - heh.

[chipmunk]

I do laundry, surf the internet, play solitaire on my Palm Pilot, clean and organize stuff around the house. Anything that doesn't require too much thought. I get too bored with watching TV usually, and also it causes me to ignore any signs of impending tiredness.

[pixie_b]

I have found the best sleep aid for me is finding a bible (I never know where I leave the damn thing) and starting on page 1. I am usually asleep before I get done with Genesis. Granted it can cause some really odd dreams but, it seems to bore my brain enough that it just crashes.

My other trick is having my face massaged. Sometimes I have to do it myself but once I am done my eyes can not stay open because the muscles are sooo relaxed.

[Uncreate]

my neighborhood is well lit w/ no traffic at night so I go out on my mountain bike and tire myself out even more.

Some times I just play on the guitar until I feel ready to try again. and of course the internet.

Oh and sometimes i'll close my eyes and look down... and rub the top of my eyeballs through my lids. it's relaxing. and like pixie b said... I use a little motorized massager on my temples and my neck muscles. They always seem tense when I can't sleep.