Insomnia

[Jaden]

I'm not technically a person who has the actual condition of insomnia, but I do have a lot of trouble sleeping. I have ever since I was a little kid. Take right now for example - it's 4:30 AM here. I tried to go to sleep around, oh, 2:30 or so. But I just laid there until finally I just got up and decided to do stuff until I eventually just collapse from exhaustion.

Really, the main thing I hate about it isn't even the effects. I've gotten used to lack of sleep, lack of energy, sleeping in, things like that. It's the things that keep me awake. I take all my insecurities and problems to bed with me, and I can't get them to shut up =/

[blas87]

When I was still in high school, and even at my last job before I started the real night shift at the factory, I was ALWAYS a night owl.

I remember my love for Mountain Dew began in high school (we had soda machines at my second high school and were allowed soda in a few classes). I'd stay up until at least 2 on a school night because I just could NOT sleep at night very well. I've always been afraid of ghosts and darkness. And it never seemed really "natural" to me, to sleep when others were. So, I'd be chugging several dollars worth of soda well before 10 am.

When I was about 15 or 16, I got my own TV to have in my room and a DVD/VCR combo that I could fall asleep watching movies to. Eventually, I'd fall asleep. I remember switching the movies I had around, and falling asleep to restored Marilyn Monroe movies, Beauty and the Beast, Alice in Wonderland, over and over. But sometimes, I didn't fall asleep until the movies were halfway through.

When I was 19, I got the job at the factory I work at now, and have been on night shift ever since. Of course, last summer, our shifts changed a bit, and I have to be to work earlier and work a much longer shift than I used to, but it's still for the most part an overnight shift.

I have the hardest time staying up and trying to do things with my "normal" friends and family during the day/evenings. Though, usually I'm alright after about 4 pm, but I have a tendency to get so darn tired and need a lot of naps.

There's hardly a Friday or Saturday night that goes by that I'm not still up until at least 3 am, if not until the sun rises, and sleeping in until nearly afternoon.

Edit to add: Since I've lived at my apartment on my own, I tend to sleep on my futon during the week, and only sleep in my own bed if I have my boyfriend over. Otherwise, there's a few times I've gotten so tired that I've just turned the radio on and tried to not focus on how dark it is, but otherwise, I fall asleep with tv on real low on my futon. During the day, though, I don't need any noise.

[Gravekeeper]

I was always a horrific night owl. Now I make a living off it. -.-

[Jaden]

Yeah, I also used to drink a lot of soda - I probably single-handedly kept the Mountain Dew Code Red brand alive for several years - but I've been trying to cut back recently. I used to be afraid of the dark also. I couldn't sleep without the light and a TV on until I was like 16. Also, for whatever reason, something about the house we lived in from the years of 3 - 7 terrified me, to the point where my parents eventually had to lock me in the room. It wasn't out of cruelty, but because they didn't know what the problem was and I couldn't communicate it to them, and, well, I needed to stay in my room and try to sleep.

So, I think that helped instill my own night owl tendencies into me also. And while I like staying up late in general, I also like to be able to get to sleep when I want to get to sleep. It takes me forever to fall asleep, even when I'm tired and it's like 3 or 4 AM and I know I'll fall asleep, it still takes a really long time. So, I'm also a person who stays up late a lot, and enjoys it when it's by choice, but when I'm just lying there for two hours trying to fall asleep and can't, it's very frustrating.

[blas87]

I mostly drink Diet Dew now, except on weekends when I go out to eat as a treat, or regular Coke at McDonalds on my weekly end of the work week treat.

I forced myself to like it. Needed to cut out extra calories. The first few times I drank it, I just chugged it and pretended to not taste it, after a while, it wasn't so bad. But Diet Dew is the only diet soda I can handle without wanting to puke.

I'm amazed at how easily I can sleep during the day, even in bright sunlight and lawn mower noises and whatnot.

[Gravekeeper]

I live upon Coke Zero ;p

Sleeping during the day is only really difficult during the summer for me. Though buying AC a couple years back has made it much easier.

[Jaden]

See, I don't nap during the day well either, though I admit, ever since I got on these meds, it's become much more frequent. I've probably napped more since I got on anti-depressants than I have in the 22 years I was alive before then. But in general, I basically don't sleep well in any environment, and meds or no meds, even if I pull an all-nighter, the most I've ever been able to sleep during the day has only ever been four hours or so.

My drink of choice for the past year or so has been grape juice. I still drink soda every once in a while, usually on the weekends with my friends when we aren't drinking alcohol. I can't stand diet soda.

[blas87]

Coke zero tasted ok for me until after I was done eating. I kept tasting it all day

Summer time is hard when you live in a place that isn't well ventilated or gets super hot.

It seems here that any time it gets warmer than upper 60s, it's roasting in here. And the AC unit goes in the living room and doesn't disperse well, so I stay out of my room unless it's at night and I bring my handy fan around the apartment with me wherever I go.

It's not any better at my parents' house.

[Jaden]

I'm staying with my parents until I find a job. In fact, I'm technically living in the basement, which makes me a real hit with the ladies, let me tell you

It's a nice basement, though, it's carpeted and more like a living room than anything, but it does get a little cold down here at night. I have an electric blanket, though, so it's not a major problem.

[Gravekeeper]

It seems here that any time it gets warmer than upper 60s, it's roasting in here. And the AC unit goes in the living room and doesn't disperse well, so I stay out of my room unless it's at night and I bring my handy fan around the apartment with me wherever I go.

The airstream from my AC reaches just past the kitchen. So I have one of those tower fans sitting right at that point and facing the bedroom down the hall. Takes a little bit longer for the bedroom to cool down, but once its there, it stays there.

[blas87]

Lucky. Whomever designed this place decided that the best place to make the slot for A/C units was up by the ceiling. So, when the time comes to put it in, I need my dad or anyone 6 feet or taller and who can lift 100 pounds to put it in for me.

Of course, it's not the quietest thing ever, and it keeps the livingroom decently chilled, but the airflow just never makes it very far, even pointing a fan to try to encourage it towards my room or the bathroom.

I do love that fan, though. It's tall and skinny, and weighs less than 20 pounds, so I can just pick it up and take it with me and point it towards my bed or the bathroom. I use it after a shower every day to dry off the shower walls.