Tired

[Calla]

I find it very hard to cope with lack of sleep or long days....is this something other people find or is it just me and does it just mean I am lazy?

I had to get up at 5.50am, work a 15hr day and then just survived a 2hr train journey and it's now 2.30am. And I feel awful. I should go to bed but I am "wired" and getting this off my chest.

The thing is today was VERY stressful and I started to dip at the 13hr mark!! But the people I work with do it all the time and barely feel it. I think they see me as lazy or unwilling. But I just begin to flag and feel quite unwell.

Maybe this has nothing to do with mental health. But it does get me down.

I have been doing lots of my "handbook" tips on the train. Some of it did help. But it's hard. I am worried I will never be employed again now. I wish the book also spoke about caring too much a bout what others think in the twisted thinking part!

[Calla]

I'm having some crazy palpatations as well and not sure what to do with myself. :confused: How can I get relaxed to sleep. I feel so pathetic unable to handle a day of stress. And feel I may have to change my career

[danni]

Hi Calla,

I am right there with you!!! I work crazy hours in two jobs and I have horses that like to be fed every day I know exacty what you are saying when you talk about coming home exhausted and then too wired to sleep.

there's, of course, the obvious things to think about. Caffiene use? alcohol?

For me it is partly a self discipline thing. I've been starting to enforce some rituals so to speak for myself to help me relax. Seeing my horses as one of the last things I do helps because I find them very calming. Then when I get home, I play piano for awhile, take a hot bath low light and lots of candles and basically just try to do low key quite activities that are conducive to winding down.

That's what I do but what are the things in your life that you find calming and can quiet your spirit when you need to sleep?

[kaudio]

Wow, sounds like an incredibly difficult day. I think you should keep focused on yourself right now as opposed to thinking too much about what others are thinking. If you are having a hard time of it, needless to say the people around you must be suffering.

Given the stresses you experience, are you meeting your needs properly? How is your diet? Stay away from high sugar meals. If you do take in loads of sugar from pop, balance it out with some protein. Cashews, almonds, dried fruits, plain yogurt, fruits, eggs, and milk are good examples.

Some have suggested milk before bed helps them ease into sleep. Also, a good run or walk to break a little sweat can help "phase change" from work mode to home/relax mode.

[Guest GingerSnap]

Your day wore me out reading about it. People have different levels of functioning when it comes to energy and, well, you never know what others might be willing to "use" to keep going. Thankfully, I never had a job that "possessed" me and considered them to be what I did for money for my life versus my life. As you know, this isn't good for your health and can't be good for anyone's mental health. Physical health and mental health can be a package deal. To reset for internal time clock, try melatonin, the liquid by Natrol seems to be pretty good since I give it to my son. You can get it in tablets just about everywhere. Also, the "sleepy" teas can be good and Celestial Seasons has one and it is available almost everywhere. Food for thought questions since I don't want to drill you and it isn't any of my business would be (1) Is this job worth it? (2) If you like the work is there any way you could get something like it but on a smaller scale? (3) Is there something else you really, really wish you could be doing but afraid to go for it? It seems that you aren't really that happy with your life/self and I wish I could have an answer which I don't.

[nathan]

those are long work hours, I think you deserve to be tired. I dont have as long hours at costco, but they are early too and i dont sleep either, I feel your pain at least somewhat.

ive tried melatonin and varieties of "natural" sleeping pills, but none of it works.

Writing down thoughts, like you are doing here, can though. Works for me sometimes.

[Calla]

Early morning are just the worst. I should have pointed out that I am lucky enough not to work full time, so I have time to recover from something like that. Having said that I had a bit of a "crisis" last night and I think it's been building up since getting over tired.

I never drink coffee but I do have tea. But I do try and eat sensibly etc. This week has just been particularly bad.

And I also find none of the "natural" things work for me, they often make me feel worse to be honest..."wired" even. Odd isnt it. I've tried a few different things. But yes writing it down helps me to get it out of my head.

I'm still feeling tired and run down. It's not always like this to be fair. I just hit a wall I think. Thank you all for your advice

[Endlessnight]

Calla it's 'not just you' and you are not lazy for feeling the way you do. To be honest I don't know how you are still standing with those hours, but I respect you for it. On reading your last post, i'm glad to hear that those long hours aren't a daily thing. I tried every 'natural' thing there was to help with my insomnia over the years but nothing helped. I am so grateful that the meds I take now help me sleep. Just thinking of one day not being able to take them makes me panic almost I rely on them so much for a good night's sleep. It does make all the difference.

[Guest GingerSnap]

Some teas have a higher caffeine content than coffee so be careful of that. Also, if I remember correctly, caffeine lingers about 12 hours in your system.

[Guest GingerSnap]

Rather than edit my previous post, I wanted to "bump" this to the top. On natural sleep alternatives, I have found they work best if only used for 2 or 3 nights at a time and if you need more days, switch to a different compound. Also, my experiences and some of the information that I have read indicate that chamomile will irritate weed/flower/tree type allergies - we always got the sniffles when using it, valerian can give you messed up dreams like Narnia or something with weirdness otherwise not experienced and can leave a sort of hangover effect especially if used longer term and the worst smelling and tasting herb - hops - yeah, the stuff they use to make beer but this is without the alcohol -is absolutely our choice with none being second. You can brew a bitter tea (for some reason my son likes "bitter") or use a tincture compound and it may come in a capsule. We have been experimenting with herbal compounds for different ailments for almost 20 years - gosh, where did all the time go:confused:..............now, I have depressed myself. Time to move on.

[Calla]

Thank you. Thats interesting about chamomile. So not good for hayfever sufferers? I have tried the "natural" tablets like "Kalms" and they make me feel awful! Even on just one night.

So hops is good then. I would never have thought of that. I guess thats just now and then use?