Tell me about it. You're 7 years younger than I am, so you have youth on your side. When I was a young buck, 2-3 hours sleep a night was cool, and didn't cause me stress. For the past 15 years or so, doing similar work to you, being awake most of the time has been great for late night software/hardware upgrades etc, but a few years ago I started getting really run down, actually falling asleep in the middle of a conversation!. Once I was diagnosed with sleep apnea, and started the CPAP, I was back to my old self.Inthe past year, I have noticed that I now like to get around 4-5 hours of good sleep,and I expect as I get older I will start needing more. Iam now making an effort to improve my health and lose weight, hoping to get rid of the apnea naturally so I can shelve this little box/mask.

 

guys, that really sucks. I feel for both of ya. To be honest I never knew there was such disorders that weren't easily fixed with a simple pill. What kind of surgery is available? How the hell do you guys go through life with that little sleep....I got like 3 hours a night for a few months when my son was an infant and I woke up so pissed off that I got into fights all day long. That must be horrible to live through. On the plus side, my meds keep me up till around 4 am every morning so if we can get a late night chat room going at least we'll have each other to bullchit to!

 

 

Certainly there are meds you can take to pass out, ambien, lunesta, valium, etc etc .. .however ... I won't touch that crap with a 10 foot pole unless I have no other options ... I had a doc who Rx:ed me crap for waaaaaaaaay too long of a time and it basically destroyed my short term memory ... You could ask me what I had for lunch 3 hours earlier and I would have no idea ... no thanks .. I'll just suck it up and deal before going through THAT again!
Like LHB said, making some life style changes does help too. I've cut out my coffee and other caffeinated drinks andbelieve me, going from 12-14 cups of coffee/day to zero fricken sucks .. however it had a positive impact on things. I've cut back on smoking as well, and no smokes and hour or so before trying to crash. Minor changes but it does make an impact. Losing a few pounds will help with the sleep apnea too, I know that from experience. That's in the works too .. It's just difficult managing the insomnia aspects of it ... it only takes 2-3 nights to undo what took me weeks or even months to accomplish ... having a set routine in this aspect is truly what keeps at least my azz tickin' ....

In this particular case I would say age is insignificant! You go this long on as little sleep as we do, it's not going to matter whether you're 30 or 37 ... you're going to be exceptionally run down regardless ...

I tell you what ... when I had mono a couple of years back .. that was the best fricken 3 months in the past 15 years LOL! I went to work, came home, passed out, that's it LOL! I must have slept at least half if not more of those 3 months .. I almost wish I'd get a relapse here LOL!

 

Sorry to hear about your sleep problems Nick...I know when chit is on my mind, I can go all night without sleeping..Must be a b1tch to have that all the time...Xanax does put me through some tough nights though (not habit forming for me)...I do a half of a 10 and I'm out for 8-10 hours..so I save that for the weekends when I need the recharge.

 

Ain't nuffin but a thang my friend ..the sleep apnea bit is by far theworst since it wakes me up12348761293478 times a night ... if thatpart went away, holy hell I'd be a new man! LOL! Hopefully between having my tonsils out (yes I still have those @#$!@# things) and resculpturing of the back of my throatit'll get fixed .. .we'll see .. waiting to hear back from my doc on a sleep study referal and ultimately *hoping* atable time at the hosp!

And Xanax!? Mmmmm mmmm MMMMM! Unfortunately it doesn't sit too well with me the following morning ... feels like I have a head full of glue LOL!

 

Agreed, the insomnia is more a lifestyle, ie you get used to it. I don't have an issue with being awake almost all the time, it lets me get waymore things done. But the apnea really sucks, because as Zyne says,not getting a good sleep when you dofeel the need, and the acompanying oxygen deprivationmake you tired and miserable. Getting rid of the apnea would make a HUGE difference.

 

I bet the first thing they want you to try is that stupid C-pap machine that forces air up your nose..I think the discomfort of being hooked to that thing would be worse than snoring all night...I donno..I will never use one if I can help it..I think the little hangy downy thingy in the back of my throat is the main culprit for thesounds of a McCullough in the night...

 

They already tried Den, I refused and demanded the surgery as it would (hopefully) be a permanent fix. I've triedthem and they are too disruptive for me ... too noisy I think... I want it taken care of, I've gone like this for too long and I'll pay for the surgery out of pocket if I have to, regardless of the cost associated.

Yep, 3 hours of no waking up would be blissfull ... the insomnia bit is an asset on occation, but having your body work against you the times you do get to sleep, it greatly compounds the initial issue :/