Comments on: The Curse of Sleep Deprivation

By: Burt Tully

Burt Tully — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 21:14:55 +0000

Hello there! I know this is kinda off topic however , I’d figured I’d ask. Would you be interested in trading links or maybe guest authoring a blog article or vice-versa? My blog discusses a lot of the same topics as yours and I believe we could greatly benefit from each other. If you’re interested feel free to shoot me an email. I look forward to hearing from you! Fantastic blog by the way!

By: Joyce

Joyce — Fri, 07 May 2010 20:40:21 +0000

Jill- I don't know if Laura is still answering this column, it's pretty old, but I'll try anyway.

2 years ago I was diagnosed with a sleep disorder. What was happening was that I was never really falling asleep. In my sleep test, I would start to fall asleep and my body would twitch and I'd be back on a level between wake and sleep. I was never getting any REM sleep, which is essential. My doctor said that this had been going on for a long time, years, and I had not become aware of a problem until it got so bad that I was trying to sleep 14-16 hours a day.

Sleep deprivation can cause all kinds of weird and strange behaviors one of which is personality change. I went to a psychologist for depression during this time and was put on medication that helped but did not cure the problem. I knew there was still something wrong but not what. I evidentally began spending money and shopping to excess but was not aware of the amount I was spending. My cheerful and positive outlook became crabby. My family despaired and my husband finally decided he wanted a divorce. About that time was when things got so bad with all the hours I was sleeping. Finally, an astute doctor sent me to a sleep clinic. I was put on medication which helped me to sleep and even dream again. I got back to normal and managed to save my marriage but now there are about 8 years I have little to no recollection of. They are just wiped out. Sometimes someone will talk about an incident during that time and I might have a vague recollection of it.

Having done a lot of research now on sleep disorders, I can tell you that weird consequences are entirely possible. Also, sleep deprivation is worse than being legally drunk and that was a test done on people who only slept 3 hours a night for 3 nights. They thought they were perfectly normal. We are concerned about drunk drivers but with society today having more and more sleep problems, we should be concerned about sleep deprived drivers as well.

I am now using Silva as well as brain entrainment music to help me sleep. The medication I am on I will eventually get used to and will no longer work so I am using this interval to cure myself so I don't need it at all.

If you have any specific, helpful actions I can take, I'm happy to hear them. Thanks for your help.

I also wrote this to alert people. If you suspect you have a sleep problem, including continuing insomnia, please, please find a sleep clinic and get tested. This is not just an inconvenience or an everyday ailment, it can be life threatening. It can kill you, folks. Get help, then get Silva and cure yourself. Like many things, it can be a stress induced illness and as we all know, there's enough stress in the modern world to go around to everyone in it two or three times. Get help, get Silva–learn how to use your mind to relax and to heal. Illness takes time. You have better things to do.

By: Florence

Florence — Wed, 20 May 2009 11:06:40 +0000

I have travelled from over seas and come to the US. I have been in the US since 14th May, 2009. My sleeping pattern is gone haywire I feel sleepy during the day. Incase I sleep during the day then I do not get sleep at night. If I need to sleep at night I have to go to bed only around 1.00AM of so to be up by 7.00AM. Incase I feel tired and go to bed by 10.00pm then I am up by 3.00am. please help me

By: Jayne

Jayne — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 09:47:47 +0000

i have recently been diagnoised with insomnia. even since i was a child (today im 23yrs) my brain would force me to sleep in the afternoons. i get tired very easily – even with serious exercise and serious adrenalin pumping through me my brain would force me to sleep. its getting to the stage where its affecting my work. i work 8hrs a day and no amount of coffee, sugar, or serious energy drinks will keep me awake. im fighting everyday to stay awake. i have had a sleep study for both night and day sleeping. my night sleeping is textbook perfect. my daytime sleeping however i can fall asleep within five minutes every two hrs throughout the day even with perfect sleep the night previous. my specialist has me on a drug to cope with the problem but the drugs are very expensive. there is no other remedy the he can prescribe me. the drugs are helping but if there is any other way to help with my disorder im open to suggestions. i dont have a sugar problem cause of the amount of sugar (chocolate, V drinks – high caffaine drinks, dont like coffee) has no effect on me. my diet is healthy, im not overweight and i exercise regulary. i can wake up in the morning feeling exhausted and headaches when i wake up (especially when i am forced to sleep during the day) are common. i can sleep for an entire day and still feel like i havent slept at all. i also suffer from depression which in turn doesnt help me and im very grumpy 80% of the time. i am hoping that what this program has done for countless others will help me. please if there is anything please reply as soon as possible.

By: paula

paula — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 05:36:59 +0000

i’ve had insomnia since i was a child but also have multiple sleep disorders that are inherited from my mother they include walking, talking, and i can even cook and carry on a conversation in my sleep. my husband says i look and act awake and function like i am awake but he can tell when i’m asleep now after 28 years my eyes are glassy and appear like i am looking off at something in the distance. the effects are i’m usually tired have gained weight an experiance anxiety attacks. i’ve tried everthing even hypnosis. any help here would be appreciated . thanks paula am still a work in progress.

By: sleep deprivation

sleep deprivation — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:44:14 +0000

I have had trouble sleeping for 16yrs. The side effects from both of my medicine is restlessness, sleeplessness. All night I know I am awake, and DO NOT get any sleep all night. I would like to sleep the night through.

By: Malia

Malia — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 07:51:35 +0000

Hello.. I sometimes will struggle with sleep when anxiety gets high.. but this only happens to me now when I forget to find my center.. or trust that the universe will provide everything I need. I have experienced many miracles, which I relate to whenever I feel the temptation not to trust. Also.. if there is a situation particularly close to me, making relaxation difficult, I do take melatonin to sleep and it will knock me out within half an hour.. I also practice regular meditation and visualization. I hope this helps.

By: Sir Rod

Sir Rod — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 00:08:51 +0000

I have had poor sleep almost my entire life, my mom and sister also suffer from it, thought it was just genetics. I drop off to sleep almost instantly, rarely do I lie awake waiting to fall asleep. But depending on daylight savings time, I am awake around 2 or 3 am every single night. Sometimes I fall back asleep, but most nights I toss and turn before going to the couch. Then I toss and turn there for a while before eventually dozing off again for 30 minutes or so. Then it’s time to get up.

Recently I have been staying up past midnight, until I am dead tired. But I sleep right through to my alarm at 6 am. Longest continuous sleep I have had in 28 years. I only remember one summer as a teenager where I slept every night right through.

Tried over the counter sleep aids, I feel so refreshed when I wake up…at 3 am.

On average I am in bed for 7 to 7.5 hours, but I have only 3 or 4 hours of deep sleep.

Thanks for listening and caring.

By: Umar Ibn Jibril

Umar Ibn Jibril — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 07:34:44 +0000

The situation is so bad and long standing. Do not know how to deal with it any longer as all medications have always failed after one or two days.
Some nights, I do not sleep at all till morning. Any time I manage to fall asleep, even the movement of ordinary cockroach brings me back to live.

I have read the response of all above and the situations all apply to my case. I can assure you, I have resigned to faith because, sometimes, I will manage to have about ten hours sleep in a whole week. Too bad! I will not mind a solution(s) from you for, I do try any secret and hope to stumble on a workable pill(solution) one day. Hence, I do read anything I could find on the subject “insomnia.”

Thank you very much.

By: tom

tom — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 01:32:02 +0000

Hi. I usually get about 6 hrs. of sleep from about 3am til about 9am. For years I haven’t been getting enough sleep and I wake up tired and am tired and yawning throughout the day. I think it started following the death of a close friend a long number of years ago. My father also died 3 months after my friend.
2. I usually take a 300mg dose of soluble aspirin before I go to bed.
3. I usually get about 6 hours, but when I wake it’s very hard to get back to sleep again.
4. It’s sleep, but it’s not deep, good quality sleep. It doesn’t refresh me and recharge the batteries!