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I am so tired

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Posted 11/25/2007 3:31 PM (GMT 0)
I am exhausted all the time to the point that I have had to miss days of work.  I think I have a substantial sleep debt.  I have been sleeping for about 7 hours every single night(even weekends) for about 9 months. (Never more than 7 hours) Which I would think would be enough but I think I am the kind of person that needs more but for some reason I can't seem to sleep more.  So I figured since I had a long weekend I would sleep as much as I could and last night after sleeping and lying around all weekend trying to pay back some sleep I decided I was going to try to go out.  I went to a bar (which I had been looking forward to going to all day) and lasted about 15 minutes I had to leave and go right to bed.  So I guess what I am trying to figure out is what to do?  Do I sleep more? do I sleep less?  My plan is to try and get 9 hours of sleep when I am back to work Monday and get up at the same time every morning, until I pay back all the debt.  Any thoughts?  I think I am depressed and that is why I am so tired, but I don't feel as though I should be, I have no reason to be depressed.  I went to the doctor a while back and he said I was depressed after I filled out a 5 question survey that I'm pretty sure was made up by the zoloft people.  He gave me Zoloft and I refused to take because a) I think I am strong enough to beat this without medication b) I read all of the side effects and it didn't seem worth it. 

I guess the big thing that I am trying to figure out or see if anyone can relate to is, it is almost like I don't know my own body anymore.  That probably doesn't make any sense.  But it seems like I don't know when I am hungry any more until I start to feel weak, I don't know when I haven't slept enough until I am about to pass out.  I don't get tired (i.e. yawning) I just get to a point where I have to lay down or I am going to pass out. 

It is like life is such a struggle.  I hope somebody can relate to this I know what I wrote is kind of all over the place, much like my life right now.  Any recommendations would be helpful.

Thank you in advance.

Posted 11/25/2007 4:06 PM (GMT 0)
Hi dolppl,

I used to think that I should be stong enough to "beat" depression without taking any medication. I mean that's the mentality I grew up with. Don't let anyone know your problems, take care of things yourself, and if you need something done, you better do it yourself. But, after battling with it for over 16 years, I'm now 33, I've finally realized that I am still battling it and taking small steps along the way to get better. And if taking two small pills every morning helps me to better manage it and helps me gain a better perspective on things, and helps me better cope with life, and eliminates the mental cobwebs so I can think straight again, and effectively take the additional steps that are needed to get my life back, then by all means I'll take the medication. Especially, when I keep in mind the days where I just refused to get out of bed or it was too difficult to make a cup of tea.

Depending on how much sleep you need, you may need more. More folks need eight hours a night. Do you go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time every morning? If not, you may want to get into a routine, where you unwind an hour or so before going to bed and set the alarm for the same time every morning - including weekends. 'Cause I find Monday mornings especially difficult if I allow myself to "sleep in" over the weekend. I also use a light box for 30 minutes every morning, which helps my internal clock stay "on time;" it also does wonders for SAD.

If the side effects of Zoloft have you worried, you can always ask your doctor to prescribe a different one with less side effects or a drug that he/she can explain to you what the specific risks are for each side effect. I started with Wellbutrin, which gave me a ton of energy, but didn't affect my mood. Now, I'm on Celexa, which doesn't have the energy boost, but my mind is clear and I haven't felt this confident in years. Also, if you don't already, you may want to get into a exercise routine. I find when I exercise I have a lot more energy, and I sleep a lot better at night! Hope some of this helps!

Best of luck!
Sadsong
Posted 11/25/2007 4:35 PM (GMT 0)
Hi there,

"Re-Paying" a sleep debt is not neccessarily about how long you sleep. When you have a sleep debt (as you call it) it means that your body is lacking in REM (Rapid Eye Movement) Sleep. REM sleep is a very shallow stage of sleeping and is the time when your brain does the majority of its 'spring cleaning' and is also the time when you dream. Increasing the quality of your sleep (i.e giving yourself more REM Sleep) sounds like a good answer to me. You can do this by improving your diet, exercising more and maintaining a good circadian rhythm (Sleep pattern).

I hope this helps and if you want further details, just yell or email me.

Darren

 

Posted 11/25/2007 6:42 PM (GMT 0)
Do you drink alcohol? Because it is a depressant and just makes you more depressed. Bars are depressing to me because they are dark and everybody gets drunk. When you are sober, it is hard to be around drunk people.
I hope you start feeling better soon, maybe you do need more sleep.
And medications do help, it takes a while to find the right one sometimes. I have been on them for years, the best that has helped me is abilify, maybe you could try that. It does give you energy, but sometimes it can be overstimulating.
Good luck,
getting by.
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