My Nightmare Realm of Dreams
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As an adult, it is recommended to have 7 - 9 hours of sleep a night. I really cannot remember the last time this happened for me but it must have been over a decade ago. I have Multiple Sclerosis and have trouble sleeping. Most nights - or mornings in fact - I do not try to get to sleep until 2 - 3 am. One reason is Steem as a lot of my contacts, allies, and friends are in US timezones. The other reason, my MS.
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Over the years I have discovered how to meditate myself to sleep. I can quite easily enter a state whereby I can relax each and every muscle to such a point that I can no longer feel my limbs - at least until some part of my wiring malfunctions and kicks a leg out or twitches random muscles, bringing me back from the brink of unconsciousness. Either way, I cannot drop off until I am way beyond tired. When my leg muscles begin to spasm, I know it's time to sleep. Nowadays, it's not so much a matter of going to the Land of Nod, it's staying there.
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Throughout the night I wake up at least 5 times, be it through pain, muscle spasms or multiple trips to the bathroom. Once upon a time, I remember wishing I could recollect my dreams, as in dreamland I had so much fun. With such interrupted sleep, every night's journey to my subconscious is vivid in memory. I will often wake up in pain, dream fresh in my head, then drop back into the dream. Even when I am sleeping, my mind never seems to shut off.
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As you can imagine, nights are long affairs, praying for sleep yet wishing beyond hope that my mind will just shut the hell up and leave me be. Dreaming has become a nightmare as I know I won't receive the desperately needed rest my body needs. Fatigue is a symptom of Multiple Sclerosis, so every night without proper rest just adds to the tiredness. It's a never-ending circle. Often I will try to nap a few times a day, just to escape this energy-sapping reality, only to be tortured by never-ending dreams. Even in dreams, I am no longer the fit and active Muxxy of old.
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Yikes a living nightmare. Tough gig to live through and you make it look so easy
It's tough, but a positive mental attitude helps me through. A lot of people far worse off in this world.
I have trouble sleeping as well. I did find that putting up the devices early in the evening, as opposed to having my eyes on them up until bed time, helps a ton with both getting to sleep reasonably and the quality of sleep. I don't have MS so can't relate to you in that respect but there are some sleeping supplements like melatonin that have been known to help as well as CBD which is making some inroads with the medical community.
My reasons are far less severe and I do get more sleep than you, but you have my sympathy. I also struggle with weird dreams and muscle spasms.
I am so sorry to here that... Never feeling rested has to be extremely hard... Have you found any tricks that help you shut everything down at night? Eating carbs before bed, drinking water or some night time tea, etc?
No, tried everything you can think of lol.
Shoot I am sorry... This may sound stupid but an app with the sound of rain or the waves crashing? Something that is meant to relax a person completely?
It is through apps like that I learned to meditate to a state of extreme relaxation. Unfortunately my nervous system likes to kick me out of that state lol.
Darn.. well, I am thinking all the positive thoughts for you! I hope you find some kind of relief!
I have no problem sleeping, but I have suffered from all kinds of nightmares. After such a night you are just devastated and tired.
wou when reading your blog I realize how much you suffer at night to sleep
Your article made me reflect how lucky I am to sleep well
I hope you can sleep well one day
good luck
I am wondering if the CBD would help. I'm having my seasonal issues with allergic reactions to bug bites which I fail to avoid. The CBD is helping me sleep through the intense itching... Well that and the severe itch of poison ivy. The other that helps me is doterra serenity caplets. It's lavender and a specific protein. I would bet on the CBD first for pain though. I wonder if they've studied it with MS. Surely so.
I didn't have either one when I fell so I can't really report on my muscle spasm reactions to either. For the spasm in my face I used a blend that included Melissa oil. But only externally. It usually did stop the spasms but that's small beans compared to MS. But you might also check for research on Melissa oil and MS.
You're the only other person I know of that relaxes individual muscles before sleep. I have to start by telling my tongue to stop pressing the roof of my mouth lol. A person told me I do that to keep from saying all I want to. They may or may not have been correct. It may be how I keep my brains in place.
At any rate the brain and nervous system is increasingly amazing and amusing to me as it seems to be running away from me at an increasing speed. Ironies of life.
I'm always thrilled to see you doing everything possible to keep it running under your terms.