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Insomnia: A cry in the wilderness (not a "those-dingoes-ate-my-baby cry," but a cry nonetheless).

Okay, so if being an insomniac meant that I had the energy and concentration to actually get a little writing done, I might be okay with it. But, at this point, I'm so exhausted and strung out that I can't even remember the name of the bird on my bed sheets (um....flamingo? This took me a full 30 seconds this afternoon. It was frightening. I suddenly saw myself in 30 years, doddering around, drool on my chin, unable to remember the word for kitchen, you know, that room at the other end of the house, where the cheese is? where the cats pace around endlessly, waiting for someone to feed them? the place with the, um, tea kettle?), so writing's pretty much out.

Breathe. Anyhoo! Here's the deal: For the past two weeks, I just wander the house from bed time until 3 or 4 in the morning. Can't sleep. Can't sleep. Can't sleep. Of course, the monkey is still up at 7, so at this point I've been going on 3-4 hours a night for 2 weeks.

Help Me. Please.

I'm still breastfeeding about 4-5 times a day. Can I do melatonin? Does anyone recommend this?

Here's what I've tried: Yoga, sex, glass of whiskey, deep breathing, masturbation, sex, visualization, pacing, sex, bargaining with a higher power, sex, reading the most godawful old literary criticism textbooks that I have no idea why I've hung onto all these years, approx. 7,000 gallons of "sleepytime tea," sex/masturbation/whiskey...you get the picture.

I'm getting a little desperate over here.

Oh, yes, and I'm a little afraid of any "tylenol pm" sort of thing, since I'm predisposed to the blues anyway. And weed's out, because if I smoke weed, then I will rush out and buy a pack of Camel Straights and smoke all of them before dawn--then feel like THE WORST MOTHER ON THE PLANET, EVER, because I smoked while I was breastfeeding. Christ. It's really too much, isn't it?

Whatcha got, ladies, by way of advice? Everything else I've gotten here has been right on the money, so I'm counting on ya. ~E

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I take homeopathic Hyland's

I take homeopathic Hyland's Calms Forte for adults when I can't sleep, and like oogiemama, it works for me as long as I don't fight it. It has chamomile and a few other things in it, but I have no idea about transfer or any negative side effects when breastfeeding. I doubt there are any, but not for sure. Good luck! I have bouts of insomnia too and they about drive me out of my mind.

  • By agmommy at 01/16/2006 - 6:58pm

Have you tried Valerian?

I had luck with that, but you also have to set up everything in your life so that you have a bedtime schedule. Take Valerian, wait an hour, lay down and go to sleep.

Good taste is the enemy of creativity.
~ Pablo Picasso
Bizarro Pizarro

  • By lapina at 01/16/2006 - 5:52pm

Thanks, Lap and Ag

I saw both of these things in the store when Hank and I were taking our morning walk. I might give 'em a try.

  • By VirtuousPagan at 01/16/2006 - 7:03pm

Good Call.

Next time I'm up, I'll poke around HM and see if anyone else is wandering around.

Yeh, I've heard that same thing about needing less sleep as you age. Sigh. I'd be fine with it, IF I could function.

  • By VirtuousPagan at 01/16/2006 - 7:05pm

I have taken melationin on a

I have taken melationin on a rare occasion. It works great for me so long as i don't try and fight it. I am not sure if it transfers through breast milk though, maybe if you google it you could get a better answer on that or consult a pharmacist.

  • By oogiemama at 01/16/2006 - 4:11pm

books on tape (or cd). puts

books on tape (or cd). puts me to sleep everytime and ended my worst bout of insomnia. You can get them at the library, find a really boring classic read by someone with a british accent. I swear this works and if it doesn't, you will appear well read.

"Women constitute half the world's population, perform nearly two-thirds of its work hours, receive one-tenth of the world's income and own less than one-hundredth of the world's property." (U.N. Report, 1980)

__________________

* I'm all fight and no flight *

  • By mrs. sauce at 01/16/2006 - 2:04pm

you're hilarious

man i thought i was the only one with early onset alzheimers, most days i cannot even finish my own sentences, or remember what that white or orange stuff that comes in squares, that you can slice and put on bread, and you keep in that big white thing that is cold, in that room at the end of the hall where Elizabeth W keeps her cats, is...

and now i am getting insomnia too...

tell me if the melatonin works mama, cuz i think i need some too!

  • By goldie at 01/16/2006 - 12:14pm

Will do.

I pick up a bit this a.m.

  • By VirtuousPagan at 01/16/2006 - 7:06pm

I don't know...but "you

I don't know...but

"you know, that room at the other end of the house, where the cheese is?"

That's funny. You might want to re-think that whole too-braindead-to-write thing 'cuz this blog was pretty good.

  • By jmoon at 01/16/2006 - 9:12am

Oh, I wish I could help you,

Oh, I wish I could help you, but if you will look at the time on this post you will see that any suggestions I have aren't worth shit.

TOTALLY get you with the memory loss. I have visions of myself with Alzheimers, of deciding to take a little stroll around town in my underpants. Yesterday, I forgot how to spell "kept". A FOUR letter word. I looked at it, over and over, for about 20 minutes because it just didn't look right.

So tonight what I am doing is drinking a nice glass of wine, and hoping that'll do it. Sex is out. I don't feel like masturbating, and I've been washing clothes all evening so don't have the hot water to take a bath. All I can say is I hear you!

__________________

"Step off my big ass."

- Anthromom

  • By mamasusie at 01/16/2006 - 6:36am

Oh, Man, MamaS,

you always make me laugh. Always. Hey, in happier news: It looks as if the Miss America Pageant contestants have arrived safely in Las Vegas. Whew. I was so worried for them. I thought to myself: What if they don't, like, make it there? Or what if their plane goes down? Or what if they're eaten by sharks? But, thankfully, they are safe and sound. In Vegas.

"Kept," huh? I hear ya. It is kind of a weird looking word, now that I study it closely. The other day I was showing a friend (who was sitting for Hank) where the overcooked frozen pizza that had been on the counter all day was--just in case she got hungry--and I kept pointing at the top of the stove. I said, "It's there! It's there! Under the, the, the, the, you know!, the, the," and she said, "the aluminum foil?"

And I said, "Yes. The aluminum foil."

Hell, it's probably the freakin' aluminum foil that's causing me to be so damn dumb!

  • By VirtuousPagan at 01/16/2006 - 6:45am

oh thank lordess the miss

oh thank lordess the miss america contestants are safe. that made me giggle.

i am running on no sleep here, too, but because of a teething baby (i think she's teething...). so yeah. i have been blanking on everything lately. so i feel you. and i can't write to save my life these days. i'm sorry you're going through this, but it is nice to have some good company in this lifeboat adrift in a sea of crazy sleepless nights.

  • By maxine louise at 01/16/2006 - 4:52pm

yes you can do melatonin

They have studied it as a treatment for septic newborns - it helps. It is naturally released by the pineal gland, even in little babies. It is not a foreign substance. Anyway, still, only take it at night, and try to get an ultra low dosage. You can get a 300 microgram pill from Life Extension Foundation (www.lef.org)

Sunflower the unflower

__________________

Sunflower the unflower

Mom's Tinfoil Hat
Foodie loves Picky

  • By sunflower at 01/16/2006 - 6:36am

Thank You!

This was what I was hoping to hear. I will go and find some tomorrow. Coop? Health food store?

  • By VirtuousPagan at 01/16/2006 - 6:47am

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