Night Owls (for those awake late and can't sleep)

[Croix]

Dear All
The purpose of this thread is as a meeting point for those that can’t sleep and it is late (I.E. AFTER midnight.)

It can be a useful space for users to share their issues with insomnia as well as coping strategies. It can also be a general space for users to converse and support one another throughout a difficult night.

Please note – for those that are just bored or lonely we already have a place - the BB Café, which I recommend instead of here

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/online-forums/bb-social-zone/the-bb-cafe

Croix

[mmMekitty]

Hi Sleepy & Fred,

Home from hospital, now I can get some sleep, so I am sorry I missed your posts. I was feeling unnaturally tired by 11:15pm, & turned everything off & took myself to bed. I was sleeping when you posted, & only woke a couple times before 5:45am. Then one of my legs was aching & I could not seem to get it comfortable, so I quit trying to sleep half an hour later.

It sure has been an awful time lately. Just when we thought Delta was bad, & it was in one way, now we have Omicron, which is bad the other, in that it is more infectious, & our governments are responding differently, & to my mind, incompetently.It's as if they are throwing out what little is known & letting us fend for ourselves. I'm glad I already am doing whatever I can to keep myself from being infected, & therefore, not transmitting any kind of COVID-19 to anyone.

Would that I didn't have to spend a few days in hospital, I would rather have not taken the risk being there posed. Now I am home, & only anticipating outpatient check-up appointments, I feel releived of some of my concerns. I feel, I cannot relax, feeling more keenly aware of people around me, how many people coming into my flat, how they are careful, or not.

It's hard, putting all of us on edge, at the very least.

So, Fred,if your anxiety is getting the better of you, & you feel in need of more support, is there someone you know you can talk to? Of-course, you can talk on BB, but we cannot replace having a counsellor or therapist. Happy to keep talking, though. 😸

You are not alone. Many people are feeling much the same as you.

Can I also ask, what things do you do to help yourself when you are feeling particularly anxious, specifically during these late/early hours?

mmMekitty

[Moonstruck]

It's about 2am and I read somewhere its better if you get up, change rooms, get a cuppa, or read or whatever...just to break the cycle of lying there wide awake. I think I am wide awake because I love the night hours...I am a different person....I feel "safe" when everyone else is sleeping. just now I am in my office room that also has a tv and even the late night shows are calming me down a bit just playing in the background.

there is no chance of anyone phoning, or dropping in, or meeting up with neighbours,making small talk. at this hour, I have the world all to myself. I can get a snack, or a drink. It's cool. In a few hours the Qld sun will begin beating down relentlessly and make the whole day uncomfortable.

I just feel "scared" during the bright sunlight , the harsh glare of day,as if it is revealing all my insecurities,my fears, my pain, my inadequacies. At night, these peaceful, glorious hours where I can go out my door and see a full moon, and a comforting canopy of black endless sky, beautifully adorned with sparkling stars and peace peace peace. A cool breeze that disappears when the sun comes up. I only have a few hours left and my consoling night time will disappear. The yelllowness will blast its spotlight on me throught the curtains and another terrifying day of fear and loneliness begins.

Yes I love these night hours.

[quirkywords]

Moon

what a well written post that can relate.
I like the stillness of the night, the peace. Daytime has hustle and bustle and pressures me to be social.

I am a hermit who likes be alone .

[britishtvfan]

i'm around if anyone would like to chat.

[mmMekitty]

I'm not back to my 'normal' up late irregular routine, so was not awake when you, Robthomaslover, posted.

I do like the quiet of night, even with my tinnitus. Where I live is not always peaceful, & I feel anxious about the sounds I hear, wanting to identify what, where & why, so I can relax, or I have to have my audiobook playing, but, not so loud as to annoy those noisy neighbours.

I would love to only hear wildlife, leaves in a gentle breeze, things like that, even distant traffic, though nature sounds are preferred. But even some natural sounds don't sound peaceful.

mmMekitty

[britishtvfan]

sorry for my late reply mmMekitty.

sorry to hear that. can i please ask where you get the audiobooks from & if you need to pay for them or a membership?

[mmMekitty]

Hi Robthomaslover,

The way this place is, I don't think anyone expects immediate responses to most posts. If we are trying to post very close some posts may end up out of sequence, as has sometimes happened in the word game threads. I am also aware that like me, somepeople may take a while to think of what they want to post, It's all okay.

*

I cam download from Vision Australia, as a member & as someone who is blind or vision impaired or as someone who has a disability which makes reading print very difficult.

Also I have found many audiobooks on YouTube, & many seem to have very few ads, or might show ads each time I re-open the webpage, whish I have kept as a favourite, so it opens at the place where I last stopped reading. Many have no ads at all. Some are uploaded in parts, so I've had to locate part 2, 3 & (if I come across one split too many times, perhaps someone else had uploaded it with fewer parts.

Or there is your local city council library.

& if you want to spend money, there are the online places, some of which I'm sure are familiar to you. By subscription or buying books outright.

*

I've had a long day today, so after a snooze, I'm up now, again, to have a late dinner & continue putting away groceries, delivered earlier.

I've had erratic wake/sleeping non-routine pattern for a long time, since I was a teenager, or maybe even earlier., when it was that I enjoyed being awake after everyone else had gone to sleep, & I'd be listening, sort of feeling the world, I imagined.

I'm getting older, have physical problems as well as the mental health stuff, & I struggle with being so erratic with my sleep.

I gather you are okay with being up late? What happens when you do have to be up & about during the day?

mmMekitty

[Guest_1643]

Hi all

I have been sleeping in too much....up late..

I agree it is jmportant not to pressure anyone to reply and to understand ppl reply whenever they can

Hope the audio books are relaxing. Enjoy and have a beautiful day

[mmMekitty]

Hello Sleepy,

I've had periods of years where I would sleep it, because I would be up late, & it hadn't been a great problem until I had commitments, appointments, & things to be up early for, & I'd feel terribly rushed & stressed as a result. So, adjusting wake/sleep routine does seem the most practical way to sort this out. Easier said than done, in my experience, but with a great effort, much discipline, I know it can be done.

So, may I ask, what's been keeping you up late? & what do you think could help with that?

mmMekitty

[Mum Chris]

Hi

I just found this thread. I am not sleeping well and I wake up early too. I’m exhausted and go to sleep but I wake sometimes before midnight but mostly 1:30 to 2:30am and I’m wide awake. I try all my old tricks like relaxation and breathing but nothing is working. I am worse when I have something to do the next day. I go over it in my head and plan and mentally schedule and things I need to say or do and usually don’t get much done because I’m too tired.
I found relaxation music and affirmations on YouTube and have been putting them on and one earbud in and it does finally help me sleep eventually. I can’t put both earbuds in because my PTSD means I need to be aware of my surroundings. I’m working on feeling safe with a psych doctor but I’m a long way off feeling safe.
The overwhelming tiredness is making me nauseous and distracted. I always think tonight I will sleep I’m so tired but 1:30am I’m lying in bed trying to not wake my husband.

MC