09 January 2008

Too Tired to Sleep?

Can a person get so tired that they can't sleep?

I remember reading somewhere that infants and toddlers can become so tired that they literally cannot fall asleep. Can it happen to adults too?

I currently have the worst jet-lag I have ever experienced. And it is all my fault. When we got home on Saturday, I was determined to stay awake until evening. When I do that, I have a long, hard day. But I am usually fine by the next day.

But it was a cold, dreary and rainy on Saturday. Plus GLH (who never has jet-lag and can fall asleep pretty much anytime and anywhere he wants) decided to go to bed. After showering, eating breakfast, checking my e-mail and watching t.v. for a while, I decided that it was a crappy day and I was tired. Plus GLH looked cozy and warm. So I went to sleep too.

We woke up in the late afternoon.

At 10:30 GLH went to bed and fell asleep immediately. I took a sleeping pill and read a book for 20 minutes while I waited for the pill to take effect. Then I turned off the light and tried to sleep. At 1:30 in the morning I gave up. I got up and took 2 sleeping pills. And remained unconscious until nearly noon, possibly in a drug-induced temporary coma.

It is now Wednesday and my sleep patterns are still out of whack. I sleep for a short while at night, anywhere from 3-6 hours or so. Then I force myself to stay awake all day so that hopefully I will be able to sleep that night.

I am so exhausted I am barely functioning.

So again, I ask you, can you get so tired that you cannot sleep anymore?

By the way, to our international guests who think I am mean when I force them to stay awake from the time they arrive on the morning flight until at least 9:30 pm. THIS IS WHY I DO THAT! It really is for your own good.

And I will never, ever do this to myself again!

5 comments:

Pea said...

yes It happens to me too some times .. fatigue and stress I guess

Anonymous said...

Try melatonin. It is just as effective as a sleeping pill, but it will be wiped out of your system as soon as your eyes are exposed to sunlight. Just like nature intended. It has worked wonders for me since switching back and forth from days to nights at work.
Good luck, Jen

Global Librarian said...

Just went to check at the pharmacy. Melatonin is not legal in Switzerland.

Back to the sleeping pills...

Anonymous said...

I did the exact same thing the last time I got back. Never again.

Anonymous said...

I have the same problem. Been on Zoldorm for a year, and now it's back to taking more than an hour to fall asleep, and then sleeping fr about 3-4 hours total. I'm sooooo tired but I can't sleep. I'm buying melatonin when I go home next week!