do you sleep?

[Arden]

I've noticed that when I nap, I usually go straight into REM sleep because I often dream. I usually don't feel like crap, though. I wonder if maybe I'm catching up on missed REM sleep because I don't nap if I got enough sleep the night before.

[toast]

I love REM sleep. Especially Losing my Religion sleep.

[Darkshadow]

Oh haha, aren't we witty today?
(Losing my Religion is a good song though )

chem, could a messed up brain chemistry alter circadian rhythms from what they "should" be? I'm really serious when I tell you that staying on a day schedule produces the same effects in me that someone trying to stay on a night schedule says they have.

To keep ya from having to dig through the other thread, and to add some to it, my hippocampus is malformed/damaged and has been as long as I've been alive. Doctor couldn't tell if it was a malformation or if some trauma in the womb caused it, but it doesn't matter overmuch which it is. Outcome is the same. That's also not the only part of my brain that isn't quite right, quoting the doctor here: "Your brain is wired screwey." (Really, that's what he said )

'Course, I'm just asking your opinion on this one, as I'm sure you don't have a whole lot of knowledge on how my weird head may effect sleep patterns.

[Arden]

Do you know exactly what the diagnosis is, besides your HC being "screwey?"

[Darkshadow]

Not sure what you're asking there, Arden. Are you asking for specifics on how my hippocampus is messed up, or what?

If it's that - it's slightly misshapen. I actually don't know all the effects of this. Plus, like the doc said, my brain is wired funny. Meaning, I use parts of my brain that most people don't, and don't use parts that other people do. Doc said I use the "extra" parts to make up for the fact that I don't use the normal parts. That's paraphrasing there, he didn't say it like that. Basically, my brain remapped parts so it could function normally.

S'pose I'm lucky, 'cause it doesn't really affect me that badly. As I wrote in the drug thread, some mild hallucinations is about it. Well, one other thing that I can think of that I'm pretty sure is related - I'll forget a word every now and then. I'll be talking, and want to say something, and I can't say it because I've forgotten the word. I mean totally forgotten here - all associations that go with the word as well. I can't even describe what I'm trying to say. It's like there's just a blank spot there where the word used to be. Luckily it's only temporary - I'll usually remember the word somewhere around 15 minutes or so later. Usually I blurt it out when I do.

[chemistry_geek]

Just found this today.

Hope this is helpful.

Suggestions for getting a good night's sleep:

http://channels.netscape.com/ns/news...roublesleeping

http://www.shuteye.com/

[habilis]

I've definately found that exercising, in my case jogging 3 or 4 miles through the park during the day, makes sleeping at night very easy. When I don't exercise, my brain is still alert when I lay down.

But the worst destroyer of sleep I've found is when I watch a lot of news before bed or play video games before bed, it just fires up too many neurons when I do that, and I'll lay down and my mind is still in full-alert mode. I don't recommend that.

Like the articles said, reading a book works very very well. The best sleeper books for me are unbiased history or science that's hard to understand. This book I'm reading right now called Beyond Evolution has me to sleep in 5 minutes! I also have my favorite sleeper standby, Naked Lunch by William Burroughs, my favorite author book of all time.

[Arden]

Just get a book of the laws of your state or country and try to read that when you go to sleep.

I was going to post this earlier, but I never got around to it. I went to Summerfest this year in Modesto because the band Lifehouse played. They were really the main reason I went. So anyway, I like to stand in front of the stage during concerts like these, and I did with Lifehouse. Midway through their act, while they were still playing, I swear I started to fall asleep, on my feet, in the middle of the crowd. I just couldn't keep my eyes open, even though I was still listenin' to the music. It was really weird.

Also: Insomnia is not defined by the length of time it takes you to fall asleep, but by the quality of sleep you get.