Time it takes to fall asleep?

02-02-2009, 12:30 PM

Hi, so for awhile now i've been wondering if the time it takes for me to fall asleep is normal. Everyone I know is asleep within 10 minutes however, it takes me nearly an hour to fall asleep every night. If i don't have a good nights sleep it will take a few nights to sleep well as im so paranoid about not sleeping. I can't seem to stop thinking about things, usually negative things. Furthermore, I seem to get a "second wind" around 11pm. I can be exhausted all day and feel great once it is drawing near to bedtime. I prefer to stay up until 3am in the summer ( i go to bed around 12:30 during school) because i feel my best from 11-3. Also, i'm a really light sleeper ( I sleep with an eyemask and earplugs) and when i dream its usually very lucid and there's a 70% chance something negative in the dream happens such as people dieing. Lastly, napping, never happens. I need to set aside like 2 hours to get 30 minutes sleep out of it.

So, i guess my questions are: Is this normal sleep behavior? Or, could it somehow be linked to a sleep disorder, anxiety, etc or the fact that add and ocd run in my family?

02-02-2009, 12:51 PM

Welcome to the boards, running!

First off, it is not normal sleep behavior. From what I've been told and from my reading anyone with a sleep onset (the time it takes to fall asleep) of 15 minutes or less is experiencing sleep deprivation and/or sleep disorders....you on the other hand have other problems. You take too long to fall asleep, you lack quality/restful sleep, your mind is not in a restful phase, you're experiencing paranoia, you don't nap well, and you feel your best when you should be sound asleep. No, this is not normal sleep behavior.

You mention a family hx of mental health issues and for that reason I would ask if you are currently taking any over the counter or prescription medications? I ask, because many, many, many different kinds of meds cause those problems and simply eliminating or switching meds may solve the problem.

If you are not taking meds, I would encourage you to talk to your family doctor about seeing a sleep specialist...the specialist would determine what measures/tests would be needed identify your sleep issues.

Take care and let us know how you're doing.

Bethsheba

03-10-2009, 06:19 PM

I also take along time to fall asleep usually. Now that I have two children under 2 years old I can usually hit the bed and pass out. However, I get up and feed my 4 month old and this interrupts my sleep. Then, when I get back in bed, it can take me an hour or more to get back to sleep. So then I get up exhausted. I try to take naps during the day, when I can get both my sons to nap at the same time. But it takes me, like running, so long to fall asleep that if I get 45 minutes its a lot. But 45 minutes is not enough and I was up grouchier than before I laid down. Any tips on falling asleep quicker? I also, during times of stress, will think about stuff over and over and have trouble "shutting my mind off". I do not take any medications but will take a piece of ambien when things get really bad. I would love to learn to fall asleep for a nap easily and quickly.

03-23-2009, 04:09 PM

Here are some good ideas, for falling to sleep.

[url]http://www.*******.com/Fall-Asleep[/url]

Time it takes to fall asleep?

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