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The cranky thread


Hermit

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Re: The cranky thread

 

Anyone out there that can suggest a fix for encroaching near-exhaustion that does not involve:

 

1) quitting a job I enjoy, and

2) getting some damn sleep

 

I am in bed, ostensibly "asleep", for up to 11 hours a day now... and still slowly climbing. I just don't seem to be getting any rest, anymore. I'm not "restless" per se - I don't frequently wake up, toss and turn, anything like that. But I'm just (apparently) not capable of living a nocturnal lifestyle, anymore.

 

I thought I could do this for five months (the length of the job contract). Just over three months in now, and rapidly approaching "wrecked".

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Re: The cranky thread

 

Anyone out there that can suggest a fix for encroaching near-exhaustion that does not involve:

 

1) quitting a job I enjoy, and

2) getting some damn sleep

 

It's not a short-term solution, but:

http://www.herogames.com/forums/entry.php/991-To-Sleep-Perchance-to-Dream

http://www.herogames.com/forums/entry.php/992-To-Sleep-Perchance-to-Dream-part-II

http://www.herogames.com/forums/entry.php/993-To-Sleep-Perchance-to-Dream-part-III

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Re: The cranky thread

 

Is the contract for graveyard shift work or something? If so you really need to control your light exposure and otherwise take care of your circadian rhythms. To the point of duct taping black plastic over your windows if necessary. Otherwise what you'll have is five months of jet lag.

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Re: The cranky thread

 

Is the contract for graveyard shift work or something?

Yes.

 

If so you really need to control your light exposure and otherwise take care of your circadian rhythms. To the point of duct taping black plastic over your windows if necessary. Otherwise what you'll have is five months of jet lag.

Have been taking melatonin (up to 6mg) before going to bed, but I've always been highly resistant to anything that tries to modify my current awake/asleep state, even when I'm completely exhausted. Don't drink much in the way of caffeine anymore, partly because it doesn't help. OTC sleep aids, which are often anti-histamine based, are also a waste of time.

 

As for perscription meds, much the same. Has made putting me under for things like dental surgery (wisdom teeth for example) an... entertaining proposition. I "helped" talk my military dentist through the last one, which was proving difficult... after counting the other three out loud. He remembered that for years.

 

As for darkening the room, I'm not really sure what is "dark enough". The window faces south, but light is blocked by a wall and a rather dense tree. There's never any direct sunlight into the room. I also sleep entirely under a rather opaque blanket, so... I dunno. Being in an apartment, we're not allowed to black out the windows - that would be "unsightly".

 

edit: "You must spread rep blah blah blah" Argh... *yawn*

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Re: The cranky thread

 

So... my back is screwed up again' date=' for no reason whatsoever. It was fine yesterday. Seeing the chiropractor Wednesday. F*** this s***.[/quote']

I'd have a look at replacing your mattress, if it often seems to happen after you've slept. I'd like to try one of the "memory foam" ones, but gad, are they expensive. :(

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Re: The cranky thread

 

I can already tell this is going to be a crappy week.

 

I can always tell mine; they're usually the ones that have a Monday as the first or second day. For example, I spent all afternoon today in an in-person and email debate about whether the sales reps should fill out a particular form, or if that's the engineers' job. There's nothing technical about it, the sales reps just don't want to do it and their new manager* is trying to appease them by revisiting this form issue. It's even more pointless than it sounds, because the entire point of the form is to give the ordering department the information they need in order to assign a part number to a new item. That's right--instead of using the manufacturer's part number, my company employs several people for the sole purpose of assigning different part numbers to them, presumably as an offering to the complexity gods.

 

 

* The one with the fake eyelashes that look like spiders in her eyes.

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Re: The cranky thread

 

I can always tell mine; they're usually the ones that have a Monday as the first or second day. For example' date=' I spent all afternoon today in an in-person and email debate about whether the sales reps should fill out a particular form, or if that's the engineers' job. There's nothing technical about it, the sales reps just don't want to do it and their new manager* is trying to appease them by revisiting this form issue. It's even more pointless than it sounds, because the entire point of the form is to give the ordering department the information they need in order to assign a part number to a new item. That's right--instead of using the manufacturer's part number, my company employs several people for the sole purpose of assigning [i']different[/i] part numbers to them, presumably as an offering to the complexity gods.

 

 

* The one with the fake eyelashes that look like spiders in her eyes.

Sounds like one of my favorite personal sayings applies: "There is no process in the Universe so dumb that it cannot be made dumber by committee."

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Re: The cranky thread

 

I can always tell mine; they're usually the ones that have a Monday as the first or second day. For example' date=' I spent all afternoon today in an in-person and email debate about whether the sales reps should fill out a particular form, or if that's the engineers' job. There's nothing technical about it, the sales reps just don't want to do it and their new manager* is trying to appease them by revisiting this form issue. It's even more pointless than it sounds, because the entire point of the form is to give the ordering department the information they need in order to assign a part number to a new item. That's right--instead of using the manufacturer's part number, my company employs several people for the sole purpose of assigning [i']different[/i] part numbers to them, presumably as an offering to the complexity gods.

 

In my experience, salespeople hate filling anything out, ever, no matter how vital or simple the form. "Please write down customer's name and how many gizmos they ordered" is too complicated for most of them. If they could do all their business with a handshake and then have some goon show up with the paperwork after they leave, they'd be happy.

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Re: The cranky thread

 

Anyone out there that can suggest a fix for encroaching near-exhaustion that does not involve:

 

1) quitting a job I enjoy, and

2) getting some damn sleep

 

I am in bed, ostensibly "asleep", for up to 11 hours a day now... and still slowly climbing. I just don't seem to be getting any rest, anymore. I'm not "restless" per se - I don't frequently wake up, toss and turn, anything like that. But I'm just (apparently) not capable of living a nocturnal lifestyle, anymore.

 

I thought I could do this for five months (the length of the job contract). Just over three months in now, and rapidly approaching "wrecked".

 

Learn and practice meditation.

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Re: The cranky thread

 

As for darkening the room' date=' I'm not really sure what is "dark enough". The window faces south, but light is blocked by a wall and a rather dense tree. There's never any direct sunlight into the room. I also sleep entirely under a rather opaque blanket, so... I dunno. Being in an apartment, we're not allowed to black out the windows - that would be "unsightly".[/quote']

 

If you're allowed curtains, you could go to Wal-Mart and look for "blackout curtains". They look like regular curtains but block light.

 

A less-expensive solution is to wear a sleep mask. The purpose-made ones are sort of expensive and the cheap ones are cheaply-made, so my alternative choice is to obtain a fleece ear warmer (the headband-kind, not earmuffs) and wear it backwards to bed. Pull it down over your eyes, adjust for comfort and then drift off.

 

One last thing I might recommend. If random sounds from outside are keeping you awake, obtain a "sound conditioner", an "ambient sound" generator. Most are less than $20 and can produce a variety of sounds to mask the ones coming in from inside. The one I have does sounds of the seashore, tropical rainforest, thunderstorm, crickets in an open field, a heartbeat (presumably for the benefit of newborns) and a few others that escape me right now. I use mine every night. Usually I put mine on "rainstorm" rather than using one of the "white noise" settings because I find that an irregular sound masks sporadic noise better than white noise.

 

But that's just me. Good luck and sleep well!

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Re: The cranky thread

 

Learn and practice meditation.

Having done the "dire insomnia" gig before, already tried this as well. Some help, but while it helps take the edge off the "mind buzz", it can't seem to overcome the sheer stubbornness of my now very ingrained and resolute circadian rhythm. I am, in short, getting to old for this crap. Obviously, nothing to be done about THAT. :P

 

Am experimenting with taking a short walk around the complex immediately after getting home. Anything from around the parking lot to around the entire complex, depending on how tired I already am. A different kind of relaxation may help; will see.

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Re: The cranky thread

 

If you're allowed curtains, you could go to Wal-Mart and look for "blackout curtains". They look like regular curtains but block light.

 

A less-expensive solution is to wear a sleep mask. The purpose-made ones are sort of expensive and the cheap ones are cheaply-made, so my alternative choice is to obtain a fleece ear warmer (the headband-kind, not earmuffs) and wear it backwards to bed. Pull it down over your eyes, adjust for comfort and then drift off.

 

One last thing I might recommend. If random sounds from outside are keeping you awake, obtain a "sound conditioner", an "ambient sound" generator. Most are less than $20 and can produce a variety of sounds to mask the ones coming in from inside. The one I have does sounds of the seashore, tropical rainforest, thunderstorm, crickets in an open field, a heartbeat (presumably for the benefit of newborns) and a few others that escape me right now. I use mine every night. Usually I put mine on "rainstorm" rather than using one of the "white noise" settings because I find that an irregular sound masks sporadic noise better than white noise.

 

But that's just me. Good luck and sleep well!

Yeah, will just have to experiment more with the light-thing. As I mentioned, I don't really know what my tolerance IS, and there doesn't seem to be a logical way to test it. I can sleep a whole eight hours in a well-lit room. Lately, I just don't seem to get any REST, regardless of how dark it is.

 

Regarding noise, am also trying soft earplugs, and am leaving a fan on in the room. The soft hum and the moving air have always been relaxing, for me anyway. Again, will see.

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Re: The cranky thread

 

Yeah, will just have to experiment more with the light-thing. As I mentioned, I don't really know what my tolerance IS, and there doesn't seem to be a logical way to test it. I can sleep a whole eight hours in a well-lit room. Lately, I just don't seem to get any REST, regardless of how dark it is.

 

Regarding noise, am also trying soft earplugs, and am leaving a fan on in the room. The soft hum and the moving air have always been relaxing, for me anyway. Again, will see.

 

Well good luck. I hope you find something that works for you soon.

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Re: The cranky thread

 

Gah. My legs were feeling alright and I started cutting back on the vicodin. And then one of the side effects happened. Followed a bunch of advice that should help in a few hours' date=' but it looks like I'll be spending the night in the bathroom.[/quote']

 

Remember, if it stays hard for more than four hours, seek professional help. :sneaky:

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