What keeps you up at night?

[hoover]

The things keeping me up at night are

1. Noises - especially snoring
DH snores LOUDLY and I can't get him to stop! It's totally driving me up the wall! I've tried pushing him, telling (yelling at) him to roll over, and short of me covering his head with a pillow, it just keeps getting louder! There's even some soft snores coming from the dog that's starting to grind my gears My neighbors are also shift workers, so when I hear them come home late at night, it's another added noise level for me to get past

I already have enough trouble sleeping because of

2. Work
I'm constantly thinking about what I should do about work. Earlier this month, I got sold out by my bosses and took the fall for a project gone bad, I'm constantly taking work home to meet crazy stupid deadlines, and on Friday, I got offered a job with a new company. DH says it's a no-brainer and I should take the job, but I'm thinking about whether I can go from a huge corporation to a smaller company that's one-tenth the size, full of strangers, and they could be just as bad as where I work now. Then I think, what if they're just using me to pump out financial statements for their fiscal year end and then can me after that? I like to be the shadow in the corner, and you can't hide in the shadows in a small company. I'm not worried about the workload, I just don't want to be on any ladder-climber's radar as a target!

3. PS/Internet
I can't sleep because of the noise, and thinking about work, so I just grab my iPad and start looking at the PS threads, tmz/trashy celebrity new, real news, or whatever just to get my mind off of 1 and 2 above.

So what deprives you of your precious sleep? What do you do to reclaim that sweet, sweet commodity of zzzzz's?

 

[Missy]

1. Noise that is unusual (being in NY I am used to noise but weird noise keeps me awake!) or light that is too bright.

2. Projects that we are in the middle of or future projects that we are in the process of planning.

3. Worrying about job security for my dh and/or me (I am a worrier by nature unfortunately so this worry never 100% completely goes away in the economic climate). This worry doesn't keep me awake per se but if I wake in the middle of the night and my mind starts wandering I could start thinking about things that might happen and this starts my mind going and makes sleep difficult.

I have always been a poor sleeper (according to my mom I never slept through the night when I was a baby or child and that continues all these decades later unfortunately).
What I plan on doing to reclaim peaceful sleep is to start meditating during the day to quiet my mind and worries. I just told my dh that I planned on starting this soon. He has been meditating for years and I am hoping it will allow me to achieve peace regarding my worries.

ETA:I would love to hear from others who have achieved better sleep through meditation...

 

[zoebartlett]

Congratulations on the job offer, Hoover!

I have trouble sleeping a lot because my mind races at night. I get into bed and replay the day I've just had. I also think about totally random things, either past, present, or future events. I don't always follow this advice, but I've heard it's best not to watch TV in bed before going to sleep. Meditating may help, although I've never given it a shot. I've read that keeping a journal is a good idea because it's a place where you can put all your thoughts before going to sleep. Get it all out and then let it go, I think.

 

[packrat]

Everything. JD snores, so for a while last year I had my alarm clock on an extension cord and would take it into our daughters room and sleep there when he came to bed so I could still get her up for school. Now in a couple weeks both kids will be in school and I'll be starting a new full time job, so I'll basically be moving into her room permanently or I'll never get any sleep. It either has to be completely and utterly quiet-no tv, no crickets, no birds, no weird breathing noises etc, or I have to have a fan going for white noise, which is what I started doing years ago. I can still hear the kids over it if they cry or cough a lot. I always have one ear doing the mom radar when I sleep. Light irritates me..JD has an alarm clock on his side that has red numbers and I detest it. I have to move it all the time b/c the red shines too bright for me-mine has green numbers and is far superior.

I'm also a mind racer/worrier, and that just makes things worse.

 

[distracts]

Grinding my teeth! When I forget to put in my mouth guard, I have the most horrible time sleeping.

 

[Missy]

Another thing that contributes to my poor sleep is getting up so early during the workweek. I am usually up by 4:40 AM so I can exercise before work and it takes its toll after doing this for well over a decade. My body just doesn't sleep past 4:40 AM during my days off and I have an uneasy sleep in the earlier hours knowing I need to wake soon. It's not great but it's the only way I can get my workouts in during the week.

 

[Deactivated member 42515]

I gotta admit, (and don't hate! Haha) that I usually sleep like a baby. DH is the tosser and turner in this relationship. I usually fall asleep the moment my head touches the pillow, and then I'm in zen land. I barely even move when I sleep so if DH is on a business trip or something, I usually don't even have to remake the bed.

DH, on the other hand, is a light sleeper. Even now, it's about 4:30am and he's in the living room watching a movie cuz he couldn't sleep. It might have to do with my snoring. I'm a snorer, I admit. Guilty! And so are both are furry baby girls. The only reason why I'm awake right now is because I was checking on DH and I looked on PS for one tiiiiny second and I got sucked in.

The other night when the cops were called, I felt like I couldn't sleep with all the thoughts going in my head and I was trying not to, thinking I gotta be ready if they come charging thru the front door (I know, I'm crazy) but I ended up falling asleep sitting up...

If, by chance, I cant sleep, I usually turn the tv on to something happy and listen to it. Usually its a movie or show I've seen before many times. Like friends, I have the complete box set and it soothes me to listen because it's so familiar.

 

[Tuckins1]

I have really bad insomnia, so any light, noise, etc... keeps me up. But the number one thing that has been disturbing my sleep as an adult is work. I never can get it out of my mind, even over the summer when we're off!

 

[ame]

1) My own insanity and OCD constantly going through my brain in obsession and list making mode. Could be about anything....not being happy with the ink color on something, not being happy with a loupe session being too short, not having time to do something I wanted to do, bills maybe not being paid on MY schedule (I pay immediately upon getting the bill), did I transfer money for retirement/savings, did I log something in my checkbook....did I connect my phone to the charger...did I lay out clothes for the morning...am I having an aortic anyuerism....was that a stroke I just had....why is my arm asleep....should I get up and pee again or not.

2) Noises, I sleep with two fans, a white noise thing, an air purifier and earplugs. My husband snores like a friggin fog horn. That mostly drowns it out. Unless he has to be in bed before me, I make it a point to be asleep before him so I can actually get to sleep.

3) the door being open in my room. I feel like Im being looked at. Even if Im not. (or is there a ghostie!)

4) constantly having to friggin pee!

 

[amc80]

I'm 38 weeks pregnant with a giant baby. So, basically everything keeps me up. Specifically, the heat, not getting comfy, hips hurting, baby kicking, baby hiccuping, heartburn, getting up to pee multiple times, and wondering when this baby will make his grand entrance (or exit, depending on your perspective).

 

[kenny]

Nothing.
I fall asleep almost immediately.

I get stuff off my chest during the day, resolve conflicts, and wear foam earplugs.

I've also learned to end relationships with people (friend or family) who do more harm than good.
This has been a god-send.

 

[JuneRose]

I envy people like my DH who fall asleep within a few seconds of their head hitting the pillow...

I am such a light sleeper but I can't put my finger on what keeps me up precisely... My anxiety usually kicks in when I have nothing else to distract me and it's mainly my heart beating really fast that keeps me up. I don't like too much light, but if it is too dark I feel very claustrophobic. I wish I knew what I was anxious about though -that's the kicker, I have no idea why I feel that way!

 

[Sha]

1. My thoughts - thinking of things that happened during the day; my gardening project etc - sometimes that keeps me up for a while.
2. Any noise/music - I'm a very sensitive sleeper - if there's any sort of stimulation around I tune into it and can't fall asleep
3. Mosquitoes - I live in the Caribbean. It's really hard to sleep sometimes with mosquitoes and their constant whiny noises as they hover above you - looking for a good piece of skin to bite. Just the thought of that keeps me up, and I find myself swatting at them for hours on end just so that they don't get the satisfaction of me being easy prey
4. Green/iced tea/caffeine - if I have it anytime after midday it keeps me up at night

DH and I are so different when it comes to this. He falls asleep within 3 minutes of hitting the pillow and can sleep through just about anything. When he was younger his apartment was burglarized twice (with him in it - sprawled out on the bed, sleeping) and he didn't hear a thing. That would NEVER happen to me. Sometimes I hate that I'm a light sleeper but I like the fact that if anything happens (attempted burglary, fire, etc), I would be alert to it.

 

[mrs jam]

Amazon.

 

[Enerchi]

1) - the chainsaw factory that I sleep beside. bzzzzz/snort/humph/poooouuufft/bzzzzz/gurglegurglegurgle/saw - then the inevitable muzzling of said chainsaw by anything I have handy! I push, shove, roll, poke... anything to get it to stop. Weirdly enough, he says he also lives beside a chainsaw factory - nyah --- IMPOSSIBLE!

2) stupid stuff- what will I wear tomorrow? do I have a lunch ready? do we have enough cereal for tomorrow? is there toothpaste? do the dogs have water? will I get a good parking spot at work (I'm there at 7am - yes, it never fails, I always get a parking spot, but just an example of the DUMB things I apparently *need* to worry about)
2A)- scary movies/ghosts... cuz they are real, ya know, and they all live at my house, in the basement, when no one is home.. and the dogs growl...!!

3) politics and social dynamics - not the federal/provincial/municipal kind but the personal kind. Who is pissed off at me and what did I do? why are these 2 people not talking to the other one? why didn't that person reply to my email/text/VM? How come she got offered that and the rest of us did not?

4) my kids - they are good kids, they've been raised well with good values and I can see that, yet I still worry! I'm sure my mother still has thoughts about me, too! Parenting never seems to stop or take a holiday!

5) absence of stress - uh oh, what am I forgetting that I should be worrying about???

 

[zoebartlett]

I gotta admit, (and don't hate! Haha) that I usually sleep like a baby. DH is the tosser and turner in this relationship. I usually fall asleep the moment my head touches the pillow, and then I'm in zen land. I barely even move when I sleep so if DH is on a business trip or something, I usually don't even have to remake the bed.

DH, on the other hand, is a light sleeper. Even now, it's about 4:30am and he's in the living room watching a movie cuz he couldn't sleep. It might have to do with my snoring. I'm a snorer, I admit. Guilty! And so are both are furry baby girls. The only reason why I'm awake right now is because I was checking on DH and I looked on PS for one tiiiiny second and I got sucked in.

The other night when the cops were called, I felt like I couldn't sleep with all the thoughts going in my head and I was trying not to, thinking I gotta be ready if they come charging thru the front door (I know, I'm crazy) but I ended up falling asleep sitting up...

If, by chance, I cant sleep, I usually turn the tv on to something happy and listen to it. Usually its a movie or show I've seen before many times. Like friends, I have the complete box set and it soothes me to listen because it's so familiar.

Why is it that the one who sleeps like a baby is the one who snores? My husband is the same as you, YayTacori. He sleeps soundly every night and he snores too. Me, I'm the one tossing and turning because he's so loud!

 

[Deactivated member 42515]

I gotta admit, (and don't hate! Haha) that I usually sleep like a baby. DH is the tosser and turner in this relationship. I usually fall asleep the moment my head touches the pillow, and then I'm in zen land. I barely even move when I sleep so if DH is on a business trip or something, I usually don't even have to remake the bed.

DH, on the other hand, is a light sleeper. Even now, it's about 4:30am and he's in the living room watching a movie cuz he couldn't sleep. It might have to do with my snoring. I'm a snorer, I admit. Guilty! And so are both are furry baby girls. The only reason why I'm awake right now is because I was checking on DH and I looked on PS for one tiiiiny second and I got sucked in.

The other night when the cops were called, I felt like I couldn't sleep with all the thoughts going in my head and I was trying not to, thinking I gotta be ready if they come charging thru the front door (I know, I'm crazy) but I ended up falling asleep sitting up...

If, by chance, I cant sleep, I usually turn the tv on to something happy and listen to it. Usually its a movie or show I've seen before many times. Like friends, I have the complete box set and it soothes me to listen because it's so familiar.

Why is it that the one who sleeps like a baby is the one who snores? My husband is the same as you, YayTacori. He sleeps soundly every night and he snores too. Me, I'm the one tossing and turning because he's so loud!

That's funny. But he does sometimes wake me up cuz he talks in his sleep! And karate chops! Hahah it's so cute

 

[hoover]

Omg.... I wish I could fall asleep quickly! I'm so jealous. I'm a super light sleeper too, I got woken up by the dog's growling stomach!

Zoe - thanks! I have two more days to accept or reject the offer. I don't know why I'm not jumping at the new job since my current one is so bad right now. I think I'm psyching myself out and thinking what if it's worse?

YayTacori - karate chop??

Amc80 - baby hiccuping? Sounds cute (but then I've never been preggo and don't know what it's like )

 

[texaskj]

My job; I work nights.
And my neighbor has this love/hate relationship with his garbage cans. I've never heard anyone make such a ruckus. What's so hard? You lift the lid, put the bag in and put the lid back on. It takes him forever. And he can't go anywhere near them without moving all three of them. I guess I should be glad they're plastic and not metal.

 

[Deactivated member 42515]

Omg.... I wish I could fall asleep quickly! I'm so jealous. I'm a super light sleeper too, I got woken up by the dog's growling stomach!

Zoe - thanks! I have two more days to accept or reject the offer. I don't know why I'm not jumping at the new job since my current one is so bad right now. I think I'm psyching myself out and thinking what if it's worse?

YayTacori - karate chop??

Amc80 - baby hiccuping? Sounds cute (but then I've never been preggo and don't know what it's like )

Yup, karate chop. Whenever he has a bad dream an I wake him up, he karate chops me haha

 

[Gypsy]

 

[Enerchi]

GYPSY!!! That is so totally what my brain does!!!! Love that poster!

 

[stargurl78]

- DH's snoring or wheezy breathing. I sleep with a fan and a white noise machine which does an ok job of shutting him out.

- Any teeny tiny little bit of bright light. I have black tape over the TV power button and I have to cover up the cable box every night before bed.

- I always have to get up at least once in the night to pee.

- Friggen cats - they're either messing with stuff in our bedroom or crying because they decide I've been sleeping for too long.

I will say that I have learned to shut my mind off at night so usually my thoughts/stress/worries don't keep me up too often anymore.

 

[luv2sparkle]

Even a tiny bit of light wakes me up. I am a light sleeper after listening for kids for so many years. I think upcoming menopause is messing with my sleep as well.

 

[hoover]

I can't sleep.... DH is snoring, dog is snoring, it's pouring rain outside - and I was thinking about work, but now I'm thinking about monsters too...
I'm glad there aren't any new episodes of Walking Dead yet - i'll never get any sleep then.

And suddenly I just thought about that really scary movie with the couple who videotaped their bedroom/house at night because of the bad things happening ( I can't remember what it's called, but there was a second movie made) and the scene where one of them is suddenly pulled out of bed

Aaargh! Now I can't sleep AND I'm scared....

 

[Deactivated member 42515]

Hey there Hoover, did you ever get to sleep?

 

[tyty333]

- my cats...wanting in and out on the back porch all night. We just installed a cat door to the back porch but one of my
cats still feels the need to wake me up when he wants in/out.

- my daughter...climbing in bed with us and then laying right up next to me (its hot). After I've made sure she has fallen
asleep I usually sneak off to the couch. If she wakes up she will join me on the couch which means I really wont be getting
any sleep!

 

[MissGotRocks]

Oh, it's my mind that keeps me awake for sure. Every third night or so, I can lay down and go right to sleep. Most nights, no. It's worry or concern or fears that keep my awake. My brain runs like a Rolodex; hitting on one topic, then another. I get up at least twice every night to go to the bathroom so between all of this, I never feel like I get enough sleep. The dog gets up at the same time every morning regardless of when I might have gotten to sleep. If she somehow continues to sleep, then it's the damn alarm!!

 

[hoover]

Hey there Hoover, did you ever get to sleep?

Hi YayTacori

I managed to get a few hours in - I was almost at the point where I was thinking of Homer Simpson's line "shut up brain, or I'll stab you with a q-tip" I wish I could just let things go and not let my mind race at night thinking about crazy things! Even though I really wanted to, I resisted napping after I got home from work so that I'll be really tired tonight.

thanks for checking on me

PS. I finally remembered the name of that scary movie - Paranormal Activity. I still get the heebeejeebees thinking about that movie

 

[Deactivated member 42515]

Hey there Hoover, did you ever get to sleep?

Hi YayTacori

I managed to get a few hours in - I was almost at the point where I was thinking of Homer Simpson's line "shut up brain, or I'll stab you with a q-tip" I wish I could just let things go and not let my mind race at night thinking about crazy things! Even though I really wanted to, I resisted napping after I got home from work so that I'll be really tired tonight.

thanks for checking on me

PS. I finally remembered the name of that scary movie - Paranormal Activity. I still get the heebeejeebees thinking about that movie

You're braver than me! I avoided those movies like the plague!