Apologies if this is better suited to the Ant-Insomnia Strain topic but I wanted to ask a bit more complex of an answer. I sleep 6hrs on a regular night, maybe 7-8 on a good day. My body very obviously doesn’t like it but has sort of adapted… Well lately it’s been more 4-5 hours. This is too little; I can’t stay alert during the day and it’s really soured my mood. Very irritable and unhappy. The cause of the insomnia is very simple, I have generalized anxiety and am very stressed during these times as I literally sit at home all day, no work, no income, no projects to be worked on. I’ve watched everything on TV I care to, life itself is a chore to live at this point… so let’s not worry a out why so much as how to get back up an hour or two. Even for a couple nights a week.
For this, I spare no expense, but I really would like to. I have asthma and this winter has got me bad in the lungs. So I can strictly use a dab pen at medium to low temp. Hard to get a BIG dose. Edibles don’t seem to like me very well, they are weak and not a “full” high. I always feel like I need just “one more hit” when the edibles kick in.
But THC does not make me sleepy. Unfortunately I can not source CBD locally that I trust; I’m not paying recreational marijuana prices for CBD product that tastes like licking a dead tree. I’m at almost a complete loss here. My nerves are shot at this point, I’m clearly underperforming mentally, everything catches me by surprise and throw me off my rhythm and my workflow so to speak is just fucked.
I don’t know if anyone has some solid advice, I’ll try anything free, most things cheap. Expensive if there is science behind it. CBD/CBG help a fair bit but out of maybe 1oz of flower I’ve bought around town, all of it was pricey and shitty. I’d order online but I don’t know who to trust, so I ask all of you, who I trust more than those fucks. I don’t know why I didn’t plant some CBD autos; I have some photos I will be running next.
Something also of note- I have a high tolerance just sort of by default. Currently I use 60mg edibles every couple hours, or supplement a pea sized dab over those 2-4 hours. So really I think I am looking outside of THC (since that’s pretty much all I can buy at the dispensary it’s all I have right now). But this tolerance persists to a large amount of medicines.
Much thanks in advanced for anyone who even reads this. I feel I’ve posted so much lately! Maybe a bit too much.
With your high tolerance adding THC/CBD to aid sleep probably isn’t going to help much (as you have observed).
You probably have tried some of the traditional things like.
don’t eat too late
go to bed at the same time
no computer 1 hour before bedtime
For a low cost sleep aid, have you tried Melatonin? I have had some success with it. An antihistamine like Benadryl may help too. I’ll use that occasionally with success. Take both 30 min. before bedtime.
I have the same sleep patterns. I’m good with 6 hours but when those times come where I do a stretch of 4-5 it does wear me out too.
Medications… oh boy. I have two sleeping pills; Lunesta and Seroquel. My regular Zyrtec for allergies and another antihistamine for anxiety.
Melatonin was nice the first month I used but I QUICKLY grew a tolerance. I quit when the dose got to be unreasonable.
Sleep hygiene is… so so. In order to sleep I have to stay up until I’m tired or I lay in bed all night unable to sleep. Usually that does mean some screen time; I do try to stay off my phone and only watch TV. But otherwise I haven’t eaten for a few hours, I use my bed (and even bedroom) strictly for sleeping. I haven’t had caffeine in months.
I should add I have had insomnia for >10 years. I’m quite acquainted with my insomnia, and it’s patterns, as well as general information on it. I can not sleep during the day, or while it’s light out I should say. Not since I was a teenager. I am curious if my body is waking up anticipating sunrise, as I wake up 4-5am about an hour before the sun is up.
I’ve had similar experience with the tolerance of Melatonin and Benadryl. Sleeping pills like ambien only allow me to sleep for 6 hours too. I have found if I don’t use the above as a regular nightly medication, and rotate one in occasionally when I am exhausted from a stretch of 4-5 hour nights, they will sometimes work.
Hopefully some others will chime in with some ideas. For me, I think insomnia is just part of how I am wired. I call it active mind syndrome. When I wake up at 2-4 am, I start thinking about things then can’t go back to sleep.
The only likely one would be an albuterol inhaler. I’ve been using it a bit much, have an appointment about that soon.
I know what you mean about ambien, I use to alternate every month or so Ambien to Lunesta; but I got so tired of Ambien’s zombie side effects. Active mind syndrome is apt; I in all reality just want to calm down lol. Just stop thinking and sleep brain!
If you cant help yourself with pills, you gotta discipline your going to bed and waking up… I also have big problems, i can stay awake for 2-3 days working hard physical job… I achieved good rhytm by first, at my 2 free days, i stayed only in bed, no phone, tv, laptop, only a book when im full of energy, i fall asleep for 2-3 hours couple of times, then for last night i get up at 6 o clock, no matter what sleep i had, since you dont do anything, work out, move, fix thing around house, clean, anything, but be proactive, do your goals, and then lay at 21 o clock at bed, again no phone, no tv, nothing, even if you fall asleep at 3 o clock, wake up at 6 and repeat that for a week… It helped me even when i got off weed and alc, having stable sleep and being proactive is the best drug i can take… My 2 cents… *If you dont spend energy and have no satisfaction with yourself, you wont get sleep…
I can highly agree with your final statement… but in reality; I have little to do for several reasons. I am alive on willpower alone just about. I wake up, take on the day, hope I sleep enough, repeat. I fear during these times I simple can not find purpose. I have just accepted that for now. This year has been bad for everyone. I was just already struggling, so I fell farther down. Wait it out and I can get back on track.
But I do more or less do as you say, and it’s the reason I have a regular sleep pattern, even if it’s deficient. I sleep from 12-6 most nights. If I get to sleep later, I let myself sleep in. But 90% of the time I wake up and just can’t go back to sleep. It’s really been a bitch; it took 7 years to get myself sleeping regularly and not just in chunks whenever. Never have been much of a sleeper, I frequently as a kid would be up before my parents, first one up at a sleepover. It does seem my body only wants about 6 hrs… just wish it wasn’t so damn touchy when it gets an hour short.
Sounds obvious but… physical activity. Are you active enough during the day? I read about your asthma, I live with it too since childhood. But that shouldn’t prevent you from going out for walks, especially nature helps with improving mental health. First few days will probably feel like struggle, but if you power through, you will form a habit quickly. And no, THC or CBD never really helped me with sleeping…
Anyway, that’s my 2c as an asthmatic insomniac . I hope you find your balance!
I desperately need more activity yes. My asthma has been really bad lately, walking around kicks it off. I go for walks with the dog still, but short and definitely have to use the inhaler before. I’ll see if I can bump it up with maybe some weights, usually easier on my lungs. I do get up and stretch quite a lot; it’s not just my mind that’s a bit active. Normally when I work, I work hard and get that out of my system. School I played sports year round. But at the ripe old age of 25 my body sure complains a lot… anyone have a favorite exercise to do while watching TV or something? I have a couple free weights I keep by the couch for exactly that.
Either
Find someone 2 have sex with.
Cut marijuana consumption to zero in order
Build up your tolerance or…
Order Hillary Clinton speeches on YouTube and play them before going to bed.
No seriously, I find the ideal strain for me…to be Island Sweet Skunk. Sometimes I think too much wth it but work through the issue on my mind and sleep
I have a candle going, put some rain or thunderstorms on you tube and pet me dog. Oh…and consume a spoonful of peanut butter.
I’ll get right on that, lol. Hear Tinder is pretty active since quarantine.
That is a pretty accurate description of how SIS works for me too, it kind of slows down everything life is throwing at me to the point I can deal with it. Sometimes I find I’ve spent hours looking at information and realize I’ve fundamentally misunderstood it and it isn’t relevant to me even… not quite as bad as Skywalker or Outerspace. Then, I’m not sure what I’m thinking about but I sure think a lot. Someone will ask me what I’ve been doing- oh fuck, I don’t know I wasn’t paying attention. Lmao.
Tolerance break is, really unfortunately, one of the better things I could do right now. I may have to take that choice away from myself and just have someone hold my shit. I know if it gets bad enough I’ll turn right to it. Confidence to actually do it is… uh. Like anyone with anxiety, it really crippled you unless you don’t let it. Once it’s there it doesn’t like to leave. I take each day at a time, which means it’s damn hard to do something unpleasant today for payoff in 2 days to 2 weeks. And I know my tolerance will just go up… I’ve done the same shit with prescriptions. It’s all the same thing, altering your brain chemistry. You develop dependency if you let yourself, and I have. Just break the dopamine cycle.
I’ll probably either take a break or just flounder; taking even one day off seems monumental. I just need to realize I guess any withdrawal symptoms are in my head. We’re not talking Benzos here, just pot. I’m only addicted to it because I let myself.
I mean… Long story short… I’m probably just not in good health. Was a long shot but always worth seeing if someone had better answers than me. Hell, someone still might.
Actually… peanut butter reminds me. I eat fairly low fat; because I barely eat. I have worked around this in the past eating nuts/nut butter. I can feel a major difference in the high when Inhabern eaten enough.
You need to practice proper sleep hygiene religously. Also make sure you are both eating to get the right amount of calories and getting exercise. You also need to talk to and be honest with your doctor. Consuming weed to help you sleep isnt a great idea unless you can consistently reproduce the strain to help you sleep.
That is a very good point; strains vary a lot to rely on it for something that important.
I usually avoid my normal sativa and favor indica or indica leaning at the end of the day.
I am very open with my doctors; unfortunately they have little to offer me. GP says problems are anxiety or he’s not sure. Psychiatrist has done all he can.
I eat as I do because I won’t tolerate much more. I’m not sure why the doctor isn’t more bother with that, but all I can do is keep complaining. I do have a very complicated series of issues. My GI system is screwed up in several ways. Somedays I can move around, others I can not. But principally; I don’t think to eat. I’m not hungry. Simply making myself eat may help, may make something worse and help others, it’s a crap shoot. I really should do it while I’m stuck at home, because I don’t eat at all when I leave the house.
I’ve essentially run the wringer of the medical system. I have been largely just left to myself to figure out what’s wrong; my doctors (GP or even GI) don’t do much. They say “oh that’s not good, let’s do some test” “oh tests are negative, we’ll see you in 6 months.”
Talk to your shrink forcefully and make sure you are aware of what your options are and not just let him tell you what he thinks. If you say “I want to try this…” you will.
I’m not a doctor but maybe you should consider antipsychotics. An overactive mind is a symptom of many underlying disorders. Maybe you have one that you are not aware of. Do these symptoms run in your family?
I would also get some chloral hydrate from your doctor. It’s a very old drug. It’s both a sleep aid and an anxiolytic.
Good luck. Not sleeping is the worst. I watch forensic files on Netflix at 3am because the guy has a very soothing voice and I can watch it without waking up too much.
Tbh, have you looked at weed as the problem? If you are smoking and taking meds that act that could make things worse if not kill you or put you in the hospital.
I have to take gabapentin to help me sleep. I take nothing else and avoid smoking near bed time. Buddhism, meditation, and excercise helped me immensely. You could do tons of exercises right in your house. Yoga would do a great job of clearing your mind.
This is true. Before covid, I was in the gym 4 times a week, being normal, now? Forget about it. I too have asthma (and smoke both weed and vape like a freight train, cause duh?! Lol) and have seen a marked difference in my general overall health, sleep, weight (gain, thanks boredom) and back pain. I need to get off my ass, but between working 10+hours a day, a 10 yo and a husband time just runs out.
I’m going to have to learn more balance in my life, or suffer through consequences. Annnnnd with that, I can skip my therapy for the week. Lmfao.
Truly @ChemicalDependant I know the struggle, we’re all rooting for you.
. I hope you find your balance!
granted mine isn’t the typical end story, ya never know!! 
