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The Long Count Calendar (Sally has conquored Insomnia)
Damn, IE aborted when I tried to open that link! EERIE!!!!
I heard about this not long ago...I guess we're due for another apocalypse day, no?And every day, it seems, is the dawn of a new era. I hope to see them as opportunity.
Sorry about the insomnia, Sally...the day after (of?) insomnia sucks for me. I become paranoid and even more socially inept than usual. That would not be a good book for me when I can't sleep.
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True to form I awoke last night at 1am. Rolled around until 2. Kicked the cats out and slept until 5. Now I'm up again for the day.
Fantastic.
It's interesting, that's almost the same insomnia pattern for me...wake between 12/1, stay up for a couple hours, sleep a couple more...hope you sleep tonight, Sal...have you tried melatonin?
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http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mela...It works for me, sometimes, but it's a deep, deathly sleep...and it gives me weird dreams...
I read somewhere (I think it was Parade magazine so take it for what it's worth) that if you can't sleep, you shouldn't lie there in bed, because then you associate sleeplessness with your bed.
I sleep poorly when I know I've got a program or a presentation the next day. Last night, after my teen book discussion group, I slept like a rock. Nothing on my schedule today except normal old work. Sweet!
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I've also removed clocks from the bedroom because if I can open my eyes and check to see how long it has been since I last opened my eyes and checked to see how long it's been I can get Veeeeeeery wrapped up in counting the number of hours I have and have not been sleeping and how long I have to go until my alarm goes off.
The whole 2012 thing is so interesting. I never believe any "predictions"--just look at my 401k to be remind that past performance is no indication of future performance. But when i was in Vancouver at a "coffeeshop" i had a very long conversation with an interesting guy from Mexico who had been living in Vancouver for 20 years about 2012. He sincerely believed that the magnetic poles were going to reverse on our planet because all the large bodies in space were going to be "out of the way" on Dec 21, 2012 from a line pointing from the earth to the large black hole at the center of the galaxy. And he didn't seem at all crazy, just believed it was true.I'm cool with waiting to find out.
I did read Pinchbeck's earlier book "Breaking Open the Head" which i did enjoy a great deal. I was impressed by his psychedelic adventurism. I am generally quite fascinated by psychedelic drugs. His first book was mainly about shamanism and his quest to see if it's possible to become a modern day shaman (not really). I liked it a lot--very intense and weird.
I'm supposed to graduate in 2012.By the way, I think this whole myth is ridiculous.
You should have laughed at him, David. I swear, the garden variety conspiracy theories (UFO's) actually interest me more than this 2012 nonsense.
I'm willing to wager all of my savings that we don't "fall" into a black hole.
-An astrophysics/cosmology student
errh, yeah, it was silly, but i couldn't laugh at his sincerity. And he was a nice guy; i'm okay with someone who is nice that has crazy beliefs. (Although, by nice, i do have particular values that i consider nice, and certain crazy beliefs would obviate that niceness such as Christians who think being homosexual is a sin, etc.) I'd rather a nice freak than an asshole who believes only in science.
True. Christian fundamentalists are way worse than conspiracy theorists. That is, unless they're Christian fundamentalist conspiracy theorists. That would be a terrifying sight to behold.
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That'll teach you to judge a book by its lover. HAH!
Sally, I've taken to taking melatonin almost every night. I don't have a problem with insomnia, but I consider myself to have a moderate case of DSPS (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dsps). My "natural" bed-time to wake-up time is from about 3-4 am to 11 or noon. Yet for work and triathlon training I have to do more like 9:30-6am.So, I pop half a melatonin pill about 20 minutes before bedtime and I sleep like a freaking ROCK. It's technically a supplement, not a "drug," so I don't feel guilty about drugging myself to sleep, and it doesn't really interfere with my next day. It does take a little bit longer for the actual act of waking up... I generally lay in bed for about 10-15 minutes trying to leave dreamland, but once I shake the sleepiness I feel completely normal.
I'd say give it a shot.
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Yup. You can find it in any grocery store, probably with the vitamins, but maybe with the diphenhydramine or other synthetic sleep aids (e.g. Tylenol PM).
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No.
Same freaking pattern: sleep at 11, up at 1. Sleep at 3, up at five. Thursday night I took a Simply Sleep so I could be rested before being evaluated, and although what happened could be technically be called sleep, I was aware of my mind trying to wake up on it's now established cycle. Sleeping pills are weird.
I went to King Soopers and they had no melatonin in the herb aisle. Are you all sure this is where I purchase it? Do I need to go to Vitamin Cottage or something like that, instead?
Man, I'm sorry, Sally...usually I crash early and hard after a couple days like that...but alcohol actually makes insomnia worse for me...I fall asleep, but it's not good sleep, and I have to wake (TMI?) to pee about every hour...Melatonin isn't an herb...it's not rare...go to normal pharmacy/drugstore and they should have it.
Melatonin molecule:
GNC has it.
Where do they get melatonin from? Urine? Animal brains?
From what from I can tell from a quick search the kind I use is synthetically produced in a lab. Here's the kind I get...it's got the ingredients listed and says "suitable for vegetarians."http://www.walgreens.com/store/produc...
Just my $.02. I took Melatonin for a few months quite a few years ago. At first I took one pill, then half was enough. By the time I decided to stop taking it, all I had to do was lick the pill and I was off to Sleepy Town. However, my memory was almost completely shot and I felt as if I had lost about half of ly IQ points. My doctor was concerned enough to give me a brain MRI. Now I have a certificate that says I have a "normal brain." All this to say, be careful. Now I find that Advil PM or Benadryl are affective without pureeing my brain.
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I only take half a pill...Check out the mayo clinic link in msg 10...
Based on available studies and clinical use, melatonin is generally regarded as safe in recommended doses for short-term use (three months or less).
There's a list of side effects on the link, too. I did have "vivid dreams", by the way, like the mayo clinic says...
Sally wrote: "OH NO! Melatonin might puree my brain? Holy! I already have issues with memory. And although I've been complimented on my deep and piercing intelligence, I worry that I'm already losing IQ point..."Randomanthony wrote: "I only take half a pill...
Check out the mayo clinic link in msg 10...
Based on available studies and clinical use, melatonin is generally regarded as safe in recommended doses for short-term use..."
Randomanthony wrote: "I only take half a pill...
Check out the mayo clinic link in msg 10...
Based on available studies and clinical use, melatonin is generally regarded as safe in recommended doses for short-term use..."
Sally wrote: "OH NO! Melatonin might puree my brain? Holy! I already have issues with memory. And although I've been complimented on my deep and piercing intelligence, I worry that I'm already losing IQ point..."
Sandy wrote: "Just my $.02. I took Melatonin for a few months quite a few years ago. At first I took one pill, then half was enough. By the time I decided to stop taking it, all I had to do was lick the pill and..."
Sally wrote: "OH NO! Melatonin might puree my brain? Holy! I already have issues with memory. And although I've been complimented on my deep and piercing intelligence, I worry that I'm already losing IQ point..."
I think the Melatonin started my brain defecit, but 22 years in inner city schools definitely finished off what was once a really good IQ. Another creepy thing about teaching is that you can put all your school pictures in chronological order and watch yourself grow old in 30 seconds. Here's my life. OH, there goes my life.
"OH, there goes my life."It's said that that is how the Buddha gained enlightenment ....
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Damn. Sandy will not be a guest speaker in my student teacher seminar:)I think some teaching jobs in particular are hard on the constitution...I did four years in the inner city, and I'm not sure I would have lasted forever...I hope you take some solace in making a difference in tough circumstances, Sandy:)
I wonder how long it took the Buddha. It took me 22 years to become enlightened enough to know that it was time for me to retire from teaching. Sorry I freaked you out, Sally. Was it anything it particular?
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Also that I want to be a public HS teacher when I grow up.
Geez, Anthony, do you want them to go into the classroom unaware of the dark side of teaching? As a person even older than I (yes, it happens) said about her teaching career (we both taught English) "it is a soul sucking profession." She may be right, because my last year, I was called to the county office 3 times for incidents in which I had acted out of character. Perhaps I was losing my mind rather than my soul?I don't think my writing is such that I have lost a sizeable amount of IQ points, but having to teach to people with a 1 or 2 score in reading and 100% in attitude doesn't make for lively discussion or intellectual feedback, thus numbing the mind.
Well, I hear you, Sandy...I think there are ways to show them the challenges of teaching, if they're not aware of them already, without using the phrase "soul sucking profession." Some teachers do well out there, you know? Not everyone burns out. In fact, the journal entry due tomorrow morning revolves around the topic "What are you doing to sustain your energy and balance during student teaching?" I use Parker Palmer's work a lot and do panels with teachers/administrators, too. Teacher burnout is real, no doubt.
The repeater of the reply system was a glitch in the GR program, I think since I was unable to get a clear comment screen.I would never try to deter anyone from becoming a teacher, but I won't water down my experiences. I was happy and proud of my profession for 2o years, but the ast two were killers. I had all HS seniors who hadn't passed the state test (CAT here in FL) and I was just too damned old to have the energy and enthusiasm I felt the position required. Still, 90% of them passed the test and graduated, and I was proud to see them march of graduation day.
Just for the record, the soul sucking comment was not mine. Also, in my last post I left out the F in FCAT. Sorry if I confused anyone. Please realize that I wasn't a burnout from day one! I didn't start teaching until 1987 which was the year I was divorced, so while I was enthusiastic, my enthusiasm wasn't youthful. There were also health issues my 2nd year that changed my life and my stamina. I'm not ashamed or embarassed by the way I did my job. It may not be your way, or another teacher's way,but it worked for me almost to the end.
Sandy I do the same thing with melatonin pills! At first I would take one, then I started halving them, and now I've gotten to the point where I just kinda nibble the corner of one before getting in bed, and it's lights out! Can't say I've noticed any brain puree; and in my line of work that's something I'd notice.
Thanks, Isaiah. It's good to know I'm the only one with that experience. What is your line of work? I won't make any silly guesses. A friend was told my a mutual friend that her husband needed peace and quiet and solitude when he worked. So, my friend asked "What is he, a rocket scientist?" And sure enough...
The snarkier of our GoodReading colleagues are fond of making comments to a similar effect, as I work at a place rather grandiosely monikered The Jet Propulsion Laboratory. But in fact I am a lowly systems engineer.
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Wish me luck tonight, peeps. This is my first night since sleep returned when I have school the next day. I want my sleep back!
I'm now imagining I've offended some sleep god and they're tormenting me until I atone for my sleep sins. Two weeks without good sleep is too long for any healthy brain to function.
Wishing you the best on that.Oh and I'm in favor of Sandy being rich and famous like McCourt.
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Thanks for the tip. I'm going to consider it.
Sweet dreams all.
Oh Sally, I feel for you. I had such insomnia last Spring! Everyone had advice, but nothing could stop my head from spinning, spinning, spinning, spinning. Melatonin did nothing. Sleeping pills made me tired, but did not make me sleep. Fatigue made me more stressed, and it was a cycle that kept building and worsening.
Finally, my doctor gave me Attivan (anti-anxieties), which I took right before bed. It was awesome. I only had to take them a couple of weeks before my sleeping pattern was righted. Getting sleep helped me sleep...finally.
Finally, my doctor gave me Attivan (anti-anxieties), which I took right before bed. It was awesome. I only had to take them a couple of weeks before my sleeping pattern was righted. Getting sleep helped me sleep...finally.
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Terminalcoffee
Books mentioned in this topic
Tempting the Bride (other topics)Tempting the Bride (other topics)
Control Freak (other topics)
2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl (other topics)
Fascinating yet absurd, IMHO
I did read 2012 The Return of Quetzalcoatl in hopes of finding something interesting, but I was hugely sorry I read it.
This was during my last bout of insomnia, so at least I don't feel that I wasted valuable waking hours. But it kind of freaked me out when at 4am he started espousing alien abduction as a means of enlightenment. He talks freely and at some length about his long history with psychedelic drugs, so it is amazing at all that he's retained the ability to write, much less theorize about the coming Mayan apocalypse.
*snicker*