Here’s my motivation
Ah ha! Eureka! I think I’ve figured out how to get good sleep on a regular basis — I need to turn myself (well, my life, anyway) into a science experiment.
I need decent motivation to get to bed at a decent hour each night, but that has been eluding me. I’ve tried everything, from reward to punishment, and nothing’s working. What to do, to ensure I follow my own good judgment and do the right thing?
Here’s what to do — design a 30-day experiment, where I track my level of alertness and ability to cope each day that I get a decent amount of sleep. I’ve been working on a deficit for months, now, and I can’t even remember what it feels like to be rested. So, if I arrange things so that I DO get to bed at a decent hour, and I track my progress and experience closely, with absolute devotion to the scientific method and carefully controlled test conditions, I might just be able to pull it off.
Here’s hoping I don’t blow anything up 
So, I’ll come up with a tracking sheet where I can log my sleep and experiences, and amass a body of information about the whole experience.
I may blog about it, too, as I go. We’ll see…
I too struggle with the motivation to get to bed at a decent hour. Everyone else works during the day, and (living in SC) it’s so darn hot out, it’s difficult to want to get out and do things on my own… So what is your motivation to go to bed and get up earlier? I find my body naturally reverts to a teenager schedule (staying up late and sleeping in), it always has. And I find if I try to get on a “normal” schedule I end up needing naps! No matter how much sleep I get. ARG!
-Sleepless in South Carolina
That is a very tough one – finding motivation is hard – especially since life gets so much more interesting after 10:00 p.m. for me. My motivation these days is to feel like a human being in the morning, because if I don’t get enough sleep, I really struggle. It is an ongoing battle, though. I know I need to function during the day at work, but having quiet time to myself is so valuable and needed, it’s pretty tough to get myself going to bed. But I must. Like right now… Good luck with your sleeping. It is so very important.
My motivation is even more difficult as I am fully retired on IU, I do not work anymore, so I don’t have a job to wake up for…
That can be difficult. On the other hand, it could be really nice. I would love to not have to get up for my job each day — I have many, many other things I’d rather be getting up for. There is so much in life that really interests me… it is hard for me to spend 10 hours of each day on my job, but that’s what I have to do, so… I hope you can find something you look forward to getting up to.
Even if you were retired you’d be getting up early. I do every day! That won’t change when you are not working. I’m wondering how many people with TBI might have adrenal insufficiency. Even when it’s treated with medication there is NO consistent level of adrenal hormones even when taking medications. IV hormones are the only thing that makes me near normal and that was in 2011 with sepsis. It gave me a false sense of well-being, and I wish it lasted. Than it was explained to me. Just wondering how many others might have adrenal insufficiency.
Yes, I am absolutely positively convinced that a lot of us have adrenal insufficiency – we kick into fight-flight mode for weeks and months and years at a time, after our injuries, working overtime just trying to keep up with everything, and it’s exhausting for our endocrine systems. If anything, I think adrenal issues are a massive blind spot with people who treat TBI, and when we don’t address those issues, we just make everything so much harder for ourselves. Everybody is so busy taking care of the brain, they forget about the body.
I actually started taking an adrenal support supplement, a few months back, and I have to say it’s made a noticeable difference with me.
I think there are other factors that come into play, too, that can combine with the TBI stuff to make things all the more interesting. I was comparing notes with a woman friend of mine who has adrenal issues, too — she’s not TBI, but she’s post-menopausal, and the way she explained it to me is that after menopause, women’s ovaries stop making adrenaline, and the adrenals end up carrying the full load to keep you going, so they get depleted. She said she felt like a new person after she started taking it. Not sure all this applies to you, but you might want to consider taking a supplement yourself — my friend and I both take Innate Adrenal Response, and comparing notes, we’re both having good results from it. It’s not cheap — I think it’s $30+ per bottle. But she swears by it, and so do I. I don’t think it has to be connected with TBI or menopause or gender or age or whatever — just plain old constant stress and adrenal problems will be good enough reason to take it. Whatever brand you get, I really recommend you try out some sort of adrenal support supplement and see how it works for you. It might be just the thing you need to support your adrenals – and your life.
I wonder if the same (adrenal response issues) are true for PTSD? I know that even though I try my hardest NOT to, loud noises, some one coming and touching me from behind, crowded rooms, too much going on, even my cell phone ringing when it’s otherwise very quiet startles the bejeezus out of me.
What do these adrenal supplements do for you, and are these the types of symptoms you’re referring to?
Hey Meghan,
I believe that the same adrenal issues happen with PTSD, also. The way I think about it, is that the adrenals are on constant alert to keep us going — and the more ALWAYS-ON we are, the more our adrenals get hammered by overwork. There’s not much you can do consciously to keep from being startled by loud noises, crowds, people touching you from behind, and your cell phone. That’s a totally unconscious reaction that takes place before the thought process can even start. Your body is wired to be hyper-alert, so something along the lines of relaxation, breathing exercises, and maybe some mindfulness/meditation would be more help to you than trying hard. In fact, trying hard can make those reactions even stronger.
As far as what the supplements do, the first time I took one, I felt much less wired — I felt like I could relax. I felt like I didn’t have work so hard at everything, like I usually do. I felt stronger, in a way, and that gave me more confidence. The symptoms I have are a little hard to describe, but it’s like I feel like I’m totally tapped out all the time, like I don’t have the willpower or the ability to deal with much of anything, like I am constantly working overtime to catch up to what’s going on around me… and I feel pretty raw and jumpy. It’s like I’m running on fumes, and there’s no gas station in sight.
When I started taking the adrenal supplement, I felt a lot more calm. I felt like I had the strength to deal with whatever would come up. And that was a pretty great feeling.
Is this the kind you use? There are a few different kinds on Amazon with subtle name differences, but I’m not sure what the name differences mean!
Innate Response – Adrenal Response Non Glandular 90 tab
I’m not sure that’s exactly it – there seem to be several different types. I think this might be it – http://www.amazon.com/Innate-Response-Formulas-Adrenal-Tablets/dp/B000V7ZL3S/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1344424731&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=Innate+Adrenal+Response+sensoril+ashgawanda – but it might be the same? The company that makes it has info here: http://www.innateresponse.com/product-p/40119.htm along with comments from people who use it, which are all good.
I know I’m asking a ton of questions, but how many do you take per day, and do you typically take it in the morning, or at night?
Thank you!!!!!
Hi Meghan,
No problem. In the past, I have taken two in a single day – when I was just starting out. It really felt amazing. But because they are expensive, I now take one each day in the morning with the rest of my vitamins — Vitamin D, Magnesium, B-Complex, CO-Q10, and the adrenal support. I also have a teaspoon of fish oil — I get the kind that’s lemon flavored, so it’s not so nasty. I have to make sure I don’t take too much fish oil — I start to bruise more easily if I do, I think because it’s a natural blood thinner (along with other things).