Thread: Problem of not wanting to sleep..

So, Im in an interesting dilemma here and its starting to effect my college life...missing classes and such because of it.

I know there have been threads before on here of sleeping problems and such, but this one is a little different for me. Even when I feel deadbeat tired...I dont actually want to go to sleep...it almost feels like I dread laying down. Of course, once I go to sleep, I sleep like a rock and sometimes even my alarm doesnt wake me up (hence, missing classes)

Now, before anyone asks...no, Im not hyper, not feeling awake, not under any stress for deadlines and so on...its just a distinct not liking of sleep. Ive been feeling it for about a month now...whenever I hit a brick wall where my body must sleep (usually about 5 or so am) I still even then think "ahh great, guess I have to try and sleep".

The only reasons I can think of is because when I do lay down before that point, it usually takes an hour or so for me to fall asleep, even when Im not worried or thinking much...I just lay there, waiting for sleep. The other problem could be that sometimes when I lay down I for whatever reason get a rush of thoughts about death and the afterlife...and so I get to scare myself about "what ifs" with that...but even then, this doesnt happen every time

So, I guess Im asking if anyone else here is having this problem or had it...and if so how did you overcome it? I would like to like sleep again

I'm kinda in the same boat right now. And, like you, have been for almost a month or so now. It started with me getting heavy into drugs for almost a week or so. The drugs are no longer the case, but still I find myself at times laying down to sleep only to find myself just laying down and remaining completely awake. I've tried a few things to get past this little bump. One being excercising throughout the day more. (But not too close to bed time, as I find it takes a while for my body to wear down the high heart rate of a good workout). Now I've always listened to music during sleep, putting my itunes on shuffle while I doze. But today I downloaded a bunch of Fiona Apple and Cat Power. Check them out maybe. And if you can, try to fall asleep listening to them, or some kinda music of that nature. That's going to be my new shot at tackling this problem. Best of luck to ya!! (and me too LOL)

I recommend that you make sure your bed is very comfortable, also try to make your sleeping schedule constant, so you fall asleep faster and at "normal" times of your schedule. Also try meditation if you are having rush of thoughts or are stressed out.

I would say, don't worry about it. As long as you are giving yourself time to relax and unwind at night, you will be fine. Give yourself the opportunity to sleep, but don't dwell on it. Maybe that deep meditative state is what you need right now. I think we all go through periods when we don't need much sleep, or conversely, need a ton of sleep. I've never bought into the myth that we all need X hours of sleep per night. Listen to your body. It will tell you when you need sleep.

Thanks for the advice guys, sorry I couldnt reply sooner, college has been pretty busy especially since Im a senior. Ive found i have been easing back in to it now. Some nights I do actually go to bed and other nights I still get that feeling. So, it must have been like you said robotbutler and the my body simply didnt need it so it wanted me to do other things. hopefully the thanksgiving break next week will help too

I have a similar problem... well let me explain, I don't want to sleep. Not that its a burden or i find myself saying "looks like i gotta go to sleep now" but i literally stay up for 3-7 days at a time. I hate my dreams. Thats the problem. I don't want to sleep at all. It's been going on for about half a year now, its become a very bad habbit. But I hate my dreams, so i won't go to sleep, until my body crashes. Call me crazy, but if you had some of the dreams i've had you would understand. I have yet to find a way to help myself. Doctors always try to prescibe me with sleeping pills, but I've literally built an immunity to them. I can take twice or 3 times the amount and it not affect me at all. My psychiatrist won't tell me this, but she thinks i'm crazy i just know it. But i fear my dreams. I wake up screaming, with bruises on my body. If anyone finds a name for this phobia/disease, let me know about it. I'd like to not have to write a novel to describe what i'm going through.