I can't sleep and I have a new job!

[l88m22vette]

Started my para position last Wed, everything is fine except for the fact that I leave at 6:30am and drive for 45min+; I'm used to "college hours" (~9am-midnight+) and am slowly becoming a zombie. I refuse to use caffeine, but does anyone have advice for me? I should have been to bed a half-hour ago but I'm not tired and am instead typing this stupid post :tongue: Can you actually reset a sleep pattern, or am I screwed until I can adjust?

[Cincy]

It takes some time (atleast for me) to change sleep patterns. I have seen studies that claim you are suppose to have a completely dark room to fall asleep, meaning no tv, no clock lights, etc. However, i fall asleep better with the tv or radio on since i cant stop my brain when at rest.

[auditech79]

I had to go through that crap when i worked for UPS in phoenix packing the trucks nightly. I couldn't adapt naturally, i had to drink some rockstars or something similar until my body adapted to the time shift. If you don't work out regularly i wouldn't use that much sugar or caffine because you will pack on the pounds fast.

If you want the natual herbal approach, i would get some "sleepytime" herbal tea and have a hot cup of that an hour before bed which should help knock you out so you at least get a better nights sleep. Or sleep aids, but i don't trust those things.

[myslow1]

it takes time to adjust...

[Warranty]

Start by workingout in the morning. I'm on my way to go train someone now(5:40am). It's easier on the body if their is some kind of energy used to wake you up early.

[Irish*TT*]

nite quill !!
or (if u drink) about and hr before u wanna go to bed have just ONE beer. then go and relax in a chair. i get so damn tired when i do that.

[KrissrocK]

nite quill !!
or (if u drink) about and hr before u wanna go to bed have just ONE beer. then go and relax in a chair. i get so damn tired when i do that.

ohhh no. I find that having one beer will actually keep me awake!! It's so crazy. I need at least two to help me fall asleep. I wouldn't recommend this. Maybe one beer and some booty though :thumbup1:

If you don't work out regularly .

this is what I recommend. Working out will make you soooo freakin tired. Sleep will be better, bowel movements improve too :thumbup1: the only downside to this is that being sore can kinda make u feel tired during the day as well...But besides some warm booty, beer and exercise, i don't think there's any other healthy way to fall asleep fast

[CCA4]

I took a psych class in college and IIRC, without any caffeine or sleep remedies, it'll take ~3 weeks for you to adjust naturally. I'm a big fan of the "have a few beers" approach. I also agree with Kriss, I've been training for a triathlon for goin on 2 months now and I've noticed a definite improvement in the amount and quality of sleep i've been gettin.

BTW, congrats on the new job! :D

[HowdyTT]

I always need to reset my sleep schedule. I stay up for 48 hours, then I am able to sleep by 11pm. But it slowly creeps up to 3-4am, then I gotta stay up again. Exercising helps too. I can sleep for 5 hours and be good.

[AWDaholic]

Working out, in the mornmng is a good one that someone suggested. Also, to get you over until your body CAN re-adjust, have you tried those 5-hour energy thingies? They are AWSOME (FWIW, I haven't tried any of the genre EXCEPT the 5-hour energy.) They have, 2-3 flavors, AND, even a caffine-free one. Hit one of those, before your morning workout and you can gradually ween yourself off, as your body adjusts.

To get to sleep, at night, read a technical manual (something work-related, perhaps), to tire your mind. Not only will it make you brain-drowsy, but, you might learn sunthin AND get a step ahead of your contemporaries, TOO!!!

Try them BOTH!

[KrissrocK]

oh yeah reading will do it....however, i'm not a fan of those 5 hour drinks. I heard that they can cause really high blood pressure...

are u supposed to drink those things straight or mix 'em with something else?

[Cincy]

Straight. They are now advertising to drink half of it and see if you want the rest. A good source of a small amount of caffine is tea. They have a small amount in them that may help keep you going but far from what is in a coke/pepsi let along mt dew/vault. Pic up some of the lipton citris green tea and rasberry white tea, they are damn good.

[AWDaholic]

oh yeah reading will do it....however, i'm not a fan of those 5 hour drinks. I heard that they can cause really high blood pressure...

are u supposed to drink those things straight or mix 'em with something else?


What Cincy said, +1.

I'm old, so I do have a BP monitor that I use, periodically. I've been using those 5-hour drinks for a couple/three years, now, and I haven't had any bad siide effects, no BP spikes, spots before my eyes, shrinkage... Of course, I only use one, in the morning, and not every morning, at that. As with ANYTHING, if you overuse, or abuse it, it WILL come back and bite you.

[AWDrifter]

nite quill !!
or (if u drink) about and hr before u wanna go to bed have just ONE beer. then go and relax in a chair. i get so damn tired when i do that.

Is this different than NyQuil? lol

[Irish*TT*]

Is this different than NyQuil? lol

u get the point!! ass!

id stay away from any caffine it will only lead to MORE caffine , like red bulls.. i used to be at a can of mt dew a day and now im at like..2liters. not even joking a lil bit.
same with coffee , i could go years without it...one cold hungover morning, had a cup... found myself drinking that shit like water.

[l88m22vette]

^^ NyQuil has more booze, that's how! :lol:

Anyway, thanks a lot guys, lots of good info. I totally need to get back into shape, I used to be in great shape (4:20+late college nites+stupid girls=done), and everything you said is true. Good info!

[Cincy]

u get the point!! ass!

id stay away from any caffine it will only lead to MORE caffine , like red bulls.. i used to be at a can of mt dew a day and now im at like..2liters. not even joking a lil bit.
same with coffee , i could go years without it...one cold hungover morning, had a cup... found myself drinking that shit like water.

I was so addicted to caffine. I would get headaches when i didnt have any. I would drink around 2L of mt dew daily. I would have a 20oz in the morning for school and working at the country club i would have way to much to count at night. After finally getting that out of my system, i feel so much better. The very small amount in green tea is far from enough to make it addicting.

[Warranty]

U could always go for the trifecta:
-do as many pushups as possible.
-rub one out.
-then slam a beer.

That should do it.

[auditech79]

U could always go for the trifecta:
-do as many pushups as possible.
-rub one out.
-then slam a beer.

That should do it.

Haahahaha

[Cincy]

x2

:LOL:

[l88m22vette]

x3 :lol: omg that made my night

[Warranty]

Lol, makes sense if you think about it. And I would suggest doing it in that order.

BTW, it's ok to blaze after workouts. Helps calm muscle spasm/contractions.

[KrissrocK]

that's what I'm talking about! A beer and some booty and you should be good to go !

I don't know about u guys, but i prefer a given a girl a good sticken over chokin the chicken anytime...

AWD how are ol' are u that u have a heart monitor?

Sounds like we need a age roll call...see who are our elderly members and who could be our children ...

Mr. Rock is 29

still holdin on!!

[CCA4]

spots before my eyes, shrinkage...

:lol:

I drink at least two cups of coffee in the morning and 1 or 2 Red Bulls in the afternoons, so I'd hardly consider myself sensitive to caffeine, but those 5 hour energy shots still give me the shakes lol. Not a big fan. Did ya ever look on the back of them? No sugar and not much more caffeine than a cup of coffee, but they have like 8000% of the daily recommended value for a couple B vitamins and one other thing i can't recall at the moment. That CAN'T be good for you :-X

[TT2cabo]

love the redbulls . just tryed the new redbull cola the one gemany banned for having traces of cocain in it well if you look on the can of rb cola it says coca leaf extract. must be the zing in it LOL. when i could not sleep i when to the doctor and told him i quit drinking and smoking pot and he gave me some restoil sleeping pills and some libruim no problem sleeping now:) thank god for the docs


mr sTTeve age45

[AWDaholic]

Amount Per Serving-------------------------------% Daily Value
Calories 4--------------------------------------Calories From Fat 0
Niacin (as Niacinamide) 30mg---------------------------------150%
Vitamin B6 (as Pryidoxine Hydrochloride) 40mg----------------2000%
Folic Acid 400mcg--------------------------------------------100%
Vitimin B12 (as Cyanocobalamin) 500mcg----------------------8333%
Sodium 18mg---------------------------------------------------<1%



Physiologically, if you take in more of a vitamin or mineral than your body needs, it disposes of it as waste. Some substances are toxic, of course, and have deleterious side effects. Some can say behind, in your liver, and do long-term damage as it accumulates. But, thankfully, the FDA is responsible for making sure things of that nature stay out of the consumable marketplace.

[AWDrifter]

But, thankfully, the FDA is responsible for making sure things of that nature stay out of the consumable marketplace.


Kinda lol

Only until something else is determined to be "dangerous". Our parents, and us, grew up playing with/ consuming lots of things that have since been taken out of products because they are thought to be "dangerous". I am a chemist for a place and part of my job is finding suitable substitutes for chemicals now known as hazardous/toxic/dangerous. Replacing them with others, less dangerous?... maybe, maybe not, only thing that matters is they arent currently known as dangerous to the fda/epa/whoever so they can be sold as "safe"

In a few years will I be finding substitutes for the substitutes I am finding now, probably. Job security. lol


24

[CCA4]

I'll turn the ripe old age of 24 in November. Steve is that Red Bull Cola any good? Thought about tryin it but I'm not convinced it won't taste like doo doo lol.

[AWDaholic]

Kinda lol

Only until something else is determined to be "dangerous". Our parents, and us, grew up playing with/ consuming lots of things that have since been taken out of products because they are thought to be "dangerous". I am a chemist for a place and part of my job is finding suitable substitutes for chemicals now known as hazardous/toxic/dangerous. Replacing them with others, less dangerous?... maybe, maybe not, only thing that matters is they arent currently known as dangerous to the fda/epa/whoever so they can be sold as "safe"

In a few years will I be finding substitutes for the substitutes I am finding now, probably. Job security. lol


24

All true, and, good luck in the job security. Still...

Excess B12 will simply be excreted by the body.

[TT2cabo]

I'll turn the ripe old age of 24 in November. Steve is that Red Bull Cola any good? Thought about tryin it but I'm not convinced it won't taste like doo doo lol.
I liked it . Read the can it's all natural but theres stuff like caffine from coffee beans lol and limes and a few other but overall I think it was good and not as strong as the orignal

[CCA4]

Hmm alright I'll take your word for it. I'll give it a try tomorrow.

[TT2cabo]

Hmm alright I'll take your word for it. I'll give it a try tomorrow.

there a little cheaper too, and gotta tell yea i love your avitar. the ol lady laughed her ass off when i showed her. :)

[l88m22vette]

I wonder how RB Cola and Jack would be...probably shouldn't find out :laugh:

[TT2cabo]

I wonder how RB Cola and Jack would be...probably shouldn't find out :laugh:

that might be good , dont know about jagermister though
nothing like a wideawake drunk lol

[CCA4]

and gotta tell yea i love your avitar. the ol lady laughed her ass off when i showed her. :)

lol i still laugh when i look at it. i think it started as this:

http://i316.photobucket.com/albums/mm323/christopercook7/STFU_Noob.jpg

And then someone photoshopped the helmet and stuff :lol:

[TT2cabo]

thats the best, lol

[TT2cabo]

lol i still laugh when i look at it. i think it started as this:

http://i316.photobucket.com/albums/mm323/christopercook7/STFU_Noob.jpg

And then someone photoshopped the helmet and stuff :lol:

here you go :)
http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt220/tt2cabowabo/forum%20pics/1157096256810od0gk1ma7.gif

[CCA4]

ROFL :lol:

[AWDaholic]

BTW, whoever asked (I dint go back and look), I'm 46. I have a couple of HRMs. One is a simple BP/HRM cuff. Battery powered, self-inflates, gives a downloadable reading I can plug into a spreadsheet for tracking. The other is one a chect-strap/chrono-watch that I use when I go on my 4/6/10-miles runs.

I got them (both) because of all the anecdotal stories I've seen/read all my life about guys in their mid-40's keeling-over when shoveling snow/mowing their lawn/out for a jog/etc. I'm healthy. I just wanna make sure I keep track of my slow, gradual decline into infirmity, over the next 70-80 years!

[KrissrocK]

ohhh i see. so this monitoring of the heart isn't really to monitor any issue, or previous problem...just to...monitor your heart?

I don't know about ou, but my heart hates it when I run...he starts beating all fast n schit...so abstain from strenuous activities :-)

I'm 29, and I prob couldn't run 10 miles to save my life...now if I could walk a lil, that's a different story

[AWDaholic]

ohhh i see. so this monitoring of the heart isn't really to monitor any issue, or previous problem...just to...monitor your heart?


Yep! That's pretty much it. Think of it as having a continuous diagnostic running on your car. ANY l'il hiccup and you're like, WAIT! Wat wuzzat?!?! Same thing but, with my body. Of course, I still eat like a moroon, but I keeps track of the rpm(bpm)'s and notice any deviations from norm in almost all other parameters (BP, BM's, aches/pains). I don't wanna be the subject of a "Hay! Didja HEAR whahappen to Jazz," convo, any time soon.


I don't know about ou, but my heart hates it when I run...he starts beating all fast n schit...so abstain from strenuous activities :-)


Actually, your heart LOVES it when you run. All that rapid beating is how your heart shows you how EXCITED it is to be ALIVE! You should do it more often. Your heart would LOVE you even MORE!!!

[Cincy]

you cant just GO RUN, you have to start off slow and know your limits. Kriss, you probably hit your max heart rate quickly. Go slower and build up your stamina.

[KrissrocK]

i'm playing guys...i hate running, but i've been doing it recently. A couple weeks ago, i got on the scale (with clothes) and it was 277 lbs....I almost had an heart attack. I've been puttin on weight since i got this desk job. I'm not slob though. I can bench over 300 lbs, but i wanna get back to 220-240 lbs...

and running is the only way.

[AWDaholic]

Running isn't the ONLY way, mon frere...
Go get THIS BOOK:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0020583516/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&qid=1251736173&sr=8-6&condition=new

Start from Ch 2 (Ch 1 is all about the authors' journey to "discovery."), and learn about breathing. Following the instructions and you can ACTUALLY work up a "rolling-off-your-brow" sweat, while sitting perfectly still.

Once you've got the breathing down, Ch 3 starts you out on some "poses" that you will look completely ridiculous doing, but they are effective. This is NOT twist-yourself-into-a-pretzel yoga. It IS a workout! Believe me. I've been doing it for quite a few years, now, off and on. Generally as my "warm-up" to my runs and/or lifting. Although, sometimes I do strap on some "heavy-hands," and/or wrist weights and do it as its' own workout. Follow-on chapters go deeper into the process.

It is LOW IMPACT, so you don't have to worry about stressing your joints... Something that was a big problem for me back when I swelled up to about 260lbs on my 71" frame (dropped 35lbs my 1st 3-months of doing it seriously, more after I could actually run distances again,and been holding steady at about 195-205 for the last 2-3 years, and could prolly drop another 10-15lbs if I was more consistent with my workouts). It is self-paced, so you can puss-out if you're not feeling motivated enough, halfway through. It gradually builds on what it has already taught you, so you're not thrown into the DEEP END of the pool, so to speak.

If you try it, and I mean RILLY, RILLY try it, and it doesn't work for you, I will personally refund you whatever you paid for the book (provided, of course, you send it to ME!).

[Cincy]

i'm playing guys...i hate running, but i've been doing it recently. A couple weeks ago, i got on the scale (with clothes) and it was 277 lbs....I almost had an heart attack. I've been puttin on weight since i got this desk job. I'm not slob though. I can bench over 300 lbs, but i wanna get back to 220-240 lbs...

and running is the only way.

I hate running also. I have to be on a treadmill in front of a tv to take my mind off how long ive been on and how far ive gone. I peaked 178lbs and now im at a steady 150lb (water weight takes me 148-153) and i got back into lifting. I rep 160lbs so im not all that skinny at 5'10. What/when you eat is also important. I went from consuming 3-4k calories to about 2k which really helps keep the weight off.

[CCA4]

Yeah I hear ya Cincy. When I was in Chicago I gained almost 20 lbs in about 5 months, so when I got back I signed up for a triathlon to get back in shape, and sho nuff it's workin. Lost back 9 of the 18 I put on since Feb and I feel much better. I've also started drinking less, eating better, and the combination has me feelin pretty damn good lately :)

[KrissrocK]

haha..i can eat $3 if i didn't like the book .

I can't count callories...I actually don't think i take on many calories, but my job keeps me at a desk....all day. I rarely walk at all. And when I'm in school, its worse. I sit all day at work, then sit in my car on my way to school, then sit at school for another 3 hours, then sit on the drive home...then sit there in front of a tV or pc...

When i was a case manager, i stayed in between 235-250 because chasing crazy ppl around town is hard work...

[AWDaholic]

haha..i can eat $3 if i didn't like the book .

I can't count callories...I actually don't think i take on many calories, but my job keeps me at a desk....all day. I rarely walk at all. And when I'm in school, its worse. I sit all day at work, then sit in my car on my way to school, then sit at school for another 3 hours, then sit on the drive home...then sit there in front of a tV or pc...

When i was a case manager, i stayed in between 235-250 because chasing crazy ppl around town is hard work...


See, that's the beauty of *my* stay-n-shape" plan. I eat WTF I want, take a multi-vitamin, do yoga more mornings than not (takes between 30-90 minutes, depending on how motivated I feel); yoga & lift two nights, yoga & run two nights. But, and this is the key... I built UP to it. It started with the yoga. OK, one other thing I did do that I haven't mentioned. I replaced my late night snacks with a chug or three of water. That was back when I was trying to lose. Now, I'm back to an occasional dohnut or a couple of peppermint-patties as a before bed snack (the sugar rush, and crash help me nod off, but is very, very bad for me).

Pizza. Chips. Cookies. Cake. WTF I want. I've been holding at about 200, give or take, for the better part of two years. No calorie counting. No weighing food. Nunna that silly schitt.

Check out the book.
Ignore the embarrassing positions it'll have you doing.
Give it a good, honest effort.
You'll see results.
If you DO run, you'll see improvements in that, too.