Hey Nurse! Cyberspace me an Ambien STAT!

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Specializes in Community Health Nurse.

I am soooooooooo unable to sleep on my days off, and it's driving me bananas! I sure could use an Ambien right now. It is nooooooo fun waking up between 0230 and 0400 every frikkin morning I'm off! :( I toss and turn and can't stop THINKING. What is wrong with me, nurses? :o

Anyone else have trouble sleeping on their days off? How do you relax and get back to sleep without taking a Benadryl every night?

Not to mention that my upstairs neighbors are sooooooo noisy during the night. The creaking and squeaking of their floor sounds like they are IN MY BEDROOM!

Please...any advice? :stone

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Specializes in ICU.

!) nice soothing music to cover the noise of the neighbours - somthing classical and well, boring. Vivaldi is good.

2) A good book to take your mind away from whatever is keeping it turning over

3) A large sherry/port

It may not help you go to sleep but after a while you will stop worrying about it!:chuckle

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Specializes in Community Health Nurse.

Hmmmmm.......a LARGE sherry/port! Now THAT sounds appetizing! Think I'll pick up a bottle today.......just for the night cap mind you. ;) Thanks Gwenith! :kiss

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.

Don't do anything stimulating like come here. Read a boring book or a nursing journal.

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I keep pad and pen by my bed to write down things that are bothering me so I can feel like I have "done something" about it. Funny, next morning they seem trivial anyway.

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Specializes in Case Management, Home Health, UM.

Put a small fan in your bedroom. I can't sleep without mine, for I have always been a very light sleeper, and the slightest creak or noise used to drive me nuts. You can pick one up at Wal-Mart, for under $15.00:)

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Specializes in Community Health Nurse.

Gosh! I totally forgot about running a fan! I use to do that all the time when I worked nightshift so I could sleep, and it worked really well too. Hmmmm...sherry/port wine, and a fan. Two great ideas to try! :D

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Specializes in Case Management, Home Health, UM.

It's worked for me, for 9 years!

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I must tell you that I am an ambien junkie. I'm not proud of it, but I need it. Without it, I do not get my Rem sleep. With it, I sleep for several hours before getting up. I have tried to break the habit, since I have been on it for over 1 1/2 yrs., ,but I notice I cannot sleep for weeks. Went for 3 weeks before calling the doctor.

While on this medication, I do or say strange things. One night, after sleeping about 2 hrs. I woke up & the dog and I went downstairs. Apparently, I went up to my husband and say "Paws (my dog) has a question he would like to ask." The dog, on cue, jumped up on the couch and looked at my husband. I went to get a class of water. Came back in & my husband said "He had nothing to say." I looked at Paws & said, "Well fine, don't wake me up next time." With that, we both (Paws and me) went back upstairs & went to bed. DON"T REMEMBER A THING:eek:

BEWARE but HAVE FUN.

justjenn

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I have a "white noise" machine which works for me. Also agree with the soft music/fan ideas.

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Specializes in Community Health Nurse.

:chuckle :roll :chuckle That is hilarious justjenn!

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Specializes in NICU.

Jenn, that is so funny, I got tears in my eyes with laughing!

:chuckle :chuckle :chuckle :roll :chuckle

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