Sleep Deprivation Anyone??

stpauligirl · Aug 24, 2006

This is probably a common thread among pre & nursing students...Anywho, I 'm taking Chem 101 , Intermediate Alg and A&P II....and I have three school aged children who are pretty independent......My problem is course stress.I need to get at least a "B" average in these courses to be competitive.This mission has altered my sleep...My mind races at bedtime about what I need to study, homework, labs, exams and quizzes...I toke my first math exam yesterday 8/23 and received a 77% .I was crushed..My lack of sleep & worrying makes it extremely difficult for me to concentrate.I end falling asleep at 2am only to wake up at 6:30a to get my kids out to school... I try taking cat naps during the day and I end up having bizarre dreams....YIKES.......I need sleep!! Any suggests on sleeping aids aside from medication?

Try to get some aerobic exercise...it helps with the worrying and anxiety and makes me sleep better. Take a relaxing bath after the kids are in bed and have some calming tea.

sdmommie · Aug 24, 2006

I find that if I take a cat nap during the day, my sleep at night is affected. In the afternoon when I'm exhausted, I have a cup of tea or a half cup of coffee to wake me up. I'm also a constant worrier, so I completely understand. The half hour before I go to bed, I try to do something relaxing, do a yoga video, watch tv.

Maybe a tutor or study group would help? I also find it helpful to schedule my study time for each subject. Try not to be so hard on yourself...that's not an easy load for someone with 3 kids. I always do the worst on the first exam. You still have time to pull up your grade.

LMRN10 · Aug 24, 2006

I agree with sdmommie. If I nap through the day, my sleep at night is definitely affected!! Try, just for a day, to not nap (as hard as it may be) and see if that helps...I'd be surprised if it doesn't.

Try reading before bed...maybe that'll help. If worse comes to worse, try Tylenol PM for a night or two just to get your body back on schedule.

I understand how you feel...I started back and have a young daughter (who is NOT self sufficient!:chuckle ) and work full-time. I am only in 1 class this semester, so that is definitely helping me out.

But of course you would want to be well rested for your classes and tests!! Try not to stress too much!! If you really are having problems understanding, definitely talk to the college about a tutor...my college offers them for free. And they are there for you and I am positive it would help you understand and probably also help you sleep because you wouldn't have so much stress! It's hard being a mommy and a student at the same time for sure!!

Good luck!

Multicollinearity, BSN, RN · Aug 25, 2006

Insomnia has plagued me. Here's what works for me, though. Melatonin occationally. It's not good to take it every night. Benadryl. Quit all caffeine. Not even a cup of coffee in the AM. Hard to do, I know...especially when you are tired from another night without sleep.

The single best thing to do...EXERCISE. It only works if the exercise is strenuous and lengthy. Wear that body out and it will want to SLEEEEP. Sometimes I do a full 60 minutes on the elliptical trainer plus weight lifting after.

lisabeth · Aug 25, 2006

Insomnia has plagued me. Here's what works for me, though. Melatonin occationally. It's not good to take it every night. Benadryl. Quit all caffeine. Not even a cup of coffee in the AM. Hard to do, I know...especially when you are tired from another night without sleep.
The single best thing to do...EXERCISE. It only works if the exercise is strenuous and lengthy. Wear that body out and it will want to SLEEEEP. Sometimes I do a full 60 minutes on the elliptical trainer plus weight lifting after.

Believe it or not, melatonin keys me up. :confused: Valarian root doesnt really help, maybe on occasions, and I dont want to take anything else on any regular basis. I actually did go walking twice yesterday, so what's up with this???? I went walking yesterday a.m. by myself, and last night about 8:00 I went with my daughter for about a 20 minute walk to rid ourselves of the stress. I have now been awake since about 12:30. :madface:

Multicollinearity, BSN, RN · Aug 25, 2006

Believe it or not, melatonin keys me up. Valarian root doesnt really help, maybe on occasions, and I dont want to take anything else on any regular basis. I actually did go walking twice yesterday, so what's up with this???? I went walking yesterday a.m. by myself, and last night about 8:00 I went with my daughter for about a 20 minute walk to rid ourselves of the stress. I have now been awake since about 12:30.

Walking never helped me sleep at all. I have to do the type of aerobic exercise that is so intense - you know, like on the elliptical trainer, heart pumping fast, sweat running in my eyes. That kind of work out. Walking does zero zip nada nothing for me and sleep.

Also, evening exercise causes insomnia with some people. Gives them a burst of energy, or keys them up and it's hard to wind down.

For me, morning exercise that is so strenuous that I feel like I may fall down LOL, and my heart is fast...guaranteed sleep that eve.

allthingsbright · Aug 25, 2006

Yeah, you need to master this BEFORE nursing classes start--or it will only be worse. I am struggling right now because my stress level is so high taking 3 nursing classes w/ clinicals. You would NOT believe the work load. And while pre-reqs kicked my butt, this is something totally different.

I took some tylenol PM last night and it knocked me out...but sometimes adrenaline runs so high that it doesnt even work. Got up yesterday morning after NO sleep and walked and that woke me up...

Anyway, good luck! In another thread soemone wrote about having a nighttime routine and I am trying that!

JUBSN · Aug 27, 2006

I agree, you best learn to master how to sleep while in nursing school. It's not harder or easier, it's just different. I am taking 4 classes with clinicals, plus community service on my FREE time, projects, etc (I'm in the accelerated track). It's a challenge but not impossible.

LMRN10 · Aug 27, 2006

I agree, you best learn to master how to sleep while in nursing school. It's not harder or easier, it's just different. I am taking 4 classes with clinicals, plus community service on my FREE time, projects, etc (I'm in the accelerated track). It's a challenge but not impossible.

Wow!! Best of luck to you for sure!!

KungFuFtr · Aug 28, 2006

I can't exercise before bedtime; adrenaline and endorphines get me wired. I instead workout (or try to, sometimes it's difficult) first thing in the morning. The exercise gets me in an active, alert state for the rest of the day. I find that when I don't exercise, I always feel hungry and tired.

I try to get 7 hours sleep.

My gf will go to bed at 10:30pm on a friday night and sleep til noon on sat. I think theres something highly wrong with that. What is the recommended dose of sleep for early to mid 30's?

lisabeth · Aug 28, 2006

The thing is, I had NO problem going to sleep. I mean as soon as I hit the pillow, I was :zzzzz .

It was just that I woke up and couldnt go back to sleep. I dont really think it was the exercise that did it. We went walking 2 hours before we ever went to bed. I do that sometimes when I dont exercise. :rolleyes: