Archive for sleeping pills
March 24, 2011 at 12:18 pm · Filed under chores, clothes, coffee, dishes, ecology, energy, intentions, laundry, sleeping pills, state of mind, the dog, the Exfactor, walks
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I had the best of intentions this morning. I wanted to take the dog for a long walk and get started on my chores. I figured that after a good night’s sleep, I would be more than capable of doing such things that were after all quite simple. All they required were a little bit of goodwill and some energy.
Well, it turns out that the latter is what I was short of once I had gotten dressed. Suddenly I felt pooped and not at all able to carry off my tasks. It seemed that I had lead in my legs and the thought of going for a long walk just defeated me. I didn’t think I could pull it off. Apparently I didn’t have the energy that I thought I had woken up with in the morning.
Nevertheless, I set off with the best of intentions, willing to give it a try, but after we had walked for a while and it was time to choose which direction to go in, I chose the direction that led home again. It was with much relief that I walked into the apartment. I fed the dog and fixed myself something to eat, hoping that it would restore my strength and take away the tired feeling and then I had a cup of coffee, hoping that it would keep me awake.
The last thing I want to do is go back to bed and mess up my schedule, but I do feel a touch wobbly and like I need more sleep. I’m fighting off the feeling now and telling myself that if I drink enough coffee, it will go away. All I have to do is try and stay as alert as possible. It’s a bit like having jet lag and having to adjust to a new time zone. I will try and save up my need for sleep until tonight when I can sleep as long as I want. With the combination of the old and the new sleeping pills, I should be able to sleep well.
I have to do my chores, but I don’t quite feel up to them yet. I have to gather the wherewithal to do them. I know what I have to do, but the lead isn’t out of my arms and legs yet and I’m yawning something awful. I am determined to get them done and I hope that in doing them, I will wake up more and regain my energy. I have to do laundry, for one thing, and I hope that the smell of washing powder will revitalize me. I’ll inhale deeply over the box.
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The Exfactor was just here for coffee and conversation and it has quite perked me up. It was like I stood under a waterfall of fresh water and I’m completely woken up. We talked about interesting things and had several cups of coffee and the dog was the cause of much diversion too. Isn’t it funny how you can become enlivened by the presence of another person? I guess it has to be the right person. Someone who is perky enough themselves, which the Exfactor definitely is. He is a most talkative guy and never short of subjects.
The best part was that I got another package of clothes and I had sort of forgotten what I had ordered, being not quite in my right mind when I did. I had completely forgotten about that package arriving this afternoon. To my great surprise it also contained a cute little summery cardigan, which I decided to wear right away because the weather is perfect for it. I’m amazed by my own choice of it and should order these kinds of things more often in that kind of mood, although not being in my right mind is not a preferable state to be in. It does go with the many shades of color life comes in. It causes surprises.
Now I’m more than ready to continue with the rest of the day. I can take the dog for another walk and do my chores. I feel quite up to it. I will even do the dreaded dishes, which I still think should be replaced with disposable ones. I don’t think the ecologist in me will get away with it, though. Besides, I’d have too much trash. I do feel responsible for my share of the landfill. It’s very difficult to be irresponsible nowadays. It must have been much easier to live in the 50’s.
Have a good day!
Ciao,
Nora
March 20, 2011 at 12:58 pm · Filed under chocolate, expectations, hypomania, lunacy, moods, moon, sarcasm, sleeping pills, Sunday, tobacco shop, weather, wildflowers
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No, I’m not being sarcastic when I say that, nor am I being hypo-manic. I just wanted to share my somewhat good mood as I sit here with my second cup of coffee. Of course, all moods are momentary and I have to take advantage of this one as long as it lasts because it may only be here for an hour. That’s why I say now that it’s a terrific day, while I should really say that it’s a terrific moment.
I’m also very easily and quickly pleased. As long as nothing goes wrong, I’m happy. As long as I know that the day is going to be very uncomplicated, I’m thrilled about it. Since today is Sunday, there’s nothing much that can go wrong and I expect no complications. It is a day of rest, after all. Better yet, nothing much is expected of me. I think that’s the most important thing.
Yesterday I had to go to the tobacco shop and I thought that was a complicated thing to do. Of course, yesterday was a complicated day for me anyway, what with the fact that I was trying not to go around the bend from all the sleepless nights I’d had. Riding my bike to the tobacco shop seemed like a very difficult thing to do and once I had finally done it, it was a major load off my mind. I bought myself a chocolate bar as a reward. No doubt that made me gain a pound.
It was a relief to take my old sleeping pills last night. I slept better and after I had been up in the middle of the night like I always am, I slept better in the morning too. The most important thing is, that I was not hypo-manic during the night and I avoided drinking a lot of coffee to create an artificial high. And, even though it was a super full moon, I was not a lunatic, although I would have expected it. Apparently not knowing that it was until this morning, made me not be influenced by it, although I have to say that I was a lunatic the night before this one.
I’ve walked the dog and it is a fairly nice day out there. We have a hazy sun and pleasant temperatures. I’m waiting to see the buttercups in the grass. That will be a happy day.
Ciao,
Nora
March 17, 2011 at 4:25 am · Filed under antidepressants, blog post, blog template, coffee, computer, early morning, moods, sleep, sleeping pills, summer time, the weekend, Tyke, walks, weather
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It’s impossible not to jealously guard the time I’m spending here behind the computer very early in the morning due to the failure of my sleep medication. What looked like bad luck, is turning out to be a pleasant time spent fooling around with the appearance of the blog designs. I don’t know if I’m done with them yet, but the first attempts are there. I don’t know if I have the patience to endlessly sit and change them, but I do know that I will go back to them often and make alterations as I get in the mood. Whenever I have some spare time, I will do that.
I’m still not tired and have to find ways to fill the empty hours until it’s properly morning, although the time is passing by quickly. I suppose it’s true that it always does when you’re having fun. I’m easily amused. I really should have a whole bunch of blogs simply to have the opportunity to change their appearances. Just to mess around with them, because that’s my favorite thing to do. It’s like constantly changing the furniture in the living room around, which used to be my favorite activity. You just don’t get as worn out changing the appearance of your blogs.
I already wrote another blog post for
Miss Daisy and god only knows how many more I will write until it’s morning. I’m on a roll now. I do have to keep myself occupied until the sun comes up and it’s time to walk Tyke. It does get lighter earlier every day, so it won’t take too long because we have not switched to Summer Time yet. I do look forward to setting the clock ahead one hour because it will be lighter longer in the evenings when you get to enjoy it most. I never did like setting the clocks back in wintertime and don’t see why we have to. Whoever came up with that bright idea? I’m totally opposed to it.
It’s time to make a pot of coffee and to start the day to some extent. It’s my attempt to make the time hurry up. I’m impatient to get the show on the road. I want to do things and be engaged. It will be wonderful to be out in the chilly morning air. It’s still a bit cold out there and it’s not going to be all that warm today. As a matter of fact, we’re expecting a few showers, which I don’t mind really, although I’ve come to prefer the sunshine. The wind is coming from the north and will be a bit chilly. I may even have to wear a scarf this morning, which I’ve not had to for a while.
At least it’s already Thursday today and the week is moving along at a steady pace. Before you know it, it will be weekend again and time for a breather. It’s not been an especially tough week, but I’ll be glad when it’s over. I haven’t really enjoyed the days very much and haven’t felt in such a great mood. I’ve been waiting for my anti-depressives to start working, but I think that they maybe have now. It’s sometimes hard to tell as my moods are not always easy to pin down and can be unpredictable and depend on how much sleep I’ve had. I’m sure I’ll have to take a nap today. I always seem to need a lot of sleep and I sure haven’t had any now.
I hope you’ll all have a nice day.
Ciao,
Nora
March 15, 2011 at 5:22 pm · Filed under blogging, depression, end of the day, hypomania, middle of the night, psychiatrist, sleep, sleeping pills, SPN, state of mind
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Even though daytime blogging is hard for me to do, I’m going to give it a try. I was planning on taking a nap, but the phone rang and that got me right out of my bed again. I’m not going back to it and I’m saving my sleep for tonight instead. I made a deal with my psychiatrist and my SPN that I was seriously going to change my sleeping habits and not get up in the middle of the night anymore to stay up for a couple of hours and blog.
My psychiatrist is also prescribing another sleeping pill that will help me sleep through the night instead of what I have now that only helps me fall asleep. I have no problems falling asleep. As a matter of fact, I’m asleep ten minutes after I lie down in bed. It’s staying asleep that’s the problem. Hopefully these pills will help me. Unfortunately, the pharmacy didn’t have them in supply and has to order them, so I won’t have them until tomorrow. That’s a bit of a disappointment, but I will have to be patient for another night.
I get up in the middle of the night because I think it’s exciting to blog then. I usually have a very good mood and a bit of a high. I think that the posts that I write then are much more exciting than the posts that I write during the day. This could all be an illusion and I came to realize that this past night. I was artificially pepping myself up with coffee and creating a hypo-manic state for myself to exist in. I thought I was writing down very significant things, but they really amounted to nothing at all.
I want to stop doing this foolishness in the middle of the night and just sleep through it like ordinary people do. I want to go to bed at night knowing that I will wake up feeling refreshed in the morning because I’ve had enough sleep.
I discussed feeling depressed with my psychiatrist and how you can choose to ignore those thoughts and feelings once you realize that you have them because you’re depressed. You don’t have to give any credence to them and they don’t have to overwhelm you. You can choose not to sit in them, but put them in a pile beside you and leave them there for you to look at now and then when you feel up to it.
You would not have most of those thoughts and feelings if you felt well. If you were in a healthy state of mind. Most of them you have because you see your life through very negatively colored glasses. That is, if you’ve worked through enough of the baggage that you carry around with you because of everything that’s happened to you in your life. If you walk around with old unresolved grief, you’ll have to take care of it.
In spite of my good intentions, I am tired and I’ll have to go to bed early tonight. I’ll walk Tyke one more time and eat dinner and get my pajamas on. I’ll vegetate in front of the television for a while and watch nothing important whatsoever. You do have to have times like that too. I’m sure there will be something like that on. There usually is.
Have a good evening.
Ciao,
Nora
March 10, 2011 at 4:13 am · Filed under bedtime, escapism, medicines, middle of the night, reality, sleep, sleeping pills, writing
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It’s in the middle of the night again and I am up as usual. It’s the same old routine as it always is and really, I would not want it any different, unless my psychiatrist gave me pills that actually made me sleep through the whole night. I thinks that’s a pipe dream, however, and I won’t hold my breath waiting for them. I wonder if such a pill actually exists. It would have to be a horse pill that put me completely under.
I do long for blessed sleep like that, but as long as I don’t get it, I don’t mind being up in the middle of the night and sitting behind the computer under the influence of my sleep medication and writing a blog post because it does take away my inhibitions. It makes it easier for me to write. I can turn out all sorts of nonsense without worrying about it too much. I’m slightly dopey and not to be held completely accountable. I will blame whatever idiotic things I write on the drugs.
I suppose I’m like an alcoholic who writes under the influence of booze and turns out masterpieces. Not that I claim to write those, but I write a heck of a lot better when I’m under the influence of sleep medication than when I’m stone cold sober. I tried that earlier tonight and absolutely nothing came of it. All I was faced with was the stark reality of life and all its bareness and it scared me to death. I could not face it and write about it. It immobilized my mind.
I saw the harsh gray outlines of life and its grim contours and its unkind face and I didn’t like it. It was all harsh cement and cold gray stone and unreflective glass facades and I felt intimidated by it. I don’t want to live in a world like that. I want to live in a world in which the contours are softened and the colors are kinder. My sleep medication makes it so. It’s like seeing the world through rose colored glasses. Call it escapism, but who do I hurt by escaping it? I still function in it. I’ll be sober again in the morning, which it almost is now.
Of course, that’s why I like being up so much in the middle of the night. I wouldn’t like it if I were not under the influence. No doubt I would do everything I could to stay asleep or at least in bed, unpleasant as that might be. I honestly doubt I would sleep very much.
Do I lay bare my soul too much? So be it.
I’m going back to bed shortly. I’ll take my morning medicines and crawl back under the duvet. It’s when I do my best sleeping.
Have a good day.
Ciao,
Nora
February 10, 2011 at 3:29 am · Filed under bedtime, causes, coffee, knee, middle of the night, moods, news, sleeping pills, television, the animals
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I started out feeling very grumpy when I got up and decided that wouldn’t do at all. I’ve been trying very hard to get into a better mood ever since and it’s slowly working. I do despise grumpy moods that are there for no reason at all. You just wake up with them because you got up at the wrong side of the bed. They’re nobody’s fault and they serve no purpose whatsoever other than to make you feel bad.
You could proceed to attach a cause to them, but I’m not that dedicated and would rather get over them instead of becoming a crusader. I’m not a good Samaritan of lost causes. I’d hate to get all heated up and bothered over some issue that’s unjust and unfair somewhere in the world when I know it’s not within my ability to do anything about it. Those days are far behind me. I only care on the sidelines now.
I know a cup of coffee helps when I’m grumpy and I’ve had two of them now. I am starting to feel better. The caffeine has nearly straightened me out. Maybe it’s because I’m reducing my sleep medication that I found myself in this mood. It may be possible. If it is, I’m not going to worry about it, because it’s a minor obstacle and it’s something I can easily get over. It’s a question of mind over matter and I am capable of that.
I’m going to very pleasantly sit here until the morning arrives and not worry about a thing. That’s the nice thing about the hours of the middle of the night. There’s nothing you can do about anything at all, even if you wished it. All I have to do is sit behind my computer in the light of my desk lamp and pass the hours in the best possible way. For a while, I am oblivious of the world around me.
That will change in the morning when I turn on the television and watch the news and am bombarded with all the issues that happen around the world. The Netherlands are not an insulated country that is unaware of what happens outside itself. We hear of news around the world and sometimes it overwhelms you. You wonder how you can absorb so much.
My knee has been bothering me very much and seems to be getting worse instead of better. There’s not much I can do without having pain, except for standing up and leaning on my left leg. I made an appointment to see the doctor on Friday. That’s the soonest I could get in.
I think I’ll go back to bed for a few hours more sleep. It’s still very early. Both the animals are sound asleep. It’s not nearly time to start the day.
I hope you’ll all have a good morning.
Ciao,
Nora
January 22, 2011 at 1:04 am · Filed under antipsychotic, coffee, early morning, energy, hypomania, schedule, sleep, sleeping pills, theory, time zone
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I’ve tried to sleep, but after tossing and turning for a few hours I’ve gotten up again and heated up a cup of left over coffee. I will be up for a while and try to sleep again at a later time or some time early in the morning. I will see how well I manage to amuse myself and to which time zone in the world I can adjust myself. Somewhere in the world people are up living their lives and going about their business and I’ll pretend that I’m in tune with them. I’ll disregard the fact that it is bedtime here. As a matter of fact, I should be in tune now with my daughter who lives in Texas, so I’ll pretend I’m over there.
It’s possible that I’ve been stuck in the Texas time zone ever since I was last there and that I never got adjusted again to the one here. I’m constantly running about 7 hours behind schedule. Maybe that’s my problem. The little bit of sleep I get initially at night is only induced by my sleep medication. It doesn’t really count as real sleep. I don’t get that until I go to sleep in the early hours of the morning. In Texas I slept well. I went to bed at a normal time and slept through the night. I always sleep well when I’m in the States. I guess I feel safer there.
This is all just a mad theory I’m making up as I go along. I’m only being silly, but I am looking forward to the moment when I get tired and I’ll want to go to bed and I will really be ready to go to sleep. That’s when I have my sweetest dreams, but I suppose that if I want to sleep well, I have to go to Texas. I may even go so far as to try California. That’s 9 hours difference. That really ought to do the trick.
I’m drinking cold milk now as I didn’t think it was too smart to drink any more coffee. I’ve had enough caffeine during the evening to wake up a village. No, that’s not true, I didn’t drink that much coffee. Just enough to get me out of a slump, but it probably didn’t help me go to sleep. I’m just too pepped up. I have to keep in mind that I reduced my anti-psychotics some more today. That can make a difference in my mood and energy level. It can make me hyper. I do have to keep an eye on that.
I think I’ll go find something to do. Some sort of trouble to get into. There must be something I can undertake.
Have a good evening all you people who are still awake.
Ciao,
Nora
September 11, 2010 at 2:11 am · Filed under area rug, bright light energy lamp, coffee table, flowers, house plants, hypomania, introspection, party, sisters, sleeping pills, state of mind, the Exfactor, Tyke
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That pill that allows me to fall asleep only keeps me asleep for a few hours and then I’m wide awake again. It’s not a real sleeping pill, which is good, because I’ve heard from people who take those that they are very groggy in the morning and that they suffer the consequences of them the next day. At least I don’t have that. I am wide awake after it has worn off and any sleeping I do later, I do on my own. I may as well try and get off it and it is one of the things I will try to do soon. First I have to quit smoking.
The day went well yesterday. Everybody came and went and the Exfactor put the coffee table together without any trouble. It is very nice and solid. The area rug arrived while he was working on it, so we put it in place and then put the coffee table on top of it. The area rug is dark gray and the coffee table is black. It looks good and will look even better when the sofa is in place.
After the Exfactor left. I walked to the flower shop with Tyke and bought two large ivy plants in square, lime green pots. I put one on the coffee table along with a sculpture, so now Tyke can’t jump on top of it. He’s been foiled. He does like the rug very much and likes to lie down on it. It is soft and warm. I put the other ivy on the dining table, to pull the interior together. I do have to make sure that I always have a bouquet of flowers, because it cheers the place up so very much. I have to make a point of that.
I’m not hypomanic anymore. I came down to earth yesterday afternoon and now I am completely calm and sober minded. I hadn’t realized that I was hypomanic until I stopped being it and then it became clear to me. I suspected it last week, but thought I was over it. It’s a relief not to be it anymore, because I was outshouting myself. Making too much noise, having too many stars in my eyes. Now I’m down to a manageable level and I’m going at an easier pace. It’s a more realistic state of mind to quit smoking in.
I like being this calm me. I am almost sedate. At least I’m more introspective and I like that. I’m not on the run for anything. The hypomanic me got a lot of things done, the calm me gets to enjoy them. I can be more objective like this and think about things in a more rational way, without high running emotions. I also feel that I can rest and be quiet and that everything will happen in its own good time. The last thing I want to do now is turn on the light therapy lamp. That will turn me back up.
My sister is giving a house warming party tonight and she has invited lots of people. If only half of them show up, it will be a full house. She’ll have food and drinks and good company. I will make it a point not to drink too much wine. I do have to ride my bike home.
Have a good day!
Ciao,
Nora
December 28, 2009 at 11:08 pm · Filed under emotions, love, parting, sleep, sleeping pills
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After not having gotten quite enough sleep this weekend, I just took a large nap on the sofa and caught up on some much needed rest. I slept for over three hours, meaning that I’ll just about be wide awake when I should be getting ready to go to bed in an hour or two, but that’s a bridge I’ll cross when I get there. There are sleeping pills to take, after all, and one extra won’t hurt me if it comes to that.
Now, I’ve been sitting here for fifteen minutes not typing, trying to figure out how to proceed from this point forward. Of course, I want to share all sorts of things with you, but I don’t know if I can. For one thing, it won’t just be me I’ll be talking about and my emotions are so mixed up right now, because I’ve just said goodbye and that is always hard to do. Saying goodbye makes me a tougher nut to crack, and I know it does, so that colors the picture that I would be about to paint for you.
When I say goodbye to someone, I haul up the drawbridge and man the ramparts and put guards in each lookout tower. Emotionally I do that. That’s to guard my feelings from a major overdose of grief. I start that process before the person has even left, but is about to, and I feel myself withdrawing behind my walls as the time to part draws nearer. I want to say many things, but I don’t, and suddenly I don’t like or love the person as much as I did before. I stop caring about them as much. You understand why, don’t you? It’s to keep from feeling hurt when they leave me. It’s really a shame, because I push away all the lovely feelings I had and don’t allow them to rise to the surface.
Then I pretend that I look forward to my time alone and that I will do lots of fun things when I am. Which is a load of bull, because I always fall into a little black hole after they’ve gone. I climb back out of it as quickly as I can, but I fall into it nevertheless. I then wait for a signal of love to come to me from the other person. It has to be an overt signal of love. It can’t just be a sign of life. It has to have significant meaning or else my heart will harden and I will tighten up the chains to the drawbridge and put locks on them. Only when a significant signal has been received, do I let down my guard and allow myself to feel those lovely thoughts again. And then the process of love and anticipation can start all over again.
How’s that? That’s some explanation, isn’t it? My heart has hardened right now and I’m ready to put those locks on, proving that I’m still the mistress of my own castle. I still have my life to live and my own value as a human being. I will do as I see fit and nothing else until I have been satisfied that I can trust my own instincts again.
Despite the late hour, I’m going to have one more cup of coffee, because I’m just a wee bit sleepy, but I am looking forward to going to bed and reading my book. Being alone isn’t all bad. You do get to sleep in your own bed, for one thing. And your dog doesn’t jealously watch you cuddle on the sofa.
Ciao,
Nora
November 3, 2009 at 1:34 pm · Filed under activities, Rapid cycling., sleeping pills, SPN
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I had to see my SPN at 11 am. So at 10:15 am I laid down on the sofa for just a minute, only to wake up at 11:15 to the phone ringing. It was my SPN, of course. I had done it again. Missed another appointment. So we had an appointment over the telephone and I told her that I was not going to go those activating classes, with which news I kind of stumped her and she asked me to explain myself, which I did. She said that was all well and good, but that she worried about me not having any activities at all, especially not in the wintertime. That’s when I brought up the activities that her clinic was organizing itself and she said, “But yes, those are real tough activities, those are for people who have not had any yet and who really need help.” And I said, “Well, I really need help, because I was really not done with my daytime therapies yet, I am being forced to quit, I am not stopping out of my own free will.”
(There’s a long story that goes with why the patients from my psychiatric clinic can no longer go to the therapies at the psychiatric hospital and are being forced to quit before their time is up, but I won’t go into that here. It all has to do with money.)
My SPN said that we would have to discuss it with my psychiatrist and I mentioned that I had an appointment with him next Monday and she said she would try to be there for it also, so we would be able to discuss it together.
I won’t count on anything, but I’m not going to those classes, my mind is made up about that.
Well, just to show you I’m not out of the woods yet, I just took another Temazepam to calm my nerves. I feel I am teetering on the edge. I will have to go to sleep again to handle these tough times. I will get my book and lie down on the sofa, which is my second home. I think I’m rapid cycling and I need to go to sleep.
Ciao,
Nora.
Another Splendid Day 