Hi everyone. I’ve had quite a battle with sleep over the years that started during childhood. To keep this from being a novel, I’ll attempt to simplify how I have been in recent times and what appears to be my issue today.
I worked an 8 AM to 5 PM shift as a night owl for over 12 years until recently. When working that schedule, I would function the best when taking a nap right after work at 5 PM – anywhere from 2-3 hours. I would then get back up and function well all the way through the end until going to bed. I was typically slow to rise, but would often be able to shake it off and was extremely productive this way.
Why not just 8 hours in a row? Well, it seemed as if the longer time I slept in one setting, the worse I felt. The occasions when I would “crash” and go to bed in the early evening are the nights when I would wake up sore, dazed, confused, etc. These nights I could often recall dozen(s) of dreams over the course of the day. I realized that it seems the longer I sleep, the more I dream. The more I dream, to which many I remember, the more tired I am when I wake up – and I frequently wake up.
I heard the argument for years that I needed to adjust my “sleep hygiene”, but it always failed me. Finally, I started another job in February of this year. I had to do different shifts at first, but now find myself on the shift I wanted – noon to 8:30 pm. I can now stay up as late as I want and sleep in. I never don’t get at least 6 hours of sleep; typically at least 8 hours of sleep. So now I’ve put the theory to the test.
The crazy thing is I’ve been doing this since July, and I feel awful – and I believe it’s the same reason as before. I am getting too much sleep in one setting. I’ve never heard of this being an exact problem for anyone. I wake up with blood shot eyes, like I’ve been up all night or just finished doing drugs. It’s embarrassing. I am slow to rise, as I always am, but typically am able to shake it off as I get up and alert.
Within a few hours, I’m in desperate need of caffeine to continue the day – now after getting adequate rest in one setting, which is how you are “supposed to do it”.
I recorded myself sleeping last year, and I’ve found that I frequently swing my legs back and forth (I bend the knees, then swing my legs most often). I often talk, but I do not sleep walk. As I mentioned, I wake up often. I was in the middle of seeing a sleep doctor right before I left my old job, and I’m going to have to start the process all over as insurance kept denying a sleep study (That’s Blue Cross Blue Shield for you).
Has anyone ever experienced this “deep sleep” phenomanon? I can recall so many dreams over the course of a day, particularly when I get a lot of sleep, that sometimes they are disturbing, sad, etc.