Sunday, December 10, 2006

Reduced to Googling Insomnia

It's 2 am and I can't sleep. My back hurts, though I went to the gym yesterday, which usually helps with sleep and back pain. My roommate, A, got home from work awhile ago. She watches tv in the living room. T sleeps upstairs. She will be up early, as is her routine. I often lie in bed and try to get back to sleep. Conventional wisdom (or some kind of advice, anyway) says to get up for awhile. Two in the morning here, 5 am in Columbus, Ohio, 10 am in Ireland, 11 am in the Czech Republic. I am learning so many things related and unrelated to imsomnia! I started to erase the spelling mistake and fix it, but then I found it apt, so I left it. Let's see if we can quiet the internal editor. Caffeine is a stimulant (and a favorite drug of mine; everyone needs a couple vices) and can be related to insomnia. Alcohol, a depressant, can also be related to insomnia, due to disruption of REM sleep and polyuria. Insomnia can result from depression, and from anti-depressants (Wikipedia says they can "alter sleep architecture. "Sleep architecture" is a cool phrase. I want to use it in something.) Dehydration can cause aches and irritation, which can, in turn, lead to sleeplessness. Apparently, drinking 1-2 cups of water can cause sleepiness within an hour or two. It can also cause wakiness within an hour or two (probably just as one is dropping off) and "polyuria". Are you sensing a theme? Many things--and their opposites--can lead to insomnia.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

nHi - I haven't checked your blog in a while (tho' I've been meaning to) - kinda thought there might be lots of new pics - but maybe you're having some trouble with that. Enjoyed the read tho' - missed you this weekend!

Anonymous said...

Based on your sleepless findings on wiki, I wonder if googling in turn causes more insomnia...I've a new better (in that it benefits charity to use) search engine I must share with you soon. Happy New Year from H in Columbus!