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Healthy Sleeper Now Insomniac

I used to have the perfect sleep schedule. I was in bed between 9:30pm and 11:00pm and up between 6am and 9am. It was like this all through high school. I was always full of energy and cheery, too.


Unfortunately, that all changed during my second year of college when I chose to take on a heavy course load. I was in bed around 2am and up around 6am. Why? I was working on homework from the time I woke up until the time I went to bed. The good news is, I passed all of my classes. The bad news is, that I got a low semester GPA. That, and a messed up sleep schedule.

I haven't been able to go to sleep before 2 in the morning in three years. I was cranky the first year, drowsy all day and everyday the second year, and well rested the third year until recently. I've tried drinking Lipton Bedtime Story Tea, warm milk, and Celestial Sleepy Time Extra Tea before bed. Also, I've tried melatonin, but developed a resistance to it after three days.

It seems that no matter what I do, I can't get my sleep schedule back to where it was or get the deep sleep I need to function properly. That, and things have gotten worse. Now I can't get to sleep until after four to five in the morning.

Please don't tell me to try sleeping pills. I don't trust them. There are way too many side effects. One of them involves grogginess. When I'm groggy, I get brain-dead and cranky. I don't like being any of those at all. Thank-you for your time and patience.

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About This Site

Welcome! This site is continuously being created by students of Dr. William C. Dement's Sleep And Dreams course at Stanford University.

We made this site as a call to action for people all over the world to live healthier, happier, safer, and more productive lives by learning about their own sleep. We have faith that reading the information provided on this site will motivate you to be smart about your sleep deprivation and strategic about your alertness in order to live life to your fullest, most energetic potential.

In fact, we challenge you to do so! What do you say, are you up for the challenge?

A Note On Visitor-Submitted Questions:

Publishing sleep stories and questions from our visitors is meant to create a forum for open and proactive dialogue about an extremely important portion of our lives (one that occupies 1/3 of it and affects the other 2/3) that isn't talked about enough. It is not meant to substitute a trip to the doctor or the advice of a specialist. It's good to talk; it is not good to avoid consulting someone who's profession it is to help you with this kind of stuff.

If you are in any way concerned about your sleep health, don't wait for an answer on here, and don't necessarily rely on them. See a sleep specialist in your area as soon as possible.

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The Stanford Sleep Book

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Dr. Dement's pioneering textbook has been the core text for Sleep and Dreams since 1980, but it has just recently been made available to the wider public for the first time.

In it you'll find a more detailed account of the most important things you need to know about sleep, alertness, dreams, and sleep disorders. Studies, statistics, plus plenty of Dr. Dement's classic anecdotes painting the history of sleep medicine.

Preface | Intro | Contents | Get A Copy

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Sleep Paralysis: A Dreamer's Guide

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