Sleep Disorders Forum - Bored-a-mitosis? Sleepy when bored ... Sleep Disorder?

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Q: Bored-a-mitosis? Sleepy when bored ... Sleep Disorder?

asked by: !ender_ on November 1st, 2007

New User

I don't know exactly how to introduce this problem... so lets start from the top
Im 22, exercise daily, athletic build, average weight, eat 3 good meals almost every day, never been inside a hospitol since birth(literally)

I've been a bit of a computer junky since the mid 90s, I'm an incredible multitasker and an insanely fast learner. Any free time that I am not playing a computer game, with music on, while talking to friends via skpe (online conference calling), and sometimes the tv on too... im buried in one kind of reading material or the other, making a near futile attempt at absorbing a fraction of the worlds information

and now the problem: it seems that every time I get bored I can fall asleep almost instantly, i typically get 5-7 hours of sleep, and if i try to sleep longer I end up waking up way before my alarm! feeling refreshed and awake with no hope of falling back to sleep, despite many attempts!

90% of the time i wouldnt consider this a problem, obviously if theres so little going on that I can fall asleep then why shouldnt I? the problem arises when im behind the wheel of my 06 mustang and traffic is slow or theres just nothing much going on. Doesn't matter what time of day, where the sun is, etc, and i'd say it only happens about once or twice a week (oddly enough it happens more when the sun is out than when it is not)
It seems like once i slip into this phase, there is no hope of escaping, i sing at the top of my lungs, twitch, scream, shake, dance, windows down, ac blasting, music blasting... nothing breaks me out!

then quite possibly the strangest part of all: the minute get of my car or, (if its one of the isolated non-driving times, as soon as i can find some mental stimulation) the problem fades just as fast as it appears

Lots of times on days when this happens, i think to myself, oh ill just take a nap when i get home, but it has never lasted from the car to the door... AND lots of times i will barely even remember driving home! that part acually scares me

my first thought was a blood flow problem, but like i said, no amount of moving seems to make much difference, i usually end up just screaming and acually getting angry becuase i cant break out of it

i know thats a lot to take in, but any ideas or suggestions? i would really hate to completely fall asleep at the wheel and wreck, but i have to drive to get around...

oh and if anyone is going to say caffine, i rarely touch the stuff, my soda of choice has always been A&W root beer, so i never built a tolerance for caffine... if i have a Mountain Dew after 7:00pm I lay awake in bed for HOURS before i can even consider falling asleep

Replies(9)

MandMs

replied on November 1st, 2007

Extremely eHealthy

Do you feel tired during the day like you hadn't enough sleep?
Do you usually get headaches or other symptoms of sickness while driving?
Do you practice eating before driving?

!ender_

replied on November 1st, 2007

New User

Do you feel tired during the day like you hadn't enough sleep?
Never, in fact, most of the time when I come out of this, I feel more than typically energetic, almost as if i had acually "taken a nap" for the car ride

Do you usually get headaches or other symptoms of sickness while driving?
No, there are no painful ailments that come along with this... In fact i dont think ive had more than 5 headaches this year

Do you practice eating before driving?
Usually, I would say, my drive home in the afternoon comes a little while after i've had anything to eat, but on the other hand, sometimes to shake it off i'll stop at a gas station for a bag of chips or something, and it usually fades before i even make it inside the store...
I get the chips anyway, becuase 10 minutes down the road it has a good chance to come right back as if i had never broken out of it

!ender_

replied on November 3rd, 2007

New User

MandMs

replied on November 7th, 2007

Extremely eHealthy

Do you eat healthy?
Have you been told that you are snoring loudly?
Have you experienced waking up in a sweat during the night?
Do you feel unrefreshed in the morning after a night’s sleep?
Do you have thyroid problems?

!ender_

replied on November 7th, 2007

New User

Do you eat healthy?
I wouldn't call myself a poster boy for nutrition, but I eat healthy enough. Not to mention, this has lasted for several years, through many different living locations and eating habits, so I'd be suprised if it was connected.

Have you been told that you are snoring loudly?
Nope, I don't snore... so I've been told.

Have you experienced waking up in a sweat during the night?
Never.

Do you feel unrefreshed in the morning after a night’s sleep?
Nope, in fact, I've been beating my alarm most mornings when I wake up, and I exercise for 30min every morning which is also refreshing.

Do you have thyroid problems?
I dont even know what that is, but I've had regular doctor checkups and never heard the term mentioned.

MandMs

replied on November 12th, 2007

Extremely eHealthy

Is this happening only during working days or in weekends, too?
Do you usually have this "accident" in afternoons?

!ender_

replied on November 20th, 2007

New User

can happen both weekends and weekdays
yes, its most typical in the afternoons

MandMs

replied on November 22nd, 2007

Extremely eHealthy

Most of the adults need 7-9 hours sleep per night. It's possible that you think you're getting enough sleep - and still not be. If something is disturbing your sleep, you might not be getting enough time in the restorative deep and REM stages of sleep. Even though you don't wake up enough to remember it in the morning, your sleep will not be refreshing.
In the afternoon, when our circadian rythyms generally are at a low point of the daily cycle, it's tougher to fight off the sleepies.
We are biologically programmed to be more sleepy and less alert in overnight hours and mid-afternoon, and those times in the 24-hour cycle are known as circadian dips.
There is laboratory evidence that short sleep durations of 5 hours have negative physiological and neurobehavioral consequences.
It's important for you to pay attention to your own individual needs by assessing how you feel on different amounts of sleep.
I'll suggest you to see a sleep specialist and also, to avoid a meal before driving home in the afternoons (when you eat your blood goes to your stomach to help digest and you get sleepy).

Best wishes!
Marija

questionablequestions

replied on October 27th, 2009

New User

I thought it was only me.

This happens to me too!
Doesn't matter if I've had 6 hours of sleep or 15 hours, it's not being tired, it's like your mind wanting to shut off, and take your body with it.

It's like an almost instant and insatiable need for sleep, but it comes and goes at it's own bidding once you get bored and NEVER happens if you're mind is really engaged right?! (Never had it happen while playing video games or during an interesting movie even if I had a legitimate reason to be tired like no sleep or something)

I've had days at work where I'm falling asleep at my keyboard almost to the point of what you'd see in hollywood "blackouts" but then get a mail for a project I'm really interested in and be 100% fine 2 lines into it.

If you find out anything about this PLEASE let me know
m

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