INTJs...how was your sleep?

[janonymous]

i have a chronic problem with sleep. at times i can't get enough...other times i can't get any. on good nights i sleep beautifully like a drunk baby. other nights, it's like my brain starts running marathons and before i know it...normal people are going out to lunch.

i always heard the recommendation that one should read a book before bed, but whenever i read i get more alert than ever!!!

is this common with intj's? or am i just crazy?

ps: i also have a problem of talking to myself...but that's a whole 'notha thread.

=)

[oceanicon]

I think the only INTJ-typical problem is thoughts running wildly through one's head.
I, myself have this problem, too but I fight this with staying awake for so long until I'm really tired and fall asleep right away when I go to bed.
If this isn't the case, I often have troubles trying to fall asleep.
and there are periods, often entire months, in which I need very much sleep.
ps: I know this problem but I only have it when I'm home alone :)

[logan235711]

I am able to fall asleep with ease when I choose too; however, I often don't want to sleep. There is just so much to do that it makes me sad to have to sit out and miss it :'(

[qwerty]

Yeah it sucks.

I find either going for a jog an hour before bed helps or do a bit of body relaxation in bed. I always concentrate first on my breathing then numb my body then it's just focusing on the breathing patterns.

By concentrating on the breathing you force yourself to stop thinking about other things.

[Solaris]

I used to try the breathing thing as a child and teen, I guess it worked. However, I now often struggle with the overactive brain thing. I can't run before bed because that makes me too awake. I've tried all kinds of things. Valerian tends to work.

For example. I was falling asleep watching TV last night at 11. I got up and went to bed, awake until 2am. I slept 5 hours, but don't feel like any of it was worthwhile. I know my brain was respsonsible because I had weird werid weird dreams the whole time.

I miss sleep. I do enjoy it so. :/

[mind_wander]

actually, during this time is when I do get lack of sleep too.

[Allwheelsnmotion]

My sleeping habits are similar to Oceanicon.

I don't really have a set sleep schedule. On weekdays I must be up by 7 AM for work though. I go to sleep when I literally am having trouble keeping my eyes open. Otherwise, I will just lay there for hours contemplating what I could be doing right then.

The sleep I do get never seems to be quality, I feel like I just went to sleep 5 minutes before I get up most of the time.

[Ijz]

Yeah it sucks.

I find either going for a jog an hour before bed helps or do a bit of body relaxation in bed. I always concentrate first on my breathing then numb my body then it's just focusing on the breathing patterns.

By concentrating on the breathing you force yourself to stop thinking about other things.

I agree completely. The trick is not to jump on the train of thought and continue it. Focusing on things like breathing or the rain/wind really helps. Ever wondered why people tend to sleep better when it rains outside? It keeps your attention on the repetitive sounds rather than your thoughts.

[BloozeGit]

Usually I just have too many thoughts running through my head, especially if I've been working on a problem all night. Sometimes I just HAVE to get up and write stuff down, which is certainly not conducive to a good nights sleep.

[TruorTupnm]

I am horrible at sleeping, but I love the stuff. I work night shift, with twelve hour shifts, so when I have to go to work the next day, I always tell myself to make sure that I get plenty of sleep. I even bought some sleeping pills. But it never works. I always tell myself that it'll be okay. My alarm will wake me up, and I'll be annoyed no matter how much sleep I've gotten, so why not stay up and read two more chapters of some book? Or something like that. If I am able, I'll sleep all day. I just have troubles with getting there. Staying awake is just so much more fun.

[Lucid]

I also often have trouble sleeping. What I've found is that if I make a point to get some kind of physical exercise (which is a good idea to do anyway) during the day it helps. Also, if I'm having trouble sleeping I'll get out of bed and go do something productive and not very time consuming. Like emptying the dish washer. Or cleaning the mirror in the bathroom. Then I go back to bed and usually I'll fall asleep.

[Myrak]

I'm up 'til around midnight every night on the computer, so when I choose to go to bed I fall asleep straight away, no problems. I find this way I empty my think tank for the day so I can drift off easier.

In regards to staying awake, late at night I find I can stay awake with relative ease if I'm actively engaged in an activity (eg computer, video games etc) but I will doze off very quickly doing things like watching movies where I'm merely laying on the couch.

[thegnat]

I'm usually up doing work. I don't usually get a lot of sleep because even if I get my work done early I want time to just relax and not do anything. Do things that interest me, not just school work. Actually that kind of time is even more necessary after I do stay up late doing work. I'll stay up an extra hour doing nothing (well nothing related to school) which kind of kills my sleep but gives my brain time to wind down. I don't have any trouble falling asleep anymore though. I'm perpetually tired. I nap though. Which helps, but not enough.

[cielo market]

I can completely relate to janonymous and allwheelsnmotion. My inner clock is so off :/
If I'm desperate enough to force myself to sleep, I try to get a head start on dreaming by coming up with elaborate stories involving myself heh The morbid thing is that I tend to get killed or seriously injured XD

[janonymous]

whoever sells mattresses should target us. the best remedy for my sleeping problem has been a super comfortable bed and a really boring tv show (like Carson Daly).

[Henry]

i have a chronic problem with sleep. at times i can't get enough...other times i can't get any. on good nights i sleep beautifully like a drunk baby. other nights, it's like my brain starts running marathons and before i know it...normal people are going out to lunch.

i always heard the recommendation that one should read a book before bed, but whenever i read i get more alert than ever!!!

is this common with intj's? or am i just crazy?

ps: i also have a problem of talking to myself...but that's a whole 'notha thread.

=)

Exact same issues. DVD you've seen a hundred times but still find slightly engaging helps, even if experts deny it. I often feel as if I'm missing something if I go to sleep before 11 or so though.

When working, 1-8am. When not working 3-11am. I wish it were more like 11-7 when working and 1-8 when not working.

[WavesSootheMe]

So much to think about, so little time :). I have a love/hate relationship with sleep. Sometimes I wish that it was more like dessert: a wonderful treat when you can afford it, but not necessary for sustaining life. I'll be dead tired, but the second I climb into bed my thoughts fill up the quiet. If it's a specific problem that I'm thinking about in search of an adequate solution, I find that writing down my thoughts or getting input from my roommate helps. When it's random ideas running through my head, I too end up getting out of bed and doing something monotonous that requires focus at the expense of other thoughts. My remedy of choice is a word puzzle, but what accomplishes the effect will depend upon the individual.

[HarleyQuinn]

Oy...

Worst time for me to sleep is right before I have to do something wicked important, like drive home from college. I'll be waking up 5-6 times during the night and finally leave around 8:30 AM ET due to anxiety. It's a thousand times worse when I'm awake and just waiting because I'm impatient. I once left to drive 2 hours home at 6:30 AM because I couldn't sleep and woke up early.

Also, there's this weird dichotomy between college and home (I seriously blame the pillows... soft pillow at college, hard at home). I'll sleep anywhere from 11 PM - 9 AM (or 10 PM - 8 AM T/TH) at school and that's great. At home... I can stay up till 3 AM and wake up at 7 or 8 AM even if it's Saturday or Sunday. Annoying and awful when Christmas Vacation starts.

College sucks when it won't let me afford to be a natural night owl like I am at home.

[Henry]

College sucks when it won't let me afford to be a natural night owl like I am at home.

Lol this is humor right. Wait until you get out of college.

[Rei]

I used to have trouble sleeping.
I think these days, I'm too tired not to fall asleep just about any time I want... and some times I when I don't want (eg in class).

I'm a night owl despite early classes. Worse comes to worst, I just take a nap when I get home after class to recharge. Frankly, I hate sleep. There are so much better things to do than sleeping. Any time I sleep more than 6 hours a day, I'm either really exhausted or I'm avoiding (consciously) thinking about something.

Usually any trouble sleeping is just overactive thinking right before sleep, or if something pops up before I fall asleep on the bed. I find winding down really helps.

[Jedi_sena]

I can always sleep, anywhere, anytime, on any surface, especially when the sun goes down. However, I've noticed that if I am puzzling some situation or have left something pressing undone, I will definitely dream about it and sleep very lightly as if in REM for 8 hours. I usually wake more prepared to handle the task.

[bubbles]

Ironically, I sleep better during the morning and early evening than at night, so it's either go to bed early (at 9:30PM) or not fall asleep until after midnight. I have trouble sleeping recently even though I sleep best when daylight savings is over. I took valerian pills for around a month, then I got off of it since my body had practically built up a tolerance for it and it only made me more tired in the mornings. Right now, I'm trying to meditate myself to fall asleep at night.

[WavesSootheMe]

However, I've noticed that if I am puzzling some situation or have left something pressing undone, I will definitely dream about it and sleep very lightly as if in REM for 8 hours. I usually wake more prepared to handle the task.

Do you solve problems in your sleep too? In college, if I hadn't worked out all of the practice problems before crashing for a few hours, I'd wake up with the solution. My roommate (who studied with me often) said that on a few of those occasions she heard me mumbling in my sleep. She said that she could tell that I was mumbling about the subject for which we were studying, but she couldn't make out any coherent sentences. I'd typically jerk awake and exclaim to her, "I've got it!"

On a less odd note, I too often find that if I go to bed with unsolved issues, I don't wake up feeling well-rested.

[Myrak]

If I've been wracking my brain with a problem for a few hours and sleep on it, I usually end up having vivid dreams relating to the problem in question. Often dreaming of that unattainable result I want, but just can't get.

Sometimes I wake up with a solution, other times not, it's rather hit and miss.

[Hdier]

I think the only INTJ-typical problem is thoughts running wildly through one's head.
I, myself have this problem, too but I fight this with staying awake for so long until I'm really tired and fall asleep right away when I go to bed.
If this isn't the case, I often have troubles trying to fall asleep.
and there are periods, often entire months, in which I need very much sleep.
ps: I know this problem but I only have it when I'm home alone :)

Ditto, I usually have problems stopping reading before 11:30 or so. (the only difference is that it doesn't only happen when I'm home alone; maybe if I wasn't in bed alone...)

[Solaris]

Like everyone else, it seems, my brain is my worst enemy when it comes to sleep. I often problem solve in my sleep (I think that's just normal human behavior), though not to quite the same extent as some of you. When my brain keeps me awake with shitty sleep for too many days, I will eventually just drug myself to sleep. One dose of cold medicine usually does it -- I am extremely sensitive to the sleep-inducing antihistamines they put in that stuff. If I let myself go too long without just one decent night's sleep, I lose my ability to problem-solve, put more pressure on myself, get less results, and end up in a very bad place. I like to put a stop on that when I can.

[amei]

I have had sleep problems since I was in high school. My mind is racing so fast that I cannot fall asleep. It makes me wish that I had an off switch so that I can stop it. The worst part is that the more I try not to think, the more my mind thinks and jumps topics. I used to think it was stress related, but now I just accept it as something that will pop up every other month or so for a few days and then disappear. It sucks though.
My sleep cycle has changed a lot since I moved to Korea to teach. I work from 2 pm to 10 pm. When I come home, I need a few hours to unwind before I can even try to sleep. I usually go to bed sometime between 1 and 2 am and wake up sometime between 9 and 10 am so that I can go to the gym and get other stuff done before work. Overall, it is a very different lifestyle than I was used to back in the US where I was doing the more typical 9 to 5 stuff.

[Rei]

I was just going through a collection of funny photos I have on my computer...

Me during exams:
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B/W 1am-7am I unconsciously have stuff I've been studying running through my head non-stop until I finally physically fall unconscious. Yet, when I get up to go to study, I keep nodding off. :irked:

[s3ker]

Well if I go sleep soon I cant manage to do it, il just keep thinking about stuff and my mind is too active, so I just keep doing stuff till very late so when I go to bed im realy tired ;O

[PortInStorm]

Yeah it sucks.

I find either going for a jog an hour before bed helps or do a bit of body relaxation in bed. I always concentrate first on my breathing then numb my body then it's just focusing on the breathing patterns.

By concentrating on the breathing you force yourself to stop thinking about other things.
Exactly. I don't sleep as well if I haven't exercised that day, and I've found breathing slow and rhythmically helpful. I breathe in for 6 counts, visualizing each number in a line from left to right, then backwards. It's just complicated enough to keep my mind off other things, unless I'm super stressed, simple enough to drift off. Then it's Gravol for me.

[Cuivienen]

I unconsciously have stuff I've been studying running through my head non-stop until I finally physically fall unconscious. Yet, when I get up to go to study, I keep nodding off. :irked:

Yeah, I have the same problems, f.e. when I spent a lot of time that day studying or reading things about a certain topic, I will often think or dream about those things all night, especially if they involve a process of thought like doing a math proof or or writing an essay. I will then half-consciously solve real or imagined problems for hours...

[janonymous]

we're like mental athletes, eh?

if we were professional runners, would we lose control of our legs and wildly run around town at times?

strange as it may be, i've found that the best remedy for my sleeping problems is making an effort to socialize regularly. it seems to be the only thing that tires my brain out enough.

[Ijz]

we're like mental athletes, eh?

if we were professional runners, would we lose control of our legs and wildly run around town at times?

Hahaha, yeah we might just do that :)


strange as it may be, i've found that the best remedy for my sleeping problems is making an effort to socialize regularly. it seems to be the only thing that tires my brain out enough.

I think you definitely have a point there. It took me years to figure out that I have a careful balance when it comes to socializing. Too much and I'll feel drained, too little and I'll turn inward too much. The introverted thinking eventually becomes a dialog with myself (hey do I sound paranoid or what?!?) and since I'm constantly together with myself, it becomes harder and harder to stop the dialog.

[Lucid]

we're like mental athletes, eh?

if we were professional runners, would we lose control of our legs and wildly run around town at times?

strange as it may be, i've found that the best remedy for my sleeping problems is making an effort to socialize regularly. it seems to be the only thing that tires my brain out enough.

That's a good point, actually. I find that on nights when I've been social during the day I do have an easier time falling asleep. I never really thought about that before.

[WavesSootheMe]

That's a good point, actually. I find that on nights when I've been social during the day I do have an easier time falling asleep. I never really thought about that before.

Huh, when I come home from high energy social events, I'm still in go mode. I need time to wind down before I go to bed.

[Hypomanic]

Well if I go sleep soon I cant manage to do it, il just keep thinking about stuff and my mind is too active, so I just keep doing stuff till very late so when I go to bed im realy tired ;O

Same here. :thumbsup:

Although it sucks that the rest of the world doesn't work like this.

[Lucid]

Yeah, what I want to know is who put all the morning people in charge and let them decide what our schedule would be?

[Solaris]

Yeah, what I want to know is who put all the morning people in charge and let them decide what our schedule would be?

The morning people did it because the rest of us were still sleeping. By the time we got up, had some coffee, and realized what had happened, it was too late. Our only revenge is that most of the fun, social things happen at night. By then, they are all wanting to sleep.

[WavesSootheMe]

If there was a mandatory nap-time, I wouldn't be as unhappy waking up early.

[janonymous]

If there was a mandatory nap-time, I wouldn't be as unhappy waking up early.

haha.

the world is moving towards us being able to work "wherever." it would be nice if it were also moving towards us being free to work "whenever."

[Danisty]

This is interesting! I have the opposite problem really. I could literally sleep all day long. I have yet to find an alarm clock that really works. I have to change them out every month or so or I will not wake up. It seems it doesn't matter if I go to bed at 9:00 or midnight. Either way, I'm still probably not going to get up before 10:00 without someone harassing me. I think my brain is having way too much fun while I'm asleep. I have very vivid, crazy, cool dreams. I've wondered if I have narcolepsy, actually. I've been told it's odd to fall right into REM sleep, yet I can be dreaming instantly.

[quentin]

Two of the most difficult tasks for me to perform are going to sleep and getting out of bed. Once I'm awake, I like to stay awake, and once I'm asleep, I like to continue sleeping. In my ideal world we would run on a 36 hour day: I would stay up for 24 hours and snooze for 12 hours. I think that one of the main reasons that I enjoy 10 to 14 hour sleeps is that I've noticed that my best dreaming happens in the hours just before I'm going to wake up. I have a difficult time getting into the deep sleep necessary for REM, so by the time I start dreaming it's getting soon for the alarm clock to ring. If I don't need to go anywhere in the morning, often I will just continue to sleep so that I can continue dreaming. Dreaming is one of my most pleasurable activities, even when the dreams are nightmares.

It's the transitional phase between sleep and wakefulness that I have a serious problem with. I've had this problem all my life, but I've found that it gets easier to manage as I get older - maybe because I've practiced at fixing it for so many years? I remember it being quite bad when I was a student in highschool and knew that I had to get sleep early because I had to get up and go to school at 7 in the morning, but spent hours tossing and turning and staring at the ceiling with my eyes closed (neat trick) until 2 in the morning. One of the most hellish sensations that occurs regularly in life is to be lying in bed, caught in the limbo zone between being asleep and being awake. You're too tired to do anything useful awake, but you're not tired enough to get to sleep. This is a particularly bad problem when I'm sick and taking medications designed to put you to sleep.

[Booko]

i have a chronic problem with sleep. at times i can't get enough...other times i can't get any. on good nights i sleep beautifully like a drunk baby. other nights, it's like my brain starts running marathons and before i know it...normal people are going out to lunch.

i always heard the recommendation that one should read a book before bed, but whenever i read i get more alert than ever!!!

is this common with intj's? or am i just crazy?

ps: i also have a problem of talking to myself...but that's a whole 'notha thread.

=)

There are all sorts of things that can throw off someone's sleep schedule, from what you eat during the day to hormonal fluctuations to upsetting things that happen during the day that you haven't processed yet to having a lousy bed to sleep on.

It doesn't seem to be much related to personality type that I've noticed, at least of the MB variety. If anything, it seems to be more related to the doshas Ayurvedic medicine deals with.

I can read before going to bed, but I have to pick my books carefully. It has to be fiction, fairly light, and have short chapters or easy stopping places. I find my stopping place and when I get there I close the book. That keeps me from getting overstimulated.

Also your body has a time clock and if you overshoot the first time it wants to sleep, you'll be up until the next.

Usually the first time comes somewhere between 10pm and 11pm (depends on where you are in your time zone) and the second will be between midnight and 1am. It shifts with the seasons somewhat.

If you try to pay attention to when you get a bit sleepy in the evening and time getting to bed, you'll likely find the insomnia goes away.

Many people find keeping a regular predictable calming evening schedule solves insomnia problems.





Booko added to this post, 2 minutes and 45 seconds later...

Yeah, what I want to know is who put all the morning people in charge and let them decide what our schedule would be?

I'd like to know which idiot cut out the afternoon siesta and decided our day should be so jammed anyone would even contemplate eating in a car.

[Kirkaine]

Over the holiday period I've been staying up till about 3 and sleeping till 11, helps me get to sleep.

An added bonus is I'm having dreams almost every night, as opposed to about once every three months, which I'm enjoying.

[INTroJect]

I either walk 5 or 10 miles on most days. No problem sleeping really. Might have one bad night of sleep but it gets made up the next night and then back to normal. If I cant sleep I either read (seems to be less of that lately) or play solitare on cell phone.

[King K]

I sleep around 5 or 6 hours everyday, even on holidays, I don't usually get to sleep until 1:00 AM or 2:00 AM and wake up at 7:45 AM everyday.

I have a lot of trouble sleeping, I don't feel sleepy until it's very late and sometimes I don't get sleep paralysis when I'm asleep, causing me to snap out of my dreams.

[Hdier]

Over the holiday period I've been staying up till about 3 and sleeping till 11, helps me get to sleep.

An added bonus is I'm having dreams almost every night, as opposed to about once every three months, which I'm enjoying.

Do you mean 3 to 11 in the afternoon, or in the morning? If I thought I could get away with it, I would sleep those hours in the afternoon, but my dad would kill me.

[BadMojo]

Well, it's nearly five am here. I always think that the days are about 12 hours too short.
normally I can't fall asleep because I start to think about God knows what: Everything from inventions to great passages for my novel to jokes... It's very annoying.

[zero]

For more than a year now I can't sleep for more than 6 hours straight, except if I'm really tired (working for 12 hours non-stop tired).

Some nights I just cant sleep at all but during the time that I don't sleep, I'm doing other things like creating music (The am hours are really creative, the perfect atmosphere) or lurking the internet for more information on practically anything :D

Also during this year I have found that if you sleep in 3 or 6 hour sessions you feel really relaxed when you wake up

[Kirkaine]

Do you mean 3 to 11 in the afternoon, or in the morning? If I thought I could get away with it, I would sleep those hours in the afternoon, but my dad would kill me.

But that's when the best TV is on...

[Hdier]

Good point. However, from those two options, I would consider it a necessary sacrifice. I would, given the choice, sleep from 9am till 5pm. That way I could enjoy the moon as much as possible. Also, I have problems getting to sleep at night (the night always makes me feel energized), but am exhausted during the day.

[WavesSootheMe]

In my perfect day, I'd be awake during half the day, have a good-sized nap, then I'd be awake during half the night, and then I'd sleep. I haven't quite worked out the ideal times yet, and this would of course require a cave-like sleeping room. I can sleep with noise, but not light. I actually sleep with the covers over my head. My family jokes around saying that I probably never sleep, I just pass out from lack of oxygen.

[janonymous]

...I actually sleep with the covers over my head. My family jokes around saying that I probably never sleep, I just pass out from lack of oxygen.

haha!

for all the night owls like me:
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knowing that many of us sleep at odd hours, how are your dreams? do you dream often? does the nature of your dreams change depending on the time?

[Hdier]

Well, I'm not sure if you consider about 11:30 'till 6:00 odd hours, but I dream almost every night. The few dreams that I remember are vivid and realistic. I will sometimes find hidden ties, or obvious continuations, from previous dreams. The three that most readilly come to mind are (in decending chronological order):

In the first one, which I had last night I went to a K-12 school, and was halfway one of those in your face gays, and had a Barbie backpack; most people who were around became very uncomfortable, and would do almost anything to get me to leave.

In this next one, which I had some 2 odd years ago, everything was completely normal except the fact that my tongue could stretch really far, and grab onto stuff (in fact, this dream was so vivid that I at first attempted to use my tongue to pick something up when I first woke up).

The third one happened when I was about 9 and kept semi-normal hours, and is the oldest dream I have managed to retain: I dreamed that I was in a video game (I think it was Metroid; I can remember the dream but not the name of the game), and so were my mom and day. At one point there was a fork in the path, and my mom went to the left while my dad and I went to the right. The reall wierd thing is that three years later, my parents split up (though on good terms), and I stayed with my dad. I was later told that at the time of the dream my parents were already having problems, and were planning on splitting up.

[Mimirnm]

My experience ...

In university I had trouble sleeping as well, usually I would work until I could not even think anymore, 40 or more hours even; this pattern became quite unstable and I suffered for it.

For the past several years I have been able to maintain a routine, with some exceptions, typically I fall alseep between 11PM and 1AM by stopping activitly at ~11 - no reading, no computer, no writing. I catch my few hours of sleep and wake up in the morning. There are days where this fails but only ~10% of the time. I hope that helps

[ankeshkothari]

My sleep rules:

1. Never go to bed unless you feel tired or sleepy. Read a book or something.
2. Do things that tire you during the day. Going to the gym. Socializing.
3. Drink more water. Will keep the fatigue away so that you don't take 10-15 minute naps during the day.
4. Find out how long your ideal sleep is when you have a free week. Sleep without putting up alarms during that week. The first couple of days will be skewed as you'll sleep more to catch up. But after that, you should have a good idea of how many hours you need to sleep: 6-7-8.
5. Have 2 alarm clocks - at 2 different ends of the room. But make sure the alarms don't ring before you get your ideal sleep.

These 5 rules should solve most of your sleep problems.

[John254]

I try to sleep as much during the day as possible so I do not have to sleep at night. I love doing all of my tasks (reading, shopping, movies etc.) as late as possible because there is no distraction with other people. I have found that interacting with people will tire me down in a bad way where I am still stressing about what I could have said better to complete the social interaction. Taking people out of the equation has helped my sleep greatly.

[miaow]

Takes me roughly about 1 hr to sleep most days.. even when i drain myself and eyes cannot keep awake it takes me still about 30 mins to sleep.

[Des]

I sleep very well. I love my sleep time because I have wonderful and interesting dreams. The best part is I practice lucid dreaming. I'm almost in complete control in my dreams. Full control is very difficult to achieve, but I'm usually happy just controling myself and letting the background and characters be random. I like to see how I react to it. Every night I either fly or take the form of someone else. I'm rarely myself and I find this quite fun.

I used to be a night owl. I could stay up til 1am easily. I was not whole unless I woke up at 11am or later even if I went to bed at say 7pm. But a few months back I got food poisoning and somehow my biological clock changed. Now I'm more of a morning person tending to wake up around 8:30am. I love that actually because I love being up with the sun and birds. But going to bed at 10:30 does not make me happy. I can't stay up as late as I used to.

[Antares]

i have a chronic problem with sleep. at times i can't get enough...other times i can't get any. on good nights i sleep beautifully like a drunk baby. other nights, it's like my brain starts running marathons and before i know it...normal people are going out to lunch.

i always heard the recommendation that one should read a book before bed, but whenever i read i get more alert than ever!!!

is this common with intj's? or am i just crazy?

ps: i also have a problem of talking to myself...but that's a whole 'notha thread.

=)

I have a similar problem. Sometimes, even when I sleep a lot, I'm still become very worn out before 5pm. Sometimes, I sleep, say, three hours, and the energy is enough to last me a day. I find it difficult to fall asleep most of the time. I'm usually still wide awake when everyone around me are snoring. I remember falling asleep on a book though. It was Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Does reading a book really help? I've heard from a friend that listening to soft, slow music on your portable music player works. She gets bored of it quickly and falls asleep.

I don't read nor do I listen to music because my parents forbid me to. Heck. They forbid me to do anything at night, and I'm 14 for goodness' sake. When I find myself wide awake at 3 am and unable to fall back asleep, should I go online or read and they discover it, I get grounded and my things confiscated. They always say: If you can't sleep, lie in bed and count the sheeps! You'll sleep eventually. And when I said I can't, they never believe me. Some of the times, they find me at 8 am surfing the net, they blow up and told me how I should have brushed my teeth and changed first. Next time, I did just that. I was still punished. I just don't get them. For a clarification, my mother is an ISFJ. If there happen to be any parents reading this, can you message me and possibly try to explain why that is? I realize that this is off topic, so... Messaging would work best :)

[WavesSootheMe]

I don't read nor do I listen to music because my parents forbid me to. Heck. They forbid me to do anything at night, and I'm 14 for goodness' sake. When I find myself wide awake at 3 am and unable to fall back asleep, should I go online or read and they discover it, I get grounded and my things confiscated. They always say: If you can't sleep, lie in bed and count the sheeps! You'll sleep eventually. And when I said I can't, they never believe me. Some of the times, they find me at 8 am surfing the net, they blow up and told me how I should have brushed my teeth and changed first. Next time, I did just that. I was still punished. I just don't get them. For a clarification, my mother is an ISFJ. If there happen to be any parents reading this, can you message me and possibly try to explain why that is? I realize that this is off topic, so... Messaging would work best :)

My parents did the same thing to me. Well, my father to be more precise. We actually had a deadline for getting ready for bed. If we weren't ready for bed by that time, we were in trouble. If I couldn't sleep and I got up, I was told to go back to bed and just lie there, because "rest is such and such a percent as good as sleep." I don't think he understood that my thoughts were running wild and I couldn't just lie there and rest, that getting up and doing something briefly to distract myself would actually help me to get more sleep that night. Do they respond well to research? Most "tips for better sleep" suggest that if you're having difficulty sleeping after 15 minutes, you should get up, do a quiet activity and return to bed when sleepy. Perhaps if you show the more reasonable parent research along these lines and choose an activity that is quiet and doesn't involve artificial light, they'll be more willing to permit you to get up for a bit when you can't sleep.

[ThrowerMatt]

I generally have a huge problem falling asleep, my mind is always wandering. However when I do finally fall asleep I sleep like a baby, never wanting to get up.

[BadMojo]

Sleep is optional.. coffee is a must :p

[Nameless]

I have really bad hours, and quite often engage in free-rolling sleep when I can. Most times I can never get to sleep when I want to, and find it easier to fall asleep in places that are not designed for sleeping (chairs, tables, etc). But when I do fall asleep, I sleep extremely deep and long, with tons of dreams. I also naturally accustom myself to alarm clocks, so I have a hard time getting up.

I have a similar problem. Sometimes, even when I sleep a lot, I'm still become very worn out before 5pm. Sometimes, I sleep, say, three hours, and the energy is enough to last me a day. I find it difficult to fall asleep most of the time. I'm usually still wide awake when everyone around me are snoring. I remember falling asleep on a book though. It was Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Does reading a book really help? I've heard from a friend that listening to soft, slow music on your portable music player works. She gets bored of it quickly and falls asleep.

I've fallen asleep to horror movies and noise music among many things. so I don't think the quality of something determines if it's good for sleeping to.


I don't read nor do I listen to music because my parents forbid me to. Heck. They forbid me to do anything at night, and I'm 14 for goodness' sake. When I find myself wide awake at 3 am and unable to fall back asleep, should I go online or read and they discover it, I get grounded and my things confiscated. They always say: If you can't sleep, lie in bed and count the sheeps! You'll sleep eventually. And when I said I can't, they never believe me. Some of the times, they find me at 8 am surfing the net, they blow up and told me how I should have brushed my teeth and changed first. Next time, I did just that. I was still punished. I just don't get them. For a clarification, my mother is an ISFJ. If there happen to be any parents reading this, can you message me and possibly try to explain why that is? I realize that this is off topic, so... Messaging would work best :)
I can't believe your parents are like that. Mine don't have any problems with night and don't mind what I do as long as it doesn't wake them up but they too want me to go to bed at normal times and offered the same arguments. It doesn't matter though. I always disagreed and do my own thing. After years of this (I'm 17 now), they are slowly getting used to me breaking their rules. You need to be persistent, and act like groundings are just bumps along the way. My Mom is an ISFJ, and my Dad is an INTP, and he's the source of following tradition and really nagging me. Oh, and for the thing about even after you did what they wanted, they will find continual fault. I think that is just their way of justifying themselves and making you feel bad, in a "so close, yet so far" way.

[fawkes]

Two of the most difficult tasks for me to perform are going to sleep and getting out of bed. Once I'm awake, I like to stay awake, and once I'm asleep, I like to continue sleeping. In my ideal world we would run on a 36 hour day: I would stay up for 24 hours and snooze for 12 hours.

It's nice to hear that I'm not the only one. I've always had a problem getting to sleep 16 waking hours is just not enough to get me tired. Lots of physical exercise helps but in those cases it's usually a case of me just collapsing from sheer exhaustion. My roommates think it's hilarious when they find me asleep on my textbooks, in front of my computer or sitting on the couch with a controller in my hands. I've even fallen asleep standing up leaning against something.

Since I have to work on a 24 hour schedule for classes what I have been doing lately is skipping every second night of sleep. I realize this is not all that healthy but it's the only way I can get tired enough.

[Antisosiaalinen]

There wasn't any :P

I'm "booting" my sleeprhytm i totally managed to f*** it up during this winter holiday. Meaning i wen't to bed at 6am and woke up 6pm, not very healthy.
Normally my sleep is pretty good but i find it extremely hard to actually fall asleep, i can lie on my bed for countles hours just because i can't stop thinking about stuff. I almost feel bad to say that i'm happy that i'm clearly not the only one here with same "disorder". Lately i've seen alot of lucid dreams, i think it's because of the insane amount of sleep. This might also be because of i'm going through this period when i see alot of dreams, these periods usually last from 2week to a month and i have them 3-4 times a year.

anyone else having these times when you see alot of dreams, like atleast one dream per night or so?

[Pkz]

On most regular days, I will sleep from 4-5 hours, usually reading somewhat before I go to bed. Now I am whats referred to as a "B-human", so I like to sleep well and long. In weekends I can sleep typically for 12 hour +

[Aesthesis]

Now that it's the holidays here, I've completely screwed up my sleeping pattern. Right now I'm usually going to sleep between 2 and 8am and waking up from 12 to 5pm. What really annoys me are days where I fall asleep quite late, sleeping only for around 6 hours, and waking up feeling completely energized for the day, then after about 4-5 hours of being awake I feel completely tired again. Most days I sleep for 12 hours, and I always still feel tired after. Probably some issue with oversleeping.

I always fall asleep to music. I either focus on it to a point where I can't think of any thing else, eventually drifting off, or I just allow myself to think with the music in the background, which usually puts my thoughts in a type of state of limbo where I'm not completely focused on what I'm thinking about and I'm not completely focused on the music, putting me to sleep.

I've been falling asleep listening to music for so long that I've basically conditioned myself to be able to fall asleep anywhere, at any time, given I have music playing (of course it has to be something I like). It would be useful for going on frequent long trips, though I don't go away much.

[Santana28]

i've not read this thread, but honestly i'm sick of seeing the question "How was your sleep?" mocking me every time i finally drag myself out of bed every morning/afternoon.

IT WAS HORRIBLE. There - are you happy now?

i dont sleep at night. it takes me between 1 and 5 hours to falls asleep, no matter how worn out or exhausted i may be. my mind fires up on overdrive the moment i lay down at night, and i cant sleep. i sit on the internet til 3 or 4 am just trying to fill it with useless information to distract it enough to let me fall asleep.

i really wish i could sleep.

[Snuggles]

Haha, amazing!

I supposedly have sleep apnea. I go to sleep, but I don't actually get any sleep. I've had this for quite sometime, but thought nothing of it until I started my first career.

How embarrassing is it to introduce yourself to your new team by passing out at a meeting and wake up by slamming your head against the wall behind you in wild jerk? This would happen everyone... watching a movie, just sitting around playing a game... so I went to get it fixed.

I was taking the medication "Rozerem" for some time, however, it stopped working. I now am in the same situation as before... BUT! I am meeting with a sleep counselor next week as well as an ENT (I have a deviated septum). I hope to get this crap fixed, it's really lame to feel exhausted all day long.

Anyone else take any procedural steps to fix this problem? What was your outcome?

[Santana28]

Haha, amazing!

I supposedly have sleep apnea. I go to sleep, but I don't actually get any sleep. I've had this for quite sometime, but thought nothing of it until I started my first career.

How embarrassing is it to introduce yourself to your new team by passing out at a meeting and wake up by slamming your head against the wall behind you in wild jerk? This would happen everyone... watching a movie, just sitting around playing a game... so I went to get it fixed.

I was taking the medication "Rozerem" for some time, however, it stopped working. I now am in the same situation as before... BUT! I am meeting with a sleep counselor next week as well as an ENT (I have a deviated septum). I hope to get this crap fixed, it's really lame to feel exhausted all day long.

Anyone else take any procedural steps to fix this problem? What was your outcome?

i WISH i could pass out in meetings. i have never once in my entire life passed out from exhaustion in a public setting. no matter how much or how little sleep i get, i am always exhausted. i was scheduled to go in for a sleep study and my doctor suggested i might have sleep apnea - but i know i dont.

ive tried sleeping pills - basically, i just get drowsy and the room spins more, but i still cant fall asleep. it didnt feel good at all so i stopped.

actually.. one thing has worked for me. my husband was on anti-anxiety meds for a bit, and i snuck one of his adavans and it was like night and day - i was out in 15 minutes and i slept like a baby. i woke up feeling refreshed... it was amazing. i told this to my doctor and she didnt believe me and wouldnt give me a prescription for it. <sigh>

[Learning]

i have a chronic problem with sleep. at times i can't get enough...other times i can't get any. ... other nights, it's like my brain starts running marathons and before i know it...normal people are going out to lunch. is this common with intj's? or am i just crazy?
=)
Same here. It seems pretty common. The more active I am with things during the day, it's that much harder. Making a list of what's on my mind that I can do something about helps. My level of mental business can also affect my dreaming.

[Zilal]

anyone else having these times when you see alot of dreams, like atleast one dream per night or so?

I go through periods where I'm dreaming less or more, and where the dreams are more or less realistic. It seems to be correlated with my mood and level of sleepiness during the day, but I haven't been able to figure out the exact relation. Moderate dreaming seems to correlate with the best moods for me... I'll have a couple dreams that are relatively realistic and relatively easy to remember before I wake up, and I'll feel rested.

When I'm anxious, I tend to not remember any dreams at all, and I won't feel rested the next day. When I'm more depressed, sometimes that might occur, or sometimes I might have a lot of dreams that are more "real"-feeling, and wake very sleepy. It's very interesting.

Apparently the best predictor of depression is the amount of time you spend sleeping before you start to dream each night (more time before dreaming is better). But research hasn't shown yet whether pattern of sleep can lead to depression, or whether being depressed results in a particular pattern of sleep.

[sbella]

I've been having these sleeping issues since I can remember, really. Well, once I entered my teens.. So I've developed different ways of exhasting myself, one way or another an hour before bed. So I can sleep better.

Oh, and wehnever I do manage to sleep early? As in get a good 7 hours of sleep, I'll usually have really weird dreams instead.

[More Tea]

For years, I have had the nasty sort of insomnia where you lie awake, your mind refusing to turn off, for 4 or 5 hours. Then, you finally start to drift off an hour or two before your alarm goes off. It is horrible, crippling, and the sort of fate that I'd only wish on child molesters and genocidal maniacs (O.K., and maybe on people who cut me off in traffic...).

A month ago, I figured out the solution: POTASSIUM SUPPLEMENTS.

I can not stress this enough for my fellow insomniacs. According to a number of sites, an adult human ideally takes in about 4700mg of potassium per day. I started taking up to five over-the-counter potassium supplement pills per day, at 90mg per pill. In other words, way under the 4700 ideal, but once I gave it a few days to click in, the change was very noticeable.

I can now almost always fall asleep within an hour, and sleep more deeply than before. The only incident of insomnia I had this month was the night before an interview: a real reason. I no longer have those vicious, pointless bouts of sleeplessness that leave you awake, exhausted, and angry at 4 A.M.

Of course, do your research and avoid overdosing on potassium, as too much of the stuff brings its own set of problems. However, chronic insomnia is one of the symptoms of too little potassium; you can restore a good deal of balance without going anywhere near the daily maximum intakes.

[Nadrigol]

Ice cream... I can always fall asleep if I've had some ice cream.

[Avenger]

Generally, it takes me ½-1 hour to fall asleep from the moment I turn off the lights. This could be related to the fact that I have a hard time stopping myself from thinking about things even when I'm tired.

[JusVisiting]

Horrible. I have a hard time falling asleep and staying asleep./

[Surion]

Generally, it takes me ½-1 hour to fall asleep from the moment I turn off the lights. This could be related to the fact that I have a hard time stopping myself from thinking about things even when I'm tired.

This is exactly the reason. A doctor told me once that I need to stop doing things at least an hour before going to bed. This means that you have to de-focus, sit around not reading, not talking, not analysing, trying to relax and stretch and breathe slowly, preparing mentally to fall asleep... This is of course almost impossible.

[Jgib5328]

I go to sleep with ease, and never have any trouble.

[IFearAManOf1Book]

I've always had trouble falling asleep (due to stress, back problems, not being able to stop overthinking life in general) and have found a solution that almost always works for me: I go through the Fibonacci sequence in my head as far as I can. 0,1,1,2,3,5,8,13... (the last two numbers are added to get the next number, for those that didn't know) the top number I've gotten to is somewhere in the millions. That was a long night.

[janonymous]

I've always had trouble falling asleep (due to stress, back problems, not being able to stop overthinking life in general) and have found a solution that almost always works for me: I go through the Fibonacci sequence in my head as far as I can. 0,1,1,2,3,5,8,13... (the last two numbers are added to get the next number, for those that didn't know) the top number I've gotten to is somewhere in the millions. That was a long night.

WOW! ...in the millions??? Bravo. I don't know what you do for a living, but I sure hope you channel your intense focus positively also.

[HarleyQuinn]

Woke up this morning after this weird quasi dream/hallucination thing involving waking up every 5 minutes for the last half hour and seeing a green highlighted number (29 appeared as one of them) plastered on the wall (or in my mind against a black canvas). Was getting to the point where I'd "wake up" but couldn't tell for sure if I was awake or not until I finally physically rolled out of bed.

One of the weirdest things I've ever had happen to me.

[vaguely dissatisfied]

Also, no caffeine after 11am.

[Lucid]

Woke up this morning after this weird quasi dream/hallucination thing involving waking up every 5 minutes for the last half hour and seeing a green highlighted number (29 appeared as one of them) plastered on the wall (or in my mind against a black canvas). Was getting to the point where I'd "wake up" but couldn't tell for sure if I was awake or not until I finally physically rolled out of bed.

One of the weirdest things I've ever had happen to me.

That does sound weird. And tiring.

[HarleyQuinn]

That does sound weird. And tiring.

Yeah. I finally woke up around 6:30 AM but I was walking around (got an early breakfast) and literally was so lightheaded that with each step I felt like I was gonna faint.

I'm more normal now (after a couple coffees and classes) but there's still a bit of grogginess.

I'd open my eyes and see the number on the wall, then close my eyes and see a different number against a black canvas in my head, rinse repeat. Also started tossing and turning to escape the numbers but it did no good. Really freaky (also felt like I was in the middle of a rave club).

[Staralfur]

Wow, I'm new here (see my intro post) but it's threads like these that I have been reading that make me smile with how similar I am to everyone here.

I have the hardest time falling asleep since thoughts constantly run through my mind and it's sooo difficult to get them to stop. Also, it's pretty much guaranteed that I'll get only a couple hours of sleep if I have an exam the next day or am traveling somewhere, or anything out of the ordinary is going on the following day.

[Chainsaw Dundee]

Ahh sleep.

My sleep habits are very unstable. Perhaps partially due to this (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.). Or maybe because I just get stuck working on something and I don't want to stop. I seem to take a long time to fall asleep, and a long time to wake back up. I seem to have very weird dreams as well.

[httc1978]

my only issue about sleeping is not being able to dream as often as others.. its either i dun dream or i dun recall what i dreamt about. I read something about dreams (by sigmund freud) and how you will not be able to remember the dream if its too radical and detached from the reality that you know.. wonder if this is a common occurence with INTJs?

[Jenny Penny]

I need around 8.5 hours of sleep to feel refreshed. I have a really hard time getting to sleep at 10:30.

I'm a night owl, so I usually have to lie in bed for about 20-30 minutes before falling asleep.

Getting enough sleep is my biggest annoyance in life. Seems I never can get enough of it to feel my best.

[Haphazard]

I need to work myself to exhaustion (which isn't actually that difficult) to get to sleep. Normally this means sleep around midnight or 12:30, and then about forty minutes after I'm asleep. This gives me about 7 hours of sleep, which isn't enough.

Last night, though, I ended up with a two-hour nap and was still exhausted, but then again because I almost threw up this morning I might be getting sick.

[aok]

I self remedy/ied my own previously existing insomnia w/ GABA, 5htp, and calcium

[Hwaet]

Yeah. I finally woke up around 6:30 AM but I was walking around (got an early breakfast) and literally was so lightheaded that with each step I felt like I was gonna faint.

I'm more normal now (after a couple coffees and classes) but there's still a bit of grogginess.

I'd open my eyes and see the number on the wall, then close my eyes and see a different number against a black canvas in my head, rinse repeat. Also started tossing and turning to escape the numbers but it did no good. Really freaky (also felt like I was in the middle of a rave club).

Sounds like an episode of sleep paralysis, except for being able to move during it. I get it every once in a while. To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

FWIW, I also have racing thoughts at night. Thought up questions my profs didn't know the answer to once or twice. Then I would fail the class because I was too tired. I bet they were scratching their heads.

[Fishfighter]

Generally, it takes me ½-1 hour to fall asleep from the moment I turn off the lights. This could be related to the fact that I have a hard time stopping myself from thinking about things even when I'm tired.

I have the exact same problem, my brain never knows when to keep quiet.

[AliciaS2R]

... I always concentrate first on my breathing then numb my body then it's just focusing on the breathing patterns.

By concentrating on the breathing you force yourself to stop thinking about other things.

I do that also when my mind is racing and I want to sleep. I start at my feet and "tell" my muscles to relax as I focus on my breathing. Feet, legs fingertips, hands, arms, facial and scalp muscles... telling each set to relax in turn. I also try to keep a ~ regular bedtime, so that my body has a semi routine. I moved my computer out of my bedroom and do not watch TV there either, my bedroom is for sleeping and sex ;). These small changes have helped me immensely.

[Killua]

I just need to concentrate on something else... Theories or any other thing except work... Work is boring and easy in my case. It is just collecting data for the other dumb people who can not understand the data that is in the system. So basically it is boring and easy.

So if I think about anything that gets me excited then I am able to sleep. Although I do think about it while sleeping :P.

But in the morning I never have had enough sleep. Even if I slept for around 14 to 16 hours.. I still feel tired. Seems to me that I am just bored in life :P

[Thecitywithin]

I usually get up soon after going to bed or wake up an hour or so when I think of something I want to write down to remember later. It's almost like I do my best thinking at bed time. I've been that way all my life.