Too sleepy. Help?

[ArtsyDrawer]

Here's how my day goes normally: wake up, morning walk, tend the faucet for some hours, AND THEN PASS OUT!
Now, normally, naps aren't bad. Half an hour, 45 min, even an hour is good, right?
Well, my naps vary. It can be 45 minutes, it can be 3 hours.
"Alright," you say, "drink some coffee, then."
I literally can't. It's not just the taste, it's meds. I am not allowed caffeine. I tried one cup of coffee ages ago on my current meds, and the results... let's say "not pretty"... yes...
Work out?
It just makes me more likely to pass out.
I'm out of ideas. Anyone has any?

 

[Tristan]

you are right, most people will mention coffee, but have you tried an espresso? Strongest coffee ever!

 

[ArtsyDrawer]

you are right, most people will mention coffee, but have you tried an espresso? Strongest coffee ever!

That's a problem: caffeine. I'd probably get addicted in addition. XD
But yeah, caffeine, as far as I understand, makes one of my meds dissolve faster or something, which in turn temporarily turns to an overdose, which leads to seizures, and then lack of said med, which ALSO leads to seizures.

 

[Tristan]

That's a problem: caffeine. I'd probably get addicted in addition. XD
But yeah, caffeine, as far as I understand, makes one of my meds dissolve faster or something, which in turn temporarily turns to an overdose, which leads to seizures, and then lack of said med, which ALSO leads to seizures.

No its not addictive for me, sometimes I spend days without having one .

 

[myopybyproxy]

you posted this in recovery, so perhaps my idea of amphetamines would not be well received - especially given the information in your second post as in high doses they can induce seizures - not sure about the risk (even at lower doses) if you're already prone to seizures

but that said - my go-to is stimulants

have you tried modifying your diet? perhaps it could be a particular type of food (eg intolerance or autoimmune issue) / nutrient (too high carbohydrates or sugar, too few calories, healthy fats, or proteins, mineral or vitamin deficiency) or lack thereof that causes sleepiness. lack of iron and b vits can cause low energy, which is related to sleepiness - could be that?

 

[Tristan]

you also take vitamin and B complex, its well known they give you s boost. Tried it and felt more energized.

 

[ancientstone]

There's alternatives to caffeine. I can't say I suffer the same problem, but I have a similar issue with excessive sleepiness. What works best for me is usually:

1) A large cold glass of water. As cold as you can get it, as much as you can get. Drink it fast. Not only will the cold temperature startle you awake (to a certain extent), the feeling of having a lot of water in your stomach will keep you awake and aware for awhile. Plus, it's just helpful to stay hydrated.
2) You don't have to exercise, but keep moving. Stretch a lot, stand up a lot, move around wildly from time to time. When I'm exceptionally tired, I'll find a private place (usually my bedroom) and just spin around or wave my arms around. If I'm sitting at a desk or otherwise incapable of moving dramatically, I stretch a lot.
3) Give yourself time to just feel tired. When you're excessively sleepy, set a timer for 30 minutes, an hour, however much time you can afford, and just be tired. I wouldn't suggest sleeping. Instead, I'd suggest doing something that requires very little energy consumption. Watch a video essay, read a book, scroll social media, play a peaceful game. Let yourself just feel tired, do things lazily, blink slowly or be hazy/out of it. Whatever you feel while keeping yourself awake, just feel it. Don't bother fighting it, that's exhausting.
4) Eat something with a kick to it. Whether it's spicy, sour, bitter, or overly sweet, eat something that has a very strong flavor to it. My usual go-to is lemon juice followed by breath mints. Not the best flavor to experience, but it certainly keeps me awake.
5) Let someone know that you're tired. This might just be a personal thing, honestly, but it's helped me a lot for some reason. If someone asks how you're doing, be honest. Tell them that you're tired. For some reason, it makes being awake a lot easier for me, even if I'm fighting to stay awake with everything in me.

In general, it's hard to advise someone on how to stay awake since a lot of the methods you can use to stay awake vary depending on your personal schedule. I wish you luck!

 

[GrumpyFrog]

What you describe kind of sounds like narcolepsy. I would suggest seeing a doctor about that. There is a med called Modafinil that I used to take, it works even better than caffeine and you don't need a prescription, but if you have seizure issues I'd suggest consulting with a doctor anyway.
As for more general lifestyle tips, it helps to have as much stimuli as possible. If you can listen to upbeat music, turn it on, if you can take cold or hot shower when you get really sleepy, try that, if you can eat something with a strong taste - try that etc. Anything that will stimulate one of your senses.
Take care!

 

[WhiteDespair]

chart your naps. like time you felt sleepy, time you woke up and the day. then think if there are any commonalities. if there are things which contribute to extended naps you could minimize them. it's annoying and frustrating to not see it going on. it's like knowing there's something wrong but can't quite figure it out. no fun.

 

[UnravelingWinter]

Vitamin D in large doses, as well as an iron supplement if you're anemic. These have helped a lot with my energy levels.

 

[Cathy Ames]

Here's how my day goes normally: wake up, morning walk, tend the faucet for some hours, AND THEN PASS OUT!
Now, normally, naps aren't bad. Half an hour, 45 min, even an hour is good, right?
Well, my naps vary. It can be 45 minutes, it can be 3 hours.
"Alright," you say, "drink some coffee, then."
I literally can't. It's not just the taste, it's meds. I am not allowed caffeine. I tried one cup of coffee ages ago on my current meds, and the results... let's say "not pretty"... yes...
Work out?
It just makes me more likely to pass out.
I'm out of ideas. Anyone has any?

They're kind of expensive but those super bright lights (used for chronotherapy or SAD treatment) can help with alertness. Possibly going outdoors and spending some time in bright sunlight would also be helpful.

 

[Chiisai]

It might be that your body/mind is really needing rest. Would it console you if you listen to your body's needs?

 

[ArtsyDrawer]

I started writing this at about 6am before realizing I'm fucking up my morning walk

I posted this before going to sleep. Let me just review some of the answers because... really, the first one...

you posted this in recovery, so perhaps my idea of amphetamines would not be well received [...] but that said - my go-to is stimulants [...]

It's too damn early to cackle like a severely asthmatic witch!
ok, but seriously now, just to give y'all an idea of how much of a goddamn idiot I am...

have you tried modifying your diet? perhaps it could be a particular type of food (eg intolerance or autoimmune issue) / nutrient (too high carbohydrates or sugar, too few calories, healthy fats, or proteins, mineral or vitamin deficiency) or lack thereof that causes sleepiness. lack of iron and b vits can cause low energy, which is related to sleepiness - could be that?

I kinda can't. Kinda. All I have is frying pans. I suppose I can boil something in them if I add a shitload of water instead of oil, but even then, I'm a failure of a cook.
Last time I tried to actively cook, it was an omelet, and it friggin EXPLODED! God said I shouldn't cook!
Although now that I think of it, mineral deficiency can be a thing... I drink a lot of coke...

1) A large cold glass of water. As cold as you can get it, as much as you can get. Drink it fast. Not only will the cold temperature startle you awake (to a certain extent), the feeling of having a lot of water in your stomach will keep you awake and aware for awhile. Plus, it's just helpful to stay hydrated.

I'm trying this today. The difference between my fridge and freezer is roughly 1 degree. Fridge produces superchilled water. Not entirely sure which one is colder...

2) You don't have to exercise, but keep moving. Stretch a lot, stand up a lot, move around wildly from time to time. When I'm exceptionally tired, I'll find a private place (usually my bedroom) and just spin around or wave my arms around. If I'm sitting at a desk or otherwise incapable of moving dramatically, I stretch a lot.

This pissed me off. Not because of you, it's because of me.
You know how they found the first Neanderthal with their back all bent, so for decades we thought Neanderthals were all like that until someone figured out he had... a hernia, or something, so his back was fucked up?
At no point of tending this faucet did I ever think "hey, maybe we shouldn't sit all fucked up, maybe we should do some stretching!"
I'm so pissed off at myself.

3) Give yourself time to just feel tired. When you're excessively sleepy, set a timer for 30 minutes, an hour, however much time you can afford, and just be tired. I wouldn't suggest sleeping. Instead, I'd suggest doing something that requires very little energy consumption. Watch a video essay, read a book, scroll social media, play a peaceful game. Let yourself just feel tired, do things lazily, blink slowly or be hazy/out of it. Whatever you feel while keeping yourself awake, just feel it. Don't bother fighting it, that's exhausting.

In a way, I do. This faucet has timers. After finishing 3 games I watch it crawl back up to when I can play these games. This is what I call "tending a faucet".

4) Eat something with a kick to it. Whether it's spicy, sour, bitter, or overly sweet, eat something that has a very strong flavor to it. My usual go-to is lemon juice followed by breath mints. Not the best flavor to experience, but it certainly keeps me awake.

That's... interesting... like, straight out lemon juice or is it somewhat diluted in water?
I mean, fresh from the lemon or some kind of concentrate?

5) Let someone know that you're tired. This might just be a personal thing, honestly, but it's helped me a lot for some reason. If someone asks how you're doing, be honest. Tell them that you're tired. For some reason, it makes being awake a lot easier for me, even if I'm fighting to stay awake with everything in me.

That one's definitely an odd thing to try, but considering thus far you've been completely correct (it's 18:13 as of writing this), I'mma conclude: Mr/Ms @ancientstone, I'm insulted. Not insulted at (of?) you, I'm insulted of myself.
I've been busy with a thing I doubt I can say what it is as it may be against the rules, but I'd like to note something: everything you said is completely sensible and absolutely makes sense, yet at the same time, things I have not ONCE I thought of doing.
I'm... not sure how to end this, honestly...

 

[fox_wannabe]

tend the faucet

Wdym? Like you wash or drink? I am sorry I do not understand.

 

[ArtsyDrawer]

Wdym? Like you wash or drink? I am sorry I do not understand.

Doge coin faucet. It's a site that gives you very little coin (Bitcoin, dogecoin, litecoin, etc) for doing a task. Usually watch ads. If you're into crypto, I can teach you from my own mistakes.
It's like a job with shit pay unless you involve other elements, then it's not so much shit pay!

 

[myopybyproxy]

They're kind of expensive but those super bright lights (used for chronotherapy or SAD treatment) can help with alertness. Possibly going outdoors and spending some time in bright sunlight would also be helpful.

Seconding this - going outdoors and exposing at least your face to the sun for a few minutes immediately after you wake up - helps to align circadian rhythms and keep tiredness to night hours.

I kinda can't. Kinda. All I have is frying pans. I suppose I can boil something in them if I add a shitload of water instead of oil, but even then, I'm a failure of a cook.
Last time I tried to actively cook, it was an omelet, and it friggin EXPLODED! God said I shouldn't cook!
Although now that I think of it, mineral deficiency can be a thing... I drink a lot of coke...

Who said you have to cook to improve your diet? If you have a fridge and a freezer, you can store fresh and frozen produce which can be eaten with minimal preparation if at all. Frozen is superior to fresh because freezing locks in the nutrients, not to mention that it's typically cheaper and you can buy in bulk. Frozen berries make for a fantastic snack. If you're prone to overeating as I am, spend an hour at the start of the week dividing it all up amongst many small bags.

Well, if you think you can't, you certainly won't make progress in changing your diet. Ever heard that saying - 'if you think you can or think you can't, either way, you're right'?

There you have it - you can cook in pans. I've cooked lentils in a pan before. I like to add salt and curry and add extra water as it cooks to make it slightly mushy. Some find this texture offputting, in which case simply cook it al dente. You could also make stir fries with vegetables and whatever protein source you prefer.

A favourite lazy meal of mine is lettuce, olives, tomatoes, and cold cuts. I make a wrap with the lettuce and roll the other items into it. Cottage cheese and carrots go well together, if you tolerate dairy. A large spoonful of peanut butter and a banana. No cooking necessary.

It could be you had water in the pan - even a drop will splatter and cause crackling - dangerous because of the hot oil. Or if you cover the pan as you cook and then remove the lid to check on the omelet's progress - that situation lends itself to unfortunate coincidences. Sometimes the yolk will explode - especially if you microwave your egg. Beating it to a uniform colour prior to cooking can help reduce the chance.

Drinking coke is one of the worst things you can do for your health for many reasons I won't go into here - but of note, it could interfere with adequate calcium absorption, even if you take fortified products or supplements. If you can't bear to cut it out completely, dilute it with carbonated water. Or you can treat it like alcohol: one glass of water for every drink.

I hope this helps even a little - feel free to DM me or follow up here if you have any further questions or protests. I never knew that about the coin mining, thanks for the information.