Got two hours sleep last night. And I need 8 hours!! (possibly a result of Tues. night's accidental and horrendous glutening - hits me the next day).

Coffee doesn't do it for me. Red Bull doesn't do it. Not sure caffeine has any affect on me (maybe if I drank POTS and POTS of coffee). What do you guys do to stay clear-headed and alert on little or no sleep?

Well, I can't say clear headed and alert, but I can stumble through the day if I drink Mountain Dew and/or take a non-drowsy head meds - ephredine and its equivilents do it for me. And some of the newer allergy meds like allegra. But then I've always been super sensitive to those type of things.
Hope you get over your glutening quickly.
Annette

I just do what I can get done that day. I try to avoid the urge to drink a lot of caffeine or to take more than a 20 minute nap so that I don't have the same problem the next night. Usually when I can't sleep, I just lay there and rest and don't worry about not sleeping. At least then I can get a good night's rest. I'm a little less tired than if I get anxious about not sleeping. I try to go to bed at my normal bedtime the next night so that I don't go to bed too early then end up waking up in the middle of the night again. That becomes a bad cycle for me.

i get insomnia when i'm glutened too.

caffeine is so hard on your body, do you drink enough water? dehydration will make you more tired than caffeine can wake you up. dehydration will also give you brain fog and make you generally fatigued. i also agree with the power-nap of 20 minutes, it can go a long way.

whenever i get glutened, i immediately take charcoal - i take at least 5 capsules so that the charcoal will absorb the offending gluten. i don't get perfect results with this always, but it does make a big difference. the downside to charcoal is that it absorbs everything, nutrition, etc. in my book, that's okay as long as the gluten goes too. you can also do a drinkable form of clay, has no taste and will absorb anything in your gut. pick it up at health food store, or whole foods, good to have on hand.

Good information...I drink lots of water and minimal caffeine, and you are right, dehydration is exhausting! I am going to try the charcol, great idea. NAPPING? I couldn't fall asleep during the day if you put a gun to my head. So sad. I am jealous of nappers...

I just remember Excedrin...am going to see if it's gluten-free, THAT gives me energy!!

I can't function w/o sleep. But...a few things that help ease the pain a bit--yes, water and some good snacks throughout the day, peanut butter/apple...something with protein. Not a lot of 'sugar.' I haven't caffeine in over a decade--not one drop...so that's not an option for me. Sometimes I will get a headache, and might drop some Tylenol for that. Sunglasses when outside, definitely Music with a good beat to help get me going. Eye drops sometimes for tired irriated eyes. Wow…I’m getting more tired thinking about this! Hope you get some real sleep soon!!

I cannot function without adequate sleep. My brain simply stops working and I cannot think right. My arthritis flares up and I am in pain all day.

When I do get glutened or casiened, I do loose a lot of sleep. Taking sleep aids isn't an option as most everything just comes right back up. So, I take the next day(s) off, and stay home and relax.

I'm lucky that I get paid for sick time, I know that some don't. My employer hasn't mentioned that this is a problem....they can't. I have an autoimmune disease that is recognized as a disability and hence protected by the ADA.

exercise - a quick burst of something that'll give me a good endorphin rush. fast and hard, like a sprint. won't keep me going forever, but it's something.

The 20 minute power nap ... I don't know that I'd call it actual sleeping, more like "power resting".

That's a great idea, I never thought of charcoal for glutening - and you say that it works all right? I am so frustrated getting accidently glutened from time to time because it messes me up for weeks - so I have been searching for something to help with that. i will try the charcoal.

Chocolate covered coffee beans for me!!

Charcoal? How exactly does it get rid of the gluten? Where do I get this stuff??

Elizabeth

first I take a long shower, it relaxes me. (which yeah, I am stressed if I don't get enough sleep, so then I am cranky and sleepy)

then I eat a good breakfast, I try for fruit with it, since it gives me energy.

I try to shy away from caffiene since then I won't sleep well for a few days and have to feel like that all over again.

It seems the better I keep myself hydrated the better I feel.

If all else fails I go for a sprint outside, the combo of a little exercise and a little sun jump starts my body.


(when I was younger and irresponsible, I used to drink a MT Dew and eat some chocolate, it only lasts for about 2 hours though then if you don't get some more soda you crash, but if you do get more soda, then in 2 hours from then you crash really really hard)

I gave up caffeine weeks ago as the energy burst would be short-lived, followed by even more tiredness. I have substituted with a greens drink as soon as I wake, with a half ounce of aloe vera juice thrown in. Sometimes, I'll put in a bit of powdered matcha green tea which I find gives me focused and sustained energy. Through the day, I am now using raspberry leaf tea (high in iron), stinging nettle or red clover tea with a bit of honey. Before bed, a cup of camomile tea with a valerian root capsule and a balance calcium-magnesium tablet is useful. I also have a diffusor by my bed into which I put a few drops of lavender oil and run this through the night.

I am having an awful time with my boss!!! Where did you find the above info on the ADA? I would love to have it to show her. Thanks, Brenda

Charcoal? Isn't that what they give you at the hospital to make you throw up? Sorry if I am totally wrong about that....I didn't know it also absorbs all the other stuff too. Will have to give it a try. Can you find it in healthfood stores?

Also, there was a time when I did yoga once a week, and I found that I was quite energized afterwards. I haven't been keeping up with the yoga (I really need to get started on that again) but I try to drink a lot of water, maybe some herbal tea or green tea. I try not to drink too much coffee...I'm on one cup a day as soon as I wake up (otherwise I absolutely cannot function for the rest of the day).

sorry about you not sleeping, srry i cant help ypu on this one as i suffer the other way around, no matter how much i get it doesnt seem to be enough for me. the only time i was awake like that is when my kids are ill and not in school\the next day, then i have little or no sleep as they are right next to me all day and night saying " mum mum mum" its hard to drop off with the 24 - 7. instead of pumping you self up with caffine why not try to cleanse your systym with a nice cup of green tea or lemon tea. sorry cant sujest anything else but hope you get shut eye soon.

I functioned w/out sleep for 13 years, undiagnosed sleep apnea did it for me...
didn'[t realise taht i wasn't sleeping until i went on CPAP and then knew the difference.

Molly you have been through quite a lot! I had insomnia for two years that I swear nearly killed me - - I was on a medication for depression (an MAO inhibitor called Nardil - wicked stuff) and my inept doctor never prescribed anything for sleep or worked with me to find another med. And actually, I was a rapi-cydling bipolar, which she or I didn't know....it was hell. Slept ON AVERAGE six hours a week, sometimes eight.

Mercifully, those days are over, and the days without sleep are very few and far between. And, I do think gluten can cause insomnia also.

Thanks for all the tips, everybody.