What It's Really Like Living With Insomnia | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Health and Wellness

What It's Really Like Living With Insomnia

Days and even weeks of pulling constant all nighters.

8
What It's Really Like Living With Insomnia
Google

As a college student, pulling an all nighter is usually a common thing. Most of my friends drink a few cups of coffee or a couple of shots of Redbull in order to get through the all nighter. For me, that's not really a problem because more likely than not I'll already be awake. If you know me pretty well or really if you know me at all, you'll soon figure out that I suffer from Insomnia.

Insomnia: habitual sleeplessness; inability to sleep.


Sometimes it's just going a few days without sleep or waking up after an hour or two of sleep and staying awake the rest of the night. Sometimes it'll last a couple of weeks. There will be weeks where I might get 8-10 hours of sleep the entire week. It goes back and forth between being an absolute blessing and my own personal hell. While others are struggling to stay awake all night to finish that essay they forgot about, I've been up getting ahead in my classes because I literally have nothing else to do. Seriously, last semester I finished two of my "supposed to be" 16 week online college classs in 7 weeks because there were so many nights where I couldn't sleep. When I'm going through one of these insomnia phases, I have a never ending supply of energy. I'm constantly going. I'm constantly thinking. I have to find ways to channel all of this energy. I try to be productive and get ahead in my classes or write hand written encouragement letters to my camp staff every month, draw, etc. I just try to keep myself busy because if I don't, it can quickly become hell. Let me just say, insomnia and anxiety don't mix very well. When you're always awake, you're always thinking. Sometimes it seems like the overthinking never ends. I'm always worrying myself with the situations in my head that aren't really even situations in real life, they are just thoughts in my head that I've somehow convinced myself are real. This gets tiring really fast. Its tiring to be constantly worrying about things that aren't always necessarily real. It's tiring staying up for days at a time. My body is aching and just wanting to relax and sleep, but my mind is going 200 mph to where I can't sleep. I just lay there awake trying to come up with a new way to channel the never ending energy. It seems to be a never ending cycle.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Adulting

18 Things I Want To Do Now That I'm 18

I'm technically an adult, so I'm legally required to live a little, right?

2457
Happy Birthday Cake

For the entirety of my high school career, I was always seen as the goody-two-shoes. I never got in trouble with a teacher, I kept stellar grades, and when I wasn't doing extracurricular activities, I was at home studying. Even when I did go out, it was usually with a bunch of fellow band geeks. The night would end before 11:00 PM and the only controversial activity would be a fight based on who unfairly won a round of Apples-to-Apples when someone else clearly had a better card (I promise I'm not still holding a grudge).

Now that I'm officially an adult, I want to pursue some new things. I want to experience life in a way that I never allowed myself to do prior to entering college. These are the years that I'm supposed to embark on a journey of self-discovery, so what better way to do that than to create a bucket list?

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

10 Life Lessons from Christmas Classics

The holiday classics that shaped my life

1474
10 Life Lessons from Christmas Classics
Flickr

The holiday season is full of stress, debt, and forced conversation. While we rush through the month of December, it's important to take a step back and enjoy the moments before they're gone. Most families love to watch Christmas movies, but these beloved films provide more than entertainment. Here are 10 life lessons that I've learned from the holiday classics we watch every year.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

15 Mind-Bending Riddles

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

200721
 Ilistrated image of the planet and images of questions
StableDiffusion

I've been super busy lately with school work, studying, etc. Besides the fact that I do nothing but AP chemistry and AP economics, I constantly think of stupid questions that are almost impossible to answer. So, maybe you could answer them for me, and if not then we can both wonder what the answers to these 15 questions could be.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Most Epic Aurora Borealis Photos: October 2024

As if May wasn't enough, a truly spectacular Northern Lights show lit up the sky on Oct. 10, 2024

21229
stunning aurora borealis display over a forest of trees and lake
StableDiffusion

From sea to shining sea, the United States was uniquely positioned for an incredible Aurora Borealis display on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, going into Friday, Oct. 11.

It was the second time this year after an historic geomagnetic storm in May 2024. Those Northern Lights were visible in Europe and North America, just like this latest rendition.

Keep Reading...Show less
 silhouette of a woman on the beach at sunrise
StableDiffusion

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of suicide/suicidal thoughts.

When you are feeling down, please know that there are many reasons to keep living.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments