# Sleep and Dreams > Sleep and Health >  >  Help! Now in a 48-hour sleep cycle!

## DestFinis

I admit, I dropped out of college last year (before discovering I had SAD) and will be going back in the fall, but I think I've done a terrible thing to my sleep cycle. For the past year or so, I hadn't been getting enough sunlight and exercise and have been laying home depressed doing nothing, too socially anxious to find a job. As a result, over time, I've become nocturnal since there's really nothing to keep me from living a "normal" life home all the time.

In an attempt to fix my sleep cycle, I bought a SAD light to perform self light therapy. Now instead of being nocturnal, I stay awake for 36 hours into the next day (12 PM one day to 12 AM the next) and sleep for 12 hours (12 AM to 12 PM). I think the reason this has happened is because I stayed awake for a whole day the first day I had the light and, because I could never consistently wake up in the morning, subsequently used the light in erratic time durations and intervals.

I am asking for assistance. Any help is appreciated. I really want to fix this problem, and I know it's going to put a hamper on my future until I get a regular sleep cycle again...

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## DreiHundert

I had a similar issue one time, where I stayed awake for two days and slept for one night...
It's difficult to fix your sleep cycle problems sometimes. That particular time was really bad, and I had to get a prescription for Trazodone.  Trazodone is actually an anti-depressant, which may help with your SAD.  So I would talk to your doctor about Trazodone.  If he won't prescribe you Trazodone, he might suggest a regular sleep aid...

Allow me to pass some light on sleep aids real quick, speaking from personal experience of insomnia...
Start out asking your doctor for something like Rozerem, it's less dangerous imo than the other options.  If that doesn't help and your doctor suggests something stronger, then ask for Temazepam.  I suggest you don't take Ambien unless nothing else works for you... In my experience Ambien is some dangerous crap.  I once took ambien and "Had a dream" that I went for a drive and ran over a mailbox.   When I woke up the next morning I found that it was no dream at all... I also found myself eating, making messes, having online discussions where I made an ass of myself, etc... Idk... Ambien has the potential to make you black out and do things in your sleep that could be potentially dangerous (Like driving your car or swimming for instance)

But before you even talk to a doctor, you should try taking Melatonin, Ibuprofen PM, Excedrin PM, etc... Melatonin is lightweight stuff that sometimes doesn't help at all, but it's a good addition to PM pain relievers which can be used as sleep aids as well.  It's best to try to avoid taking prescription sleep aids, because they have dangerous side effects and can turn your life into a haze.... In essence, prescription sleep aids are sedatives/tranquilizers... I always wake up in the morning like "Ugh", and have a very weird vibe to myself.

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## TheForgotten

Using prescription sleep aids (as well as some non-prescription ones) can screw things up more than they already are.  Dependency is built and it can be difficult to wean yourself from them.  Which is also why many doctors prescribe them short term.

If you got yourself into this with light therapy, might be useful to employ it to get yourself out.  Treat it like jet-lag and your body should slowly readjust.  Just be consistent.

If that fails, you still have other options.

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## DestFinis

> I had a similar issue one time, where I stayed awake for two days and slept for one night...
> It's difficult to fix your sleep cycle problems sometimes. That particular time was really bad, and I had to get a prescription for Trazodone.  Trazodone is actually an anti-depressant, which may help with your SAD.  So I would talk to your doctor about Trazodone.  If he won't prescribe you Trazodone, he might suggest a regular sleep aid...
> 
> Allow me to pass some light on sleep aids real quick, speaking from personal experience of insomnia...
> Start out asking your doctor for something like Rozerem, it's less dangerous imo than the other options.  If that doesn't help and your doctor suggests something stronger, then ask for Temazepam.  I suggest you don't take Ambien unless nothing else works for you... In my experience Ambien is some dangerous crap.  I once took ambien and "Had a dream" that I went for a drive and ran over a mailbox.   When I woke up the next morning I found that it was no dream at all... I also found myself eating, making messes, having online discussions where I made an ass of myself, etc... Idk... Ambien has the potential to make you black out and do things in your sleep that could be potentially dangerous (Like driving your car or swimming for instance)
> 
> But before you even talk to a doctor, you should try taking Melatonin, Ibuprofen PM, Excedrin PM, etc... Melatonin is lightweight stuff that sometimes doesn't help at all, but it's a good addition to PM pain relievers which can be used as sleep aids as well.  It's best to try to avoid taking prescription sleep aids, because they have dangerous side effects and can turn your life into a haze.... In essence, prescription sleep aids are sedatives/tranquilizers... I always wake up in the morning like "Ugh", and have a very weird vibe to myself.



Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm glad I'm not the only one on this forum with sleep issues.

My sleep issue actually started way back five years ago in high school and hasn't stopped since. I was late for about 50-100 days every school year, almost always during the fall/winter/early spring when the days  were shorter and the sun didn't come up early. I also began getting more depressed starting my senior year and had a lot of stress because I placed too much emphasis on college issues....

I talked with my doctor a lot back then, and he prescribed me Prozac for depression and Ambien for sleep issues (strange that I didn't get the negative effects as you did). I took the Prozac only for a month and stopped because I had so much trouble concentrating and thinking clearly (and VERY bad for libido). As for Ambien, I had been taking it for six months. Unfortunately, arguing with my parents all the time made them throw away my last bottle and I haven't met with my doctor since.

I also tried Melatonin. All it did was make sure I woke up groggier and weaker and not actually get me to sleep earlier.





> Using prescription sleep aids (as well as some non-prescription ones) can screw things up more than they already are.  Dependency is built and it can be difficult to wean yourself from them.  Which is also why many doctors prescribe them short term.
> 
> If you got yourself into this with light therapy, might be useful to employ it to get yourself out.  Treat it like jet-lag and your body should slowly readjust.  Just be consistent.
> 
> If that fails, you still have other options.



That's what I'm thinking. I think I should go for the longer approach and reset my sleep cycle by two hours every day instead of cold turkey.

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## DreiHundert

Yeah, trying to change your sleep cycle cold turkey is going to be stressful and ineffective.

Instead of two hours a day, try one hour a day.  You probably won't even notice.  :smiley:  Good luck to you

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## caspermorgan

Try meditation

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