sleep problems

[ztigerb]

Well maybe this should be titled staying awake problems. I'm a junior in high school and lately I've been falling asleep in class. Before I would just nod off, I'd do the head bobbing thing where you're about to fall asleep but you catch your self. Now I just loose consciousness in class. In AP Physics i fell asleep, but i don't remember falling asleep. All I know is that we were working on a problem that i really wanted to know how to do, but i dont remember the rest of class. All i know is that 2 people told me at different times that i fell asleep and the teacher was talking about me while i was sleeping. Usually after sleeping in one class i'm awake for the next but that did not happen. In the next class (which is gov) my teacher said at the beginning of class that i looked sleepy. (I've talked to him about falling asleep in class so it isn't an awkward thing.) I agreed with him that i was very tired. I stayed awake for the beginning of class, but at some point i lost consciousness and when i regained it, I found i was face down on my notebook, with my arms dangling at my sides. Because of this I think that at some point I just collapsed in to unconsciousness.

Sorry for the wall of text, anyways, has this happened to anyone? and does anyone know anything that might help me besides the obvious get more sleep?

[Dimitry]

Do you want to post your general sleep schedule? Like when do you go to bed most nights and when do you wake up?

What kind of food do you eat? How often do you exercise. Anything that would help really.

[ztigerb]

ok, well during the week i usually go to bed any time between 10 and 11, i get up at 6 except on Wednesdays, which is a delayed start, i get up between 7:30 and 8. Friday and Saturday nights i go to bed around midnight or 1 AM and get up around 10.

I eat pretty healthy for people my age. I'm not vegetarian, however i get lots of fruit and vegetables. I drink soy milk, and my diet is largely low-fat.

I try to get some exercise daily, whether it be sit-ups and push-ups or running or walking my dog.

[Markus74]

I tend to sleep less good now than 10 years ago ... it sucks. I wake up more often, or earlier. Even if I got to bad late.

Not that this interests anyone, but I had to write it

[bert eats dirt]

It seems you get 7 or 8 hours sleep each night, which is a decent amount but perhaps it isn't enough for you. Do you fall asleep instantly, or does it take you a while to get to sleep? If you go to bed at 10pm but don't get to sleep until midnight and you're up again at 6am, that's only 6 hours sleep per night. Perhaps you're not getting a high quality of sleep. My dad used to fall asleep throughout the day all the time until he discovered he had Sleep Apnoea (possibly spelt "Sleep Apnea" in US English!). It's a sleep disorder where you stop breathing periodically during the night, and it causes you to actually wake up throughout your sleep (although the sleeper isn't aware of it). My dad's was very severe - he'd wake up every couple of minutes all night (or something like that, can't remember exactly). My mum also had problems with sleeping in the form of snoring. She always used to wake up feeling just as tired as before she went to bed. Recently though she's bought herself this plastic implement that goes in her mouth and pushes the drooping down stuff at the back of her throat upwards so she can breathe properly and not snore, and she said the difference is amazing. Maybe it's something like glandular fever or chronitc fatigue syndrome. Then again, it might not be too! It seems that sleep is a bit of a problem in your life, so I'd really recommend going to a doctor, they'd surely be able to help you out better than anyone on this forum could :-)

[Dimitry]

My only suggestion with the doctors would be that you don't take the easy route if they just try to push meds at you right away.

[Scott Bird]

Originally Posted by ztigerb

I'm a junior in high school and lately I've been falling asleep in class.

Hi ztigerb,

just curious if you're seeing a doctor or anyone about this? It may just be tiredness from not getting enough quality sleep at night, but it could also be the start of a sleep disorder such as Narcolepsy. It'd be good to find out one way or the other, so you can adjust things as needed.

[ztigerb]

I don't have any problems getting to sleep, and usually the only reason i wake up before my alarm is when my dog wants to go out. I haven't talked to a doctor about this. my parents are out of town now, but when they get back I'll talk to them about it and i might end up seeing a doctor

[Matthew Shea]

Typical recommendations for people your age are 9 - 10 hours of sleep per night. You seem to be getting less than 8, more like 7. Personally, I can recall needing a LOT of sleep when I was going through puberty (most of the 9'th grade for me, but of course that varies). I had the same issues of falling asleep in class, napping extensively, sleeping late whenever possible, etc. and suspect that most people that age go through something similar. The key really is not to fight it and let your body get the sleep it needs. If you're falling asleep in class, it means you probably need to go to bed earlier or schedule naps into your day that won't conflict with your schoolwork. This is not a complicated issue, after all, and shouldn't be made into one. You're simply going through a lot of physical changes right now and will require sleep to grow properly.

Finally, I'm sure you've read a lot about how to get away with less sleep on this site. Do yourself a favor and wait until you've stopped growing to play around with that. Let your body dictate what it needs for now or you'll risk your proper physical development. I personally doubt you need to get a doctor involved unless you're still having problems despite getting the 9 - 10 hours currently recommended.