My decades battle with insomnia

[00:00:01]So, I'm at Jomtien Beach again, and I thought it'd be a good idea to talk about insomnia in the daytime.

[00:00:10]I have been up since 4:00 a.m. out of bed. Yesterday 5:00 a.m., before that 5:00 a.m.

[00:00:17]Um sometimes I'm up even earlier.

[00:00:21]Um back at home in particular, too.

[00:00:24]Many, many nights I was up at 2:00 a.m.

[00:00:27]You know, went to bed at 10:00, maybe 11:00, got up at 2:00 a.m.

[00:00:31]I've had a really bad sleep problem now for decades.

[00:00:36]Decades.

[00:00:38]And I used to sleep like a baby.

[00:00:43]Way back in probably like 1995, um I went through a divorce.

[00:00:49]And after I went through my divorce, and I've talked to a couple other guys who've the same thing that happened to them, I stopped sleeping regularly.

[00:00:57]Like I developed a really, really bad sleep problem.

[00:01:01]And it has followed me to this very day.

[00:01:05]And I have been on medication for sleep for decades.

[00:01:11]Decades on medications.

[00:01:13]Um I like to say when it comes to insomnia or any of this or medications, obviously I'm not a doctor.

[00:01:20]Um if you're suffering from insomnia, you have sleep issues, you should consult a physician, whether you're in Thailand or whether in your own home country, you should consult a professional.

[00:01:34]So, I have had this horrific sleep problem.

[00:01:40]I mean, it's pretty bad at times, horribly.

[00:01:44]Um I'll give an example now. Often when people fly from the United States to somewhere this far, you're going to have trouble because of the time difference in sleeping for maybe a couple of days or so.

[00:01:57]On this particular trip, when I came here, uh I had a period of time where I slept about 8 hours out of 135 hours.

[00:02:10]That's no exaggeration. I slept about 8 out of 135 hours. Like, I was a basket case. It was It was pretty bad.

[00:02:20]And even though I took my prescribed sleep medication, it didn't work.

[00:02:27]So, that's like one of the worst times for lack of sleep for me. And then, eventually, I started to get some sleep.

[00:02:35]Um and boy, that was a relief, you know?

[00:02:38]That was a huge relief.

[00:02:41]Couple of years ago in America, maybe I think even 3 years ago, I had another bout of uh insomnia where I slept 7 out of 128 hours, exactly.

[00:02:55]I slept 7 out of 128 hours.

[00:02:59]And I don't know if you've ever suffered from like sleep disorder, but you become I wouldn't even say like delusional, but you you're just not functional. Like, your brain shuts down.

[00:03:18]Um I remember that when that occurred a few years ago, I was going to a location. I was driving, like I was in the Chicago area, and I was going to a place that I'd been maybe half a dozen times, more than that.

[00:03:33]And I was driving to this location that would normally take 40-45 minutes. Now, I shouldn't even have been driving.

[00:03:40]I shouldn't have been driving. If you're having sleep problems, do not drive. So, that's my fault.

[00:03:47]It took me 3 hours to get to the location.

[00:03:50]It took me 3 hours to finally get to a location that I'd been to half a dozen or more times um because of the lack of sleep.

[00:03:59]And like I said, that's not safe. I shouldn't have done that.

[00:04:03]And um I recommend that if you're not sleeping at all, that you don't operate any motor vehicle whatsoever.

[00:04:12]But it was that bad. And what happens is that your your your brain just cannot function at all.

[00:04:18]At all.

[00:04:19]And even though when you're that sleep deprived even though you have no alcohol in your system or any or any other thing um your speech can slur, all types of things. So I hope that um you know, you guys get something out of this.

[00:04:40]And I really hope that you don't even suffer from this disorder, but I know that people do.

[00:04:45]It's definitely not just me.

[00:04:49]Sleep problems because your sleep is everything for you. You mean it's it's you recharging your batteries. And if you don't have that it's just going to it's a brutal day.

[00:04:59]And like I said, I still experience this often.

[00:05:02]Um if I really haven't slept I mean, I don't even get on my motorbike. I just take a bolt.

[00:05:08]Um because I just don't want to take a chance.

[00:05:13]So if you're suffering from a sleep disorder you should definitely get some help for that.

[00:05:20]Now one thing is with me is that I've been on a medication for too long.

[00:05:25]Uh a sleep medication for too long.

[00:05:28]Um one thing about medications from what I hear, like I said, check with the doctor is that sooner or later a lot of medications will stop working for you.

[00:05:38]And you need to be switched to something else. I got so comfortable taking the medication I was taking because I get adverse uh reactions from a lot of meds. So, often I settle for what I can tolerate, my body can tolerate.

[00:05:56]Um cuz I've taken stuff where yeah, you'll go to sleep, but you can't wake up.

[00:06:02]You know?

[00:06:03]Or you'll go to sleep and you'll be so lethargic in the morning, you're you're not you're useless for like 2 hours.

[00:06:10]And those are the kind of stuff that I I won't take. So, then I end up taking something I've been on for too long that now it's just failing.

[00:06:19]So, be proactive. Um I'm probably going to see somebody out here and see if I can be put on something differently I I I I different than what I've been on.

[00:06:32]But, sleep is important. I And obviously that's everyone knows that.

[00:06:41]Sorry, you can tell I'm a little bit tired.

[00:06:43]Um One thing, too, if you ever suffer from a sleep disorder, you get sleep envy.

[00:06:53]>> [laughter] >> You get sleep envy. You talk to friends who can just go to sleep, right? Turn the light off and within 1 minute they're snoring, right? And you're envious of that, like being envy like being envious of someone because they have a car that you always wanted to have or because they have a job that you always wanted. I get sleep envy. Or if you're, you know, have a significant other who can go to sleep quickly, which I have before, and I'm sitting there in bed for 2 hours before I can even, you know, fall asleep. Sleep envy.

[00:07:35]Anyway, that's my little uh That's my little story about suffering from insomnia. I don't know what about my divorce triggered it. I have spoken to other men and I'm sure women go through the same thing too, but I spoken to other men about it and they have had problems sleeping after a divorce and you know, obviously I need to lose weight which I'm going to be working on and I'm sure maybe that can help because you know, you can develop stuff like sleep apnea and things of that sort just by you know, being overweight but just take care of yourself. You know, I'm trying to believe me. I am trying to like I said I'm going to I'm going to work on the diet. I'm just trying to gear up for it gear up for that diet just trying to get ready trying to have my last potato chip.

[00:08:33]Anyway, please like please subscribe.

[00:08:36]Please take care of yourself. Please have a great day.