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DSPS All My Life

by Susy
(Northern England)

I'm a 33 year old woman with two wonderful daughters and a very thoughtful Hubby. My memory takes me to the age of two years, but my Mam tells me it all started when I was 18 months old, I couldn't fall asleep till between 3&6 am.


I have memories of my Mam being totally worn out because she felt very unsafe falling asleep if I was still wide awake. She tried to get me help but in the very early 80's there wasn't much the doctors could give me.

When I started school my Mam would worry herself sick because i had become accident prone and I had crazy accidents because of losing my balance and walking into things and tripping up or over.

I had been given Beater Blockers 3 times by my Doctor with my Mam and Dad's permission before I was 15, but they just made me groggy and depressed. Over the years and with my family's help I have found ways of declaring all out war on my sleep problem and taking a very focused outlook, which means if I can't sleep when it reaches 5am, I don't go to sleep and stay awake until evening knowing my mind, body and spirit will need to rest.

My husband helps me with as much "Peaceful Sleep" as possible and lots of love, emotional support, stability and unbroken patience and I don't know how I'd cope without his love and support. From around the same age I've developed migraines which can't be cured with medication. An ice cold, wet flannel takes them away and helps me fall into a deep sleep, a trick my Dad started when I was little and still "the best cure for me".

After reading all of this on this website today I no longer feel "alone" and feel a little more confident in my battle with my sleep problem. Thanks guys ;)

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Welcome! This site is continuously being created by students of Dr. William C. Dement's Sleep And Dreams course at Stanford University.

We made this site as a call to action for people all over the world to live healthier, happier, safer, and more productive lives by learning about their own sleep. We have faith that reading the information provided on this site will motivate you to be smart about your sleep deprivation and strategic about your alertness in order to live life to your fullest, most energetic potential.

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