Insomnia: Sleeping More but Feeling Worse

Over the last few days, I have started sleeping a decent bit more. If I am getting more sleep, why do I feel worse? I should feel well-rested and have more energy but I do not. Instead, I feel run down and like I am walking around in a fog.

I feel out of sorts, and I think I might be out of sync. Perhaps I have become so accustomed to interrupted slumber and an hour or more of less sleep that my body balks at a more normal amount. All I really know is this is not how I expected to feel after getting a good night’s rest.

More sleep is not always a good thing

Perhaps I should not call it a good night’s rest. That implies it was restful, and I do not feel well-rested. I am sluggish, grouchy, and finding it hard to concentrate. I will say I was able to actually sleep for close to what is considered a normal amount of sleep. Despite that, I actually feel worse than I do when I get 2 hours less sleep.

Maybe my body has adjusted to operating on less sleep. I have had insomnia for most of my life, and I have become accustomed to functioning on less sleep. Maybe my body is balking at the idea of sleeping longer. I do not really know what is going on with this sudden change in sleep patterns. I only know that I do not like the way I feel.

I want to return to my normal amount of sluggishness

Do not get me wrong. I am used to struggling to get going in the morning. I always wake up a bit sluggish, but that subsides once I get out of bed and get moving. This is not going away. It sticks around all day, following me around and making me miserable.

As odd as it sounds, I am hoping for a little less sleep. I really want to know if I will return to my normal amount of sluggishness and grouchiness if I return to my normal amount of sleep. My curiosity is piqued. Is this really what it would be like to get a normal amount of sleep? I hope not. If this is it, I do not want it. At least I am accustomed to coping with exhaustion.

Why this sudden change in my sleep patterns?

I wish I knew what caused this sudden change in sleep patterns. Perhaps if I knew what has caused it, I could change it back. I know that sounds absurd for someone with insomnia to wish they could get less sleep.

Perhaps if I had known how to get more sleep years ago, I would have been able to sleep better and my body would not be balking at getting enough sleep.

Something is different this time

I have gone through periods in life where I got what is considered a normal amount of sleep for a brief time. It never felt like this before. I am not sure what has changed, but I do not like it.

The crash landings of adjusting to getting less sleep after those periods is familiar to me. This feels like those crash landings, but this should not be happening now. I should not feel bad because I am getting more sleep. I am supposed to crash when I get less sleep.

Can you relate?

This has truly confused me, and I do not know what is happening. As annoying as it seemed to wake up frequently, I am missing those nights if this is how it will be to get more sleep.

Have you experienced something like this? If you have, I would love to hear your thoughts on it. I am tired of feeling like I have not slept when I am getting more sleep.