I went a period of several weeks with little sleep (2-3 hours per day). At first I was really tired. Then that started to go away and my head was numb. After that the numbness went away and I had a persistent headache.
The reason why I got so little sleep initially stopped after about 10 days (sleep regression in twin babies). The rest of the time was because it became very difficult to sleep. Any noise would wake me up - wide awake. It would take me hours to fall asleep. I continued to only be able to get 2-3 hours per day. Even with over the counter sleep aids.
Eventually I got some Ambien, which let me actually fall asleep for more time. That helped me get to the point where I could actually feel tired again when I needed to sleep.
Zolpidem was a lifesaver for me. Although I always have really strange dreams and never feel like I get “real” sleep while taking it, it helped me get back on track when my sleeping schedule would go off the rails.
The reason why I got so little sleep initially stopped after about 10 days (sleep regression in twin babies). The rest of the time was because it became very difficult to sleep. Any noise would wake me up - wide awake. It would take me hours to fall asleep. I continued to only be able to get 2-3 hours per day. Even with over the counter sleep aids.
Eventually I got some Ambien, which let me actually fall asleep for more time. That helped me get to the point where I could actually feel tired again when I needed to sleep.
It was an interesting experience.