What do you do to help you sleep at night when you have a lot on your mind?
jmakleanaddo
Posts: 101 Member
in Chit-Chat
Lately I've had a hard time sleeping and have needed prescription medication to help me sleep. I don't want to rely on this anymore. I'm writing this post at 1:09am in the morning with a plan to wake up at 6:30 and go to the gym. This is an absolute cry for help. Help help help! 
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Replies
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Well I hope your sleep by now, but what normally works for me, is meditation - comfortable position, mindful breathing and Im out like a light... Good Luck2
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I have a "hypnosis" clip I listen to. You listen to it and visualise the journey. It helps to occupy your mind. I'm sure you can find loads on YouTube or similar.3
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Reading helps tire me out a lot at night. My eyes get really sleepy. Maybe some tea? But I also rely heavily on OTC sleep aids.
I hope you find some relief!1 -
What works for me:
* Guided meditation podcasts (body scanning)
* No caffeine after 2 pm
* No food within 2-3 hours of my expected bedtime
The last one is a new habit that I'm trying to form but it seems to help.
I also took part in a sleep study at a local university where cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) was a big (and helpful) component. Perhaps ask your employer or campus if you have access to this with your healthcare insurance?
My sleep hygiene still isn't excellent but these have helped me. Hope you find what works for you...sleep is important 😴
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I have trouble with sleep as well. My bed seems to be the place I want to think about everything that happened that day and planning for the next day. But, mainly staying asleep is my problem. What has helped me is logging off of my computer and phone about 30-45 munutes before bed. And then I journal... everything I'm thinking, i write down. everything that happened during the day, what I want to get done the next day. That has really helped take a load off my mind when i head to bed.5
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I keep a pretty strict schedule, limit my caffeine and exercise A LOT. If I need a little more help, a couple extra strength melatonin put me down pretty quickly. I've done a couple sleep studies too; my insomnia was keeping me up for days at a time. I don't get a lot of REM or deep sleep. The routine has helped dramatically. The only reason I own a fitbit is keep track of my sleep patterns.3
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i usually just take trazadone. but if i wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep anyhow, i think its best to just get up instead of laying there tossing and turning and hoping to get sleepy again. better to go driving around or read a book or something instead of letting your mind run wild at that point.4
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i usually just take trazadone. but if i wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep anyhow, i think its best to just get up instead of laying there tossing and turning and hoping to get sleepy again. better to go driving around or read a book or something instead of letting your mind run wild at that point.
I wonder if dog trazadone works. asking for friend.
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kindalikevelma wrote: »i usually just take trazadone. but if i wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep anyhow, i think its best to just get up instead of laying there tossing and turning and hoping to get sleepy again. better to go driving around or read a book or something instead of letting your mind run wild at that point.
I wonder if dog trazadone works. asking for friend.
id imagine it works about as good the pet version of sildenafil citrate works for humans4 -
Read a boring *kitten* book0
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I use talk radio. Not music. I let the hum of sports talk
or AM channels that start out clear but eventually fade into a buzz put me to sleep. I woke up this morning listening to two high school football coaches talk about this season. One coach was sad that all of the seniors graduated and he was left with a smaller in stature team. The other coach said that wasn't a problem for him. He said it's all about the attitude that comes from the heart. 
With more heart you get 'Attitude' and energy and a strong effort. I liked that.
Talk radio. Try it.3 -
Reduce stress in your life if possible. I found that my insomnia was due to stressing about the day. Meditation!1
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Magnesium, melatonin and routine bedtime.3
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Lose weight hahahahaha1
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Not to be indecent, but since nobody mentioned this... sex can really help. https://www.sleepscore.com/can-sex-help-you-sleep-better/#:~:text=Sex and Sleep
,to%20fall%20asleep%20more%20easily.3 -
So this might sound dorky, but I read my fanfiction. Every now and then, I will listen to music, but typically it's the reading which helps.1
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I come to MFP, check out the various selfie threads. Find the hottest picture of the day, close my eyes and focus on it while... err wait. Nevermind. 😬 Maybe try Melatonin or something.5
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ChrissyChickie wrote: »Not to be indecent, but since nobody mentioned this... sex can really help. https://www.sleepscore.com/can-sex-help-you-sleep-better/#:~:text=Sex and Sleep
,to%20fall%20asleep%20more%20easily.
that explains why I get sleepy after taking the subway2 -
I haven’t figured it out yet but I refuse to take medication. I guess I just don’t sleep
At this point.3 -
Most every evening I just collapse onto the floor of the ensuite shower, sobbing while curled up in the fetal position.
... the hot water seems to help.
The only downside is that I wake up every morning, shivering, wrapped only in a bath mat.
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jmakleanaddo wrote: »Lately I've had a hard time sleeping and have needed prescription medication to help me sleep. I don't want to rely on this anymore. I'm writing this post at 1:09am in the morning with a plan to wake up at 6:30 and go to the gym. This is an absolute cry for help. Help help help!
Music0 -
for sleep , I just leave my phone in side.. simple0
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I think I've new opportunity to change my future and be what I really want to be , I've chance to make thinkgs works and I can do it.
Always be positive 🙃1 -
I used to smoke the wacky tobacci but can’t anymore. My sleep is so whack from shift work now..I usually just go do something. Read, study, waste time on the internet. I tried melatonin but it’s not effective for me.3
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Some say that using melatonin regularly will cause your brain to get lazy and start producing less of its own especially if you're young and your brain is running on all cylinders.
'Melatonin is generally safe for short-term use. Unlike with many sleep medications, with melatonin you are unlikely to become dependent, have a diminished response after repeated use (habituation), or experience a hangover effect.'
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/melatonin-side-effects/faq-20057874
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Magnesium has been helpful for me when I feel restless. This is what I take.3 -
Pick a subject and try to think of every possible answer beginning with the letter A, then B etc. Subjects over the years have included countries, counties I've visited, Capital cities, cities in the UK, girls names, boys names, friends & acquaintances, food items, animals / birds.
Meditation.
Listening to a bedtime sleep story (the Mindfulness apps such as Headspace have free ones).
Counting backwards from 1000.
Most of these work in the same way - by focusing on something specific, your mind doesn't wander or jump around thinking about all the things you need to do tomorrow, what went wrong today etc etc. I started on the list of countries etc etc, many years ago, when I had a really bad spell of insomnia.1 -
Prescription sleep meds.
Prior to resorting to drugs I had implemented the following, without success:
Complete elimination of caffeine
Screen-free 60 mins before bed
Rigid sleep/wake schedule
Blackout shades
White noise (air cleaner) plus pink noise (rain sound)
No exercise before sleep, heart rate stays elevated too long
No sex before sleep (same effect as exercise)
Melatonin had zero effect. I think I've downloaded every free sleep hypnosis/meditation mp3 in existence, none worked.2 -
This is one of the crazier things, but I have had a lot of success with an acupressure mat. Basically it's a pad with a lot of little plastic nails, so it's literally like sleeping on a bed of nails. I find it works really well when my mind is racing and I can't relax. Works best on direct skin. The first 30 seconds it is rather uncomfortable as you might expect, and then I start getting a tingly feeling in my hands and extremities. Then the discomfort goes away and I start to fall into a deep relaxation. It's quite interesting but there are literally thousands of positive reviews with similar stories. Happy sleeping! https://www.amazon.com/Spoonk-Relief-Regular-Acupressure-Pagoda/dp/B00BGWQT2Y
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvmOoSFhhJ4
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