insomnia

JustPeachy044

This is the second time this week I have woken up at a horribly early hour and have simply not been able to get back to sleep. I know that sleep deprivation is NOT good for weight loss and this has been very frustrating to me. I also know that getting online when that happens is not recommended, and I don't usually do that. I don't know if it is this new fitness regimen and my body is trying to adjust or if it is just because I am over 40 and that's going to be the way of life for me now. Anyway, what do YOU do when you wake up and are having trouble getting back to sleep? Just looking for new ideas...

kellestandley

Hello,
When I have insomnia, if it's a weekend night and I don't have to go to work the next day, I get up and either paint, read a little, investigate the nighttime mysteries of shadow and moonlight in the trees, or lay awake and ponder if I maybe had a bit to much caffine during the day! I find that the more physically active I am during the day, generally speaking the better I sleep at night. Also, we finish eating dinner early ( usually by 6:00 we're done); so no rogue digestive battles are waking me up at inconvenient moments, nor am I dreaming about growling dogs or thunder! I sleep better and feel better in general if I avoid high starch, high sug, caffeine after about 4:00 PM and dairy. Another aspect of insomnia can be worry or topsy turvy emotional states. That's a big one. A further consideration is adequite darkness in your bedroom, healthy ventilation, non saggy mattress and good head support ( I have a tempurpedic pillow, which I adore!) failing all that, I sometimes take a long hot soak with some epsom salts and Arnica oil added to the bath. Very soothing. Sweet Dreams!

wftiger

Melatonin -- I have used it for years. Non-addictive, natural and for the most part cheap and available at most every grocery store or pharmacy.

seamonkey789

I have 2 sleep disorders according to my sleep study.

What the sleep neurologist told me is that if you wake up and can't get back to sleep, don't lay in bed and stress about it. Get up and read or do something, then try again.

Since I'm already prone to sleeping issues and am on meds for it, the slightest disturbance in the force messes up my sleep. Like that iron supplement I had to go on for a few months? If I took it after 4, I was up all night.

Right now, I have gallstones and have surgery scheduled in June. I'm waking up multiple times a night.

Things I do, I DO get up and check the computer, but not long, read a little, snuggle up with the dogs, if it's past 4 and I'm not getting back to sleep, I go to the gym.

Melatonin works for some people, as does valerian root, which I think you can get in tea or capsules.

JustPeachy044

thanks for your responses! I will keep your ideas in mind and may just pick up some melatonin!

EAlexandraB

Go easy on the melatonin - people like it because it is "natural," but there are demonstrated links between melatonin use and development of autoimmune disease, so it's best to use it very sparingly, if at all.

JustPeachy044

ohhh, maybe i will just stick to the other suggestions. i have also decided I have to make sure I eat my calories better and adjusted them up today. I think I was hungry, b/c after eating a snack of cottage cheese and doing some posting on MFP, I was able to go back to sleep pretty quickly. Now that school is out, I think the stress level will decrease a bit for awhile too...

Drastiic

Going to bed at the same time every night helps out tremendously. Avoiding computer screens and tv's about an hour before you go to bed will help as well. I just started taking melatonin, and it helps out a little but if I'm not tired it does nothing.

megsmom2

I tried melatonin. I will never take that again, I would rather be up all night than have horrible multi-layered dreams I was unable yo wake myself up from. Very disturbing.
Actually, since ive been working out oftener my insomnia has lessened. I still have those nights, but not as often and not as severely. I'm grateful!

sleepytexan

Melatonin -- I have used it for years. Non-addictive, natural and for the most part cheap and available at most every grocery store or pharmacy.

Melatonin is helpful for falling asleep, but Valerian Root is what you need to STAY asleep. Sometimes you can find combos.

Valerian comes in capsules and is pretty stinky, but it works. (I just saw that you took Melatonin and didn't like it. Often people take too much. You really only need 1 or 2 mgs, but I've seen 10 mg capsules in the store recently.)

Also, I find that intense cardio in the evening can cause insomnia, as can alcohol (seems like the opposite, huh?), and staying up beyond the point of feeling tired. When you feel tired GET to bed, off the computer, lights out!

blessings.

PulchritudinousLady

Hello fellow insomniac!

I was once told that rest is rest. If you are lying awake in bed, itching to get up, take it easy. Make early mornings "me time" in quiet, restful ways such as listening to the birds outside, or brushing your hair, or praying.

Don't clean the kitchen or go for a walk. Instead, grab a happy book (nothing that would cause anxiety) and read quietly. Or journal. Or draw.

Maybe even make yourself some caffeine-free tea and sip while you read or meditate.

I can't stress this enough -- Stay away from bright lights specifically blue-based lights such as LEDs or a TV or telephone screen (also included -- laptops, computer screens, make-up mirrors...etc.) If all of your lamps use blue-based light, cover them over with a yellow or red scarf, thin Tshirt, or light brown panty hose.

I was told by my doctor that the blue light spectrum tells your brain that it's daytime and time to be awake. Remember, it hasn't been that long since folks had light bulbs. For centuries it was the good ol candle or oil lamp -- yellow light. Thus, tricking your brain is an important part of the equation. It really does work, I vouch for it 100%. Even playing with my cell phone keeps my brain too active for me to sleep.

My final suggestion that works for me -- meditation. You can find a lot of guided meditations online. Download one for an insomnia morning and meditate. If you don't fall back to sleep, you'll at least feel peaceful and ready to tackle the day.

Good luck, I know it's frustrating to have insomnia but a change of attitude about it makes all the difference.

kbreens

If you are taking vitamins, try taking them before noon.

csrao

You can try ‘Focusing on breathing’ to get quality sleep and conquer insomnia. This technique reduces the flow of thoughts, calms the mind and relaxes the muscles, inducing quality sleep. The following mode of this technique can be tried when lying in the bed and needing to sleep.

Triple segment mode: Every finger has 2 cross lines, dividing it into 3 parts or segments. Place the tip of the thumb at the top segment of the little finger and breathe three times. Move the thumb to the middle segment and breathe three times. Move to the bottom segment and breathe three times. Repeat the same steps at the next 3 fingers. At the thumb, place the tip of the index finger on its segments and follow the same steps. Then switch to the other hand and repeat the process all over. Continue to practice, switching the hands. You will sleep automatically at some point of time.
When you wake up in the morning, you will be surprised how you slept so well last night!

The detailed article on insomnia can be seen in this page: http://countingbreaths.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Insomnia-Hand-out.pdf

imsomony

Is it your time of the month, and/or are you pre-menopausal? Wondering if it's hormonal, or if this is happening to you regularly. I ask because I used to have "initial insomnia", for most of my life I'd have trouble getting to sleep and would toss and turn before finally just getting out of bed and going to do something else until my body called it quits. Now that I've hit my 30s, it's flipped, and I have "middle/terminal"... I go to sleep just fine, but now I wake up after only a few hours and don't get back to sleep. I found that it happens most often during the week before my period starts, when my hormones are all over the place.

Anyway, back to your question... if I've spent more than an hour tossing and turning, I get out of bed. I don't want to hate the place that I should love to fall into! I don't have a spare room, so I end up on the couch with a blanket, and a change of the sleep environment does help me stop feeling so stressed about it. I also don't go back to bed - I stay on the couch and fall asleep there for the remainder of the night.

If I'm wide-awake, I'll turn on a light and read... not a "thinker" book, but a fiction book that lets me imagine other worlds, and escape the reality of being awake at 2am on a work night. Sometimes I'll make a cup of decaf tea, the warmth makes me feel cozy. If I'm already cozy, but just not sleeping, then I lay on the couch with the lights off and focus on my breathing and intentionally relaxing my body. I focus on each part individually - first my toes, then my feet, then my calves, then my thighs, etc - and purposely tense them, and as I relax them imagine the tension physically actually flowing out, like strands of energy actually leaving. Once I've made it through my whole body, I focus on my breath. I listen to my inhale and exhale, I try to feel each part of my body that's contributing to my breathing, and I pay attention to how I'm doing it... short, shallow breaths or deep, long breaths, etc.

I don't know if those things actually work for me, or if I spend so much time doing them that I just pass out from exhaustion. But either way, eventually I get calm and fall asleep.

Tamie_Girl

I highly recommend a tea by Yogi ... called Soothing Caramel Bedtime tea. zero calories

It's supports a good night's sleep.

:drinker:

~Tamie

MindyG150

49 years old here...I was awake from 1:30 till 4:30...thank goodness it was not a work night!

JustPeachy044

The "that time of the month" comment hit the nail on the head. And I suspect pre-menopause as well, only 42 Y.O. going on 43 next month, but my doctor told me last fall that my blood work indicated I could be approaching menopause. In other words, they ruled out cancer, fibroids, etc. for cause of the problems I was having so it must be peri-menopause. Thanks to all for the additonal suggestions, staying off the computer is a hard one, but I know you are right about that. And I need to get a "fluff" book from the library. Since school is now out, I am hoping summer time will bring more restful sleep as the stress level will be way down, at least it should be...