I need sleep help!

tiggersstar

I am considering trying to drag myself out of bed at 6am each day to try and improve my sleep! (I am not a morning person!) I have been a complete insomniac for months. It takes me hours to get to sleep and then when I do I wake up several times a night. It makes no difference what I eat or exercise I do. No matter how tired I am, I just cant sleep.

I have tried batch remedies, sleep cd's, pillow sprays, sunset lamps, sleeping pills. What have other people found helpful?

:flowerforyou:

preaser

no caffeine helped me

irishis98

I have exactly the same problem but I think mine is my age, I'm getting around a certain age and it's one of the symptoms although I've had sleep problems for many years. I switch it up what I use when desperate I use 1/2 and Ambien, I also use benedryl(which is tylenol pm too) melatonin, and also Rescue Remedy Sleep Remedy. The last works pretty darn well for me most of the time.

tiggersstar

dont have most of the ones you mention as I am in the UK. Although I keep reading about melatonin being helpful, it says that in the uk they only give it to people over 55 years old...but it doesnt say why.

neverstray

Sleep Hypnotherapy on YouTube. There are a million of them. Find what works for you. Someone here recomended it, and I thought it was so stupid, I had to try it. Amazing. I can't believe it. I sleep like a baby now.

My favorite is Dr Paul Olgilvie.

Slove009

rainymood.com always has helped lull me to sleep. I also make myself a strong brew of chamomile tea (looseleaf) with milk and honey in it for those restless nights! Knocks me right out and is delicious and 100% natural!

KANGOOJUMPS

yep, i am not a sleeper too,,,, it sucks...

needamulligan

I have a really boring book that is my go to insomnia therapy. Reading a bit of it and a glass of warm milk usually work. I'm currently having trouble with different beverages, though. Tea, coffee and caffeinated soft drinks have different affects on my sleep. I have to stop drinking coffee by 11 am, soda is a little more unpredictable and I can drink tea into the early afternoon. Good luck to you. Not getting a good night's sleep is the worst.

Jem_Girl

Temperature is a big one for me. If the room gets too cold, I'll wake up more often and the sleep I do manage to get is poor.

When I was in school I just didn't sleep enough... usually staying up late reading or whatever. Then when I started on a regular sleep schedule for my job, I found that I still didn't feel rested even when I got 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night. It seemed no matter what I was so tired in the morning that I had to do the slapping-myself-in-the-face thing to stay awake on the way to work and not crash my car. I was worried I would end up losing my job if anyone caught me falling asleep at work, but I would just be so exhausted all of the time. After changing multiple sleep factors with little to no success, I finally broke down and went to a sleep study. (This was also influenced by my hubby being kept awake by my snoring.) I was diagnosed with periodic limb movement disorder... turns out my limbs start moving by themselves while I'm asleep and it partially or fully wakes me up... enough that even if I sleep for 8 hours, I'm not actually getting 8 hours of good sleep. (Not much help on the snoring... I just have to make sure I'm not having allergy/sinus issues and it's better.) Now I take a low grade medication to treat it and, while I don't sleep perfectly, I sleep a lot better and don't have so many morning sleepiness issues. So don't rule out there being an actual problem. I asked if there was any way to treat it without medication, but it's essentially a disorder starting in the brain so the long and short of it is "No". Now I just wish I could get my hubby to go... He has very obvious sleep apnea coupled with sleep paralysis and it freaks the both of us out when he can't move but he just won't go.

Also, I've found it useful to narrow down how much sleep I actually need to feel rested. Some people can get by with 6 hours. But if, for example, you assume that you only need 6 because so-an-so is fine with that, then you're doing yourself a disservice. Once you get to the point where you're sleeping through the night, experiment with sleeping different lengths of time. Try each for a week or so (unless it's unbearable, in which case don't do it ) until you find a length of time that seems to leave you feeling more awake. For me... I can do 7 - 9, but my optimal is around 8.

Finally, you might try doing some extra activity in the morning to wake yourself up. I never thought I could be one of those "I work out in the morning people", but due to a carpool situation I've had an extra hour to spend before work. My gym happens to be close by, so for the last 3 weeks I've been working out for 30 or so mins before work. The work out high only lasts for an hour or maybe two, but after that first drag into the gym, I feel a lot better.

Edit: Oh, when I first started trying to get on a regular sleep schedule, the biggest thing that helped was consistency. Going to bed at the same time regardless of whether or not I felt tired or whether or not I had work in the morning. I've even seen it work in the hubby who at first scoffed at me and wanted me to stay up late on the weekend. He didn't believe me when i said that if I stayed up till 1am on the weekend then I would have a hard time falling asleep at 11pm on Sunday night. Now that he's been forced (not by me!) to start falling asleep at a regular time, I've seen his insomnia slowly start to get better and now he automatically gets tired when it's his bed time... even if it's the weekend. :laugh:

Cat52169

I have panic attack disorder and they happen at night so my doctor has me take 2 benedryl a night for sleep. It works great for me and no grogginess in the morning.

S108HAN

I was having trouble sleeping a little while ago and after reading a bit of information, I discovered that insomnia can be a symptom of starvation. Apparently, the body starts dumping adrenalin into the blood stream to energise you again and if it does it at night, you'll never nod off. I started eating a littl bit more and I could sleep and started losing weight more quickly!

bryanamb

Melatonin (5 mg), ZMA (3 capsules), & OTC sleeping pill is my daily nightime combination.

beccala18

Personally, I find it hard if not impossible to sleep if I've had caffeine after about 2 pm. (It really effects me). So I don't drink caffeine after then. If you are drinking coffee or soda or tea with caffeine after about noon, try cutting back to decaf and see if that helps.

I find that I can keep myself awake by reading, etc and if I just turn off the lights and close my eyes, a lot of times I'll just drift off. Shut off the tv, computer, etc about 30 minutes before bed and do something calming (knitting, reading a book, a bath/shower, etc that can calm down your mind before you try to sleep. I read every night before bed (in bed for me), and usually only make a half hour before I'm out.

Start a journal where you note what time you went to bed, the conditions around you, etc and see if you can get to the culprit. Other than that, try sleeping pills (but not too many nights in a row) or some camomile tea.

fabandfunat51

Try Valerian Root in capsule form (follow bottle directions) - works WONDERS for me and its all natural.

Also, turn off all lights, cell phones, computer screens, tv OFF - keep the bedroom cool and dark.

Good Luck!

gingerjen7

Nothing. I think I just accepted that I am never going to get good quality sleep.

JessicaBR0

Magnesium Citrate. Magnesium is a mineral a lot of people are low on. I take it right before I go to bed and it works like magic.

OliveCarsey

Do you have an alarm clock or any other things plugged in in your room that have any sort of light on them? I have had troubles sleeping my entire life- yet I noticed when I am away from home I sleep well- the other day I forgot to put my alarm clock back in my room (daughter had to borrow it for a night)- my husband commented that i slept much better those two nights, spent all day trying to figure out what i did, nothing came to mind, climbed in bed and thought crap the alarm clock is still in daughters room- set my phone to go off instead- slept through the night again next morning it came to me that stupid red light from my alarm clock disturbs my sleep I am not on day 10 of no alarm clock or any other lights in my room and I fall alseep within 10 minutes of laying down and sleep very very well. I have spent hundreds of dollars on things to help me sleep and it was something as stupid as this- oh I also don't allow any phones to be plugges in in my room, they can be in there though, and other than a lamp nothing else is plugged in otherwise it gives off a little light from the charger and for some reason that is enough to bother me. I have black out shades on my windows. Its worth a try and it is free- if you cant use a cell phone for an alarm maybe just cover your alarm with a shirt or even put your alarm in the hallway??

tiptoeketo

Melatonin & or Valerian Root an hour before bedtime!

deb3129

I take melatonin when I have trouble sleeping. It can be bought over the counter, and has always worked wonders for me. Though I will say, since I gave up caffeine and started exercising, sleep issues are pretty much a thing of the past.

funsiiz

Warm shower or bath...Benedryl...don't go to sleep hungry

funsiiz

I have panic attack disorder and they happen at night so my doctor has me take 2 benedryl a night for sleep. It works great for me and no grogginess in the morning.

Ditto....best sleep and I dont have the drugged feeling in the morning and no crazy dreams that you get from Melatonin

nascarbettie

I take Melatonin when I can't sleep. Works like a charm. My fitbit still reads movement but I toss and turn a lot. But at least I'm asleep.

drog2323

I find exercise in the fresh air really helps! Also, NOT watching TV in bed OR online right before going to bed. I heard the screen brightness or whatever, affects you.

try turning on a small lamp and reading - something fun and get your mind off work/life/stress etc. I try for 15-30 minutes of reading a night.

watch the caffeine too.

Chamomile Tea is supposed to work. Works well for me.

Meditation? I don't do it - but heard it works

krickeyuu

Yoga about 90 minutes before bedtime, Benedryl if I know I can sleep 8 full hours--Valerian Root if not, no TV or computer at least 30 minuets before bedtime.

jamk1446

Limit your tv, computer, and smartphone time several hours before bed, the blue light could be affecting you.

Try sleeping in complete darkness. I got a contoured sleep mask so I can still open my eyes and blink. The older I get, apparently the more sensitive to light I've become and there are light sources everywhere- the tv, dvd player, and satellite box all have standby lights, digital clock light, neighbor's security lights bleed through and around drapes and blinds, even the indicator light on smoke detectors all add up. The sleep mask was much easier to block out everything than trying to block all those individual light sources.

As far as supplements, I would recommend melatonin and/or magnesium. They are pretty inexpensive and are helpful in a lot of cases.

tipadoo

melatonin is the best invention EVER for those of us that cannot get to sleep

redrdghood40

Have you discussed with your doctor? Not sure how old you are but I had this issue when my progesterone was low.

tiggersstar

I asked my doctor today for melatonin, but she said she is not able to give it me
But I will try some of the other suggestions if i can find them in the UK, thanks x

tiggersstar

Clicked my discussions and found this. It's funny and not funny at the same time to read this. 2012 to 2015, I still have issues with sleep!