Bad Sleeping Patterns!

bump....I suffer from horrible sleep patterns.

I agree with the other poster. I sleep better if I get a good workout in, but not too close to bedtime. I am also aware of drinking caffeine too close to bedtime as well. I used to have a lot of trouble falling asleep because I couldn't turn my brain off. I take melatonin now, and I find it helps me fall asleep...it is natural and you don't get a hang over from it like you can some sleep aids. It doesn't work for everyone, but it helped me immensely and very rarely do I sleep poorly now.

Hope that helps!

Some sleeping advice that has helped me in the past:

1. Like other posters have said, excercise helps your body get into a better sleep pattern
2. Limited carbs at dinner (I don't say this for diet reasons, but winding down your carbs later in the day can cause your natural energy levels to drop off a bit and has helped me sleep better)
3. Do something productive a few hours, but not too close to, bedtime. That has helped me with my wandering thoughts and mental to do list that kept me up in the past. Being able to tell youself that you cleaned, paid your bills, etc, can help you feel caught up and not anxious.
4. Start your actual bedtime routine at least 1 hour before bedtime. Turn off the lights and all electronics (including the tv) drink some relaxing tea, take a bath, stretch, etc.

There is a sleeping supplement by Sleepfusion (I think that is the name) - its in gummy form and it has melatonin, chamomile and lavender. It worked for me me for awhile! My problems got more severe and I went from sleeping 5-6 hours a night and now I am 2-3 hours a night. I recently went to the doc for sleep meds and I am going to do a sleep study as well.

I had issues with that too. I'm an uber light sleeper so almost anything wakes me up, and a caffeine addict so bad timing has me with a hard time falling asleep at night. On top of that, I used to sleep 10+ hours without feeling any bit rested upon waking up sometimes, which was a real bummer.

A 3mg dose of melatonin makes me droozy. (I don't know if that's even a word, but it's all I can think of lol). Like, i'm sleepy as all hell but it doesn't help me actually fall asleep, AND the next morning I feel like a truck ran over me (as in, hangover-like symptoms) no matter how long I sleep.

My doctor had me on some really mild dose of antidepressants at some point too. That was awful. Didn't help me sleep, made me super dehydrated (woke up 5-6 times a night in dire need of water. I'd drink almost as much during the night as I normally do during the day!) and I felt even worse than with melatonin in the mornings. So I ditched that presto.

After a lot fo trial and error I've somewhat gotten a formula that works pretty well though (given I actually go to bed at night, days tend to be so short y'know...)

I get up at 5:30 every morning, workout before work. Exercise after dinner tends to keep me awake longer, unless it's yoga. Could be different for you, but you have to try to see what works best. Supplementing with Calcium, magnesium and zinc seems to help a good bit. Having some fish oil before I go to bed so I don't get too hungry while I sleep is basically a must, too.

Once settled into a routine like that, it's hard not to even fall asleep while doing normal evening activities for me sometimes haha. There will be nights where my mind is too active (stress!) to sleep much. Or I've had way too much caffeine and I know it. I found the perfect little supplement for me which helps me settle back down without the crazy side effects, it's called Somarest and I'm pretty sure you can buy it off of amazon. I don't cycle on it. I just use it for 2-3 days when I need to set my sleep schedule back in order and it works like a charm. A 60 pill bottle lasted me about 6 months (I only take 1 at a time, since I found a full dose was way overkill).

As a heads up too: You might wanna check with your MD if you're taking any sort of medication before you try melatonin or any other sleep aids, no matter how natural they are. Some stuff doesn't work well with certain treatments!

I hope that helps! All the other tricks (no bight screens, routines before bed, etc.) are things you can try. To me it never made much of a difference. But it's sound advice for most people, I believe

Some of these have already been said...

Wake up at the same time every day.

Exercise.

Limit caffeine, and not after noon.

Bedroom is for sleeping and sex only. No electronics- TV, computer, phone with games, texts, etc. It should be very dark at night.

Have a bedtime routine- start winding down about an hour before bed, and stay away from the TV, computer, etc. Reading something not too taxing for 20 or 30 minutes in a dimly lit room helps your brain let go.

If you wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep, get out of bed. Go to a different room and relax, read, etc for a little while until you feel sleepy again.

Computer screens and TV's are too bright and mess with your body's natural sleep mechanism, so avoid when you're having trouble sleeping.

Consider Unisom - or the equivalent generic (Doxylamine Succinate - NOT diphenhydramine/benadryl) from the local Walmart. It is considered to be a strong sedative, in some studies more effective than phenobarbital. Not addictive like Lunesta or Ambien. Start with a low dose, for my wife half a pill 12.5 mg knocks her out for the night - Maybe even 1/4 pill to start. Don't plan on using it forever, find out what else in your life/body/etc is causing the sleep problem. Of course if you decide to try it, half hour before bedtime to kick in and don't drive or plan to operate heavy machinery

Not a doctor, just lots of experience with sleep issues so take it for what it's worth.