Insomnia

Do some yoga breathing. Sit down indian style and rest your palms facing up on your knees. Make sure your back is straight and your head is facing forward but eyes closed. Breathe slowly in the nose for 5 seconds, then hold for 2 seconds, then out the mouth taking all 5 seconds to breathe out. Repeat 5 times, then breathe normally for 15 seconds. Repeat 3 times.

Also, make sure all the distractions are off (TV, phone, etc.)

Instant relaxation.

Valerian root! You'll probably have best luck finding it in a health food store.

There was one thing I tried, which I was sceptical about, but worked for me, at least most nights.

You get into bed, get as comfortable as you can. Then, starting with your feet, you "think" your way up your body, repeating mentally a few times: "I am relaxing my feet, I am relaxing my feet". Then, "I am relaxing my calves, I am relaxing my calves" and so on. You take it slow and obviously as you think the words you relax that part of your body. If you get so far and realise you're re-tensing a bit you've already done, start again from there.

I was sceptical because I thought I wasn't tense, but most nights I got to my jaw and realised I was clenching my teeth! Not long after that I would usually drop off.

Good luck, insomnia is horrible!

Im the same! Im not sure if I have Insomnia though, I havent been to the docs! But i find that im just never tired! My little brother is on sleeping tablets as he has trouble falling asleep, and most nights I take 2 of his Melatonin tablets to knock me out! Some nights I'm up all night, I have tried falling asleep with my tv on a low volume, Ive tried falling asleep with music in heaphones, Ive tried all sorts! And nothing works! Besides the sleeping pills... I am looking around for some of that Aromatherapy spray stuff you spray on your pillows when you go bed, apparently that works very well!

I was having trouble sleeping for a while. Not quite to the point I'd call it insomnia, but I'd struggle to fall asleep then I'd wake up countless times throughout the night and be awake long before I wanted to, no matter how tired I was. I also had a lot of back/neck pain. I bought a new pillow (I splurged and bought a memory foam one), and I've been sleeping SO much better since and haven't had any trouble getting to sleep or any of the pain I used to have.

I had proper insomnia for several months...

First of all to help get even SOME sleep I had to get good sleep hygiene, find ways of hynoptising myself oto sleep (I left the telly on with mind numbingly boring stuff - When I told the doctor, he said in cases like this, do whatever works for you - some people would say don't have the telly on or radio, but actually it can be used a form of hypnosis if it's not particularly stimulating, great in the early days of treating it until you get a good routine, I now never fall asleep with the telly on.)

Carbohydrate snack about 40 minutes before bed. Build in to allow for a carbohydrate snack about 40 minutes before bedtime. It helps release the chemical Melotonin in the body which makes you feel sleepy and aid restful sleep. This is based upon the theory a hungry animal doesn't sleep as he'll want to hunt but a full satisfied animal will want to rest and conserve the energy until its necessary to hunt again.

Try things like lavendar oil/sprays/gels, a warm bath before bed, and making sure your room is the right temperature, not too hot/too cold and there's no annoying lights that may be keeping you up.

However if none of this helps, could be a psychological issue, perhaps, grief or stress. Something that's keeping your brain switched on at night. In this case, get your GP's intervention and try and get some counselling. It doesn't mean your a nut job but they deal with these things and before they get out of hand and you get seriously ill. They certainly helped me out.

I would use drugs as a last resort or desperate measure if you have to get sleep to perform. I took Zopiclone which made me like a bag of **** and the sleep quality was far from great, they then put me on Temazepam but I went properly wacko on it whilst trying to sleep. I'd wake up suddenly thinking I was on a night out and something terrible was happening or talk about really random bizarre stuff according to my boyfriend and I have faint recollections of it. Also, it made me so woozy that if i got up to go to the bathroom I'd crash in to the doorframe and wake up with terrible bruises...

Lots of things you can do. Try and identify why you're not sleeping, environmental, physiological or psychological reasons and see your GP if it persists.

I can't see your diary, but is it possible that you are eating too little in general? If I am too constrictive on my calorie intake I sleep horribly. I don't even recognize it as hunger. Like the other posts suggest, try adding a light snack before bedtime (my caveat is that if you are under your calorie target, don't try to take the calories from another part of the day).

Sweet dreams!

I use melatonine to sleep.
It works ok only if i dont use it everyday....

I have had that problem for years!!! I have gotten some what better. Most of the drinking of liquids i do, i would do towards night time. That is when i would be thirsty, so thus being kept awake or awakening due to bodily functioning, and night time eating. This i figured out much later in my life. Now if i go just as soon as awakening, and straight back to cuddly bed, its off to more shut eye and the much needed rest. I have not beat the night time eating thing yet. DARN !!!!

As another poster suggested, please see a dr. first before trying any other remedies, including herbal, on your own. You may need a different pillow to alleviate the crick in your neck.

Meditation prior to bedtime is an excellent way to calm your mind prior to sleep. Check out the web site www.soundstrue.com. There are excellent meditation cds focused on "settling" your mind and body prior to sleep.

Do you have a completely darkened bedroom -- no alarm clock lights, street lights, etc.?
Do you watch t.v. prior to going to bed? Some folks are agitated even if they are not conciously aware of it by viewing television prior to sleep.
Has anything in your life changed in the last few months? Even if it seems insignificant, your brain may be working on it

I work overnights. To help me get t sleep during the day I take melatonin. It doesn't make you loopy like meds. It just allows you to settle in easier.

Melatonin is a hormone made by the pineal gland , a small gland in the brain. Melatonin helps control your sleep and wake cycles. Very small amounts of it are found in foods such as meats, grains, fruits, and vegetables.

You can buy this in any drug store or even at grocery stores in the vitamin section. Try taking some and see if it helps. Its all natural so there should not be any side effects.