Insomnia

Youdontseeme

I have always suffered from bouts of insomnia (according to my Mother since I was 3 or 4!) but normally after 2 or 3 weeks I get over it and fall back into normal, well normal for me, sleeping patterns of getting at least 6 hours "proper" sleep.

Over the last 3 or 4 months the only time I have had a decent nights sleep is when I have had a few drinks, and I have found myself drinking more than really I want to in order to get a good nights sleep!

I know this is not good, and would appreciate some other ideas?

Years ago when going through a similar pattern I had various pills from Dr. but they all left me feeling cr*p and to be honest coming off them was almost as bad as not sleeping, and part of me feels they actually made me worse, as the sleep patterns (or lack of it) were never addressed.



I do the cut off caffeine thing at 2pm, warm bath, lavender, hot milk (urgh!!!) bananas, celery, my mattress is about a year old and very comfy, even when i cant sleep I don't get up as I'm snug and warm (not too warm etc..)

I used to find that listening to a Paul McKenna cd (smoking, losing weight, building confidence... take your pick I need them all!) used to work but at the mo I am listening to them 3 or 4 times a night before I drop off.

I just dont seems able to "empty" my head, all this stuff goes round and round and round and this keeps me awake.

Any ideas?

Thanks
YDSM

choille

Maybe something's bothering you underneath the usual day to day stuff & you're attempting to sort it out, but just running things in a loop?
Are you stressed?
Have a different routine?

Sometimes if I can't sleep I actually get up, potter around, read - feel tired then & go back to bed.
If you can't sleep & lie tossing & turning for hours then I think it's best to get up & stop fretting about sleeping, when you get up you then feel tired - possibly.

Crosswords are a good switch off from the incessant over thinking. I keep a pile of ones cut out of newspapers beside the bed for sleepless times.
Valerian - Kalm tablets work sometimes.
Alcohol can actually cause insomnia & isn't a good route to take regularly at night as you might need more, plus like I say it can cause insomnia.

Try reading until you feel your eyes drooping.
I hit patches of insomnia but it's usually when I'm fretting about something that is causing me stress.

Melonade

I listen to Classic FM it usually puts me out to sleep within a few minutes even if I'm not too tired. I keep the volume nice and low so I can just hear it in the background but still read a book. Although I'm not sure reading would be a good idea for you if your mind is already hard to switch off.

This week I've been having some problems sleeping that I've put down to stopping smoking. I've never suffered with this befor and I hate it. I hope you can find a solution and get a good nights sleep soon Good Luck.

choille

WEll done on the stopping smoking Melonade - I'm going to do that - honest am determined to give it a go.
Do you wear nicotine patch? Just wondered if that causes insomnia?

Melonade

choille wrote: »

WEll done on the stopping smoking Melonade - I'm going to do that - honest am determined to give it a go.
Do you wear nicotine patch? Just wondered if that causes insomnia?

Thanks

Actually I think the patches had something to do with it. I started last Monday with the patches and didn't sleep well at all. One night I was still wide awake at 4am!!! The worst part were the dreams :eek: Very vivid at first and nothing too bad but by Wednesday night I'd had a very bad dream and even after waking up twice and going back to sleep the dream carried on from were it left off. Strange dreams were listed as one of the side effects so on Thursday I stopped the patches and am doing it without now. I would not of done it without the patches to get me going though, they are fantastic and maybe affected me more because I've got quite an over-active imagination I hope that hasn't put you off, it's worth giving it a go and this is from me who's smoked for nearly 2/3's of my life.

Sorry to hi jack the thread btw.

Fire_Fox

24 hour nicotine patches can cause insomnia, 16 hour ones don't: nocotine withdrawal can also cause insomnia! I have long sice given up natural methods of getting to sleep, like you I have slept well since I was a child and have long since accepted I don't produce as much sleep hormone (melatonin) as the average person and stress makes me much worse.

I now take mirtazepine permanently, it's an antidepressant that has sedative qualities, but NOT addictive properties like most sleeping tablets. My mother has excellent results from a different sedative antidepressant. This method induces the closest thing to natural sleep as the precursor to melatonin is serotonin ('happy hormone').

The only other natural/ non prescription methods that might be effective for you are 5HTP (precursor to serotonin!) and the herb Valerian, I say this as a qualified pharmacy technician. Tho there is some interesting research they are not powerful enough for me.

jenniewb

I've also had ....odd sleeping patterns for as long as I can remember- generally not being able to sleep at night and then not hearing alarm clocks (currently 3 of them) in the morning some mornings. Mine has gotten worse but so has my anxiety and I do think (or know!) the two are linked.

Is the same true for you OP? You said things keep going round in your head- I get the same, it seems to be worse when its dark, thoughts seem to grow and I seem to feel more powerless against them. It takes me till 4am till I am on the verge of feeling tierd before I can go to bed and try to sleep- if I try to sleep when I am not tierd, the anxiety kicks in and I will not sleep at all the entire night (it is a living nightmare!). I have to have a warm milk based drink and I can get between 3 to 7 hours a night (depending on what day of the week it is). I try to catch up at weekends just so I don't go mad!

Have you tried any sort of help OP? (Know you must have, just asking what). I was sent to a nerologist by my GP. The neurologist said it was because I lived in a 24-7 world and no one slept, advised me to try some melotonine which I did look up, its illegal! Apparently its illegal as it can change your DNA structure! He had no other suggestions and I'd need another referal to ask again.

I do alot of exercise and find its easier to rest on the days I have exercised- I find my legs and arms don't 'twitch' while I am trying to sleep. Could be worth a try? Just not too close to bed time, leave a few hours before you try to sleep.

I'd say (and you may agree with me) sleeping pills are not the answer, though can be a better idea then drinking, but they some make you very dependant and they can be expensive - it'd be good to find a natural answer and not have to pop a pill for the rest of our days.Our bodies generally have the ability to become used to pills and we need more and more to get the same effect. Be aware of this, especially if you venture into Nytol territory!

I'd say though, drinking is not the answer, aside from the additional weight on your bones (not good for the heart or money saving: you'd need new clothes all the time!) but its well known that alcohol can lead to insomnia. Its a long detailed story but it is well documented and really be careful with that, eventually your body will show signs and it is another hiccup you could do much better without.

Have you thought or tried any councelling, psychotherapy or CBT for anything that could be making your sleeping worse? anythings worth a try.

mamckay

Try doing a sudoku - it makes your brain concentrate on something other than the need to sleep. Always works for me

choille

Hi Jenniewb,

I sometimes hit patches of what you describe & try giving myself an allocated time to think about what is running around my head - say 15 minutes max & then don't allow myself to think any more about it. I use crosswords then until I feel tired, or read. I also don't fret about the not sleeping when it happens, but as I'm self employed I can work when I choose - so doesn't matter what time I get up! But try not to knock my sleeping patterns out too much by sleeping late. But not everyone has that luxury - has employment that has to be got to at a certain time.
I'm quite active physically - loads of outside stuff to do & that does really help.
But I think it does depend what is going on subconsciously - what is niggling away underneath & that needs addressing or adopting the atittude of what will be will be, but very difficult to achieve in real life.
My sympathies.

pjk_3

This might sound odd but it works for some people -

Try really hard to STAY AWAKE. I mean really try. Concentrate on it. Keep your eyes open as wide as you can for as long as is comfortably possible. Make every effort not to yawn, even if you didn't think you wanted to.

The funny thing is that trying hard to stay awake can actually be quite tiring.

jenniewb

pjk wrote: »

This might sound odd but it works for some people -

Try really hard to STAY AWAKE. I mean really try. Concentrate on it. Keep your eyes open as wide as you can for as long as is comfortably possible. Make every effort not to yawn, even if you didn't think you wanted to.

The funny thing is that trying hard to stay awake can actually be quite tiring.

I wish this would work for me :rotfl: instead this is what does keep me awake- I am almost bolt upright when I try to sleep, I seem to be able to force myself awake very easily- as if I am on a jittery caffeine high....with not having a single gram of caffeine for several months! I think I'm nuts!! (Works well in the gym though...)

I also forgot to mention- yoga! It comes in many shapes and sizes but Hatha yoga and Restorative yoga can really help. I used to go to a restorative yoga class every week, loved it, but was too much for me (££) when I lost my job. It was so funny as the actual point of the class was to calm down and focus yet relax, yet every week you could count the people who gave a snore as the class went on!!
Better then any other form of yoga I've tried though- you hold poses for anything from 2 to 20 minutes and it really can get rid of some muscle issues. Almost as good as a massage which would be my next tip.

Now just to find a good strong (male?) masseuse!!!