Remedies for Insomnia

Sky_

I have insomnia in phases, to the extent that I can go 4-5 nights without sleeping at all, but at other times I sleep well every night. Each phase usually lasts several months. I work full time and have a family, so the insomnia phases can be very tough.

Things I've found helpful are:
-Changing my mental attitude so that I don't worry about not sleeping/being tired--I juat accept that this is how it is and this seems to reduce the tiredness, making it easier to cope.
-Thinking of something really boring (a sewing pin is my favourite), seeing it in my mind and really focussing on it, to the exclusion of all other thoughts. It takes practice but can be really effective.
-Imagining I'm floating on/in warm water, such as a warm sunny sea or a floatation tank.
-Reading something demanding but boring (such as study textbooks) on my kindle paperwhite. The light on it can be turned down so it doesn't disturb my husband.
-Ensuring that I deal with any aches and pains by taking appropriate medication before bedtime.
-Exercising for at least an hour every day.


Good luck, I hope you find a solution to your sleeplessness.

[Deleted User]

I have sleep Matinence insomnia, wake between 3 - 4am every day. I'm booked in for a telephone assessment to get Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.
Quite sceptical how thus can work, how can I put it in to practice to stop myself waking up when I'm asleep? But willing to try.

jenniewb

I have huge issues with insomnia. The type I have is a delayed circadian rhythm disorder meaning I fall asleep much later than ideally I should and means I am lucky to get 2-4 hours of sleep a night and at least twice a week just cannot fall asleep. Mine is driven by anxiety, my body is definitely tired, I ache, I feel tired to move, but my mind wont stop.


I've had my sleeping issues since I was a child so it's pretty deep rooted stuff (both physically and psychologically). My GP refuses to forward me to a sleep clinic because he/she/they (seen many) say if it's psychological that this wont help. However, if yours is not psychological it would be worth asking if it's having a marked impact on your day to day life.


I've tried a range of products and treatments over the years, these are what I can remember:


Off the shelf sleep remedies (Nytol herbal, Hops/Valerian/etc) made no difference. Not even slightly, not even if I overdosed and no effect if I stopped taking them either.


Over the counter sleep remedies (Nytol non herbal, Boots own brand non herbal...etc) Helped but made me reliant on them for sleep. I came off them and it did affect my being able to sleep for a little while.


Herbal drinks/tea which has sleep things added -these helped a little- a bit like taking warmed milk, made me more relaxed, didn't make me sleepy but just took the edge off a little maybe.


Prescribed opiods (eg Zopiclone and so on) whilst I am prescribed these for when my anxiety gets beyond manageable, these meds have a "happy" side effect of making me sleepy. They can be overridden if you are especially anxious but they do help if you can face sending yourself to bed whilst experiencing extreme anxiety (difficult if you know you're likely to get vivid/bad dreams whilst feeling this way). They do have the unhappy side effect of insomnia the next night after stopping though so only take if you have no ability to manage and it's pretty desperate.
Same goes with anti-psychotics which I once took, they were the best at making me almost too tired to speak but did give me huge side effects -though this is a very personal experience.


Melatonin. Not easy to get hold of but does help a little- you don't feel like "OMG I neeeed to sleep now!" it's far more subtle than that and there is very little hang-over effect the next morning (and I say that as someone hypersensitive to side effects). They are very difficult to get hold of though and you do need to keep upping the dose after a week or so to keep the effects going so not so great longer term.


Magnesium. At the moment the hands down best thing to make me almost immediately feel like I can't keep my eyes open. I have a magnesium type powder you add to water. It tastes gross, they do though make me sleepy. I don't struggle often with waking up once I'm asleep so can't vouch for how well they work for that side of things, but I'd recommend trying magnesium. You can buy it on the shelf of most healthfood stores and supermarkets and Boots, but if you wanted to change your diet to consume more magnesium rich foods before bed this could be another idea. You may struggle to get the same potency though. Nuts, Tofu, pulses are quite rich sources but remember that your body will take a good while to break these down and the effects will be much more subtle.


Sleep hygiene. Often spoke about in addition to CBT. I do this myself as a rule. I have to be honest, I don't know if it's actually doing much, and my routine is fairly extensive, I start winding down bit by bit about 6 hours before I actually go to bed with the final few steps taking up around 15 mins before I try to sleep. I like to think it's making a difference if only to recreate a sort of Pavlov's Dog. One to try though- you can be as limiting or as extensive as you want.


Keeping a notebook by your bed to write down things going around your head if you cannot sleep.
Doesn't work for me- I have to wear glasses to see and I think this alone wakes me up more than trying to almost verbalise what I am thinking and get it down in a legible form on paper. I don't recommend this for helping you sleep but maybe helps with the frustration at another night wasted by not being able to sleep.


One thing I would recommend though if you cannot sleep (and remember, I have this happen twice a week not the odd night here and there so it's wise to put this into context- if it is just a one off event for you maybe you have more scope for finding getting up more helpful). I find if I cannot sleep, to lie with my legs upright against a wall. It helps make my legs feel more rested and this is due to lymph draining -fluids collect in our legs as the day goes on and this is fixed by sleeping. But when you are alert it doesn't happen, so being upside down or knees above chest sort of posture makes a real difference (and legs straight if you can manage it- loosely tie a dressing gown tie around your ankles if your struggling with this, it helps). 20-30 minutes of that and you will feel the difference. Sometimes this can help me fall asleep afterwards.
If I also try to stay in bed, this also helps. It helps because I feel physically rested which makes the next day feel not quite as painful and if you have a full day the next day and have not slept that's one thing, but being physically drained as well as mentally all over the place is just too much of a nightmare. It's not a patch on real sleep but is for me much better than if I get up and stay awake without resting flat out without movement.

[Deleted User]

Yup I take melatonin can get it here easy enough https://www.biovea.com/uk/mobile/index.aspx, only helps with the falling to sleep not the staying asleep which is my major issue right now.

MJ_Wilton

Lots of the things I use are already mentioned, but I've a few more to add:

When I realise I'm not falling asleep, I put on a podcast or an audiobook. The radio could work too. It needs to be engaging enough I'm listening to it instead of thinking about my own worries, but no so interesting I won't mind nodding off and missing the end! I have a lovely pair of soft headphones (like a hairband) I can wear when hubby's in the bed too so I don't wake him.

You know those sunrise alarm clocks that slowly light up in the morning? Mine also slowly sunsets in the evening! Supposedly it can help you unwind.

Apparently the light from screens mimics daylight and that keep you awake. I have a free bit of software on my laptop called f.lux that makes that screen a different colour of light to avoid this. For the same reason you should avoid using your phone when you're going to bed.

I don't think anyone else has yet mentioned a bath or shower before bed? Add lavender scents for extra sleepiness.

But what helps me most is 'sleep hygiene', which just means keeping to a pattern of when you wake and sleep, plus taking the time to wind down at night. Oh and making sure your room is restfully cosy

And on the sleeping tablets question, in my experience GPs are very reluctant to prescribe them. So don't worry about having them pushed on you! It might be worth discussing other possible causes of your sleep problems with yours.