Overcoming insomnia

[thulfi]

The 'late night trying to get to bed' type of insomnia (not the early morning sort which is more to do with depression).

I'm normally ok, but if I have a big thing coming up I generally suffer from it. I go to bed knowing I need to get to sleep but end up tossing and turning. Sometimes it's so bad I'm up until the birds start singing and the sky becomes light which makes it even worse.

I've always been pretty nocturnal, and usually hit the sack after 3am. I try and stick to my cycle and sleep at the same time if I have an interview/important exam or whatever, but the problem is it can sometimes be so bad that I'm tossing and turning for 3hours or more.

When my brain starts to shut down and I realise that I'm nodding off I get excited that I am nodding off, my heart starts pacing again and I lose it. Vicious cycle:mad:, plus I get hot which doesn't help. I don't get it normally, just if I have something coming up - I find it hard to just switch off when I'm in bed if my mind is pacing, even if I'm absolutely shattered.

Doing timestables/counting doesn't really work. A fan next to my head and stripping down to boxers sometimes helps but not really that effective. Music will just keep my awake, though I listen to mainly metal so I can see why.

Any non medication/booze/:smt033 advice to overcoming it from any orgers that have a similiar problem would be much appreciated. It's such a hinderance. I'm basically tired on any day where the stakes are high/important to me!

[Jayneflakes]

Distraction techniques.

Try reading this (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brief-History-Time-Black-Holes/dp/0553175211/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1304885030&sr=1-1), it worked for me and I enjoyed the book.

[G]

I get up at 04:30am in the week, to do this comfortably I need to be in bed by 21:00... But oh look... I'm wide awake right now.

If I was downstairs watching TV I would be getting sleepy and grumpy it's a fecking nightmare.

So yeah... I'm not much help but suffer the same lol

[Milky Bar Kid]

I can't help. I should be able to but I have been suffering with it since about.....2 years ago! It drives me mental! I regularly start nodding off and the jolt myself awake, I have no idea why and that's me back to square one.

[seedy100]

I suffer from somthing similar.

My solution, that works sometimes;

1. A warm bath, at least half hour soaking.

2. A warm drink, not caffine.

3. A cool bed and pillow, use a hot water bottle filled with cold water to cool things down if need be.

4. A boreing book. (The Silmarillion lasted me for about ten years!).

Sometimes works for me, it might be woth a try.

[amnesia]

Nytol worked for me.

I've used it several times for a couple of days at a time - similar to you I had something important on the horizon.

[thulfi]

Good ideas there seedy, like the one with the cold water in a hot water bottle! Books need light, and I can't sleep with light, and if I put the book down and turn the lights off I'd be back to the start again!

[Jackie_Black]

I suffer from the exact same thing. I've started listening to audio books on my iphone, seems to work quite well.

[maviczap]

Booze, any other non prescription solutions are not the answer to your problems, they just make things worse.

With something big coming up it sounds like you're suffering from a form of stress.

Go and see you doc, see if he can help with some medication, but its a short term solution

My FIL suffered from this, pills didn't help him I'm afraid

[Binky]

Ninety minute sleeping patterns are something i have recently been told about. Basically the body sleeps in cycles of 90 minutes and if you interrupt one of the patterns it can be detrimental.

For example 7.5 hours sleep would be better than 8 and a quarter . Not sure it would help insomnia, but i think it works for sure...

[xXBADGERXx]

I find that I can stay up til around half 2 in the morning , reading or doing something to make me fall asleep and get sleepy and then BANG wide awake , I`ve accepted it now and just get out of bed and go and do something . Badger by name and by nature it seems . I can`t remember the last time I had a good night`s sleep , went to the Doctor`s the other day and they are booking me into a sleep clinic .

[Ed]

I go to bed knowing I need to get to sleep but end up tossing ...

Sounds like you found the answer;)

I get the same thing... a late night walk helps to clear my mind, is it safe to walk around where you live? Also I have to have the window open, a hot stuffy room is unbearable. I have Radio 5 on very gently, not so loud that I can listen but so that the voices are in the background. Plus, make sure that everything you need for the morning is ready - eg clothes identified and put out, bag packed, etc.

[Specialone]

Nytol really does work, helps you have a deeper sleep as well so it feels like youve had longer.

TBH apart from the odd night when ive got things on my mind normally work related, i fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow, something that annoys the wife lol
I could sleep standing up i think :)

Im fine generally with 6-7 hours, anymore i feel worse.

[Stuuk1]

Im pretty sure everyone suffers from this when something important is happening the next day, new job etc, I even dream about work which is pretty depressing.

I recommend a hot bath (one so hot that you struggle to towel yourself down afterwards as you have no energy left).

Then once in bed, get the book out, I wouldnt say a boring one because you will just give up, but set yourself a goal 'I must read at least 2 chapters' or if they are short chapters, then 3 or 4. This makes me so tires and I'm asleep within 15mins of putting the book down!

[thulfi]

Sounds like you found the answer;)

Made me laugh that did.

Might give that radio idea a shot. Need to buy a radio first!

[davepreston]

I suffer from the exact same thing. I've started listening to audio books on my iphone, seems to work quite well.
was a life saver for me
+100000000000000
on this advice

[Fruity-ya-ya]

Interesting read as I've had yet another sleepless night thanks to my knee.
I watched all the Family Guy run on Three and spent the last hour or so looking on line at homemade camping/penny burners and might have a go at making one tomorrow, I mean later today.

I normally sleep well so I can't really offer any better advice than that of the other orgers (sorry).

[BanannaMan]

Took me a while to realise but I don't need a lot of sleep.
Maybe you are the same?
1:30 AM now going to bed. Get up at 5:00 AM for an 11 mile ride on the recumbant bike and a 12-14 hour day at work.
Usually try to be in bed by 1:00 and rest a 1 or 2 hours prior either on the PC or watching telly and up at 5, 6 days a week. May sleep 6 or 7 hours on Sat nite / Sun morning.
If I sleep 8 hours or more I feel awful all day.

[MrTom]

Took me a while to realise but I don't need a lot of sleep.

I've recently come to realise this too. If I only get around 6hrs sleep I find wakeing up and getting up difficult... However, once awake I'm much more alert for the rest of the day than if I get 8+hrs.

To the OP, I can't offer any further advice that has already been offered, but try to do as I do and take comfort from the fact you are far from alone with the insomnia, this can help you stop feeling too miserable at 3am.

[Quedos]

If your studying for finals I know how you feel.
I had taped my notes and listened to them as I tried to sleep - the sub concious takes in more knowledge so it help two fold.
It worked great for me

[WeegieBlue]

Have a baby. I've had one for just coming up to a year now and I can tell you now, you'll never be wide awake again. They wake up at 6am regardless of what day it is, and once they're awake they demand every second of your time. By the time you put them to bed at night, you could sleep standing up.

[maviczap]

Have a baby. I've had one for just coming up to a year now and I can tell you now, you'll never be wide awake again. They wake up at 6am regardless of what day it is, and once they're awake they demand every second of your time. By the time you put them to bed at night, you could sleep standing up.

+1 Although mine are 6 & 13, so past that stage.

[maviczap]

Sounds like you found the answer;)

I get the same thing... a late night walk helps to clear my mind.

Does sound like your mind is over active, so it needs to unwind. Ed's suggestion is good or do some light exercise.

I'll go out on my push bike for an hour or so, and my mind is usually clear when i get back.

Swimming or a gentle jog would also do the trick

[Jayneflakes]

One thing I find very important, I cut my daily intake of caffeine.

I used to drink a lot of coffee, strong, black and spoon meltingly hot, different brands for differing times of day, breakfast coffee, lunch coffee and evening coffee. I was wired!

Then I quit, which hurt. I also quit caffeinated soft drinks. Caffeine is a stimulant, which is why they put it in cold remedies.

In regards to reading, I use a low light, one of those travel book lamps, two batteries running a pale LED. This allows you to naturally close down for sleep. Bright light just before bed can effect the levels of a brain chemical I can't remember the name of and it can keep you awake.

I also use music. My favourite music is Black and Death metal, but at sleep time I use my MP3 player on very quiet and listen to peaceful stuff that I also like.

Have a look at some of the side projects from some of the extreme guys.

Isahn of Emperor is in Thou Shalt Suffer (modern Classical) and Pecatum (mellow folk/rock).
Satyr of Satyricon is in Storm (Folk).
Varg of Burzum has done a lot of gentle ambient.
Also worth a try is Hagalaz Runedance, a pagan folk band on the same record label as a lot of the black metal guys.

Also going to bed tired will help, so take some exercise during the day, go to the gym after work, do some Gardening or go for a push bike ride some where exciting.

Make sure that you do not eat too late or eat too much sugar, if you are sensitive to additives, avoid food stuffs with them in.

I pretty much live by this and am usually ready for bed by ten PM. Living with out caffeine was so hard, but my body has adjusted and I fend I sleep better and as a result wake better. I tend to wake as soon as it gets light and if I have a lie in, I can drift back off again.

If all of this fails, your next step is to seek medical advice.

[Milky Bar Kid]

One thing I will say - do not do any physical exercise within an hour of going to bed! Being a Med Student you will probably know all this but it increases your endorphins, which act like a stimulant, and will result in you being wide awake!

[maviczap]

One thing I will say - do, do an hour of physical exercise in bed

. ;)

[Milky Bar Kid]

Ha! I wish! Chance would be a fine thing!

[-Ralph-]

I suffer badly from this. My wife calls me 'the machine', because my head works 24 hours a day without stopping, I am always thinking and the cogs up there are always turning.

One bit of advise that I heard on the radio recently and it helped a lot.

Don't worry about the fact you are not sleeping!

A completely sleepless night is quite rare right? I had one on Saturday but it took my son to be in hospital with a Meningitis scare for that to happen. Most insomnia nights you do eventually get some sleep, even if not until 4 in the morning and you only get a few hours, you do still get SOME sleep.

Don't lie there thinking "it's 2am and I'm not asleep yet, I need to get up at 6, if I don't sleep soon I'll have had less than 4 hours and I have a long day tomorrow". Reassure yourself with the fact that even if you only get 2 hours, you will eventually get some sleep, because you always do, and stop worrying about it. You'll drop off much sooner than you thought you were going to.

Also when worried about something, I make firm decisions and plans around what I will definitely do and when to help resolve it. Thinking about positively about solutions, rather than worrying about problems, helps me too.

[thulfi]

Thanks for the tips everyone.

Jayneflakes, useful info! Gonna check out some of those bands. One of my mates is into Hagalaz Runedance and there stuff is awesome. Beauty of Mother nature is a really good song but I've never got round to getting into more of there stuff - I could defo nod off to stuff like that though. I'm not a big caffeine person, but do eat late a lot of the time, especially unhealthy grub.

One thing I will say - do not do any physical exercise within an hour of going to bed!

If only twas the cause of my problems. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.


Don't lie there thinking "it's 2am and I'm not asleep yet, I need to get up at 6, if I don't sleep soon I'll have had less than 4 hours and I have a long day tomorrow". Reassure yourself with the fact that even if you only get 2 hours, you will eventually get some sleep, because you always do, and stop worrying about it. You'll drop off much sooner than you thought you were going to.

But this is exactly what I do, and if I somehow fight the thoughts and start nodding off I get excited and spark up again. This isn't helped by the fact that I'm also thinking 'all those other people sitting the exam/interview are happy getting there 8 hours whilst I'm squirming here in bed like a sucker'.

[-Ralph-]

But this is exactly what I do, and if I somehow fight the thoughts and start nodding off I get excited and spark up again. This isn't helped by the fact that I'm also thinking 'all those other people sitting the exam/interview are happy getting there 8 hours whilst I'm squirming here in bed like a sucker'.

If you think about it rationally, you know you will get some eventually, because you always do, so stop worrying that you are going to get none. It's just one more worry that is keeping you awake.

[thulfi]

If you think about it rationally, you know you will get some eventually, because you always do, so stop worrying that you are going to get none. It's just one more worry that is keeping you awake.

Well the worst I've had is 1hour on one night, followed by an hour the next night. You'd think the next night you'd sleep like a baby after 1hours sleep the night before but not if the mind is racing.That wasn't pretty and affected my functioning on two consecutive important days. Annoyingly this problem has only started in the last few years.

[Milky Bar Kid]

Well the worst I've had is 1hour on one night, followed by an hour the next night. You'd think the next night you'd sleep like a baby after 1hours sleep the night before but not if the mind is racing.That wasn't pretty and affected my functioning on two consecutive important days. Annoyingly this problem has only started in the last few years.

Yeh, I have managed dayshifts after only having 45 mins sleep, and then same again the next night, like you said, it wasn't pretty!

[Milky Bar Kid]

Talking of insomnia....0435....I was planning to get up at 0730.

[tonyk]

I suffer from somthing similar.

My solution, that works sometimes;

1. A warm bath, at least half hour soaking.

2. A warm drink, not caffine.

3. A cool bed and pillow, use a hot water bottle filled with cold water to cool things down if need be.

4. A boring book. (The Silmarillion lasted me for about ten years!).

Sometimes works for me, it might be woth a try.

good god!!! i remember that book...:study:
i never finished it ... i kept on falling asleep !! LOL... :smt082
yeah try reading this book The Silmarillion.

[SoulKiss]

Ha! I wish! Chance would be a fine thing!

How YOU doin :smt082:smt050:smt082

[Milky Bar Kid]

How YOU doin :smt082:smt050:smt082

:smt018 Has no one ever told you not to poke fun at a female with less than 3 hours sleep....lol! Infact, you should avoid a female who has had less than 3 hrs sleep at all costs :smt071:smt071:smt071:pale:

[454697819]

:smt018 Has no one ever told you not to poke fun at a female with less than 3 hours sleep....lol! Infact, you should avoid a female who has had less than 3 hrs sleep at all costs :smt071:smt071:smt071:pale:

no hes quite right to poke fun, especially when the female with 3 hours sleep has handcuffs

[andrewsmith]

and the hole has opened :lol:

Reading through this has given me some much needed advice. Thanks all

[maviczap]

Ha! I wish! Chance would be a fine thing!

One day you'll find you Prince :D