Best thing for insomnia?

[LewSpeight]

So, any of you who glue to this forum religiously will have probably figured I'm only ever on here from like 10pm till 4/5/6 am every night.
Friday night I didn't sleep longer than 10 minutes.

I got diagnosed with insomnia a couple of years back and every now and again it creeps up on me, anyone got any ideas on what to do without taking prescribed medication?

Surely you parents out there will have some awesome information?

I sometimes struggle to sleep. I've had a few nights recently where I've gone without getting any sleep at all and literally had to wait till that awkward moment when you 'pass out' from tiredness.

I never get any problems sleeping if I have a good cycle (or hard gym workout for that matter). Two hours on the bike, have a bath, straight to sleep.

Not sure if it would help in your situation but could be worth a go!

[Mr Speirs]

Never do anything apart from sleeping or sex in your bed. If you sit there reading or surfing the net or playing games then your mind recognises your bed as an active place father than a resting place.

There is an app you can get that plays sound effects that enduces sleep. Things like a washing machine, hairdryer, car journey or waves on a beach. You could try them.

[Littlepeahead]

Glenn Harold Hypnotherapy CD. Once you get over his accent sounding a bit like he comes from Dagenham it works. Don't actively try to listen just have it on in the background and after a few nights it penetrates your subconscious and you drift off.

Radio 4 is also good. Today In Parliament then the ShippingForecast switch my mind off.

And if anything is bothering you put a notebokand pen by the bed then write a 'to do' list before bed and tell yourself you'll deal with it tomorrow instead of dwelling on it.

[Fallout]

Agree with both statements above.

- Exercise. Physical tiredness is the best thing for putting you to sleep.
- Routine. Eat dinner at the same time (early), wind down, go to bed at the same time. Get your body used to going to sleep at a certain time and it will start to feel tired. Get up at the same time too.
- Stress. Sort out all your mental issues so you have nothing to think about/worry about when you get into bed. Pay your bills, get all those 'things' done as soon as they arrive, sort out your relationship issues, fix everything that dwells on your mind. Ease your conscience by righting your wrongs.
- No caffeine about 5 or 6 hours before bed.

Tips for actually falling asleep that work for me:
- I am most comfortable on my side, so I don't start out on my side. I lie on my back for ages as I slowly get more tired. When I eventually roll onto my side it's more comfortable and then I fall asleep.
- I start dreaming when I close my eyes. Sounds weird, but it works for me. So rather than trying not to think about anything, or thinking about real stuff, I think creatively. It helps that my personality is like that anyway and I can think about my work (which is creative). By thinking about random worlds I'm detached from reality and it helps put me to sleep.

Basically get physically tired, defeat all stress and get into a routine are the key ones. Works for me.

Most stuff has been said , and all valid points . Reduce your stimulants . Doing things like watching MotoGP and then going to bed will have your brain going ten to the dozen . I don`t know what your daily intake is of exercise/food/drink but I can probably guess your a tad on the bored side of things and keeping your brain going and devouring information at a stupid rate of knots ..... vicious circle .

I switched over to naturally decaffeinated Tea a few months back which has helped knock things back a notch . The Tea is called Tick Tock and has quite a smooth taste to it , If I am ready for bed about 11 at night then I don`t drink anything past 9 . If I am thirsty then a slurp of Water will suffice before brushing my choppers . As Mr Speirs says , the bed is a place of rest or jiggery pokery , don`t sit there with a tablet/laptop (if you do) watching Die Hard with a Vengeance , the Brain needs to slow down before that . I now tend to do this (it`s a tad fogeyish but it works) ..... I fill the dishwasher , get stuff ready for the next day like butties and stuff for work . The mind starts to wind down . The next day I don`t use the snooze , get the hell out of bed and get showered and have a peaceful journey to work all in good time . No flitting about and keep that mind calm .

As far as bed goes , make it a pleasurable place (no sniggering at the back there) . Change the sheets often . I have taken to using Brushed Cotton sheets in the Winter as they give a nice and snugg sensation , change that Duvet for a Comfortably warm one , being cold at night is a sure fire way of keeping you in and out of a good sleep pattern . Alternatively just turn your Mrs inside out in a manly fashion so that she is steaming on the bed sheets and fall asleep ...... in a smug fashion , much easier than doing all that washing-up Bullshard , if you do a proper job on the Mrs she will do all that the next day

[Viney]

I lay awake for hours trying to think if cures!


Oh look, i think thats my taxi.

[LewSpeight]

Thank you all for the interesting responses.

The hardest thing is sorting 'relationship issues' as that is the reason for most of my troubles at the mo (boo hoo)

Getting into a routine has never been me, I can't do 'routine', I'm a kn*b like that and like to live everyday on my toes.

I love the little hints of doing some manly exercises with the partner and yeh that helped a lot... But obv it's not an option now haha.

I always believed in the idea of bed isn't for watching tv or laptop. But when I'm laying here for 4 hours bored out of my tree I end up wanting to rip something apart out of frustration, so resort to watching pointless YouTube videos.

Well , laying stuff out on here is a beginning , don`t want to pry but if you feel the need to unload then go for it ..... and I mean mentally by the way .

[Littlepeahead]

Room temperature is important and fresh air. If the room is too warm or stuffy you won't sleep, and if you have cold feet you won't sleep. So the window cracked open an inch and some fluffy bed socks is the answer. And try to kill any light sources with black out blinds.

Read a book, a really boring one. Not an exciting thriller. Something on the A level English Lit curriculum should do it - how about Larkrise to Candleford, or Sense and Sensibility - yawn.

Oh and don't try and share a room with Treacle or Chris8886 unless you have really good earplugs or can out-snore them.