Overcoming insomnia

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, 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/ 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, 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

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.

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.

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.

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!

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...