Insomnia--Suggestions?

[prplchknz]

well I'm still on their insurance and they're gonna see I went to see someone when they get the bill, and so yeah.

[nightning]

insomnia due to stress... aka sympathetic activation? If medication isn't doing the job, perhaps you should try dealing with it psychologically. Find a way to relax more... I dunno would a bubble bath and a good book before bed help?

[CzeCze]

I've had chronic issues with insomnia but mostly it's self-induced and then gets ahead of me. I'm just naturally a nightowl.

When I had a very very stressful job that made me very very unhappy I was in a state of constant anxiety so I would crash as soon as I got home (anytime between 8pm-1am) and wake up by 5am.

When I quit that job, I did not sleep. Period. I couldn't. It was the strangest, most frustrating feeling. I was awake but exhausted and my brain felt heavy and exposed if that makes sense.

I realize now my room had a southern exposure and was WAY TOO bright and messed up my sleep patterns. And the depression and anxiety messed up the rest.

I think I already posted here, but I'll repeat it. I firmly believe that most insomnia can be cured naturally, really through routine and persistence.

Eat healthy, balanced meals. Cut out sugar and caffeine. Drink lots of water. Do some kind of exercise everday. NO NAPPING. Wake up at the same time every day, preferably before 10am. At least 1 hours before bed, start winding down. Dim the lights. NO TV, no video games. Make a ritual if it helps. Light candles. Put on background noise and put your head down. Trying to concentrate on a really dull book can help. Find out what temperature and light level induces sleep for you. Generaly the darker the better. Eventually you'll fall asleep.

Rituals can really help. Habits trigger your brain for 'sleepy time'.

I find I fall asleep much more easily on a massage therapists table (this is even before any massage starts mind you) or in the car (not when drivin, har har) or in class than I do in my own bed. Basically, something about having to "go to sleep" really makes you NOT want to. But if you catch your body off guard, the latent fatigue comes through and you sleep. So the other tactic is to stop thinking about sleep so much and tricking yourself into sleeping. Because really, your body does want to sleep.

For me 2 things have really cured my insomnia.

1) Strict regimen of diet and exercise. Basically it tired me out. I naturally started getting sleepy and going to bed before 11pm and waking up around 7 or 8 am.

2) Fasting. You will SLEEP. But it's easy to abuse or do fasting 'wrong' so I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to everyone. During the fast I was so fatigued I slept practically through the week and off the fast, I find that I still get very sleepy before 10pm (which is HIGHLY unusual for me) and I wake up naturally before 10am, without the need for an alarm clock.

Both of these things basically made me physically tired to the point my body overpowered my MIND and I couldn't fight sleep -- which for me is really the only way to get to beat insomnia.

[Jen]

Listen to Mama CzeCze

3's too many. What did you take? I once took an ambien and it knocked me out within 10 minutes so I can't imagine taking three and actually ever waking up. Were you drinking as well.

You seem depressed and seeing a psychiatrist would be your best bet imo. Not being able to sleep is usually caused by stress and anxiety and if that is what's up with you, you may need anti anxiety medication. Diet and exercise
can also work wonders too.

Keep us posted and stay well.

[wedekit]

I've had insomnia for 3 years straight. Sometimes I have felt I was going crazy. I've taken up meditation recently and, although it doesn't make me sleep, I feel very rested and centered afterwards. I have to take medicine to sleep. I go to sleep at 12:00-1:00 and wake up at 7:30-ish.

[Griffi97]

CzeCze's advice is excellent. Try to establish good "sleep habits."

I have also suffered from insomnia my entire life and there are two things that have helped me tremendously.

1. Take 3 mg of melatonin about 30 minutes before bed. Melatonin has the added benefit of being an antioxidant. This regimen has also been shown in recent studies to decrease the frequency of or eliminate migraine headaches altogether for those who suffer from them (myself included).

2. Buying a Tempur-pedic mattress, or any other evenly supportive type of mattress (sleep number bed, etc.) This may not be possible for you since you live at home and those suckers are expensive, but when I finally took the plunge and got one... The first couple nights, we slept so hard we were sore the next morning. We had not moved the entire night.

Even so, I still have the occasional sleepless night. Insomnia can be a sign of depression, but in my case, it's just a matter of too many things running through my head when I try to go to sleep. My brain replays events of the day, I contemplate future plans, have sudden flashes of insight (and then forget them later ), etc etc.

[prplchknz]

So I finally got sleep I didn't do anything special, Oh and my computer crashed so I'm not dead I'm taking it in tommorow to be looked at.


Ooh and no I wasn't drinking at least not the night I took the sleeping pills.

[Jen]

We just watched a show on HBO that I recorded last year called Wide Awake. Now this guy is neurotic so it's no wonder why he can't sleep. Anyway it's definitely worth watching.

Here's a song that was written about insomniacs. It's so beautiful. I REM. *chills*

R.E.M. Daysleeper

[alicia91]

I think you have to determine whether it's insomnia due to mental issues such as stress, anxiety, depression, etc. versus a body clock/circadian rhythyms issue (you are a night owl). If it's the latter it might be a good idea to simply skip a nights sleep and not allow yourself to go to bed even if you feel sleepy. Then go to bed the next night at an appropriate time. You will probably be sleepy by then and doing this should reset your body clock. Do not to try make yourself go to sleep if you are not sleepy (can't fall asleep within 15-20 min. of going to bed). Your body needs to get into the habit of being able to fall asleep quickly after going to bed. If it's the former and it's been going on for many weeks, then you need to talk to a doctor about it.

Good luck with it - I hope you find something that helps.

[wildcat]

Originally Posted by CzeCze

I've had chronic issues with insomnia but mostly it's self-induced and then gets ahead of me. I'm just naturally a nightowl.

When I had a very very stressful job that made me very very unhappy I was in a state of constant anxiety so I would crash as soon as I got home (anytime between 8pm-1am) and wake up by 5am.

When I quit that job, I did not sleep. Period. I couldn't. It was the strangest, most frustrating feeling. I was awake but exhausted and my brain felt heavy and exposed if that makes sense.

I realize now my room had a southern exposure and was WAY TOO bright and messed up my sleep patterns. And the depression and anxiety messed up the rest.

I think I already posted here, but I'll repeat it. I firmly believe that most insomnia can be cured naturally, really through routine and persistence.

Eat healthy, balanced meals. Cut out sugar and caffeine. Drink lots of water. Do some kind of exercise everday. NO NAPPING. Wake up at the same time every day, preferably before 10am. At least 1 hours before bed, start winding down. Dim the lights. NO TV, no video games. Make a ritual if it helps. Light candles. Put on background noise and put your head down. Trying to concentrate on a really dull book can help. Find out what temperature and light level induces sleep for you. Generaly the darker the better. Eventually you'll fall asleep.

Rituals can really help. Habits trigger your brain for 'sleepy time'.

I find I fall asleep much more easily on a massage therapists table (this is even before any massage starts mind you) or in the car (not when drivin, har har) or in class than I do in my own bed. Basically, something about having to "go to sleep" really makes you NOT want to. But if you catch your body off guard, the latent fatigue comes through and you sleep. So the other tactic is to stop thinking about sleep so much and tricking yourself into sleeping. Because really, your body does want to sleep.

For me 2 things have really cured my insomnia.

1) Strict regimen of diet and exercise. Basically it tired me out. I naturally started getting sleepy and going to bed before 11pm and waking up around 7 or 8 am.

2) Fasting. You will SLEEP. But it's easy to abuse or do fasting 'wrong' so I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to everyone. During the fast I was so fatigued I slept practically through the week and off the fast, I find that I still get very sleepy before 10pm (which is HIGHLY unusual for me) and I wake up naturally before 10am, without the need for an alarm clock.

Both of these things basically made me physically tired to the point my body overpowered my MIND and I couldn't fight sleep -- which for me is really the only way to get to beat insomnia.

Candles are dangerous. They cause fires.