It's 8 am and I slept for about 30 mins. I've had 11 hrs sleep in 3 days and I'm going nuts from lack of sleep. What can i do short of drugging myself silly, which I hate doing? Not even having my cats next to me is doing it and usually that helps. I'm SOOOOOO tired!
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INSOMNIA (Again).....Any Ideas How To Beat This?
- Thread starter meowman
- Start Date
It's really frustrating I know and very difficult to overcome. What you need to do is stop thinking about it. Have a cup of something warm and lay down on your bed as comfortable as you can and then don't think about sleeping. The point is just to relax and let your mind wonder but don't try to fall asleep. If you try to fall asleep it does not work. So just lay there and think of things and relax. Some relaxing music may help.
I got so hung up on trying to sleep it took a year till I could go to bed and just fall asleep and I think most of the problem was mental. I was so worried about not sleeping that I in the end could not sleep.
I also once tried to learn how to meditate and to this day have not gotten it right as I always fall asleep. But I count that as a bonus.
Hope this helps.
I got so hung up on trying to sleep it took a year till I could go to bed and just fall asleep and I think most of the problem was mental. I was so worried about not sleeping that I in the end could not sleep.
I also once tried to learn how to meditate and to this day have not gotten it right as I always fall asleep. But I count that as a bonus.
Hope this helps.
Insomnia can be taxing! I rarely have such problems but as I'm not used to it I have a really hard time trying to overcome my tiredness.
It's been very hot here over teh past couple of days and I could hardly sleep at all.
As Spike said you should just lie down and not think about it. I've found that the TV or a quiet slow music help a lot as well as a cup of milk before going to bed.
I know it's nasty but try to keep your mind on some nice things (I always try to imagine details about the mountains I've been to and what I like most of all is trying to think about the silence in the mountians, this special kind of silence that rings in your ears if you know what I mean) and sleep will come slowly and naturally upon you.
My advice is resort to sleeping pills only if the situation gets out of control. Meditation would certainly help only I've never mastered that art
It's been very hot here over teh past couple of days and I could hardly sleep at all.
As Spike said you should just lie down and not think about it. I've found that the TV or a quiet slow music help a lot as well as a cup of milk before going to bed.
I know it's nasty but try to keep your mind on some nice things (I always try to imagine details about the mountains I've been to and what I like most of all is trying to think about the silence in the mountians, this special kind of silence that rings in your ears if you know what I mean) and sleep will come slowly and naturally upon you.
My advice is resort to sleeping pills only if the situation gets out of control. Meditation would certainly help only I've never mastered that art
Sometimes when I can't sleep, I take a Advil or Excedrin PM and then lay in bed and concentrate on breathing. Force everything out of your mind except breathing in and out. It works for me. Little aches and pains can keep you from falling asleep, that is why I take Advil or something mild like that. Muscles get tight and the Excedrin PM helps, but only use once in a while. If it is chronic, you should see a doctor because it might be something more serious.
I used to have a problem with getting to sleep, and I can't say that I ever found anything to help, really. Except getting a dog. I've never had trouble falling asleep or anything after I got my first Aussie Terrier! Basically, I think what helped is going for a long, hard walk in the evening, just an hour or two before going to bed. It's weird, I would have thought it would have the opposite effect of keeping me awake longer, but that fresh air and exercise in the evening/night helps enormously.
Then again, if you have no trouble *falling* asleep, but rather waking up after sleeping for a bit and then can't go back to sleep, it's a whole different problem. My mom has this, and she hasn't found anything to help except drugs, and she doesn't like to use those either until she has to- and sometimes she has to, it's impossible to function with hardly any sleep for days. With her, the problem is mainly that she's worried about something or keeps thinking about something and she can't sleep with her mind going on and on. She's tried some of the stuff you can get from health food stores, herbal teas and such, and none of that stuff helped. I guess she's just had to learn to live with it...
Hmmm sorry, guess that wasn't much help.
Then again, if you have no trouble *falling* asleep, but rather waking up after sleeping for a bit and then can't go back to sleep, it's a whole different problem. My mom has this, and she hasn't found anything to help except drugs, and she doesn't like to use those either until she has to- and sometimes she has to, it's impossible to function with hardly any sleep for days. With her, the problem is mainly that she's worried about something or keeps thinking about something and she can't sleep with her mind going on and on. She's tried some of the stuff you can get from health food stores, herbal teas and such, and none of that stuff helped. I guess she's just had to learn to live with it...
Hmmm sorry, guess that wasn't much help.
No caffiene after 4:00 p.m.
Don't eat after 8:00 p.m.
You can train your body to go to sleep by doing the exact same bedtime routine every night. For example, I always take out my contacts, brush my teeth, scoop the litter boxes, wash my face, and then go to bed...in that order starting at 10:00 every night. I find that if I take out my contacts and brush my teeth early, I will fall asleep on the couch because my body knows that these are signs that it is time to sleep!
Make sure you go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning. You want to train your mind and body to fall asleep, and this kind of routine really works!
If you have tried to sleep for 30 minutes with no luck...get out of bed. Go to another room and read a really boring book or magazine or watch a really boring show on TV. Don't do anything interesting. If you fall asleep on the couch...that's fine -- at least you're sleeping! I challenge anyone to read something really boring in the middle of the night without falling asleep!
Don't do anything except sleep (and nookie!) in your bed. You want the bed to signal sleep, not anything that requires staying awake (reading, watching TV, work, etc).
Try to avoid sleeping pills. You can become psychologically and physically dependant on them. Thus, if you use them regularly you will find that you cannot sleep without them. Also, sleeping pills do not allow you to go into REM sleep which your body requires in order to feel rested. In addition, once you stop using the sleeping pills, you will experience REM-rebound during which you will have terrible nightmares, which will make falling asleep a scary thing to do and will contribute to the insomnia.
Overall...if you try all of these things, I am sure you will have success!
Don't eat after 8:00 p.m.
You can train your body to go to sleep by doing the exact same bedtime routine every night. For example, I always take out my contacts, brush my teeth, scoop the litter boxes, wash my face, and then go to bed...in that order starting at 10:00 every night. I find that if I take out my contacts and brush my teeth early, I will fall asleep on the couch because my body knows that these are signs that it is time to sleep!
Make sure you go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning. You want to train your mind and body to fall asleep, and this kind of routine really works!
If you have tried to sleep for 30 minutes with no luck...get out of bed. Go to another room and read a really boring book or magazine or watch a really boring show on TV. Don't do anything interesting. If you fall asleep on the couch...that's fine -- at least you're sleeping! I challenge anyone to read something really boring in the middle of the night without falling asleep!
Don't do anything except sleep (and nookie!) in your bed. You want the bed to signal sleep, not anything that requires staying awake (reading, watching TV, work, etc).
Try to avoid sleeping pills. You can become psychologically and physically dependant on them. Thus, if you use them regularly you will find that you cannot sleep without them. Also, sleeping pills do not allow you to go into REM sleep which your body requires in order to feel rested. In addition, once you stop using the sleeping pills, you will experience REM-rebound during which you will have terrible nightmares, which will make falling asleep a scary thing to do and will contribute to the insomnia.
Overall...if you try all of these things, I am sure you will have success!
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Take a small jar and fill it up halfway with honey. Add 5 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (pure) and stir well. One hour before bedtime, stir jar well, take on tablespoon of mixture, follow this up with 8 ozs of warm (not hot) water. Also, start drinking more water during the day, not just sips, but swallows at a time. One of the first signs of cell dehydration is fatigue and sleeplessness. Drink warm water, not iced, makes a difference according to my doctor.
Wow, Chuck....you have realy gotten some GREAT advice here! I often have a hard time falling asleep myself, so these ideas have also helped me too!!!!!!!!
One thing my mother used to tell me, when I was little, before she died, was....."If you can't fall asleep....start praying. The devil hates it, and he will make sure you fall right to sleep...." :laughing:
But even though it was meant as a joke, it actually does work. Not because the devil has a darn thing to do with it, but because when I can't sleep...and I start praying for everyone I know....I fall asleep before I even get close to finishing!
One thing my mother used to tell me, when I was little, before she died, was....."If you can't fall asleep....start praying. The devil hates it, and he will make sure you fall right to sleep...." :laughing:
But even though it was meant as a joke, it actually does work. Not because the devil has a darn thing to do with it, but because when I can't sleep...and I start praying for everyone I know....I fall asleep before I even get close to finishing!
MM ol buddy..I still think you need a good dose of male/female interaction designed to relieve stress and tension...about 36 hours straight,non-stop should do the trick.
Seriously though,I understand the problem. With me it's always a stress issue. Work,family,financial..whatever. I have to remind myself daily not to fret about things I can't control anyways.
Hope you get some rest soon.
Seriously though,I understand the problem. With me it's always a stress issue. Work,family,financial..whatever. I have to remind myself daily not to fret about things I can't control anyways.
Hope you get some rest soon.
Debby - I've found I have the same luck with praying. If I can't sleep, it's usually because my mind is going a mile a minute. Praying calms me down, gets my mind focused on something other than myself. I used to feel guilty about falling asleep while praying, but I read something interesting the other day. It said, if you fall asleep while you're praying, it's like falling asleep in your Father's arms (meaning the Heavenly Father). I love that image, and now I hope I can fall asleep while talking to God more often!
Asleep in your Father's arms...what a hauntingly beautiful image. Thank you for posting that. Peace Sister!!!
