If you have insomnia...

[anythinginapinch]

Does getting pissed help? I'm so tired, and tired of the nightly fight that goes on for hours to get to sleep.

I'm thinking a few too many glasses of wine might help?

i have insomnia at times, and drinking helps slightly as in i will fall asleep easier but its not a proper sleep, i toss and turn just as much as i normally do and i will still wake up at the same time i always do during the week

I think for you OP try staying up until you are literally dropping? Like 2 or 3 am?

Alcohol is never the answer. It might help you crash out but it will never help with decent restorative sleep.

I've had insomnia for years.
I take 1 25mg phenergan a night. (Think it's meant for travel sickness).
You can buy it over the counter but for long term use it needs to be on a prescription.

Nytol and then headspace podcasts if you wake up. Pretty foolproof unless I'm super-stressed.

Exactly this, have suffered for 30 years. Tried everything. Sadly found living Ngb alone (ie bedroom to myself) and podcasts have helped immensely, plus knowing I have 14 Zopiclone on repeat prescription every month. I've lost two marriages because of this and if they take away my medical support (which NHA England seem intent on doing at the moment) I'll likely go back to feeling suicidal because of the unbearable anxiety that follows a sleepless night, or an alcoholic as red wine is the only thing that can override the anxiety once it kicks in.

No. I tried it a few nights ago. Bad night.

Ngb - no idea where that came from!

Audiobooks work for me - Dan Jones reading to me about the history of medieval Europe, the Plantagenets and the Wars of the Roses works particularly well, but anything about that period of history, up to the Tudors works too.

Have you tried melatonin? I know its such a generic suggestion for insomnia but it truly does help me. I take 10mg a night.

Agree this works but doesn't 'knock you out'. Has heavy hangover effect upon waking for me.

I have been I'm on mirtazapine which is supposed to help with sleep. But after my daughter had been in hospital a few times and me having to sleep on a recliner chair. As well as having a pinched nerve in my neck and pain in my shoulder and arm it wasn't effective.

So I now take kalms as well as hemp oil from Holland and Barrett and Twinnings sleep. I eventually started to sleep again Which I take a coupe of hour's before bed but leave a gap between taking each one.

Getting out for a walk in the fresh air every day also helps. Even if I feel exhausted I feel a whole lot better getting out for a walk.

Agree on the walking. I try every day, doesn;t always work but if I do a long walk (5 miles) I always sleep better. Not perfect, but better.

Yep, every night. Although my friend tried some and it didn't help her. Which surprised me as for me it works a treat. Proper deep sleep. I do sleep without out but it's very shallow sleep that I keep waking up from. With this stuff I'm out cold. I've been taking it every night for around a year now.

I used to use nytol after my night shifts to reset. Now I am on HRT, take my Mirtazapine and don't drink alcohol at all. I also use a magnesium spray which helps. If I have the odd night of laying awake desperately trying to shut my mind up, I get up and make a redbush tea and watch TV until I feel sleepy and go back to bed.
Long term insomnia must be unbearable. I did try phenegen as well but felt so knocked off the next day it really was not worth it.

@Fladdermus what is it you take please and where do you buy it from?

I use this one, which won't be much help as I'm not in the UK. But when the shop didn't have any I bought another, which was even worse to take but still worked. I prefer this one as it tastes awful but once it's down it's done. The other one had a lingering after taste..

www.svenskhalsokost.se/narokallan-prebiomax?gclid=Cj0KCQiA9YugBhCZARIsAACXxeJTE0pZXjMrmP-9Jb2NL2uMPLb6zoASuTT4LxYQ7uBGUujB9N5GupYaAhkKEALw_wcB

I'm told the main thing to check if you're buying prebiotics is that it contains inulin as that is the stuff that makes the bacteria in your gut produce the hormone that induces sleep.

I found this one for you all on Amazon UK. Which is has the same primary ingredient as the stuff I use, agave inulin.

www.amazon.co.uk/Golden-Greens-Organic-Prebiotic-Inulin/dp/B01FK1U0PS/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=prebiotics&qid=1677965008&sr=8-5

No idea why my above post got hidden until mnhq can check it, was just recommending to another poster where you can buy melatonin from in the uk (nothing seedy I swear 🤣)

Here's the documentary on sleep that I learnt about prebiotics from. It's the BBC's Truth About Sleep but it's no longer available on their website. The results of the various interventions and the talk about prebiotics starts around 49 minutes. The other stuff is also helpful. Like eating kiwi fruit, I found that worked too. I also found that I was allergic to kiwi fruit so it stopped being helpful pretty quickly.

Maybe because melatonin is only available on prescription in the UK?

I’ve had insomnia for as long as I can remember. Alcohol doesn’t help and it usually makes it worse for the next few days after

The nhs has approved this drug so I’m hoping to try that. Doesn’t seem to cause side effects or addiction

www.docwirenews.com/docwire-pick/daridorexant-for-insomnia-long-term-findings/amp/

Well my plan was an abject failure.

In bed by 9, nausea and head spinning meant sleep was not coming any time soon. Must have though, then I Woke twice for a pee. Then again for water. Woke at 6 with a thumping headache. Feel dreadful and anticipate a useless day.

I'm so fed up with just not sleeping but wine is not the answer

You folks have listed many options on this thread, thank you. I'm going to try them all.