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Original poster

Insomnia!- a week to fix it.- Best tips!

15 replies

Boxshibe · 28/04/2023 04:03

I've been wide awake for the last 2 hours. Fell asleep about 930. This is a common occurrence. I'm currently away for work so was hoping for a good night's sleep. Sitting here in a premierinn feeling annoyed.
What gets you to sleep/ staying asleep?
I'm off for the next week, so dds at school dh at work should be able to relax and try and fix my sleep. HELP!

OP posts:
Appalonia · 28/04/2023 04:16

Nytol?

Original poster
Boxshibe · 28/04/2023 04:45

Haven't tried that for years. Will try again thanks

OP posts:
PotKettel · 28/04/2023 04:55

9.30pm is too early for an adult bedtime unless you are doing a heavy physical job. Try and stay up until 11pm.

i struggle with insomnia too. But two days ago I worked a long day (8am to midnight with a two hour break in the evening) and I slept midnight to 6am so was happy

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Amore2023 · 28/04/2023 04:57

I am the same right now! It’s really annoying. I read a book called ‘The Promise of Sleep’ which was really interesting. 9.30pm might be too early for you to go to bed.
i think on your week off, work out how much sleep you need optimally, then work on sleep hygiene practices to encourage it.
i usually sleep pretty well but have some things on my mind.
i have been advised that if I wake up in middle of night and can’t go back to sleep after about 20 mins to get up, move away from bedroom and di sth else for a bit (not stimulating) until sleepy and then go back to bed. I should be doing this right now but worried about asking whole house up and you can’t do that right now in Premier INn! MN is too stimulating for me but can’t help it!!

Also have used Calm app in past which did work to get me back to sleep. All the best.

Amore2023 · 28/04/2023 04:59

Sorry for the typos. Obviously need to sleep. 🤣

Original poster
Boxshibe · 28/04/2023 05:02

The problem is I'm awake from 3 so 930 feels really late then I'm awake again at 3. I've told dh not to let me go to bed till 11 tonight.
I have my own room so except for the dogs I have peace and quiet. It's so frustrating . though when stressed at work I can get loads done between 3-7.
Somehow I'd rather do early morning work than night time work. Laptop gets switched off at 5 but often on at 3/4 am to do work!

OP posts:
IWillBeWaxingAnOwl · 28/04/2023 05:23

The sleepio app is an evidence based CBT for insomnia approach that you can get for free via GPs. 6 sessions at one a week I rhink. For a while in covid it was free all the time, worth checking if that's still the case.

Minxyjinx · 28/04/2023 05:29

An eyemask with built in speakers and the ‘nothing much happens’ podcast on spotify worked wonders for me. I set a timer so it only plays for 45 mins, im normally asleep within minutes now, and on the rare occasion i wake up in the night i just pop it back on. The other podcast i use is the sleepy bookshelf, the pride and prejudice one is great.

CherryMaple · 28/04/2023 05:47

Magnesium

PresidentWilson · 28/04/2023 06:15

Podcasts. Usually political ones. I do find them interesting by day, but at night find they preoccupy my brain enough to stop worrying about the fact I'm awake, without being exciting or noisy enough to wake me back up when I drop off. So much better than looking at phone as lets me keep eyes closed and rest my body even if awake for a while. Most of the time I fall back asleep quite quickly. Only downside is constantly losing AirPods in the bed!

Cocteautriplet · 28/04/2023 06:18

Melatonin?

Heroicallyfound · 28/04/2023 06:22

No caffeine after noon (it has a 4 hour half life so if you drink coffee at 12 noon it isn’t out of your system until after 8pm)

No screens/blue light 2 hours before bed

Exercise and keep hydrated during the day

Get outside at lunch - the daylight in your eyes makes you sleepy at night.

Aintshesweet · 28/04/2023 06:51

You could try accepting that you will wake up, it was common before modern inventions for two sleeps.

if you accept you’ll wake, you might feel more relaxed and the second sleep will overcome you?

The forgotten medieval habit of 'two sleeps'

For millennia, people slept in two shifts – once in the evening, and once in the morning. But why? And how did the habit disappear?

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220107-the-lost-medieval-habit-of-biphasic-sleep

CanYouSeeMeNow · 28/04/2023 07:30

Agree with pp. Magnesium tablets?

lilsupersparks · 28/04/2023 07:31

so you slept from 9-3? That’s a great chunk! What time do you get up? 3 is a bit of a weird time to get up, but I would consider it morning after more than 5 hours sleep. I’d just get up and get on with your day at that stage.

When I have insomnia I don’t get to sleep until 4/5am and my alarm goes off at 6. I know I haven’t slept as I jump out of bed bright and breezy because I haven’t even been asleep 😂

I struggle with any techniques - I can put myself into a meditative state with guided meditation but it’s not sleep.

I used to have this for days on end and it was an absolute nightmare. Especially when I had babies waking in the night too. I found it massively stressful.

As I said, I haven’t cured the insomnia, but I changed my mind set about it and that removed the steer element - so I will think to myself ‘it’s OK, you aren’t sleeping but your body is resting’ ‘you can do a day with no sleep, you’ve done it before’ and ‘when you are tired enough you will sleep. you will be tired tomorrow and you can sleep then.’

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