I am missing 3 -4hrs sleep a night every night and it's getting me down.

[FenellaBestwick]

I'm in a new job which has required a massive amount of new learning and try as I might, I can't switch off at night. I toss and turn for hours on end and never get the restorative sleep I need. It's really getting me down and it makes me look haggard too. I often take paracetamol to make my body stop buzzing (which down-regulates the buzzing a bit but doesn't stop it). I was already a meditator, so I do this and practise breathing techniques but it's no good, I lie awake for hours on end. My job has me active on my feet all day, so I'm super tired come bed time. What can I do?

Magnesium, or Nytol (or any OTC sleeping tablet).

Military sleep method worked for me last year when I couldn't sleep. Write down all your worries on a journal, no screen time for an hour before bed. Bath with lavender, pillow spray, read before bed - I use my kindle in the dark with lights off and the screen turned really low (there's no blue light) till I can't keep my eyes open any longer. Failing that, maybe go see the doctor or try some nightol? Nightol didn't work for me. I'm not up cause I can't sleep, just an early rise today.

I work in a police control room and REALLY struggled with switching off for the first few months. Work is chaotic, very stressful, lots of adrenaline and you're listening to/talking on a busy police radio channel all day/night. I'd get home and my head would be buzzing for hours and when I did get to sleep, I'd hear the cops on the radio in my sleep and dream about work and incidents all the time.

I didn't find any solution except time for me, becoming more comfortable in the role and learning to tune it all out and switch gear completely and switch off on the way home. I'm sorry I don't have a better suggestion!

You may have tried this already, but I find audiobooks great for getting to sleep if I'm a bit frazzled. The story keeps my brain engaged enough to stop thinking about other stuff, and as long as I pick something undemanding/low stakes I'll usually fall asleep within a few minutes.

This sounds counterproductive but - exercise! I read somewhere that when your job is super stressful you can’t just stop and expect your body and mind to switch off, you need to get rid of all that mental energy/adrenaline so they say to do 30 minutes of something intense like skipping or a HIIT workout. If you don’t want to exercise then I think I read that you could play chess or do sudoku or something. I think the idea is that you’re slowly tapering it down. Let me see if I can find that article

Life long insomniac here

1. Exercise - cardio ideally early morning
2. Get up same time everyday
3. No screens in bedroom
4. Have a nighttime routine
5. Write down list before bed of anything in your head
6. Mindfulness - thought comes, label it work or household or holiday or whatever it is and every time that thought comes just gently label it. Don't fight it. Accept it.
7. Acceptance. It's ok to not sleep. Just instead rest. This has 2 outcomes. Firstly it stops you stressing and helps you be relaxed, secondly it helps you go deeper into sleep when you do sleep.
8. Yoga fucking Nidra - love this as is like sleeping and you get better with practice

I'll look up yoga nidra as I've no idea what that is. I have no difficulty falling asleep, it's just that I wake up again and then that's it for hours.