To just want sleep.

[goingmadinthecountry]

I just can't get to sleep and am shattered. Have tried nytol, lavender oil, Bach rescue night, warm bath, no coffee after 3ish etc. I feel and look really crap and am sick of the black shadows. Stuff just goes round and round in my head. Have tried writing things down. Have never been a "good sleeper" - ideally my hours of sleep would be 1am - 9am. Sadly, this does not work with school runs and work!

I do appreciate those of you with small children will have little sympathy. I've been there - had 3 under 3 at one point with a dh working abroad.

Any ideas gratefully received - it's driving me mad!

I went to the doctor and got a short course of medication, I take one whenever I start to get anxious about sleep and my sleeping is much better. Still not great, but not the 3-4 hours I was getting when I was really worried about not sleeping. It's a vicious cycle, you worry about stuff, you don't sleep, you worry about not sleeping, you don't sleep... and so on.

The doctor can also help with advice on healthy sleep environments and good habits to have.

A daily supplement of group B vitamins helps regulate the nervous system. A supplement if valerian and passionflower may help you sleep.

I feel your pain.
My natural sleep is from midnight to 8 - I hate the obligation of early nights to accommodate early starts. Buggers up your circadian rhythms and all that.
I do use an eye mask these days so I am in total black out which helps (and I get to feel like Greta Garbo).
If all else fails half a valium breaks the cycle of insomnia - don't be afraid to ask the GP for a mild sedative/relaxant.

Actually went to sleep last night at 10ish - was so exhausted - only to be woken by phone by dh (have told him not to phone after 10 - he works away). Then couldn't get back to sleep properly - was incensed. Oh well - went out to buy vitamins and super strengh concealer.

Thanks for advice/pointers about what to take.

I'm a natural night owl and my sleep has been s**t since having dcs, used to work mainly late shifts as always felt so wide awake late at night, always have done. Natural rhythm for me is 1 til 9am and my best sleep is between 5 and 9am. Getting up at 7am after a few hours fitful sleep kills me . I've tried to re programme myself to a 10pm bedtime but just spend 2 hours getting agitated staring at the ceiling.

Work 9-5 now or 8.30-4.30 and feel awful for the first 2 hours of the day like I can't think or focus. I've tried herbal remedies and been px sleeping tablets but get such an awful hangover from both it's not worth it! The only thing that seems to work is fairly hardcore exercise followed by a couple of glasses of !! Have to be physically spent to get my head down!

Whenever I couldn't sleep I'd listen to the Paul McKenna I can make you thin cd, it worked within 5 mins! I did have genuine problems as I worked shifts so got all muddled. I don't anymore as I have an month old and never sleep but do apply some tactics. The best one is breathing deeply into your stomach not your chest, so you try and make your tummy rise and fall rather than your chest, very relaxing.

I'm prone to the same thing. Best thing I ever did was to buy a kindle and read that in bed before trying to go to sleep. I find it doesn't take me long to get really sleepy and then i can just put the kindle down, take my glasses off, turn off the bedside lamp and roll over and fall asleep (sometimes DH needs a kick or two, somewhere in the sequence because he's fallen asleep touching me!)

This time last year, I was often clock watching at 3am. More recently, I've been known to fall asleep with the kindle on my face!

Boots own brand 'sleepeaze' tablets are the only thing that works for me, they give me a full night of sleep and I wake refreshed. ooh I sound like an advert.