To ask bad/ disturbed sleepers how you sleep???

[MoneybagsIamnot]

Posting in here really for traffic I guess as I'm at my wit's end!

Woke up at 2.30 last night, after not getting to sleep til gone 11 and I just couldn't get back to sleep. This is happening more and more.

I've tried not looking at my phone for half an hour or so before bed, listening to music, herbal remedies etc. Sometimes ill manage a half decent nights sleep but more and more I'm only Managing a few hours and I can't live life the next day (I've got such a busy day ahead of me at work, I just want to cry!)

Any tips for disturbed sleep?

Sorry, meant to write, at smaller doses Trazadone is used to treat insomnia.

Diphenhydramine (Sleepeaze at Boots)
Cinnarizine (Stugeron OTC in uk)
Promethazine (Phenergan OTC in uk)

A small list of sedating antihistamines that can help short term if you find side effects of anti-D's intolerable. (Not to be taken with other medications like anti depressants or opiates as these will amplify effects and can leave you feeling pretty ill.)

I'd say poor sleep/insomnia is an extremely common disorder amongst people at some point in their life. My mum slept fantastically her entire life until menopause hit. So you are definately not alone op. Good luck and don't beat yourself up okay. There is help out there.

Try no alcohol at all - even tiny amounts affect my sleep for days.

I'd be wary of any sedating drugs to be honest. They are best used for short term insomnia, not general insomnia - almost all are addictive and have a rebound effect. Very few really knock you out either - I've tried an awful lot of them and not slept, just felt awful and wired.

Melatonin is very good, but the advice to not sit and stew is really the key, I think. That shift in mindset to 'I am resting' is crucial.

I find that it helps to tell myself that it doesn't matter if I don't sleep. I know this sounds weird, but if I pressure myself to sleep then I can't drift off. I'll work out my day ahead and tell myself I can manage if I don't sleep. We can all manage one day on no sleep. Paul McKenna's book and audio is very good. One thing he says is that you will eventually sleep and get the minimum hours, the essential hours. So if I'm having a terrible night I just go downstairs, read or watch TV, and try again later. Yes, I'm tired the next day but its better than lying awake frustrated. I agree no caffeine after lunch, I also find exercise too late is detrimental. Kalms tablets during the day, not just at night also help me.
Its a miserable existence being an insomniac and can feel like the loneliest place in the world. I have bouts that last several weeks at a time, and also have a few bad nights before my period.

I read this counting pattern on MN last year, use it every night automatically and it really works for some reason:
12345678910
22345678910
33345678910
444567....and so on until ten
Mostly I reach about 1.5 'sets' before sleep. Suddenly you get aware that your legs feel heavy and you haven't moved for ages and you're pretty much dozing. Kind of like putting your mind to sleep so it can put the rest of you to sleep
I have patchy insomnia, atm none, when I have it I just wait it out....but I recommend OTC sleeping pills containing doxylamine and herbal tea [[http://www.naturalia.fr/bio-36g-tisane-bio-mieux-dormir_5893_6_109.htm]], & also being strict with yourself about not letting your mind wander off and fix on topics that will keep you alert. Once I realised I did this it was easier to stop it.
I know herbal teas don't work for everyone but IME they are magic and the process of settling down with a cup of warm tea, winding down etc, I suppose that must be good psychologically too.
Hope your insomnia doesn't last too long OP :) Mine tend to resolve quite suddenly tho most happen the first couple of weeks or so in a new place/bed (feel like I'm constantly lugging suitcases around!) so have an identifiable trigger I guess. Even from the first night it can make you feel really hopeless, desperate, weepy, so I have a lot of sympathy!

sorry for wonky link! sleepy tea

Oh yes and I fall asleep listening to Gilmore Girls or something else I know by heart! But that contradicts advice about blue light :)

Big fan of familiar audio books on iPod - not gripping page turners. Set iPod to switch off in 30 mins , stick earphone in one ear, press play. If I wake up in the night I do the same. Never fails.

Thank you April for all your input.

To be honest, I have thought before that perhaps I could have thyroid issues but I'm not overweight, 8st and 5'3. I'll google symptoms. I really don't want to go on thyroid medication. I've seen what it does to people, 2 people close to me have been treated for under/over active thyroid and they have out on so much weight due to the mess and really struggle to get it off I'm naturally slim and have been my whole life and the thought of putting on weight horrifies me.

I'll give some suggestions in this thread a try and see where I am in a couple of weeks.

I make something up. Pretend that for some life or death reason I have to pretend to be asleep or that something is watching me but I have to pretend I don't know its there. The pretending to sleep inevitably leads to dropping off. Weird but it works.

Moneybags, being on thyroid medication will help you lose weight. Even better if it's a brand called Armour (natural dessicated thyroid) as opposed to synthetic versions. I believe that in the UK, only private GPs prescribe Armour.

Anyhow, when I first developed Hashimoto's, my weight went from the usual 8 stone 7 to 9 stone 7. I'm 5'7, but have always been really, really slim, never gained weight, and alarm bells went off, as I hadn't changed my eating habits. I also had brain fog and hair loss. I'm now at 8 stone 10, which is more in line with my weight since I was a teen. I know several people with thyroid problems, and some are slim, some are overweight. I think it's a misconception that a thyroid problem will lead everyone to gain masses of weight.

Also, you need to get your doctor to do a full thyroid panel, not just the TSH test. Most important of all, get them to test for TPO antibodies, as elevated levels indicate you have Hashimoto's, and your TSH could still be within normal range.

Trazodone is Molipaxin in the UK.

If your really struggling ask to be referred to a sleep disorder centre where they will do a detailed sleep study amongst numerous other tests and they claim to be able to solve or medicate your problem effectively. They have a brilliant unit in guys hospital.

Nytol herbal is quite good for breaking a pattern. Doesn't leave you as groggy as the chemical version.

Placemarking. Some good advice here! I tend to rely on Sominex but hate the groggy feeling the next day

Nytol. Not for every night use though.