Songs in head constantly and can't sleep

[sonoonetoldyoulifewasgonnabethisway]

Literally that. I am sat falling asleep at my desk, I am about to go for a break and don't know if I have the energy to walk down to the canteen. I have literally not slept a full night for months and months. Some nights it feels like it takes an age to fall asleep. I wake up between 12-4 every night and ive got songs in my head and I can't seem to switch them off. Not sure what wakes me up, I think i'm a light sleeper and hear noise or DH moving or going to the loo. Sometimes its a bad dream, I don't know. I don't even know what I would say to a GP? I don't think sleeping tablets would help because it more when I wake up in the middle of the night I can sometimes lay awake for 2 hours, I feel like I maybe had a full hour last night.

Last night it was Queen, followed by some Pink and finished off with some Teddy Swims - and it's just repeating the same parts of the songs. Does anyone else suffer with this and any suggestions please I beg you. I do try and read before bed to switch off but if I come across a line in the book which is also part of a song, that's the song i'm going to wake up to.

AIBU to need a full nights sleep, at least one. If i was only waking for a minute in the night I think I could cope with that but its the endless hours and now i feel punch drunk

This happens to me sometimes. I have found that singing/ listening to the end of the song can help get rid of it- it’s not a perfect solution but it helps my brain accept that the song has ended and I find that this can be a way to get it to stop.

I have had this all my life as did my dad and his mother before him. If its not a line from a song over and over for about 2 weeks its a phrase. Last week it was 'Pieces of Eight' !!Drives me demented at times . Im not stressed either so its just the way my brain is wired

I have been referred for ADHD assessment, Im 48, I have struggled for years with impulsivity, anxiety, procrastination, sometimes I can't bring myself to do things - like I can't physically move, I struggles in school and for years in work with concentration, off daydreaming in my own mind, I can have a full conversation and not take any of it in, same as reading a page of a book, sometimes I have to reread. I am intelligent and do well at work but I don't know how, I am better under pressure when I have a deadline, stuff like that

Came on to recommend Nothing Much Happens. Just enough story to make you listen, not enough to keep you awake.

OP do try listening, it's specifically designed to stop brain noise and help you get off to/back to sleep. Plus as has been said, Kathryn Nikolai's voice is wonderful.

I get the songs thing sometimes - usually songs I absolutely hate to the core like that Dance Monkey one or Lola Young. I find it often precedes when I'm about to get ill with a cold or something.

Stress could potentially do it as well - possibly caused by the self-fulfilling prophecy of thinking "I'm not going to sleep again tonight", then worrying, then not sleeping and thinking "Hope I don't get a song stuck in my head", then getting a song stuck in my head, not sleeping, and repeat.

I find white noise (ocean waves) from Spotify on my phone speaker works quite well most of the time, but it's not a silver bullet!

I was going to say this. Audiobooks (even if you’re not listening to them) are my go to every night to fall asleep to, and if I wake up in the night and can’t fall asleep.

Ear plugs have changed my sleep too.

I’ve got one of those eye mask headphones, pop the ear plugs in, put eye mask headphones in, audiobook on (can still hear through earplugs) and off to sleep I go.

I’ve always got songs in my head - until recently, I thought everyone did. If it’s a really random earworm, I find it’s often ‘trying to tell me something’, some kind of subliminal brain fart. One of my most memorable ones was waking with the first line of Ian Dury, ‘Plaistow Patrica’ in my head. Over and over. If it’s a really persistent one, I’ll listen to the whole song, look at the lyrics and see if there’s some meaning in there for me. Or force another song into my head.

I may have overthought the constant earworms.

For insomnia, I have the Calm app and it’s revolutionised my nights (and daytime naps). I have one of the soundscapes to fall asleep to, and stories for when it’s really bad. There are even some things called ‘fall back to sleep’ or something.

Do you recommend the medication? What about the side effects?

I have ADHD, it’s called echolalia. Definitely part of the condition, though waking up in the night is rare. I have done a few times when I’ve had the songs permanently on repeat during the day, and they’re quite catchy. I won’t tell you which songs as they’ll end up in your head too.

I replied above about sleep mask and seconding everyone saying audiobook, but wanted to add from a quieting the ADHD mind at bedtime pov, l-theanine and magnesium glycinate have helped me so much at bedtime and with my sleep. (But obviously check with dr for med interactions etc first.)

Have you tried eating a sleep friendly snack before bed? I found when I’d eat with toddler/baby at 5pm on weekends or on holiday or mat leave then go to bed 10.30/11pm my cortisol would rise. I wouldn’t feel hungry. Just really really alert. Peanut butter on a rice cracker, avocado, Greek yogurt… all really good pre bed snacks.

Songs are playing in my head day and night. I also wake up several times during the night, each time with a song at the forefront of my mind. I wish I understand why. Sometimes it's a song I can't remember the title of or artist so I have to Google it.