Insomnia help?

[Jolleigh]

I've never been officially diagnosed with insomnia but have previously been to a GP trying to get help. The result was always the same...improve my sleep hygiene.

I've of course tried this. It doesn't seem to work for me. Once I'm asleep, I'm fine but getting to sleep is a nightmare. For example, I started trying to sleep at 9pm...and here I am at 3am, body exhausted.

It isn't a constant thing. I go through periods of weeks or months like this then am fine for a while. Even during good periods, I don't need the usual 8 hours.

But I'm a week into the latest wave. I'm a single mum to a teething 7 month old and I get little help caring for her...I really need to be getting more sleep than this.

If you have suffered from insomnia, how did you get the GP to take it seriously?

Do the usual thing, get ready for bed, make sure your feet are warm, nice milky drink, no watching anything disturbing on the TV before you go to sleep. Then listen to a meditation tape using earphones on your Ipad, downloaded from Guildford Audio Meditation.
You are pent up and anxious. Almost all new Mothers are.
Try lying in bed listening to Radio Four extra with one ear phone in. I think that will put you to sleep.
If you still can't sleep your GP needs to give you a mild sleeping med. You will not be able to breast feed on meds but it is not the end of the world. It is much better if your DC has a Mother who is well.
Inability to sleep is one of the first signs of depression.