Insomnia - has anyone found any real solution? It's making me really miserable :-(

[MaisieHerbert]

I've suffered with insomnia on and off for years now. This is the worst protracted spell of it I have had for a while. It's bloody awful
I don't have any problems going to sleep but I wake up between 2 and 4am every night and sometimes just can't go back to sleep - or I eventually go back to sleep but only get an hour before the alarm goes off and wake up feeling exhausted.

I know being on my iPad isn't a good idea but gawd it is sooooo boring. I'd rather be doing something than lying fretting for hours about nothing. I don't like reading a book because I have too put the light on and that disturbs dh. I'm honestly starting to dread the nights. Is it worth asking the doctor about sleeping pills? I never have done because I worry about feeling groggy in the morning but I need to do something to break this bad patch.

Has anyone found any real solutions that help?

Erm I think it was her suggestion.

My sleep patterns went to pot during my last pregnancy over ten years ago and have never really got back to where they were (and I was always one for lying awake for an hour before I nodded off, and waking at the smallest noise).

I tried magnesium supplements. God knows how they work or if they are just a placebo, but one every couple of days does the trick. I'm still not a brilliant sleeper but I'm loads better than I was. If I do wake up, and have been awake for about an hour, and it's still the middle of the bloody night, I go and read in a hot bath and then go back to bed, and usually fall asleep till the alarm.

Part of it with insomnia is going to bed dreading staying awake, or waking up and not being able to get to sleep. Then of course when you lie there restless, or wake up and stare at the dark, you feel stressed and awful and of course you can't sleep. Part of sleeping better is breaking that vicious cycle.

I tried Andrew Johnson relaxation apps, which I discovered on another thread, and they really work for me. Sort of hypno/meditation/mindfulness and if you like his voice, it can really send you into a deep state of relaxation and then a deep sleep.

I look forward to bedtime now because of this!

I think the 'relax' one is free on app stores.

I buy Melatonin online here. I use the 3mg capsules made by Eurovital. I don't need to take it every night, but I find that if I have one bad night then I usually have at least 4 or 5 bad nights in a row and the melatonin breaks the cycle. If I have insomnia then I take a capsule that night and usually for the next night or two as well. For the OP I would recommend the time release melatonin as she doesn't have a problem falling asleep (which I do) only with staying asleep. It wasn't prescribed for me, but my DS had it prescribed to help him with his sleep (he has ASD) so I thought I would give it a go.

I've had insomnia pretty much all my life so I have pretty good sleep hygiene at this stage. I try to go to bed at the same time every night and wind down before bed. I've had to learn to shut my H down as his favourite time to bring up something stressful or critical is as I rise from my chair to get ready for bed. I don't use screens in bed, but I do read my Kindle Paperwhite.