INSOMNIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WITH A 8.5 DS , ME - NOT HIM! - HELP!

[frumpyfred]

Have tried lavender oil baths , burning lavender in room , chamomile tea , valerina (herbal supplement) , wine or any alcohol will knock me out but as we know that is not real sleep and i would only wake after 4hours totally dehydrated and awake for 2/3 hours , any other suggestions?

Tips for good night's sleep:

Plenty of exercise during the day, including something that gets you out of breath for half an hour or so

same bedtime every night

No tv or computer for an hour before bed

same getting up time every morning

sex with, well, with any one really. No, I'll be more specific than that: orgasm.

If not sex, then massage or cuddle

Eating nothing for at least a couple of hours before bed

(No advice about fluids, except agree with you about alcohol.)

I sympathise with you frumpyfred.
Just before dd2 was born i had developed insomnia and i was so exhausted and it continued after she was born by which point i was so tired i was developing 'crawling' sensations all over my body.Eventually my gp prescribed valium and zopiclone on a short term basis,which was enough to get my bodyclock sorted.
It is so awful to be unable to sleep and to lie in bed thinking of everyone else sleeping and then you get more and more anxious that you wont sleep.
Have you been to see your gp?

have you tried moving your bedroom furniture around, or sleeping in another room for a night or so? Sounds daft I know, but works for me! I tend to get a bout of nightmares every so often that affect my sleep and the only thing that works is to move the furniture, or even swapping sides with my dh.

Funny you should say that, Issy; my ds suddenly slept a lot better after I moved furniture around in his room.

Diazepam.

See your GP.

Hot milk is supposed to help, didn't wirk for me however but my body thinks 5hrs sleep is fab!

That'd be work!

yeah , thanks for those ideas , i do get out once/twice a day and dont drive so its all walking , will go a bit faster! ,not been to gp yet , she is a bit crap , took myself off anti-depressants 2mths ago and dont really want to go on any other chemicals , slept a bit better last night , just woke every 2hrs , but went straight back off apart from one hour stint - pretty amazing for me! was advised 2 take the 4 valerinas throughout the day rather than all before bed

Have you tried dancing (for exercise that is?) Perhaps ds will dance with you if he gets to choose the music, and none of his friends are watching!

I have had dreadful insomnia, and was eventually sent to sleep clinic. This is what they said.

No tea, coffe, choc coke after 2.00pm
No sex at night (wakes women up, but sends men to sleep).

No exercise after 2 pm

Go to bed when you feel tired. When you wake up, if you are awake for longer than 20 m ins, get up, go to another room, and do something mentally unchallenging like reading a light novel. Go back to bed when you feel sleepy. Repeat all night if needed. Get up at same time every day.

Make room pitch black, and do not look at clock.

This is meant to reset your sleep patterns naturally.

Didn't work for me though!. I take low dose ad which makes me sleep. Gave up worrying about chemical cosh years ago. I thought prolonged insomnia would cause more harm than taking medication.

Quality of life much much better now.

Perhaps dh and I have swapped sexes - it wakes him up and sends me to sleep!

I thought ALL men fell asleep straight after sex!

It should have been no exercise after 4.00pm
BTW

You've tried a large sample, have you FB??!!

Alas no! Just what they told me at hosp....

BTW I have just realised from another thread that your dc is 8 months not 8 years Frumpyfred. Do I guess correctly that you are not bf? Bf promotes sleep in the mother by use of hormone Relaxin.

How's the sleep situation now Ff?