Insomnia help

[Thursdaydreaming]

I've had insomnia for years and its really unbearable! I feel exhausted during the day and by around 10pm, I usually feel like I'll be able to sleep. But I lie there for hours. By midnight I'm getting frustrated and by 3am I want to cry. I usually fall asleep between 3 and 5 am. I get up between 6-7am as I have a young baby.

My DH lying there sleeping peacefully makes me so jealous. He falls asleep in under five minutes.

Why can't I sleep? It's just so bloody boring lying there and I feel like absolute shit. I take sleeping pills 1-2 times per week otherwise I'd be a complete mess. But on the nights I take them, I still take 2-3 hours to fall asleep and then I'm really groggy getting up at 6 with the baby.

Who else has insomnia and how have you gotten over it, if you have.

To add to my earlier post. Something that I think has made a difference to me is taking but d and zinc supplements. I'm prone to low mood in the winter so decided to try but d and I slept really well and couldn't think of any other reason for the change in my sleep. I probably get 6 good nights in a week now

Predictive text!! Vitamin D, not but d

No-very rarely drink now-only on big nights out and never just at home in the week.

Bad for sleep: caffeine, alcohol, backlit screens
Good for sleep: F.lux on the laptop, Weleda avena sativa comp, wax earplugs, sleep noise (I like ocean waves), planning/preparation (going upstairs at least an hour before bed, stretching/yoga, low light/no backlit screens after 9pm etc).
Rather than lie awake in bed for hours, it might help to get up for 15-30 mins and read something boring or listen to the radio. When I really suffered with sleeplessness I'd go in the living room and lie on the sofa, which seemed to make it easier to drop off.
I had terrible trouble getting to sleep/staying asleep when my dose of thyroid meds was too low. I got very little light interrupted sleep which made me feel hateful.
If you're going to cut out caffeine entirely consider reducing to make the transition. If you're used to daily caffeine, withdrawal can give you an almighty headache for days.
Hope you find a solution op, it's miserable.

I used toget to sleep generally but then wake after a couple of hours and then be awake for 2/3 hours most nights.It was making me feel knackered most days.I have recently found that listening to a podcast of something interesting but not too dramatic or with too much music sends me back off.We are lucky to have a spare room I can go to if I'm feeling really restless,or DH is snoring too much.Or if I don't feel like moving I listen through headphones.I think now I relax because I associate a podcast with soothing and sleep.That and a spritz of REN sleep spray.
Also no caffeine after 3pm.And limit myself to two coffees before then.Drink a lot more water.It has made a huge difference.

This is a good trick snuggle. This is what it comes down to, getting the brain to associate bed with relaxing. Listening to music doesn't work well for me, reading does and always has although it diesnt stop me waking up a few minutes after falling asleep. Sometimes I go through the routine 4 or 5 times, read-eyes close-drifting to sleep-eyes opening suddenly feeling wide awake-reading-eyes closing on and on...

I rely do believe that mindfulness is the way to go. I've just found out that there is a nhs 8 weeks course about to start where I live and I can self referred so will definitely sign up to it.

I cant listen to anything usually in bed. I will lie there either awake or in a weird half sleep all night.
Saying that, I have fallen asleep in front of the telly before.

Most nights these days I just blitz myself to sleep and get a bit stoned. I am not a natural stoner as I dont actually enjoy it recreationally, but to get me off to sleep, a light indica edible works where all other strategies have failed. I think this should be counted as a medical use.

Hi Op,

I have been a chronic insomniac for years. I am five days into a juice fast and can honestly say that this is the only thing that has made any real difference. I can sleep! And I have tried EVERYTHING. It seems to reboot your system. Have a google...

Best of luck

Good suggestions and especially from 9.

You can try resetting your own circadian rhythm through light, activity and water which helps your own melatonin.

Dawn simulators are useless with a toddler but trying to get bright light first thing in the am is really useful so either go outside or try a sad lamp (lumie are good and often have reconditioned ones).

Being outside as much as humanly possible from as early as possible to get natural daylight and then really cut back on blue light and screens in the eve, including led light bulbs. Modern energy saving ones are actually a bit too bright l believe.

There's a crazy but clever guy who has spent his life researching cold habituation therapy (wimhoff method) but it actually has some good evidence for helping your circadian rhythm- so end showers with as much cold as you can cope with, build up to trying a full cold shower and even cold sea swimming!

An article last week said that two warm baths in the afternoon a week helps with depression by resetting the circadian rhythm.

Google food too - iirc eating breakfast at a regular time eg 7 am helps to start the day and timing of last meal is important; some types of good also helpful (turkey I think? Porridge oats supposed to be sleep inducing for supper.)

I do have one tea first thing and sometimes a weak coffee or tea in the middle of the day but no later than that. I believe no caffeine is best.

Apparently a weekend wild camping can re set your circadian rhythm really weeks too for all the same reasons, light, cold, fresh air (possibly cold water swimming!)

Headspace app now have some really good sleep things on it too.

www.theguardian.com/society/shortcuts/2018/oct/23/why-a-daily-bath-helps-beat-depression-and-how-to-have-a-good-one

A week of camping sorry!

www.nhs.uk/news/lifestyle-and-exercise/could-a-week-of-camping-reset-your-body-clock/

Re melatonin - unlikely your Gp would prescribe or even be able to prescribe (might not be in formulary where you are). Where I am it’s specialist only and off license for children with particular neurodevelopmental conditions or for older adults with dementia. Think in America it’s classed as food rather than drug and sold more as a supplement so less regulated than it is here.

I know that’s probably not hugely helpful - but just in case you do see your Gp to discuss and they seem like they’re being obstructive!

Totally emphasise OP. Have suffered from insomnia for the past 6 years and it has had such a negative affect on me - relationships, work etc

Also have a toddler and a 3 month old. Normally one sleeps ok and then the other doesn't.

I have no problem getting asleep but do staying asleep.

Have attended a couple of sleep clinics who do CBT and sleep hygiene but really found the programme hard to follow. It's about quality and not quantity of sleep so for me they wanted me to stay up until 12pm even though I get up at 6am and if you wake in the night you need to get up. This was something I couldn't do

Can't really follow it now with two babies but I feel your pain. Think it's one of the cruelest things to go through.

My DH just nods off within minutes.

Can't get melatonin in ireland either but I have been meaning to check it out.

Also take phenergan antihistamine which sometimes help.