INSOMNIA SUFFERERS Please help me! I am exhausted beyond belief

[cruisemum1]

What do you do when you cannot sleep to get back to sleep. I am like the living dead. It is the pits. Cannot write more now as have to tend to toddler. Please help. I cannot cope

Insomnia sucks doesn't it? I've suffered for about 10 years, on and off and it's the pits. have you been to your GP? There may be some other underlying reasons why you are having trouble sleeping.

ineedmorechoc - i absolutely hate it. i have to do something before i crack up! i wade through my days in a haze and cannot remember tihngs that happened because i am so tired . it is defo stress related because when i wake at night (frequently) i feel anxious (heart beating fast, adrenalin rush etc.) It has to stop, I have to find a solution because i cannot cope like this

God you poor thing. Have you suffered from it in the past? Mine started when I was writing my dissertation at uni, and I've suffered on and off since. Are you pregnant or breastfeeding at the moment? There are lots of over-the-counter sleep aids available in the short-term before you get to see your GP, if you're not pregnant or breastfeeding.

They weren't miracle workers, by any means, but they do allow you to get back to sleep if you're woken in the night by your DC.

There's loads of advice I could give, but don't know how much you've tried or gone over and I don't want to sound patronising....

I get it on and off. It sucks.
Was told by GP to imagine a black board with a white dot on it and focus on this nad to try not to think of anything else. Found it tricky at first, but I do this now when I need to clear my mind.

Have you tried things like Kalms? I take 3 before I go to bed and these sometimes work for me. I also use Boots own Nytol, that sometimes helps.

There are some nights when I know i just can't sleep nad I have to ride it out. When i'm particularly stressed about work usually. Hva e sleeping tablets too, but I only use these for desperate times when am absolutely exhausted and close to brakedown as I know they are very addictive.

Hope you get some quality sleep soon. Good luck.

thank hyou bvoth. will read your posts proerly after i have done my ironing! feel like crap - thank for responses. I will try anything.

You poor thing. I'm a sufferer - have had it really bad in the past, to the point where I would finally get to sleep at about 5.30 and have to stagger into work like a zombie. Also had it like that when DS was young, and used to dread being in sole of charge of a baby when crazy with so little sleep.

Things I have found helpful:

A prescription for temazepam for occasional use. Sometimes you can get yourself out of a run of insomniac nights by going to bed at about 9.30pm, taking a tablet and getting a decent nights sleep. Obviously you can't do this if you have an infant unless there is someone else available to be on duty during the night.

Get a relaxation tape/hynotherapy tape. Paul Mckenna or Glenn Harrold (I think that is his name) do good ones.

Eat soporific foods as a supper snack - oats, bananas, warm milk.

Try a regime of going to bed at exactly the same time and getting up at exactly the same time everyday. Make your bed a relaxing and enticing place, nice clean sheets and comfy pillows, cool room warm bed, tidy room etc.

Don't read in bed or do anything else - bed is for sleeping and sex only (or BF if you've a little baby). Once you go to bed, if you're asleep within 30 mins, get up and do something boring like filing, paying bills, tidying etc. No watching TV, no reading etc. If you are hungry have a snack. Anything which is not rewarding you for staying up. When you feel tired again, go to bed. Do the same thing over and over until you fall asleep.

Sometimes if you're playing thoughts through your head over and over getting up and writing them all down can help.

Self hypnosis techniques of relaxing each body part can help.

In my experience insomnia is a habit, or becomes a habit, so it should be possible to conquer it by teaching yourself new habits.

Failing all else I have been known to wander down to the kitchen at 4.30am and make a hot toddy of a shot of Irish whiskey, hot milk and brown sugar. Not great but at least it knocks me out when I am totally desperate.

Sorry if you know all of this but was just brainstorming.

Good luck.

i second otterchoc.

i have some temazepam for when it just gets too much for days running and i can't break the jag by another other means.

i take one (10mg) and if it gets me off then great, if it doesn't after an hour or so i take another and that alwways does the trick.

That should have read if you're not asleep within 30 mins

I too am a suffer and would echo everything that was said.

I would also like to add lavender is soothing and can sometimes help.

I often write a to do list last thing at night and keep a pad by my bed in case thoughts are keeping me up.

I have to get up rather than stay in bed awake and make myself a warm milk and then do some ironing (or mnetting) and then try going back to sleep.

Traditional sleeping tablets dont work for me, so I take Quetiapine and it really helps, although I may need it for life (but as long as I am not the crazed zombie I was I really dont care). I am the odd person that needs extra sedation etc in hospital

I agree with everything that's been said, tho I find reading helps me get back off (unless it's one of those books you can't put down). Having a big 'wind down' session where you prepare yourself for sleep can help (no TV, internet, anything and just listen to music with no lights on. Minimum time of 30 mins I'd say.

I also have on my digital radio listening to a station called 'birdsong' (my hubby has FINALLY gotten used to it after taking the piss for a couple of months because it sounds as though your camping outside). I put it on 60 mins 'sleep' function so it turns off. If I'm not asleep by the time it turns off then I get up, go downstairs again, have a milky hot chocolate and then try again.

I also have an ear mask for nights when it's really bad (Sanctuary do one with lavender in it to help you relax - in Boots about a tenner). Even if you take it off as you're drifting off, it can really help.

Sorry if I'm waffling....

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thank you all! these are really helpful. I have soem valerian root sleeping capsules which i have not taken as yet but i may do the milky drink thing and then have a couple before bed. gotta go now as dd, dh and ds are back from park. More later Thank you soooo much

Another insomnia sufferer here - not too bad at the moment, but there are some great ideas here which I will definitely be using in the future.

poor you cruisemum1

I have nothing to add really, just know how you feel

do you get to sleep initially? I,m usually asleep within 5 mins of going to bed, but staying asleep is another matter..........

Also - earplugs. Foam squishy ones.

Oh glad I found this thread - I've been suffering from insomnia for the last few weeks - doesn't matter how knackered I am when I go to bed, as soon as I get to bed I'm wide awake and spend hours tossing and turning. I've been taking Natracalm (valerian and hops) which can make a bit of a difference but it's a misery, isn't it? I just dread going to bed now - stops becoming a thing to look forward to.

In my case I suspect it's underlying stress (DP's job looking a bit dicey, and I only work v part-time), so hope it might clear up once that's all settled one way or another.

One thing that I do find can help is to do half an hour of yoga before bed - shoulderstands in particular can help with sleep (really).

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christiana - that sounds hideous - like a form of torture . I will have to think of a reason ont to do it - you have one already . Thanks though...

lets hope we all get some qu\lity sleep soon

Most soporific food is a large baked potato. My mother says soldiers were given potatoes in WW1 as a soporific - not sure if thsi is true....

One of the things which keeps people awake apparently is although you are in the dark your eyes still move beneath your lids and this encourages the brain to remain active and thinking. What you are supposed to do to combat this is to "look" down as if you were looking at your belly button. Apparently it stops the eye movements and thus calms the brain. I only heard this a week or so ago and have only rememberred to try it once but it seemed to help a bit.

What I usually do is the 4-7-8 breathing relaxation exercise - tongue tip on the ridge behind your teeth, close mouth, breathe in through your nose for a count of four, hold for a count of seven and then breathe out through your mouth making a gentle wooshing soundd for a count of 8. Do a cycle of four and repeat after a few minutes if necessary. If you do it too often before you get used to it you may feel dizzy. This works well during the day if feeling anxious as well.

yes, breathing exercises v good

I suffered on and off from insomnia for nearly 20 years. It's horrible.

The only thing that helped me was a form of self-hypnosis (focussing and breathing)

And now I have children I can't get enough sleep.

If it got really bad my GP would put me medication for about 6 weeks. Good luck, I hope you find a way

I'm also a sufferer - it's definitely tied in with anxiety in my case (always worse when I have a work deadline looming and/or a sick dc). I have found a (hot) bath last thing in the evening really helps, together with a liberal sprinkling of lavender oil on the pillow and some earplugs. I use the mouldable wax ones, as they are the only ones that really block the noise sufficiently (although I still always wake up if dcs squeak - I think I sense them rather than hear them sometimes). I have also been re-evaluating my priorities in life to reduce stress/anxiety and this has helped a great deal.

I've always suffered on and off.I think the christiana idea would definitely work but it's drastic. I often find if I force myself to stay up reading, because I really want to finish something, I fall asleep.

A lot of exercise and fresh air in the day really helps. Otherwise the occasional sleeping pill rocks! Good luck.