Any advice on night-time wakings and inability to fall back asleep? (me not DD)

[FeelingLucky]

Hi
I've always suffered from insomnia, up until when DD was born then I never had any problems getting back to sleep after a feed. Stopped breastfeeding in the new year and the sleep problem has returned with a vengeance.
I'm basically knackered and fall asleep as normal. Then I'll wake at 5pm ish and won't be able to sleep again. Things took a turn last night when I woke at 2am and couldn't fall back to sleep.
In the past, sleep problems have been sorted with a pill, but that was when I had trouble nodding off, which isn;t the case now.
Any advice from any other sufferers?

Paul McKenna's new sleep book did it for me

The Paul McKenna book worked for my DH also

I found that the Paul McKenna's weight loss book use to send me fast asleep and DH use to take the headphones off and i'd sleep through till morning. It's about 20 minutes of very soothing talking.

I haven't tried the sleep book but have heard it's good.

Have you tried any sort of visualisation techniques?

Basically, you need to stop your mind from going on and on "I should be asleep, I must go to sleep soon or I'll be knackered in the morning" etc.

So one thing I've done quite successfully is to think of a day that you remember as being really happy, and try and remember it in as much detail as possible - what time you got up, what the view was from the window, the weather, what you had from breakfast, what it tasted like, what you wore, what you did, the conversation you had etc.

Its a nice distraction technique. Choose a day from some time ago, months or even years.

If you a really struggling lying in bed, get up, get a hot drink, read something not too compelling then go back to bed.

I've really struggled with this since having children. The thing that (eventually) works for me is to go through the alphabet thinking of something beginning with each letter but on a theme - makes of car, fruit and veg, places I've been to, capital cities etc. Sounds childish and more than a little odd, but it works for me (and distracts me from lying there getting annoyed about being awake).

Temazepam sorted me out.

Like you I didn't have trouble dropping off but had horrendous problems with night waking (I have been there, waking at 2 and 3 am, and almost drove myself crazy. Also, like you, it was when I stopped breast feeding during the night).

However, I still used temazepam. I just took half a tablet when I woke during the night.

I am 95% better now and would not hesitate to use them again if I had regular insomnia.

I've had insomnia on and off for years too - horrid isn't it. What has worked (sometimes) for me:

• tensing and relaxing every muscle in your body, starting with feet, working up through legs etc.

• visualising my dream house, room by room

-listen to yourself breathing and work on getting it as regular as possible

• changing beds - sounds weird but if I went into the spare room or even sofa I would fall asleep instantly.

Thanks for all the advice.
I do have some temazepan but have never taken them for middle of night wakings. Might try half if I'm desperate.

Will also try all these visualisation techniques, though I'd imagine that visualising my dream home would only get me excited and overstimulated

I don't know whether it might be worth looking at your diet and seeing what you eat and whether certain foods might make it easier to sleep etc.

It was just a thought and don't know whether it would help or not. I know my DS couldn't' sleep some nights and it was always when we'd had tomato during the evening meal. Once stopped it was fine.

I have also suffered from insomnia in the past and have periodically had this same problem with DSs night feeds. Oddly, and as an insomniac I would have snorted if anyone said this might make a difference, for me it seems to have been linked to being too hot in bed. I'm wearing less in bed now and falling back to sleep much easier. Also drinking camomile or sleepytime tea all evening. And doing 'pretend asleep' breathing - faking being asleep seems to help me fall asleep.

I have had similar problems sleeping - especially after a death in the family. I used to wake up at 2 or 3. I started putting the radio on - usually to Radio 4 or 5 Live - somewhere where they are having discussions - not a music channel. I lie there listening to the radio and the next thing I am off to sleep. It worked for me and I still do this from time to time. I think sometimes I was getting annoyed because I wasnt sleeping and this was making me worse. If it persists see your GP. Hope you get sorted.

I tried a herbal tablet called Valerian which helped me to sleep but didn't make me feel rough in the morning.
It will probably be o.k to take it in the middle of the night, though not tried that myself.

I count - it usually works. If I really can't sleep I change beds and maybe read for a bit and that usually works too.

Apparantly moving to a different bed is a well researched strategy!!

Hello,
There are a few things you need to know about poor sleep. The first is that it is adviseable not to eat or drink for a good couple of hours before trying to sleep. The lower regions just send messages to the brain saying "We need to get up to pee.." or whatever. Stress, of course, acknowledged and otherwise, plays its part.

Chemical treatments are certainly NOT the answer. They just cause more problems, longterm. The one way I, and many others, have overcome this problem is with Passiflora Incarnata. Almost unknown outside a small number of real sufferers, Passiflora works in several ways. Awake, it calms and enables rational thought. Asleep, or in the throes thereof, it passifies the nervous system naturally. You start with one capsule of 300 mg and adjust as required. It is hard to find, so if you contact me I can point you to a supplier. It costs £5 per 25 from my source.

I have same problem which recurrs either when I am anxious or when I've had a particularly stimulating day or evening.
I drop off easily but wake up about 1am and can be awake for 5 hours.
I use a lot of the strategies mentioned here.
The alphabet game.
Design a dream house, no limitations on cost or feasability. ( I'm currently on the bedroom which has a sea view from one window and a virtual mountain on one wall)
Change beds, this definitely helps.
Meditation - make an effort to empty your mind and concentrate on relaxing every inch of your body working out from finger tips.
The problem with sedatives is that you don't need them at bedtime and if you take them in the night you will be groggy next day.

My sister has exactly the same problem and it's definately stress related.

Vitamin B-complex (which is great anti-stress remedy) and/or Magnesium help, valerian OK too.
Instead of changing beds, you can simply try turning over the duvet, this has a cooling effect & helps to snuggle back to sleep again.

magnesium is a supplement which relaxes All muscles including the brain [which is a muscle]
try any oxidized magnesium or magnesium with vitamin b6, but basicaly no added anything
for example oxy powder, magnesium p5p, viridian magnesium
they all work
thay will relax the muscles and we will fall asleep but you might need a theraputic dose rather than what the bottle says
also opium [homeopathy]10m ont you need to see a homeopathist