Insomnia!!! I cant get no sleep!

[AlisonDB]

I always loved this old dance tune by Faithless until i started to get it...... Insomnia!!!

Its now 5.09am,
Ive now been wide awake for 3 hours!

For the 1st 2 hours
I tossed and turned and tossed some more, got up went to the loo, came back rearanged my pillows, lay down tossed turned huffed puffed and became fed up and annoyed that i couldnt get back to sleep,
DH has gone to the spare room as he said inwas like the wolf from 3 little pigs, With all the huffing and puffing! Lol

So now im on Mums net,
thats after listening to calming music, turning on a fan for white noise, reading a book, going to the loo again, reading BBCnews, checking FB, emails,

I know i should be tired,
and i know i have to sleep my 5 yr old is due to wake up in aprox 2.5 hours!
I'll probably still be awake when he bounces into my room!
Thing is i know i will crash around lunch time, and will be so tired i'll have to sleep!
But then i'm worried this will throw tomortow nights sleep out!

Does anyone have a wonder cure or even advice,
I cant continue like this for the rest of the preg, im 28 weeks, and working full time!

Please help! Xx

Hmmm - not much help as I'm here too at 37 weeks for similar reasons. However, for me it is partly having things on my mind which start to churn once I wake up.

Quite a few of the things you describe are quite stimulating (websites particularly) I find if I am really determined to go back to sleep the only way is to lie very still and quiet - no matter how much I am getting irritated and want to toss and turn, if I force myself to lie still and quiet, especially if I imagine my limbs getting very slowly gradually heavier from the extremities up, I will go back to sleep.

But sometimes I don't have the patience and do what you describe instead!

P.s also love that dance tune - danced to it in Hacienda manchester before it was turned into a block of flats apartments!

Tune! Sorry, that song really brings back memories...ahhh.

Anyway, back to the realities of that condition...I agree that Internet can be more stimulating than you realise and would personally avoid it. However I can see why it would be a good distraction if things are on your mind keeping you up!
It's hard to get into a relaxed state if you're restless but I think Jenner's right in that you need to make yourself lie still.

Things that work for me:

Lavender oil - very relaxing, just a few drops on a cotton wool ball tucked into your pillow. Actually, I have deep happy holiday associations with a particular brand of suntan lotion's aroma and that actually helps me drift off too!

Repetitive chanting! Ha ha, not magic but you know how some people count sheep? I heard that repeating the word "the" slowly, over and over is meant to be good. It focuses the mind without having any meaning attached to it.

Sometimes I just count up until I drop off too.

I'm 33 wks and sometimes can't get back to sleep if I've got up for the loo, usually around 3am. It's worse when you know dc1 will be up isn't it. Sometimes knowing that makes it worse!

I hope you find something that works for you.

I feel your pain - and have been starting to sing the song in my head over the past few nights when I can't get back to sleep too! Not helpful!
I've been waking up every time I have to move for the past few weeks as baby is so heavy now (37 weeks - eek!) And night time wee frequency has increased from once to at least three times in the past week. I was feeling very sorry for myself, but my sister has taken it to mean the baby is moving down and getting ready to be born and she's super excited as it's her birthday next week and she desperately wants it to be born then!
I've just started mat leave which is a making me feel a bit better as now I don't need to get up and can sleep in the day if I need to. I find reading helps - or listening to my hypnobirthing CD - when I remember to bring my ipod to bed with me. I've started to think of it as practise for when baby is born and you have to function in the middle of the night to try and put a positive spin on it too. But on the whole, insomnia SUCKS!

I would agree to the staying off the Internet. When I had insomnia I would usually get up, have a wee, a drink of water & a snack (banana or small bowl of cereal); that way I knew none of those things are keeping me awake. Otherwise I would lie awake convinced I was hungry/thirsty etc. I would also read (kindle rather than putting light on). In my last few weeks of pregnancy DH relocated to the spare room so I didn't have to worry about disturbing him during all this activity. Plus my snoring kept him awake!!

Thanks for all your advice!!
Yesterday i went out, bought myself lavendar pillow spray, a rather silly sleep mask (never thought i'd be seen wearing one of them) and a jumbo size bottle of gaviscon!

Made myself a milky drink & some toast before going to bed, took some gaviscon, sprayed my pillow and went to bed,
Managed to sleep through from 12.00 - 6.00!!!
Got up went to the loo (tmi) got back into bed and was woken at 10.00 with a cup of tea and some toast!!!! (hubby trying to make me feel better incase i didnt sleep well ;-))

Best nights sleep in ages!!
Thankyou ladies! X

Brilliant - glad you have some tools to help. Trouble sleeping does come along with pregnancy but it's good you don't have to accept it as inevitable and are doing something about it. Plenty of time for lack of sleep further down the line! :)

I'm 34 weeks with my second & frankly can't wait until he's here & being fed (3 hourly if he so wishes) so that it will mean I won't be still getting up to do a thimble full size wee 7 times a night!! I promise to cherish every night time nappy change & grizzle in exchange for no longer having numb, twitchy legs & hips and a left buttock which feels like it has a broken bone in it.
My first pregnancy was utter joy this one has been HARD work - something to do with having an energetic bundle of beans 18 month old ds to gallop around after?!
And don't even mention heartburn to me......!!!
Good luck everyone xx

I'm not pregnant but do suffer with my sleep and find the sleep apps helpful.

I started by listening to whales, baby in the womb, waves crashing etc but now prefer hypnosis and relaxation voices.

DH is a bit when I take my iPad and ear phones to bed but it does that trick!

Hi i am too 28 weeks pregnant and cant sleep grrrrrrrrr! i am so tired during the day but avoid taking a nap as i think this may effect my sleep at night. i get very tired around 10pm, climb into bed and lie awake for hours! sometimes until 4/5am in the morning! it is driving me mad and making me feel so tired and drained during the day. :( ive tried the obvious, taking a bath before bed, drinking ovaltine but nothing seems to work :(

I feel your pain, managed to drop off at 2am and alarm went off at 630, am now sooo tired at my desk.
35 weeks and its the carpal tunnel that wakes me up/keeps me up.
Bring on 40 weeks!

BooBumpDaddyandMe,
I know that feeling all too well, i breezed through preg 1, this time round has been tough! I also am looking forward to having baby and beginning (hopefully) to gain some sence of sleep & routine again! :-)

ToniBridon- I have found i sleep worst if i dont have a nap in the day, its almost as if I've regressed to being a toddler and i get over tired if i dont have my afternoon sleep/rest i struggle really badly at night time,
Also, if i have my sleep in the day at least i know i have slept for a dhort time, the Lavender pillow spray has really helped.

Not long left though now ladies, then the real work begins! :-D
Good luck xx