Insomnia

[1987Laura]

Hey all so i'm 21+1 and wake at 4am everyday and can't get back to sleep. I'm just so exhausted all the time. What can i do to help me sleep?

Hi, feeling for you.

I went through this. My mum recommended the bbc iPlayer radio app - Desert Island Discs in particular.

I found some days I would nod off within 5 minutes others not so much but they were fascinating to listen to. There is so much on there. Or you could always go for a podcast?

This took away the anxiousness I felt when I was worrying that I should be sleeping.

I had real issues with hay fever too but was told for my second pregnancy it was ok to take piriton in the evenings and this definitely helped me get a full nights sleep when I was desperate.

Hope it improves for you.

Thank you x

I tend to watch videos on YouTube - there are some hypnosis ones, and the ASMR ones are often quite relaxing. I tend to start a lot of them and find them annoying, but when it’s a good one I often fall asleep very quickly, and if not, at least it’s relaxing. Latte ASMR is my current favourite, but your tastes may differ from mine! I tend to find they need to have talking or they don’t engage me, and I think that being engaged with them and completely forgetting about trying to sleep is why they work.

If you do this, don’t forget to use your laptop safely. It needs to be on a hard surface, with good air circulation, and in no danger of being covered, as otherwise they can go on fire. A bedside table next to your bed, the same height as the top of your mattress is probably the best way to achieve this.

Good luck! Insomnia is pretty bad (been having some myself), but when you are exhausted it is so much worse