Insomnia - what can I do?

[OverRated]

This is getting silly.

I don't want meds but I have to do something. I neeeed to sleep yet I am wide awake all night

Have tried meds, warm bath, hot milk, relaxing before bedtime, reading etc. Is there anything else I can do?

don't know - But I suffer the same and have done since ds was born. I'm not tired in the day though. I assume you are|? so it doesn't bother me, I just get some 'me' time.

HiFurball

I am fine during the day too but have great difficulty getting up in the morning. I just hate knowing I should be asleep & wanting to sleep & dreading dragging myself out of bed in a couple of hours...

Don't kow what to suggest then. Do you get up when you can't sleep? i find if I get up for a few hours I may get an hours sleep when I go back at 5am This morning I didn't get up til 4.45 so thats me for today.

my dh has the same problem, he is going to try acupuncture. Another mner on a thread I started recommended hypnosis and said that had worked for her! hth

Boring Radio 4 programmes on podcasts on an MP3 player. I highly recommend 'Today in Parliament' and 'In business'. Or books on tape. I think it works for me because it distracts me from lying there getting cross with myself for being awake but the actual activity doesn't prevent me falling asleep. I usually fall asleep within about half an hour.

4.45 Furball? Yuck

It's not consistent with me - I have 1-2 nights a week when I just can't go to sleep at all so stay up most of the night, maybe 1 or 2 nights when I have difficulty falling asleep but eventually manage it and the other nights I sleep well.

Lovage - I used to do that when I lived in the Uk and you're right - it did send me to sleep. I miss radio4.

I'd be interested to see how the accupuncture works.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I was sent to a sleep clinic because of persistent insomnia.

I was advised to do following behavioural changes.

Keep a record of sleep for 1 week. Add up how many hours you have had, and divide by 7. Aim for that number of hours sleep per night (even if it is only 3 or 4) Then go bed at say two and get up at 6 for 4 hours sleep.

At the same time, if you wake up, get up after 20 minutes, go into another, and read a novel until sleepy again. Go back to bed and repeat until you fall asleep.

The next week extend allowed sleeping time by an hour, then 2 hours etc, until you are getting a full night's kip.

No caffeine, tea, coke or chocolate after 2.00pm. Room pitch black, with no light anywhere, also no clock...... No physical excercise or sex after 4 pm.

Dreadful eh? It is based on sleep deprivation and in meant to work, but it is very very hard.

Acupuncture worked for me. Also valerian. Now take 50 mg amitriptilne (mild ad) which gives me best nights sleep ever.

Interesting about no sex

I sometimes summer from insomnia. Will wake between 2 and 4 am and can't go back to sleep until 5am. Feel overtired the following day.

I find waking DH helps me fall back asleep

Overrated- you can still get Radio 4 abroad due to the wonders of podcasting! Just go to the website and download them. Much better than actual Radio 4 cos it goes over to World Service in the middle of the night which has too many jingles and snazzy bits of tunes which wake you up. What you want is the soothing melodious tones of Peter Day or whoever.

Sex ...ahem..revs you up....that's why!

Morning sex only.......

Not me. Sends me into a deep sleep. Good job DH isn't on mumsnet. He wouldn't want it to be compared to a boring Radio 4 programme

I find it sends dp into an immediate deep sleep, whilst I am wide awake

Thanks for all the advice - will start working on this tonight. Sadly I'm single so I can't contribute to the sex debate

If you find something that works, let me know. Same problem, except for I have no problems getting up in the morning, I just start really dragging in the early afternoon, but start waking up again after about 6 pm. Now it has gotten to the point where I have troubles falling asleep, have troubles going back to sleep when I wake up and wake up really early in the morning.

Hmm, didn't mean to turn it into my rant. I feel for you.

Thanks for the sympathy - I'm sorry other people suffer like this too. On the very rare occasion when I have been able to sleep in, I have slept for 12 - 15 hours so I obviously CAN sleep. Sooo frustrating.

This is the last symptom of serious depression. I just wish it would sort itself out. It's frustrating that the other things have gone (but very very good that they have) but this one remains.

Twinset, I'm glad I'm not the only one who can sleep through the best part of a day! Hope you survive your weekend at work. I now have a book that may bore e to sleep so I'll try that tonight!

the only thing that breaks the cycle for me is a prescription.

sorry, but i've battled insomnia since i was 13.

it's a PITA.

you have my empathy

also, having been treated for this, there are really two types of insomnia and it's possible to have both:

a) can't fall asleep - that would be me!

b) can't stay asleep

i'm a very light sleeper, but i can generally fall back to sleep after waking up for whatever reason.

but actually get to sleep?

well, i'm here now, aren't i?

I'm a can't stay asleep person, mind you I have been managing til 5.30 the last few weeks rather than up 2.30 til 4.30. I'm going away with friends next weekend they all stay in bed til 10am and I'm bored stiff by then - they've missed the best part of the day

I am usually a can't fall asleep person. I find it really stressful. I know my body is tired and my mind is exhausted and knowing that I can't fall asleep makes me anxious. Expat, in the past, I have had meds for this but, for similar reasons to Twinset, am limited to what I can be given. Most things make me feel awful the next day too. I am hoping that it is just a matter of time - one day I will just know how to fall asleep.

I do find wine helps

I have had real trouble getting to sleep in the past too (not so good now, either). What works for me is knocking myself out at the gym - or going for a VERY long run. I REALLY have to overdo it, though. There is nothing like that physically-exhausted feeling. I suspect that for us night owls, our lack of sleep has to do with our metabolism. Physical exercise regulates your metabolism allowing you to fall asleep better and wake up more easily.