Insomnia

bethsmiles

This past week I haven't been able to sleep at all. I don't know what the heck is wrong with me. I've been averaging about 4 hours of sleep a night. I'm so tired all the time but I can't seem to fall asleep. I can't focus in my classes and I'm more short tempered especially with BF. Does anyone have any tips for falling asleep?

Elle1036

I'm still awake, too!  Since losing my job a couple weeks ago, my sleep schedule has gotten turned upside-down.

Are you particularly stressed lately?  Are you getting enough exercise?  Have your eating habits changed?  Things like that can really affect your ability sleep well.  Try taking a Benadryl or a small sip of nyquil to try to get your routine back.

stemms8810

I agree with Elle, try taking some medicine that makes you drowsy.  I had a hard time falling asleep a while go even though I knew I was tired.  I started taking a capful of Tylenol PM when this happened and it worked like a charm.  I don't need it anymore but I still have it just in case.

mookow86

I use a few drops of lavender essential oil on my pillow. Smells great and usually works pretty quickly for me

loves2shop4shoes

Tylenol PM or Nyquil.  That should knock you right out.

PaigeMcC

Start a routine and stick with it.  Make sure you wind down before bedtime.  For an hour before don't do anything too mentally stimulating, just relax and watch tv or read.  Hot showers/baths can help.  Soothing, soft music is good too.

lindsayrae1986

i found some melatonin natural sleep aid supplements at walgreens...

http://women.webmd.com/pharmacist-drugs-medication-9/natural-sleep-remedies

of course, you don't want to use it longterm as it is unregulated and considered alternative medicine, but it's worth looking into if you do want to try a natural remedy.  good luck! 

musikbx

As a person with sleep difficulties, I wouldn't recommend turning to over the counter medications to help you sleep (unless of course you're actually sick.) Not only does this increase your risk of becoming dependent on such drugs, but once you stop taking them your insomnia will most likely resurface. Also, I don't know about you but I find it almost impossible to function at work the next day with a "Nyquil Hangover".

Check out a natural foods store for any of the following:

-Valerian Root: I drink a few drops of this stuff, diluted in a small glass of water before bed. It's more commonly found in capsule form. (ETA: It's probably best not to use this for an extended time period, because it's hard to know the side effects of prolonged use.)

-Passion Flower Tea: Not the tastiest of teas, but a cup of this before bed time - perhaps with a little bit of warm milk and honey added. Chamomile and lavender teas are also good options.

Finding every day routines can be helpful in reducing insomnia:

-Have a relaxing routine before bed time. If you drink a cup of chamomile tea every evening before bed, your body will start to think "It's chamomile tea time, sleep must be next!"

-Exercise during the day. If you work out during the day, you will be wiped out by the end of the day and your body will be more receptive to sleep.

-Relax! Listen to calming music, take a bath, practice deep breathing... anxiety and muscle tension don't help much when you're trying to sleep. Here's a trick I sometimes use when I am in bed, and having a hard time falling asleep. Lay on your back, and think of each body part individually - starting with your toes, moving up to your ankles, your calves and so on.  Breathe, and think about relaxing that particular body part. Spend a few moments focusing on each body part. This brings your focus inward, and helps you think about relaxation. I am usually out by the time I get to my shoulders. If I finish and I'm still not asleep, I try again only slower.

purplepeopleeater11

As someone who suffered (and still occasionally suffers) with insomnia I'll tell you what works for me. 

I don't really like taking a sleep aid either but if I'm going on days and days of little to no sleep I will.  I make sure I take something like Nyquil 8 to 10 hours before I need to wake up so I don't have the Nyquil hangover that PP mentioned.

Also, try to make your bed a sleeping zone only.  I had some doctors tell me that if you do other things in your bed, (homework, watch TV, read, etc.) your brain might start to amp up when you get into bed because it's used to that being the environment you're productive in.  Kind of like the theories that if you sit in the same seat in class you'll do better on tests, it's just your brain conditioned to the environment.  I don't know how much of that is really true, but once I took the TV out of my room and stopped doing my homework while sitting on my bed falling asleep became much easier.

Bath and Body Works has pillow sprays too.  The one I like has chamomile, lavender and nutmeg and seems to calm me down. 

Lastly, don't look at the clock.  I know this is hard, but if you keep looking at how much sleep you're NOT getting you're likely to start getting upset or angry which is counterintuitive to sleeping.

Good luck and I hope you get a good night's sleep soon!

oceana919

I have insomnia pretty much all the time, and I've found that some of the OTC stuff does work for me. I usually take one Simply Sleep a night - it's just enough to keep me asleep for a solid 6-7 hours and I don't feel lousy when I wake up the following morning. I haven't found myself to be addicted to it, as I can fall asleep without it - I just find myself getting a higher quality sleep with it.

Other things that I have been recommended to me to try have been valerian root and melatonin, so those may be worth checking out.

One word of advice - do not take sleep meds with painkiller additives (e.g. Tylenol PM, Nyquil) for an extended period of time, as they have the potential to become addictive. From what my physician told me, it's the painkiller aspect (not the sleep inhibitor) aspect that causes addiction with these types of meds.

calindi

I had insomnia for a few weeks, and this is what I learned from talking to several doctors who are family friends:

1) Alcohol can contribute greatly to insomnia, even if drunk earlier in the day.  So the best thing to do is cut out all alcohol.

2) Caffeine at any time of day can also affect you.  This is a huge trigger for me - even if I have coffee at 11am, it can cause me to have trouble sleeping at 11pm.  So cut out all caffeine - this includes chocolate.

3) Exercise before 7pm.  If you do it late at night, the endorphins can keep you up.  But earlier in the day can help your body relax and set you on a normal sleep schedule.

4) Stretch.  15 minutes of stretching in the morning, 10 minutes before bed.  What you do in the morning is more effective than what you do right before bed, for some reason.

5) Have a glass of warm milk (I blend it with a banana for taste) about an hour before bed, then read a book or magazine or listen to music.

6)  Do not watch TV or go on the computer an hour before bed.  The activity of the screen affects your brain more than a still surface, like a book.

7) Take a warm (not too hot) bath about an hour before bed.  If your body temperature is too high, it'll be hard to sleep, but the bath can help soothe and relax you.  My favorite is with lavender bath salts and a few candles and soft music with the lights off - it will relax me like nothing else!

8) Don't try too hard - if you're having trouble sleeping for more than 30 minutes, get up and do something else quietly in another room for 30 minutes (like reading) and then try again.  If you lay there tossing and turning, you're likely to become frustrated and make it harder to sleep.

9) If all else fails, I'm a big fan of Advil PM.  Only one, and an hour before bed.  My friend's Mom who is a doctor suggests Benadryl as it has a sleepy effect (same drug as in Advil PM) but is non-addictive.

Good luck!

bourgehm

I've always been an insomnia sufferer.

Here's some things I have found to help me.

When you can't sleep, get out of bed.  I usually just walk down the hall and get a drink and maybe just walk around the house once. Then, when you get back in your room, turn your clock around so you can't see it and tell yourself you're not going to look at the clock anymore that night.  Then curl up and try to fall asleep. If you feel like you've been laying there for a while get up and walk around once and maybe read a few pages of a book (a really boring one) then hop back in bed.

Keep your bed ONLY for sleeping at NIGHT. Don't take naps on it. That's what's helped with me. I'll nap on the couch, but not on my bed. i used to do homework and read in bed during the day, but cutting that out toor eally helped.

Try to drink a glass of milk before bed. Sounds weird, but naturally milk helps people fall asleep.  Also, at organic stores, there is a tea called 'sleepy-time tea'.  It's actually for kids. But, it really works for me. I just bring it to bed with me and drink it a few minutes before i start my bed-time routine.

Get up at the same time each day. Even if you didn't sleep much, still make yourself get up. That really helped me fall asleep at night.

Those are some tips that have helped me. Hope you sleep better tonight!

rxjen

Ambien- Sorry I lean towards Pharmaceuticals

tafft1

Before we left on our honeymoon we started a good excercise routine we did together. 30-50 minutes of cardio/weights and then would talk outside on our patio or outside the fitness center to unwind - it helpes us both sleep better and I have very serious issues sleeping at times. It also helped us feel refreshed in the morning and just feel better all around. I was a skeptic of it - but excercise does help and the hardest part is making a start. It dosen't have to be anything major - even a walk around the neighborhood or area can be a way to get out stress and makes you feel good too.

whereyat

Also chiming in with "exercise."  Just turn on your iPod and do a 30-minute walk each day to start.  I always sleep better when I exercise - though, even knowing this doesn't necessarily mean that I exercise all the time.....

[Deleted User]

Keep a small notepad and pen next to your bed.  Write down everything that's on your mind before you go to bed...things that you need to do the next day, something that just popped into your head (oh, I need to call so and so), anything that might be causing you stress (I hate my "X" class).  Getting it onto paper will get all that gunk out of your mind so that you can relax.  I find if I'm thinking about something I need to do the next day, I have trouble getting to sleep.  The second I right it down, I'm out a few minutes later.

Also, don't eat a heavy meal with an hour or two of going to bed.  Snacks are ok.  I personally can't sleep if my stomach is growling at all, so I usually grab a handful of Goldfish crackers or 2-3 Quakes snacks (I like the sweet ones for bedtime).

Hope you get some sleep soon.