Since I couldn't sleep and had nothing better to at this time of night, I thought I would ask forum members about their favorite cures for insomnia.
Some under the duvet action usually does it for me.
climbing down from the rafters and back into my box or hers ha ha
morning dirty
I read that breathing in to the count of 7 and then breathing out to the count of 11 helps clear your brain as an overactive mind is the cause of insomnia.
Stop drinking caffeine at 4pm, don't nap after 4pm. Never nap for more than half an hour.
Having a bath just before bed is supposed to work, Something about your body cooling is meant to make you sleepy.
Lavander oil on the pillow really works for me - shame WandA hates it!
Adx
Waching football usually sends me to sleep Oh and snooker as well
Ooh i love snooker....cricket on the other hand is a snooze fest.
I find that if I can't sleep, I panic about being tired the next day and it makes it harder to get to sleep! What I do, is stretch and relax all my muscles from head to toe and tell myself over and over again "resting is as good as sleeping..." and I soon find that I drop off to sleep!
Oh, and writing down any thoughts that are crowding my mind helps.
LoveHoney - Alice wrote:
I find that if I can't sleep, I panic about being tired the next day and it makes it harder to get to sleep! What I do, is stretch and relax all my muscles from head to toe and tell myself over and over again "resting is as good as sleeping..." and I soon find that I drop off to sleep!
Oh, and writing down any thoughts that are crowding my mind helps.
When my mind starts worrying about tiredness the next day I have to just give up - I know it's not going to happen so I'll read or something - usually takes my mind off it enough to slowly drift into sleepyness but I have to work really hard to keep my mind from going ten to the dozen.
Adx
LoveHoney - Alice wrote:
I find that if I can't sleep, I panic about being tired the next day and it makes it harder to get to sleep! What I do, is stretch and relax all my muscles from head to toe and tell myself over and over again "resting is as good as sleeping..." and I soon find that I drop off to sleep!
Oh, and writing down any thoughts that are crowding my mind helps.
Ah! And also crowded thoughts... it really annoys me when random things pop in your head to stop you sleeping.
I recently couldn't sleep due to illness induced delusion/semi dream because I thought I was a worried artist working in Birmingham creating an abstract sculpture out of curved red blocks and I was behind schedule and there would be terrible ramifications if I did not get it done on time.
I'd go with Coldplay. Snore. Zzzzz.
Avrielle_Aniko wrote:
Getting heavy curtains to block out any street light is good too.
I have a blackout blind in my room at home (derbyshire) and it works so well - I can sleep until I'm ready to wake rather than waking earlier than necessary. Because even if I get to sleep at a reasonable time I never sleep *well* until about 5am, meaning I might aswell sleep at 5am and wake up at 11am if it's realistic to.
Adx
Alicia D'amore wrote:
LoveHoney - Alice wrote:
I find that if I can't sleep, I panic about being tired the next day and it makes it harder to get to sleep! What I do, is stretch and relax all my muscles from head to toe and tell myself over and over again "resting is as good as sleeping..." and I soon find that I drop off to sleep!
Oh, and writing down any thoughts that are crowding my mind helps.
When my mind starts worrying about tiredness the next day I have to just give up - I know it's not going to happen so I'll read or something - usually takes my mind off it enough to slowly drift into sleepyness but I have to work really hard to keep my mind from going ten to the dozen.
Adx
I hear you on that, I believe the reason I get it so bad is I have a habit of waking up multiple times in a night and that makes me stress about how little sleep I'm getting before starting my day, which makes it nearly impossible to get back to sleep. My mind seems to race during these hours as well and it is almost impossible for me to calm my mind.
To be honest though I can't really give any cures as I've suffered this for years and years and I can honestly say no sleeping pills work for long. Your body seems to gain immunity after a mere one or two nights in most cases I've experienced. What I do is avoid all caffeine intake in the evening and interacting with the computer or TV as that stimulates my brain too much and instead I tend to read a book in the bath or just in bed until my mind gets too tired to go on.
In an unrelated note I had a really cool dream this morning about going on a space shuttle into close orbit where I experienced weightless conditions and was playing about with floating potatoes. I know this has nothing to do with insomnia at all, I just wanted to tell someone. :P
LoveHoney - Alice wrote:
What I do, is stretch and relax all my muscles from head to toe and tell myself over and over again "resting is as good as sleeping..."
I do this too!
Everyone else has given some great ideas, not sure i can add much helpfulness but i'll try:
I like Badger sleep balm or Lush dreamtime temple balm, as the names suggest you rub it on your forehead and temples. They're quite soothing and help relax you.
A warm drink like Ovaltine or Horlicks can settle some people.
Eating a banana before bed is meant to be good for aiding sleep, when my insomnia was less severe i swore by it.
Wrapping up warm in a duvet but having a source of cool air like a window open or even a fan on (in this weather?! i know, but hey whatever helps.. External Media) is another good trick.
Audiobooks. If you can get a book you know well in the form of an audiobook listening to it before you drift off can help.
x
Most of my suggestions don't work for me because my problem isn't with insomnia (I usually get to sleep fine) my issue is with being in that much plain that the sleep I get is such poor quality that I'm constantly exhausted.
The meds I'm on help immensely but I still probably only get 5 or 6 hours of sleep. I used to only get about 4 though so this is brilliant progress!
Adx
Ad have you ever tried taking Melatonin? x
Tupperwareheart wrote:
Ad have you ever tried taking Melatonin? x
No but I ought to - my sleep patterns are well out of whack so melatonin has been suggested as a good idea before.
The reason I haven't is because the stereotype that any "teenager" who sleeps until 11am must do so because they're lazy really upsets me. When I read about this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_sleep_phase_syndrome I cried my eyes out because it proved that I wasn't just "lazy" but unfortunately convincing others that this is the case is easier said than done. I know that doctors hate patients reading up about conditions and "self" diagnosing so I've not had the guts to mention it to my doctor yet hence not trying melatonin.
Adx
i'm not sleeping at the moment due to the flu and stress of moving house. i practice yoga before bed to relax my muscles and then meditate to clear my head.
a dark room and lavender is also a good suggestion by other members.
LoveHoney - Alice wrote:
I find that if I can't sleep, I panic about being tired the next day and it makes it harder to get to sleep!
This used to happen to me a lot as a child and brought on epilepsy :( Thankfully, I grew out of it just before my son was born.