Insomnia is driving me crazy

[SadieKate]

Great, Zen. Now you've memorialized my typo.

[mimitabby]

hold on! people are recommending Marijuana on here?? REALLY?
drugs are a bad idea because you develop tolerance and then you will need MORE drugs.

let's start from the beginning.

are you exercising near bed time?
drinking caffeinated beverages in the afternoon/ evening?
eating a big meal late?
do you have an evening routine that is conducive to rest?

like: take a hot bath, read a non-thrilling book.
no tv in the bedroom. no light in the bedroom (after you turn it off, I mean)

do you have pets bugging you? no pets in the room.
are noises keeping you awake? get a white noise generator (a fan works great, doesn't need to be on high or near you, just somewhere in the room)


and yes, we want to know your age.

Try these suggestions. I've always been a light sleeper, and the older i get the worse it gets, so these are things I have found that help.

[tulip]

Back when I was really stressed out and had trouble sleeping, I got one of those nature CDs. This one was of waves. No music in the background, just waves. Put me out like a peaceful baby.

But now I don't even need the waves because I addressed the underlying issues that were affecting my sleep.

[Drtgirl]

My mom smoked for as long as I can remember and I have no plans to smoke anything...except competitors in my next race. Ha! Plus that can't be good for an athlete's lungs (or my exercise-induced asthma).

I exercise anywhere from 5-7pm, depending on the nature of the workout and I'm definitely not overtraining (been too tired to work out lately). I'm 30. I *love* Diet Coke and usually have one with lunch and dinner.

I'm really stressed out and work and I think that's the underlying cause.

Here in the NW we have long summer days (light out till 10) but we're on the downswing and it's getting darker earlier. Our houses are really close together and you can hear TV's, dogs, people washing dishes, etc. and that drives me nuts when I'm trying to fall asleep.

Thanks for the tips- I might pick up some melatonin on the way home.

[tygab]

I have recently tried midnite (sp)? which has a small amt of melatonin and herbal extracts mentioned here. I tried this because the herbals alone did not do much, but this seems to work. note I tried these to keep a desired schedule rather than to address not being able to sleep at all. Both are available at the drug store. You could also try a soft sleep mask which can help darken out stray light.

If you think there is not an underlying stressor or physical issue you might try this. If there is or could be, please visit your doctor.

[Smilie]

I have a friend that swears by 5HTP. It is a bean extract and all natural. She had problems sleeping, and after she started taking that supplement, had no problems at all. Good luck to you!

[five one]

I often have Sunday night insomnia (that coupled with menopausal insomnia). The Sunday problem is probably due to the fact that I really don't want to go to work on Monday, but also Sunday is the day that I ride the longest and hardest. Hours after the ride, the muscles in my legs still feel twitchy.

I have used valerian capsules, but they don't always work for some reason. Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Extra tea has valerian in it and tastes great with a bit of honey. I've gotten into the habit of brewing up a double strength cup about an hour before bed. I read, have my tea, and find myself getting sleepy within 30 minutes. Maybe it's psychological, but if it works, who cares?

I hope you find a remedy that works for you. I can empathize with what you are feeling right now.

[tulip]

I *love* Diet Coke and usually have one with lunch and dinner.

I'm really stressed out and work and I think that's the underlying cause.

Voila. Immediate improvements are eliminating the diet coke and getting a fan or something to mask the noise. Finding a solution to your work situation will likely bring all sorts of life improvements.

[SadieKate]

I find that I can snooze right off if I put a golf tournament on TV . . .

[shootingstar]

Know how you feel. However I keep on telling myself that at least, I don't have young children that wail for awhile at night..

So I can't complain too much.

Good thing I am a morning person, but certainly not a night person. I leave home on my bike at 5:20 am. to start my combine bike, commuter train, bus, walk, etc. convoluted commuter trip. I don't get home until 7:00 pm on work days. Yea, my evenings of free time are quite limited. If I get to bed after 11:00 pm, it's not a good thing for me....

Some stretching exercises (which is a blend of simple yoga, pilates and tai-chi warm-ups) helps me sleep better. Lately I haven't been consistent about this..better get back into it.

And oh yea, of course, an evening hot/warm shower every evening. That's de rigeur for me anyway, regardless of insomnia or not.

[kiwi girl]

This probably won't work for everyone but it does wonders for me. I download a bunch of podcasts or an audiobook on my ipod (must be talking - music keeps me awake) and sleep with my ipod under my pillow, one ear plug in my ear. At bedtime, I put on a podcast, start listening to it, and inevitably fall asleep.

I have to have some interest in what they're talking about because listening to it takes my mind of trying to fall asleep. It can't be TOO exciting or I stay awake listening. I find I usually listen for 5-10 minutes and then just drift off. My biggest problem is waking up in the middle of the night but now all I have to do is put on another podcast and I fall asleep easily. I prefer podcasts to audiobooks because they turn off as soon as they're finished.

If you sleep alone, you don't need to use the ear phone thingy.

+ 1 on this. I subscribe to the New York Times audio digest and often listen to this - its about 50 minutes an episode. The only downside is that I am normally asleep by the sports and editorial sections which I am far far more interested in than the business section.

[teigyr]

5:20am wake-up IS a morning person to me

I am fortunate in that I can change shifts periodically. I am more of a "wake up later" kind of person. Right now I get off at 2am and wake up whenever I wake up...I don't start work until 3:30pm.

Back before I learned about Benadryl, I used to listen to CD's. Most of them were of a storytelling and more of a hypnotic variety.

Could be age, could be something going on in your life. Focusing on something other than not sleeping is always beneficial. Routines are good too.

Other than that, I went the rx route and wouldn't go back. My doctor says that lack of sleep is worse than a prescription and what is out there is getting better. I don't take it every day but when I have to, I do. The way I see it is it is better than taking unnecessary medications (such as drugstore sleep aid and pain reliever) or alcohol or whatever.

Then again, it's not like I know what I'm talking about I figure if I'm honest with myself and my doctor and I know what's normal for me and what's not (and I've always been kind of a strange sleep person), I can figure out what is best for whatever situation I'm in.

[rocknrollgirl]

I have terrible insomnia, and the valerian root works for me.

[Dogmama]

Sometimes I'll take l-trytophan (sp?) in pill form. It's the same thing that is in turkey. You know the turkey dinner that puts everybody to sleep? That's it.

You can also get it with a glass of milk before bed. But, milk might aggravate your asthma.

I do feel your pain. I've had trouble sleeping because of hot flashes. I have learned to value a good night's sleep.

[NadiaMac]

as noted by others, quite a few studies have shown that behavioral changes (as opposed to medications, herbal or otherwise) are the most effective way to combat insomnia. there is a great NY times article from a couple of years back that summarizes the studies and tips- you may be able to find it if you search

for me, this is what helps:
-minimize caffeine and no caffeine after 12 noon (one of the most important things for me)
-keep a regular sleep schedule-- to bed and up at approximately the same time. do not sleep in to compensate for sleepless nights
-sleep a little less than you think you need. I love getting 8.5 hours, but find I generally sleep more consistently if I get 8. I know, a lot. I've been this way since I was a kid.
-exercise a lot (probably not an issue for TE readers!)
-do not lie in bed when having trouble sleeping. get up and do something non-stressful (ie, not work). I find that I get sleepy after about 20 mins out of bed. much better than lying in bed trying to relax and sleep
-I catch up on sleep using afternoon naps on the weekend, if I've had a hard week sleepwise
-try to chill out at least 90 mins (preferably more) before going to bed. No work or other stressful or "mind-active" activities.
-when I am very very sleep deprived, I paradoxically have more trouble going to sleep. Under these circumstances, and these only, I might take half an ambien to force some sleep. Otherwise, I find sleep aids, including natural ones such as melatonin, not to help so much. The sleep is not natural sleep, so multiple days of using these things just make me feel worse
-if you have morning wakefulness (as I do-- never any trouble falling asleep, but I wake up in the early am and can't fall back to sleep), make sure your room is very dark- good shades to prevent light entry

other tips in the article that don't work so well for me but might work for you:
-use the bed only for sleeping. do not read, study, watch tv etc in bed. the idea being to make the bed a sleeping only environment. this doesn't seem to help for me
-conversely, sleep only in the bedroom. no falling asleep on the couch in front of tv, then moving to bed, etc.

insomnia is really really awful- good luck sorting this out!