Insomnia - help

[zimzam]

I normally sleep for about 4 hours and its a record if I sleep for 6. Yesterday afternoon I fell asleep for 5 hours and woke up at 8pm so in consequence was wide awake come 2am this morning. I decided to go to bed but was overtired so I got up at 5am and walked the dog. So right now its 11am and my eyes feel like I have red hot pokers in them. I am really tired but dare not sleep because I know I'll be awake tonight again until dawn. Is there anything I can try to cure this insomnia and put me back into a sensible hour sleep routine ?

[dot.hawkes]

Probably look at your diet and what you are eating/drinking during the evening. Cut our coffee, tea, alcohol and any caffiene based fizzy drinks. don't eat anything after about 7pm and keep the house warm and cosy and make sure your mattress is in good condition and not lumpy or having metal springs prominent. Don't read too much and let your body and brain relax for several hours before you go to bed and so stay offline lol

[China Doll]

Hey Zimmy Zammy,

I also suffer with insomnia on a fairly regular basis and have asked about this before so I've given you the links to the questions I asked as the answers may be useful to you.

Also Gunner's link is really interesting (see first link) and it may be that you're like me and possibly a primative!

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Body-and-Soul/Q uestion338125.html

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Body-and-Soul/Q uestion283601-2.html

Don't feel too bad... there's a lot of us out there so you'll never be the only one awake no matter what it might feel like.

[Eve]

Hey :) I've been bad with my sleeping recently a well and just getting it back into sync. Was wide awake til the early hours, would try and go to bed, get ratty, get back on the net (fatal mistake) then end up crashing on the sofa and sleeping til late.

I've been making my bedroom all cosy, another duvet under me and one on top so I'm all warm and just sink into my bed and make sure I'm not too cold. Fluffy hot water bottle too :)

I try and leave anything like my laptop for a while before bed, get a nice cup of weak milky tea with more sugar than normal then curl up in bed with a book or magazine (something you won't really get into so magazine can be better) then read til my eyes get tired then try to curl up and either shut my mind off or think or nice things which aren't too complicated to let me drift off.

I often find that a quick mini sugar fix can help so try and keep something little like ferrero rocher handy, for some reason it works for me :)

[zimzam]

[email protected] offline, stay offline? heh! NO eating/drinking during the evening??? No coffee(I don't have any after about noon) no tea (I am a terrible tea boat) no alcohol? (that normally sends me to sleep) My bed is cosy and the house is warm. I admit to being a bookworm but my bedside reading should make me tired (right now its Homer's Odyssey) but I will try and relax and give some of your suggestions a go.

[zimzam]

Hi there China (and I am known often as zimmy zammy!) I will check out those links and thank you for pointing my eyeballs in the right direction. I think having read the suggestions so far that I will stab myself in the face and feel heaps better and maybe even feel tired.

[zimzam]

Jenna I would puke if I had sugar in anything. I often go to bed with a book to relax but lately I have been too tired to read and although my mind is not active and thinking things I simply cannot sleep. I am comfy in my $hit pit and I am warm, I am not worried or contemplating serious deep thoughts but I simply cannot get to sleep. Maybe I need a man to tire me out? (prompt and heavy hint)

[dot.hawkes]

a man would probably give u more sleepless nights lol and for the wrong reason!!!!!!!!

[Eve]

but at least you wouldn't be so bothered about the lack of sleep ;)

[zimzam]

Oi you two ! you are no help whatsoever.

[China Doll]

Really?! Bum... I must be more creative in my playing with peoples names....

Don't stab yourself in the face... it makes your foundation uneven... may I suggest arsenic? Or possibly sewing your eyes closed? That's the sort of thing that usually occurs to me at about 4am when I've been up for three hours straight after having gone to bed at 11pm....

Or some might suggest those sleeping remedies you can get from the shops, good nytol and the like... obviously those people are not thinking outside the box tho ;0)

[bobtheduck-]

just stay logged on to ab

[Matheous]

Try watching Big Bruvver ! (Jade Goody + Parent)

[jump79]

If you're exhausted, take short naps (15-20 mins) for now but don't fall asleep. Walk the dog again or do some house cleaning to tire yourself out so by the time it's late evening you'll just need to chug a glass of milk (good sedative) to get drowsy and drop off as soon as you hit the pillow.