trouble sleeping

[emma301]

hi at the moment im having a great deal of trouble sleeping up till all hours.....has anybody got any ideas the best way to wind down relax and make me sleepy.....without having to go to the drs and b aided by sleeping pills that the dr is so willing to give you lol

[shaking]

have a scotch

[harryshaw]

readind
always sends my eyes droopey

[emma301]

i would if i liked it lol

[emma301]

yeah reading sounds good if i could find a book that intrestes me

[cazzz1975]

you have to wind down before you can go to bed, once in bed I would advise reading a boring book, most of the problems trying to sleep is because your brain is overstimulated, you need to be bored and comfortable to sleep!!

[Octavius]

Do you drink coffee in the afternoon?

[bobtheturkey]

hope that the village vicar returns to ab , failing that horlicks works for me

[emma301]

yeah good idea was just thinking about reading a boring book

[Im a BusyBee]

i always find going for a good walk in the evening, swimming, gardening anything to flatten my batteries and i sleep like a baby! When im lazy and do nothing i find i cant sleep at all

[good_egg]

try a drowsy anti-histimine tab, they wear off long before morning, and theres the added benefit that you can sleep with your windows open, and if you get bitten by skeeters you wont come out in hives

[SRH]

Meditation CDs to play as you get into bed also work well. You just drift asleep as they play - they really are quite hypnotic! Even the Paul McKenna hypnosis CDs have the same effect, so you can always kill two birds with one stone if you want to lose weight, gain confidence, quit smoking etc (not that I'm suggesting you need to do any of these!).

Another trick I use (recommended by a psychologist) is to get into bed and try to keep your eyes open. Blink as normal but focus on a spot on the wall - the more you try to keep your eyes open, the more they seem to want to shut - reverse psychology I suppose.

And finally, it's not usual to have difficulty sleeping at this time of year with the days being longer and the birds etc outside being noisier as a result. Just focus on the fact that we can function on less sleep than we realise and lying in bed, even when awake, is giving your body a rest.

[emma301]

infact i do need to give up smoking lol or at least cut down

[bobtheturkey]

once you start thinking about trying to sleep you may as well get up its the pressure of how you will feel if you dont sleep that keeps you awake, listen to music but not the radio as they keep mentioning the time :)

[stonekicker]

Lots of different ideas, from a fellow midnight wanderer:
1. Have a scotch - will not be a permanent solution and you could get dependent (not good news if you require a little snifter to sleep until you are 83 years old)
2. short course of sleeping tablets from your gp - will only be a short course as these are very addictive, but you will get some kip and restart your body into a sleeping routine
3. do not kip during the day, even if you are dog tired as this will promote a dodgy sleeping pattern
4. about 1 hour before bed, have a long hot bath, read for a bit and have a milky dring - anything relaxing you think will promote sleep
5. do not exercise in late afternoon/evening, but continue usual routines earlier in the day
6. if you have a partner, wear them out in the evening (ahem!) in bed - it always works for me!
7. cut down on coffee and other similar crap, particularly none after 6pm
8. improve your diet - feeling bloated and stodgy will not induce sleep (unless you drink lots of alcohol, too!)
9. deal with any stress you are experiencing - this is usually the biggest cause of no sleep on the planet. it should be banned!

There are some ideas - they may or may not work for you. But the biggest factor has to be stress - it makes me wander in the early hours, even if i am pooped. it drives my partner mad, too as he always comes to find me to see if i am ok - sweet eh! but don't suffer for too long - lack of sleep can send you round the twist and you'll wonder why you didn't sort it sooner once you've got the knack - good luck!!!

[emma301]

yeah i am abit stressed at the mo so mayb thats the real reason i cant slleep

[imhotep]

Hiya emma! I posted a thread with the title 'Smelly and relaxed' earlier on this evening.You should be able to find it.
Anyway,if you don't feel like searching for it, i find that listening to soothing music or singing really relaxes me to sleep.Try this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyIYD1YifVc

[SRH]

Heh heh - totally sympathise with the smoking! But the Paul McKenna CDs do seem to help - I've quit for a few months at a time twice when using them. But, as a smoker, I'm not gonna preach! I also find that if I smoke late at night the nicotime keeps me awake. When I need to get a good night's sleep I try not to have a fag in the two hours before I go to sleep - not easy but it definitely makes a difference.

[good_egg]

if you do see the doc and he prescribes you zopiclone, ask for something different, cos they turn you into a stoner. and if you need to function the next day, then good luck

[imhotep]

I forgot to tell you, that if you are interested in the song in the link I have given you, called Visions by Libera.You can then order it from your nearest music store.

[stonekicker]

if you are led there at night staring at the ceiling it's probably stress and it's not always the easiest thing to sort out. i try to set aside a certain period of time during the day to worry about particular stuuf if i'm stressed, but leave the evenings free so i don't take my worries to bed. Doesn't always work, mind you and have gone down the sleeping pill route and gone onto antidepressants, too, when life gets a bit much. I still wander at night sometimes, but when it happens every night and i am going barmy through lack of sleep (i'm told i resemble a grumpy toddler at this stage!) i go to my gp - it's what he's there for and he's great. if yours isn't sympathetic, go and see one of the other gp's in the practice instead until you find the one you are confortable with and trust their judgement/manner etc. BUT - word of warning - sleeping pills and/or alcohol is nevr the answer long-term and can be a bloody dangerous combination, particulalry if you are sleep addled. If you can elbow the cause of stress, do. If not you'll have to find a new way of coping with it:
1. burying head in sand
2. ignoring stress
3. take up extreme sports
4. get other people to deal with it/share the load
5. find constructive solutions to your problems
6. talk about it to somebody
7. go nuts, have a tantrum, scream and let your feelings be known

Ive tried all of them at varying points, but life always comes back at some point and smacks me in the face...am learning to laugh at it instaed of taking it seriously. good luck!