Where's the Wisdom?

[Aliriel]

Ok, basically I'm looking for advice/cure's/treatments for insomnia that don't include Sleep Clinic's (3 year waiting list when I last checked last week), drugs (my GP wont perscribe them, neither will any other until "certain tests have been completed") or drinking myself into a stupor.

 

Now my bouts of not sleeping come and go, but in the last 6 months they've been getting worse and worse, at the time of writing this topic I have not slept more than 5 hours in the last 4 days when I'd normally have about 3 hours a night so if anyone has a suggestions for remidies/cures/techneques for getting to sleep that don't include those options stated above I'd be very greatful.

 

Thank-you

 

A.

[Majsju]

I fear that this is something where what works for one might be completely useless for another.

 

But, when I have my occasional bouts of insomnia, I hit my exercise bike, and completely exhaust myself. The downside is that the morning after, my legs are so numb it takes minutes to get out of bed But, it does help getting me to sleep, and the numbness is fairly easy to shake off.

[Mrs. Cindy Gill]

exercise very close to bedtime can make some people more wakeful. but exercise during the day, up to a few hours before bedtime, helps.

 

if you have a TV where you sleep, don't watch it in bed. don't read in bed. go to bed when you're sleepy, and just turn out the lights and go to your mental happy place. but not too happy, or it keeps you awake (i mean visualize something, somewhere, peaceful and restful to you, or recite something endless and boring to yourself if you're not into imaging).

 

try to get your room as dark as possible with room darkening blinds or curtains, or even those sleep masks they sell at the pharmacy. dim the little electronic lights in your room, like the clock light, or even cover the display with masking tape.

 

try to set up some white noise, like a fan, or one of those little (under $30) sleep machines that make the nature sounds (this didn't work for me because there was a discernable pattern to the sounds, they kind of looped, and that kept me awake the way music would, so i used white noise).

 

try benedryl (diphenhydramine HCL), starting at a half dose (25 mg; can raise to the normal dose of 50 mg, but for me, more than that makes me wakey). it's OTC (over the counter), look for it to be cheapest at a big store, under a generic allergy med label, in a big bottle. this is very helpful for me.

 

try sleepytime tea (celestial seasonings is best, the one with the teddy breads on it; bigelow does a nice one, too), or any chamomile blend. there's an extra strength sleepy time with valerian root in it, but that one tastes kind of icky. the regular stuff works pretty well. more than an hour before sleep or you have to get up and go to the bathroom.

 

don't drink alcohol, it interferes with sleep, though it may make you pass out for a while.

 

this is all assuming your insomnia isn't caused by something like obstructive sleep apnea, which you really do need a sleep study for. if you're having other symptoms, like waking up feeling like you can't breathe, headaches, lower leg swelling, hypertension, daytime sleepiness, nodding off suddenly during the day, ask your doctor to do an overnight pulse oxymetry on you. that's a cheap, simple test that you do in your own home. you get a little machine with a wire and an alligator clippy sort of thing that you keep your finger hooked up to while you sleep. it records your blood oxygen level, so they can tell if you desaturate (if your oxygen level drops abnormally low). depending on the pattern of desaturation, they may be able to diagnose sleep apnea, or other sleep related breathing disorders that would keep you from sleeping well. if your test results showed significant problems, i hope they would fast track you on a proper sleep study.

 

edit - it's also really important to try to maintain a regular schedule - wake up early, don't nap, don't stay up later than normal. get a comfort bear, or a snuggle pillow. and stay off the interwebs at night, it gets people riled and wakeful.

 

 

good luck, and sweet dreams.

 

(and if you can provide more details, such as can you fall asleep but not stay asleep, or vice versa, or any other relevant info, i'll try to get you a more specific answer if you can stand to read so many words, sorry.)

[NetSlider]

Know your pain (still do sometimes). Try finding outlet (I write)

 

Sleepless Night

 

 

Four filled and empty walls,

 

And sitting wisdom’s diva.

 

She listens to the sleepless mind,

 

She thinks she knows the sleepless kind.

 

 

 

Five angles in the sky,

 

And six is ticking on the clock.

 

The numbers counting for the sleepless mind,

 

They think they know the sleepless kind.

 

 

 

The indicators of mood’s swings,

 

And the blanket of the centric night.

 

Or maybe it is a metric mind,

 

It thinks it know the sleepless kind.

 

 

 

Comedian that spoke the truth,

 

He left this world before his time.

 

He knew the life of the sleepless mind,

 

He knew the life of the sleepless kind.

 

 

 

An inspiration filled with rage,

 

The scavenger of an empty page.

 

It gives the birth to the sleepless mind,

 

But it knows nothing of the sleepless kind.

 

 

 

The blackened center of an eye,

 

The bloodshot whites of the empty sight.

 

Internal struggle of the sleepless mind,

 

And only it knows the ending kind.

 

[Aliriel]

Thanks for the suggestions.

I've tried chamomile tea's before and they didn't work very well at all.

Don't have sleep apena or breathing problems when I do get to sleep.

 

More info for Cindy: Takes on average 4 hours of laying in a dark (almost pitch black) room to nod off and then when I do I'll sleep upwards of 2 hours and then wake up. This may happen 3 or 4 times a night with the lenght of time spent getting to sleep and actually sleeping varying between 1/2 an hour to 2 hours.

 

My insomnia/sleeping problems in the past (have been suffering from them in different degrees of seriousness for just over 11 years now) normally come in waves, there'll be maybe a month or 2 two of little to no sleep, unless I've past out, then 4 or 5 when I've managed to get good solid sleep for 5 to 6 hours a night, but as I've said, thats changed in the last 6 months. Been to my doctor and he's not willing to do anything about it, got a second opinion and thats where I was informed about the sleep clinics but due to the waiting list it doesn't seem to be viable.

 

Once again, thank you for the suggestions.

 

A.

 

Note: Since 10 am yesterday since origionally posting, I have had another 3 hours sleep bringing it to 8 hours for the past 5 days. Yay me... I think.

[Mrs. Cindy Gill]

what you describe sounds like a mood and/or anxiety problem. (the things i'm writing, btw, come from lifelong personal experience; i've struggled with insomnia since i was a very young child, though i'm under better control at this point. i know how it feels to lie in a dark room all night as the seconds pass by, how sickening it is to hear the birds start singing after you've been awake all night, how your mind races around in circles like a hamster on a wheel when all you want it for it to be still... and though i'm no poet and have some difficulty expressing emotions, especially in type, i do have a lot of empathy here, which is why i responded. i'm trying to help, please just ignore me if i'm failing. seriously not a diva, and definitely no metric mind.)

 

i don't know what your medical insurance is like, but if you can get to a psychiatrist, i think it might be your best bet (if benadryl doesn't work, especially). they are more willing to prescribe the medication that will help you.

 

again, good luck.

[Aliriel]

Medical insurance? Whats that?

Kidding aside, here in New Zealand it's a semi-free/user pays society when it comes to medical care so I don't have any even though it'd help with the waiting lists for somethings, unfortunately, Sleep Clinic's aren't covered.

 

But what you've desribed about the mind racing all over the place, the frustraition at hearing the dawn chorus and all that is exactly how I feel each and every night.

 

I'll admit I can be a moody prat at times, but in the past my moods have never had an effect on my sleeping, just my dreams.

 

Thank you for taking the time to respond though .

 

A.

[Kimarja]

You should get yourself treated. Insomnia is a major risk factor for depression. Go see a psychiatrist and sign up for the sleep clinic even if the waiting list is six months.

 

If you think your insomnia is not due to sleep apnea or mood problems then my educated guess would be an imbalance in your brain’s orexin/hypocretin system. Typical symptoms include difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep (that is, increased latency to sleep and frequent nocturnal awakenings). There are promising new drugs on clinical phase 3 trials targeting this system, but it remains to be seen whether they will be approved for clinical use.

 

Unfortunately there is currently no easy cure for insomnia, though sleeping pills will certainly improve the quality of your life especially when combined with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which is the treatment of choice for insomnia.

 

Good luck.

[OptimusPrime]

If I cant sleep I usually do some reading. If that doesnt work, stick a film on. You'll soon (hopefully) realize you're too tired to watch it all.

 

Other than that, you could always do an all nighter here and there. Sounds weird I know, but its worked for me in the past (the future hasn't happened yet, see?) although if Im honest Ive never had the problem for more than a few weeks at a time. But yeah, if all else fails, you could try willingly depriving yourself, make your body clock run a bit slow for a day or two. On a weekend of course-Friday or Saturday. Never Sunday. And if you do it on Saturday night be sure to get an early one on Sunday. Nothing worse than realizing you were successful when you're at work, if you know what I mean.