[Closed] Insomnia

Exercise, sex, routine.

Not being in a complete world of **** would help all of us (I am also struggling of late). Some of my dreams (when I have been able to sleep) have been so weird too - clearly my brain is in overdrive.

strict no-screen policy for at least an hour before bed helps me. The light definitely seems to act as some kind of stimulant otherwise and can easily find myself still awake 2-3am! Tend to read a book until knackered then drop off pretty quick.

Or embrace it. I listen to podcasts or BBC World Service. I was lucky enough to oversleep this morning after listening to Louis Theroux interviewing Oliver Stone.

Also don't stress about not sleeping. Just lie there and relax. You may be awake for a couple of hours but even lying there relaxed with eyes closed will be more resting than reading a phone, getting up and watching tv etc. Just relax and try to meditate. I am regularly awake a lot during the night but its one of the few things I don't stress over as I have always been awake a lot at night. My partner though sleeps like a log and when she wakes up stresses over it and get up, so of course never gets back to sleep!

I've been having this a lot over recent months too and I guess it's pretty common of late. I've looked into natural aids for this but if anybody has any (legal) recommendations then I'd love to hear them.

A glass of red wine after work does the trick but isn't a long term prospect really.

There is no magic cure for it what works for one doesn’t work for another.

Things I’ve tried

Going to be later

No screens before bed

Avoiding certain foods and drink

For me I see it as a fact I’ve worked shifts for about 30 years my pattern is a mess. I’ve gone back to staying up late or early hours as the gong early thing stopped working.

Thanks. I avoid alcohol on a school night, maybe its the lack of travel away from home might be a factor as its odd to sleep in the office.

As someone who was an insomniac for a big chunk of my twenties i’ll share these tips you can try.

Bed is for sleep and nookie only. No reading, no TV, phone or Ipad. No biscuits. If you don’t fall asleep within ten or fifteen minutes, get up and do something else until you’re tired enough to sleep. Don’t ever lie awake in bed for long periods. You need to program the association into your brain that Bed=Sleep.

Keep a pad and a pen next to bed. If you’re lying awake with thoughts on a loop, get up and write a list of them on the pad. You can safely leave them there and read them in the morning if they’re so important. Once they’re out of your head and on the paper it makes a big difference.

Try and fall asleep in the same position every night. This reinforces the bed=sleep association. The minute I get into bed and lie on my left side, I can fall asleep in under a minute.

Good luck.

Also don’t stress about not sleeping. Just lie there and relax. You may be awake for a couple of hours but even lying there relaxed with eyes closed will be more resting than reading a phone, getting up and watching tv etc. Just relax and try to meditate. I am regularly awake a lot during the night but its one of the few things I don’t stress over as I have always been awake a lot at night. My partner though sleeps like a log and when she wakes up stresses over it and get up, so of course never gets back to sleep!

This is great advise.
I used to get really stressed about not sleeping, would roll around, read my phone and generally fell anxious.
Now I just lie there and relax. I do drift off enventually, and even when I don't I'm still resting.
Medication before bed can help as well, my wife swears by it.

I find a bit of light meditation really helps. Just 10-20 mins an hour or two before bedtime. I use the Calm app - other such things are available 🙂

As per the above as well. Easier said than done at first but just learning to float whilst awake, drift on random thoughts but no focusing on the not sleeping bit really works. I have found even if I don't fully sleep I am at least rested but more often than not I end up falling asleep at some point doing this.

No caffeine after midday also.

There are a couple of good podcasts on sleep, I do suffer occasionally but only if I have had a late coffee or a big heavy meal. I do end up taking the herbal Nytol a once or twice a month which seem to work eventually and don't leave me feeling drowsy like the regular ones

There are a couple of good podcasts on sleep

The wife finds Calm really good - she puts one on and we both listen to a story but usually both asleep before it ends. I don't struggle with insomnia but Calm gets me off to sleep quicker so I feel much better the next day. Also don't have any caffeine after lunch time (unless I am doing a zwift race).

Also don’t stress about not sleeping. Just lie there and relax. You may be awake for a couple of hours but even lying there relaxed with eyes closed will be more resting than reading a phone, getting up and watching tv etc. Just relax and try to meditate.

This, very much this. Accept that you are awake but lie there and relax, I usually find that I drop off again. Only get up as a last resort. Others may differ but I find if I get up, then I won't drop off as quickly. Also, if you do wake up don't look at the clock. No good will ever come of this.

Keep things in proportion. You probably think that you are sleeping less than you actually are. I used to get stressed about sleeping which quickly descends into a cycle of despair. I ask myself, "Am I functioning OK?" If yes, then I am probably getting enough sleep. I read somewhere recently that the average person needs around 6 - 7 hours sleep however this doesn't need to be in a single block.

Suffering a lot lately, less insomnia but just disturbed sleep and waking up 4-5am and not getting back off.

Previously been a signal that my anxiety and depression are kicking off, so I'm trying to resolve it.

For me:

No caffeine after 3pm, no chocolate after 6pm, only one drink an evening and before 8pm - all really affect the quality of my sleep.

No phone for at least 30 minutes before bed - ok with TV though.

Read for 10-15 minutes to help unwind.

Some fresh air and exercise during the day.

Once I'm awake early and realise I'm not just rolling over and going back off, then I just get up, read, watch TV or something. Better than lying there worrying about it.

some stellar advice and stuff to try, thanks.
i have of late, worn a smart band that tells me that I do lack deep sleep - which can cause day drowsiness.

I've been listening to 'Infinite Monkey Cage' on bbc sounds, just put one ear bud in with the other ear buried in the pillow. They're interesting enough that they distract you from your thoughts, but not like a drama where if you miss a bit you no long know what's happening.

Caher I used to suffer quite badly to the point I was really struggling to function. Not so bad now but still get periods when I can't sleep.

Some excellent advice above. Try to stay away from screens for a while before you are going to try to sleep. I found not stressing about not sleeping and just saying to myself that I would take the time to just rest my eyes usually ended up in me drifting off.

The Guardian re-ran this on their site yesterday:

https://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2020/mar/16/a-cure-for-insomnia

My personal experience based on almost ten months of long covid, which wrecked my sleep for months - two hours a night - is that a very low dose of melatonin, the chemical your body uses to regulate its sleep cycle, makes a big difference. I take 300mcg - ie: one third of a milligram - about an hour before bed and it's made a huge difference.

Otherwise I can totally recommend The Archers on BBC Sounds as an ideal soporific. If that doesn't bore you to sleep, nothing will - beware rogue episodes with gorings down the farm or domestic abuse murders / near murders though. And pretty much everyone I know is having issues with sleep atm. It's the endless pandemic weirdness for you.

Work from home so luckily no travel.
Not sure how its suddenly come

Read the news in the last 10 months? People have been locked down, shut off from their normal routines and social connections. Exercise and sleep routines have been disrupted, so insomnia is surging.

The psychology research journals are going to be having bonanza years for the next couple of decades.

A dog on the bed helps me sleep (even if it's taking up most of the space and jabbing me in the ribs while dreaming!)

as a part time sufferer with insomnia a tip I was taught at work and find sometimes works is to go and have a warm shower and then get straight into bed. apparently when you sleep your body cools down so by getting the body warm and then getting into bed it can trick your mind to sleep.

other than that its horrible!

Really struggling too and comforting to see Im not alone on this one...whilst some good tips on this thread I personally cant see my insomnia improving given the anxiety of a further lockdown combined with being in the middle of a house sale.

I use Mirtazapine but then according to the doc I suffer from the hangover effect and i usually get a goods night sleep. Every so often have to stop them for a week as i build a tolerance to them. As bonus they're an antidepressant so I don't get depressed because i'm always topped up with anti depressants. I've been taking them for years without any side effects.

There is a video on YouTube that I use. Search "rain on a tent". It's a black screen video so put your phone on charge and enjoy. Also... melatonin and twinings sleep blend

Listening to an Audiobook titled "Why We Sleep" by Matthew Walker. Very interesting with the science of why we sleep and what it does for us.
However quickly found out that I was falling asleep listening to it at night, great, but missed the chapters as I was asleep. Just listen to Audiobook's while I walk/run now.
Personally I avoid caffeine after @8, no phone tablet in the bedroom and listen to a Podcast/book to get a swift move into slumber.

Yeah lots of this here both myself and my good lady, neither of us have trouble getting to sleep initially but both wake up for extended periods during the night, breathing practice and mindfulness helps somewhat to get back to sleep, it’s hard though when the middle of the night anxiety is strong.

Those of you taking melatonin are you on a docs prescription? The tiny dose mentioned above suggests not? If not where are you getting it from or is it a herbal facsimile?

Those of you taking melatonin are you on a docs prescription? The tiny dose mentioned above suggests not? If not where are you getting it from or is it a herbal facsimile?

No, my GP fobbed me off with a claim that only speech specialists can prescribe, which I've since been told is untrue. I bought some direct from the US - iherb will ship here and even has a UK-facing site - and then from Europe. The prescription dose is 3mg, which is quite a lot. Google suggests that a much smaller dose is counter-intuitively more effective. I'm actually using a combination of 300mcg of normal melatonin plus a 750mcg timed release one and now sleeping around seven hours a night. Apparently everyone's different.

I also tried Valerian Root, but while it worked, it also made me feel groggy in doses that were effective or didn't really do it for me in lower amounts.