Cant get to sleep at night

LegacyUser

I have a problem with getting to sleep at night and usually dont get to sleep until 4 or 5. I go to bed about 1 o clock or so and am just left there starring at the ceiling as I wont be able to sllep for the next 3 to4 hours. As a result I am too tired to get up for my lectures in college until about 2 o clock every day.

Any one have any advise on how to improve my sleeping patterns.

Thanks.

muppetkiller

Go for a 5 mile run at 8 ..works for me ( well maybe 2 miles who am I kiddin)
but exercise is the trick for me.

Canis Lupus

Insomnia is tough to cure.

Personally I fall asleep by watching tv in bed or reading a book in bed.

I find if I fall into a pattern of insomnia I find the biggest problem to be THINKING I won't be able to sleep. If you go to bed and you are thinking about falling asleep then you won't sleep. Then you fall into the pattern of going to bed thinking you won't sleep and hey presto, you don't.

The usual applies. Tire yourself out during the day, possibly with exercise.

Stay away from anything caffeine based: coffee or red bull.

Relax yourself before going to bed by watching tv with the lights off or reading a book you like.

Tar.Aldarion

Well what is it that you are worried about, or what girl is it about tbh.
You need to find the reason before you can get to sleep, are you regularily like this? how long has it been? etc? Unfortunately if it is in your mind, you won't be able to get to sleep. Well I am not able to anyway.
Exhaust yourself completely, it's what I have to do. So tired that you aren't able to think.

is_that_so

Reading works for me most of the time. I've also taken to playing classical/relaxing music as well. You could try a warm drink - cocoa, milk or whatever.
And then there's the empty mind trick. Imagine that you are going to make your brain empty or quiet. For every thought you have, close a door on it until your brain is completely still. At that stage you should find it a lot easier to sleep. Doesn't work all the time and requires a fair bit fo work to be able to do it but when it does sheer bliss. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Stark

sleepless wrote:

I have a problem with getting to sleep at night and usually dont get to sleep until 4 or 5. I go to bed about 1 o clock or so and am just left there starring at the ceiling as I wont be able to sllep for the next 3 to4 hours. As a result I am too tired to get up for my lectures in college until about 2 o clock every day.

Any one have any advise on how to improve my sleeping patterns.

Thanks.

It's virtually impossible to make yourself fall asleep at an earlier time than your body desires it. Force yourself into a routine of getting up at a reasonable time. Your body will usually set itself by its wakeup time (ie: if you get up at 1:00, your body will think hmm, 1:00pm - 8 or so hours = 5:00am to fall asleep at). If nothing will wake you up earlier, try staying awake for 36 hours and hope your body thinks it's overshot its falling asleep time.

Dragan

Once agian you may want to make sure you are getting enough Zinc and Magnesium in your diet.

If deficent in these it can severely affect your sleep.

jdivision

I suffer from similar problems. The easiest thing is to establish a routine of getting out of bed in the morning at the same time every day. Then in the evenings do not go to bed until you are tired. That's to break the mental association in your head between lying in bed and not sleeping. If you can't sleep get out of bed again and go into the sitting room. do not watch tv, it's a passive action and doesn't help you switch off. The best thing to do is to read instead as it takes more concentration. Again, don't do it in bed though, do it in the sitting room. Also, don't eat after 7pm (if you're going to bed at 1) and try and give up caffeine and sugary drinks. I was caught up in a spiral of not getting to sleep so drinking loads of caffeine the next day to stay awake and then not being able to sleep because of the amount of caffeine. Trying to give it up is tough - expect bad headaches for a few days and if you drink any colas it's a nightmare - but I eventually did it and sleep much better these days.

lil-buttons

When Im like that I take a panadol night for a few nights and it gets me back in to the sleeping mode again so it does. I know you not supposed to take stuff like that but seriously take 1/2 and in 20 mins ur out cold and wake up bout 9 hours later fresh as a daisy. I swear by them !

They are worth a try !

spartacus93

Exercise and routine works for me. If I sleep in Sunday mornings I wont sleep Sunday nights. So I get up around the same time every day.

rainbow kirby

Try going to bed half an hour earlier each night, and if you want to shock yourself then force yourself to get up at 8am some morning, then don't allow yourself to sleep during the day.

It's all about routine. If you start going to bed that late, it's really hard to break the cycle of going to bed late and getting up late. I live in Spain now and my flatmates don't go to bed until 3am every day, so I got into an awful routine of going to bed at 3, getting up at 8 for college and sleeping a few hours siesta at 3 or 4. It just feels like I'm wasting away all my days. If I don't sleep the siesta I am destroyed and cannot keep my eyes open, even if I have managed to sleep 8 hours at night, just because my body is used to it. I've been on trips and had to sleep in parks and on benches because I could not go on without an hour's nap, and I NEVER used to sleep in the day.

I think you should gradually change your routine, hour by hour. Go to bed at 4, get up at 1, then a couple of days later, go to bed at 3 and get up at 12, and eventually you should be able to sleep normal hours. Like others have said, try to get up at the same time every day, even at weekends if possible. Read a book before bed, and I find a milky drink or herbal tea knocks me out. Exercise also works well. Get off the Internet long before you need to sleep, it's really distracting.

ando

ive never had trouble sleeping except when i stop going to the gym or stop going training. you need to tire you body out

BrokenArrows

As said above you have gotten yourself into a pattern of sleeping in late so you wont be able to go to sleep when you go to bed.

The average person is supposed to sleep something like 8 hours a night.
That leaves 16 hours of being awake.

So when you get up at 2pm in the day and go to bed at 1am you have only been awake for 11 hours.

Your body is not ready to go to sleep yet.

The only solution is to get up earlier and do more stuff during the day.

Try and do it so you are actively awake for 13+ hours. Lying in bed trying to sleep does not count.

plonk

Excercise is the key and I know cause I dont do it and can never get to sleep. The lazier you are the more messed up your sleep pattern gets and you are nearly constantly tired. Ive been up since 7.00am today and am still not tired and will probably stay up till 4 tonight. Its messed up.
I think I will start taking zinc and magnesium supplemnts like Dragan said and if that doesnt work Ill go to the Gym

John C

I think that you have fallen into a vicious circle of getting up late and then having too much energy at bedtime. Tip: keep yourself mentally and physically occupied hours before bedtime. It helps if you force yourself to think of POSITIVE recent events and avoid brooding on negative events.

Anthony C

dundalk cailin

i have class some mornings at 8am, and i find it very hard to sleep the night before as a result of worrying that if i do fall asleep ill sleep in cos i have to get up round 6.30..so i end up sleeping v lightly, having a very limited amount of energy, (enough to get me thru the morning) then i come home and sleep for a few hours. then i get up round 5 or 6pm, and my body clock is messed up as a result but i dont have class till later the next day so it works out ok, but only cos i dont have a busy schedule. my housemates keep all sorts of hours, they stay up talkin or on net till the wee wee hours and then sleep the whole day!

check these by previous posters
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.phpt=2054872149&highlight=insomnia

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.phpt=2054864957&highlight=insomnia

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.phpt=307064&highlight=insomnia

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.phpt=297879&highlight=insomnia

LegacyUser

Going to bed at 1am is too late. Try to get to bed by 11 tops and get up at 7 or 8 at the latest. When you work, you will have these kind of hours. Also, do some excercise. Go for a walk or even do a run. Diet is something important to consider. Eat plenty of fruit and veg, high energy food. Stay away from coke and dont drink tea or coffee close to bedtime. Dont eat close to bedtime. Try to remove distractions from view in your bedroom. They may interfere with your sleep. Make sure the room is properly ventillated by opening a window.

I used to stay up until 6am some mornings, then go to bed, and then get up again at about 4pm. It was really depressing especially during the winter, where I rarely if ever saw daylight.

I excercise now and eat healthily and sleep properly and now Im a much better and happier person for it.

dundalk cailin

i dunno if this is a factor, but i stopped drinking diet coke (was seriously addicted!!) bout a week ago and downing water since, but once my head hits the pillow im out for the count...so i would say diet is v important.
also dont go out on the drink the whole weekend, that will seriously wreck your sleep

MarinoMark

I had this problem about a year ago...Sometimes The head tells you you are not going to sleep...Because it happened last nite...and the nite before etc...I went to the doctor and got a months supply of Zimovane...These helped me get back into a routine..Then I found a nice bath and some lavender on my pillow did the trick...Lavender is available in health shops and most chemists...Most importantly..Go to bed about an hour before you plan to sleep...And pamper yourself, Read, listen to nice music,have your bath etc..basically just try to switch off and turn off the mobile too.....I hope things improve for you...Regards..M

Civilian_Target

Exercise is the first key - try taking up circuit training, I guarantee you you'll sleep like a brick the following night.

Also, it might help to avoid eating, or drinking anything other than water or milk in the 4 hours before you go to bed, and to have pre-bedtime **** too if you think you it'll help.

~Rebel~

Im in exactly the same situation right at the moment. was actually contemplating starting a thread myself till i saw yours. Exactly the same, cant sleep till bout 4am at the earliest. Was lying in bed last night from 12. got up early this morning though so hopefully can force my way out of it and sleep early tonight, but have tried this before and still end up staying awake late. I find just cant shut my brain down. Cant stop thinking about everything from college to replaying some goalscoring situation i didn't take and what i should have done in football last weekend, just mental like! Anyway thanks to everyones advice for that guy, ill try n take some of it too!

:|

had exactly the same problem a while ago
i realised i tired myself out too much during the day, and i used to leave homework and stuff to really late so i stopped that and learned to relax, it really worked! just make sure you get some good relaxation time before bed
if that doesnt work you could buy one of those relaxation tapes, they really do help!

Jimi-Spandex

Exercise and a decent diet will help.

The main thing is routine though. Force yourself out of bed at 8am regardless of how much sleep you get. Do as much as possible during the day and go to bed at 11pm (or earlier) that night. You should be be able to sleep once you do this for a few days. The important thing to remember is that your body will usually do what you train it to. If it's not used to sleep early it won't sleep early. If it's only used to sleeping if you are drunk/stoned, then you may just have some trouble getting to sleep if you are sober.

I had the same problem as you during college for various different reasons. I tried some fairly stupid things to cure myself, like staying up for two nights in a row. I wouldn't recommend studying too late, I find it keeps my mind running too fast.

ergonomics

Do you drink a lot of fizzy drinks? I used to drink a lot and when I cut them out I found I slept better and deeper as well.

Have you heard of 'Kalms tablets'? They're a natural relaxer. Herbal tablets that is. What they do is they just keep you relaxed and stress free during the day. I took them in the months prior to my Leaving cause I was stressed and couldn't sleep. Because they keep you stress free during the day they make you sleep better at night. Sometimes when I can't sleep I get up and take one of those and am asleep within an hour. This is where I might confuse you; they're not sleeping tablets so if you take two in the morning you're not going to be falling asleep in lectures! They relax you and I find when I can't sleep I get mighty frustrated so by taking the Kalms I relax instantly and fall asleep! Hope this helps.

JaneyMackers

I suffer from Insomia quite badly of late.

Simple fact is you have to get your routine going.

1. No Caffine after 6pm
2. No cig's a hour before
3. Go to sleep at the same time every night and no matter how little sleep you get, get up at the normal time. If you're knackered during the following day do not sleep!!. Go to bad at your normal time again and so on.
4. If your not sleeping on any given night. GET UP!! Just lying there will do nothing. Best of getting up and then head back.
5. TV in bed I would'nt say is the greatest thing. Its stimulation your sub conscience will notice it while you're asleep and it will effect the quality of that sleep.
6. Drinking. I have to stop drinking at weekends to get sleeping again. Drunk sleep is enduced sleep and can break your routine. Pain in the neck that one, but necessary.
7. Drugs, don't know if you do them or not. But steer miles away from them esp the obvious upper ones. Sure to break your sleep rythym and if you're susceptable to insomia you can be sure it will come back.

There my 2 cents. Hope it helps.

If your insomia is not bad. Try Herbal solutions. / Rescue Remedy /

If it persits go to the Doc and get some light sleeping tab's. You will need to take them 5 to 7 nights running to get back into a routine and then you come of them.

Also you can get Hypnotherpy treatments for it. www.paulgoldin.ie

thedaveg

I would suggest looking up meditation techniques. These can help clear you mind of any thoughts or issues that may be involved in keeping you awake. Most people are not aware of the effect our sub-conscience minds have on our sleeping patterns..... it's no secret that we find it difficult to sleep when thinking about troubling issues. The same applies to issues which we may not deem so troubling, but if you neglect to keep your mind in check and put these thoughts in their rightful place, it will continue to sub-consciously ponder these issues against our will, and without us realising it!! Also, these techniques will as a by product, slow down your heart beat which in turn will trigger your bodies natural relaxants.

Also, if you are continuing to have trouble waking up in the morning, I would suggest a dawn-simulator..... can be somewhat pricey, but what price can you put on feeling fresh in the morning? (Or maybe get an engineering student friend of yours to make one for you as some kind of project??)

Light has a huge influence on our sleeping patterns and these clocks take advantage of the rules that have been programmed into our brains since .....well...for a long long long time!!! By the same token, doing the meditation in a darkened room can help give the detailed directions to the sandman, so that he'll find you wherever you are!!