Insomnia?/Tips for good sleep

Doomspell · 10-10-2006 2:04pm

Glad to hear his nightmares are getting less frequent. I
find that bed-time stories are the best solution so I'd
keep that up. My friend has a little girl and she
refuses to go to sleep without at least two stories but
about halfway through the first one she's out like
a light.

Lust4Life · 12-10-2006 12:20am

My little one has always insisted on 3 stories a night.
He's going to be an avid reader like his parents!

jezza · 05-12-2006 3:14am

Sleep may be overrated! Or maybe I just like having an excuse for being a contrary biotch.

foxy_19-89 · 22-04-2007 4:55pm

f®eak s&#169 wrote: »

If you're a crap sleeper, then it could be lack of the following:

● Sunlight (for the melatonin)
● Exercise

Also, make sure your body clock isn't out of whack... try waking up and going to bed at the same time every day. Yes, there might be the temptation to sleep in or stay up late at the weekend, but this will seriously hamper your ability to sleep deeply throughout the week.

Have to say, after knowing and applying this, the quality of my sleep has improved ten-fold.

i work in the nightclub business. its imposible for me to sleep like a day or two days after work. my body is on late night functuin when i want to go to bed early

:(

besty · 18-07-2007 2:04am

I stay up very late pretty much every night (around 2-3 AM). I think the reasons for this are practical though. Wireless internet + laptop. TV at the end of bed. Xbox at end of bed etc. I'm also doing evening course now which I don't finish until 10.15 PM, home around 11 and have something to eat which probably compounds the issue.

Piste · 19-07-2007 4:54am

When I was about 6 it would have been around the time of the Good Friday Agreement in the North and we'd always have the radio on in the house, so between the Troubles and goings on in the Middle East I would hear so much about bombings and shootings and people dying, so I had a terrible fear of dying in a fire or explosion in my sleep, so at bedtime I'd always scuttle back down to the sitting room (where my parents would probably be watching the news- didn't really help!), so for a good long while I wasn't able to sleep well at all.

So if there are parents there whose kids are getting night terrors or who can't sleep, even if they're only exposed to kids programs they may be hearing the news on the radio if it's on around the house, and you know the imagination kids have, they'll always make things much worse in their heads!

golfgirl · 24-08-2007 12:41pm

Hi, For all those who mull over anxieties at night and can't sleep as a result, I've always found jotting things down with a pen and paper works wonders. So if you've something on your mind, just try writing about it. This helps to figure out exactly what's going on up there and things might look a bit clearer. I guess it's a kind of diary, but more about feelings than daily routines. It has definitely helped me ... and you don't have to spend long, just a few mins ... give it a go ... that's my suggestion anyway!

sharkemon · 25-08-2007 6:22pm

Magnesium tablet 30 mins before you go to bed helps.
Some people find Camomile tea helps, but hasn't for me.
For more extreme cases check out an amino acid called 5-HTP you can buy in a health shop. 5-HTP helps balance seratonin levels and aids insomnia, depression, and a number of other ailments. Read up about it before taking it because it cannot be taken with some medications.

marco murphy · 14-09-2007 11:55pm

Glass or two of red wine puts me sound a sleep and wakes up all energetic in the morning. Is this normal?

ian_m · 25-09-2007 6:05am

Red wine does the trick for me too. The BBC World service at a low volume ticks my mind over until I fall asleep. A dark bedroom at a cool temperature (around 18-19C).

dogmatix · 25-09-2007 8:18pm

Also -
1. Warm bath and soak just before bedtime (bath mind - not shower).
2. Almost complete darkness in room.
3. Nature sounds at low volume - recordings of rainfall and forest stream or distint thunder storms can be quite relaxing for some strange reason.
3. As quiet as possible (after your nature sounds cd has finished).
4. A routine - or try to set one - i.e, always be in bed by 11pm and up by 7am etc.

jtsuited · 28-10-2007 2:14pm

go to a good doctor and get prescribed zopitan. Or any other hypnotic/sedative.

After 2 weeks of a good (if drug induced) sleeping pattern and your problems are over.

Sleeping problems obviously.

all_smilz · 03-12-2007 1:38am

ann summers has a few interesting gadgets that usually help me to get off....:)

kittensoft1984 · 16-01-2008 11:22am

ive just moved house recently and im having trouble sleeping...

any ideas?

ian_m · 17-01-2008 5:52am

Whats different about your old bedroom and your new one? Comparatively warmer or colder? More or less light? Maybe try and give it a feel of the old place? I find clutter bothers me.

I moved house in the past 12months or so and I find I sleep better in my new home. Maybe it just might take time for you to settle.

Bob the Builder · 11-02-2008 4:37am

I didn't realise this thread or indeed, forum, existed at all.

But, I have studied the subject very closely in relation to trying to get rid of these notions of insomnia, etc.

As I'm sure you all well know, is that such a condition lies inside the brain, and although the brain is a muscle, it works by certain patterns.

I am currently reading a book by Derren Browne "Tricks of the Mind", and he explains a way of using NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) to stop people having phobia's, etc. I have tried on my friends, in relation to abolishing fears of heights, etc, and they will wake up thinking that it hasn;t worked, yet, they will come back to me a week later with a story of how they have mastered it. The book is €9 from play.com, and I think if there are any parents that wish to help themselves of their children to "remove/abolish" nightmares, it's an excellent read, because the "methods" he shows you do not involve hypnosis. PM me, if you would like a more detailed description of what he does, or if you get the book, I'll tell you what pages the relevant info is on...

Regarding insomnia, the first approach which must be undertaken is the pen and paper approach. Purchase two day planner diaries. Use the first diary to record all of your tasks, and to-do list, who you were speaking to. When someone tells you something which you have to remember, write it down, it removes a lot of anxiety regarding memorizing unrelevant information, this basically clears your mind while you are asleep, in such a way as to avoid overloading your brain.

Use the second diary (which should not leave your house, and should not be read by anyone but yourself, or maybe your doctor if you ever have to see him/her for the same reason) should contain information regarding, diet, exercise, sleep and dreams.

So, for the 11th of February; I woke at 8:15am, got out of bed at 8:30am, ate a bowl of weetabix with a glass of milk. I ate lunch at 1:45(a BLT sandwich, cup of coffee), and then went back to the office at 2:20pm, I ate dinner at 6:00pm(Pasta). Be sure to record whatever you smoked/drank. Then record, what time you went to bed at, and what time you went to sleep at. Record what times during the night you woke at, and what dreams you had in between(but record them as soon as you wake up during the dream). Do this daily for two weeks, and you may or may not find consistentcy between what you eat and the times you sleep.

Using these two methods, you may notice a slight improvement in your sleep, but what I found useful is using a method of NLP to basically grab a bad feeling about something and delete it from your brain rather than building upon it.

Everytime something really negative happens you. Relax, close your eyes... Get a picture of something really positive in your mind, something which your good at, like playing soccer or impressing your friends with your great driving skills. imagine it in your mind, clearly.... now what I want you to do is imagine that, the four corners of that image have just been tied back with huge elastic bands .... the pressure is enormous .... (still keep the picture, the elasticated picture there in the background as well as we move onto the next image...) imagine the negative picture, your boss talking to you about something bad you did, or whatever, imagine it clearly and vividly, now, all of a sudden decolour that picture, and make it black and white, all fuzzy, shrink the picture down to nothing.... when you are finished that, release the catapault, release the elastic bands, and watch as the positive image of you now shrinks the old negative picture...

I know that above extract is hard to understand as I typed it out myself in a rush, but if you can understand it, have a go at it, I will follow in the next couple of days with a few NLP extracts that work really well, but I'll have to avoid all the copywrited ones.. following a few simple methods of nlp has been very successful for me.

ian_m · 11-02-2008 11:20pm

Cheers nevf. I love all that kind of stuff.

darrenn · 27-02-2008 10:27pm

i cant sleep properly eaither my mind keeps racin and ehrn i do i wake up in total confusion i have no clue who i am or where i am its horrible!! any help?

surm00 · 27-02-2008 10:30pm

I find nutmeg helps me sleep. 1-3 spoons of powdered stuff drank down with water (it tastes horrible). No more than that though. As well as being a natural sedative it can cause you to feel quite unplessant (understatement!!!) in higher does. Some valium or a joint helps otherwise!

ian_m · 27-02-2008 11:48pm

darrenn wrote: »

i cant sleep properly eaither my mind keeps racin and ehrn i do i wake up in total confusion i have no clue who i am or where i am its horrible!! any help?

Do you drink coffee or anything like that?

Overheal · 20-04-2008 7:17am

would it be terribly detrimental to switch myself onto a cycle of sleeping every second day, for a couple of weeks?

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar · 21-04-2008 2:36am

yes.

brown-dog · 23-06-2008 1:48pm

I just go for a 20 min walk or run at night about an hour before heading to bed - made a deal with myself years ago that if I couldnt get stuff sorted out after the run / walk I would leave it until the next day, jump into the bath / shower, have a glass of wine and go to sleep. I used to be a really bad insominac but this routine has helped alot!

Suaimhneach · 15-07-2008 8:57pm

I say a prayer over and over in my head, and every time my mind wanders I force myself to go back to saying it, and then eventually out of boredom or repetitive ness I fall asleep...

JP Liz · 27-08-2008 1:53pm

I got prescripted Halicon from my doctor but i dont want to get addicted to sleeping pills.

Any home remedies or herbal remedies worth trying please?

Suaimhneach · 27-08-2008 2:02pm

A bit of lavendar, or calms if you cant sleep from stress.

naasface · 16-10-2008 12:48pm

I miss a lot of school/work because of sleep issues. I am completely unable to keep my eyes open during the day nearly pass out while walking from tiredness! Then i sleep straight away when i get home ending up for too long then get even more tired.Then cannot sleep at all . Wake up and the cycle starts again!! Its affecting my life so bad! I had a blood test pretty recently and i dont have a thyroid problem. Could what u eat affect insomnia, sleep disturbance? i.e not eating enough, or too much??
I sometimes wakevin the middle of the night suddenly and hallucinate - i once saw a clown playing cymbals on my ceiling-scary ****!
anyone have any similar experiences?

AARRRGH · 16-10-2008 12:50pm

The first thing anyone who can't sleep should do is to give up all products which contain caffeine -

Tea
Coffee
Chocolate

And also to not eat at least 2 hours before bedtime.

MMD · 10-11-2008 11:08pm

AARRRGH wrote: »

The first thing anyone who can't sleep should do is to give up all products which contain caffeine -

Tea
Coffee
Chocolate

And also to not eat at least 2 hours before bedtime.

agree but - how do you stop a motor mind in the wee hours....I can't remember the last time I got a really good sleep on a work night!

sickpuppy32 · 18-12-2008 4:42am

get some melatomin from a herb store

Mrmoe · 18-12-2008 4:59am

I generally have a lot of these problems mentioned as well. I have tried alot of the solutions mentioned but they are only short term solutions for me. For example giving up tea or chocolate I generally only last at best a week. I have found that I am actually getting worse over the last couple of years. I am now staying up later and later each night that it gets to the stage where I do not sleep at all a couple nights each week. 5am fall asleep time is nothing new. My trouble is that I am too ill disciplined to carry out any of the solutions mentioned for more than a week.

Slippin Jimmy · 22-04-2009 12:12am

I have to say after a couple of pints I am out for the count. Otherwise i don't sleep to well, hence why I am up now. Good thing im off work for another week.

sickpuppy32 · 22-04-2009 5:48pm

<Snip>

never ever buy prescription drugs from the internet, you dont know what ur buying and there is no regulation.

Suaimhneach · 22-04-2009 6:26pm

Duffff-Man wrote: »

I have to say after a couple of pints I am out for the count. Otherwise i don't sleep to well, hence why I am up now. Good thing im off work for another week.

If you drink and then sleep, you dont get a proper sleep though. You dont go into the deep sleep that relaxes and replenishes you.

I've probably already said it but when my mind races I take some Bach Rescue Remedy, and tehy have a specific one for sleep. Highly recommend it.

DanWhack · 22-04-2009 6:40pm

Usually when i go to bed at around 11 or 12 it takes me till about 3 or 4 to fall asleep even although i feel really tired and fatigue in my muscles

run_Forrest_run · 24-04-2009 7:52am

<Snip>

surely this is a bloody advert right here??? Sorry poster but when I see a post count of 2 and then something like the above I get suss...

run_Forrest_run · 24-04-2009 8:03am

some really good posts here, re-assuring to see I'm not alone!
I go through spells where I have awful problems getting to sleep.

The main thing that stops me nodding off is 'jumpy legs'! Yes, it's an uncontrollable thing where my legs jump or I get an urge to move my legs to relieve the feeling in my legs. It's not painful or anything.

I've done a bit of research on this and they call it restless legs syndrome and it mainly affects women and it can get worse as you get older (great, I'm a male and I've had this problem since I was about 12!)

I mentioned this problem to my GP and he prescribed a drug called Adartrel (ropinirole). Now this is basically a dopamine agonist and it's a relatively new drug. So, seeing as I am 32 I don't really want to go messing around with dopamine yet!!! So the packet is still lying in my house un-opened and the restless legs continues.

Sometimes I do manage to drop off but about 10 minutes later I'm wide awake...I think the problem now has become such an issue with me that when i wake up I automatically think the worst and that adds to the stress.

I have cut out caffeine after 3pm and I get regular exercise ( I do some road running, I ran 6 miles after work yesterday for example).
So if another person suggests some herbal tea I will shove the stuff up their...zzzzzzzzzz

Suaimhneach · 24-04-2009 8:43am

Have you ever tried Rescue Remedy Sleep, run? I find it just relaxes me enough to fall asleep and once I am out it's ok. I really recommend it. It's about a tenner and you can get it from all pharmacies. Looks like this:

run_Forrest_run · 25-04-2009 6:53pm

thanks Jesjes, I never realised they had a night time remedy. I've used rescue remedy during my finals when in college but I'll definitely buy some of the night time one and see how it goes.

sickpuppy32 · 25-04-2009 10:46pm

run_Forrest_run wrote: »

some really good posts here, re-assuring to see I'm not alone!
I go through spells where I have awful problems getting to sleep.

The main thing that stops me nodding off is 'jumpy legs'! Yes, it's an uncontrollable thing where my legs jump or I get an urge to move my legs to relieve the feeling in my legs. It's not painful or anything.

I've done a bit of research on this and they call it restless legs syndrome and it mainly affects women and it can get worse as you get older (great, I'm a male and I've had this problem since I was about 12!)

I mentioned this problem to my GP and he prescribed a drug called Adartrel (ropinirole). Now this is basically a dopamine agonist and it's a relatively new drug. So, seeing as I am 32 I don't really want to go messing around with dopamine yet!!! So the packet is still lying in my house un-opened and the restless legs continues.

Sometimes I do manage to drop off but about 10 minutes later I'm wide awake...I think the problem now has become such an issue with me that when i wake up I automatically think the worst and that adds to the stress.

I have cut out caffeine after 3pm and I get regular exercise ( I do some road running, I ran 6 miles after work yestask the doc to precerday for example).
So if another person suggests some herbal tea I will shove the stuff up their...zzzzzzzzzz

ask the doc to prescribe "melatonin", it is produced naturally in ur brain ( and u can get it up north without prescription) and it works as well, so much that pharma companies are trying to breate a synthetic version which they can then patent and make a fortune

run_Forrest_run · 26-04-2009 10:05pm

thanks for that sickpuppy32....I will keep it in mind if the Rescue Remedy Night fails...I bought it today so tonight will be the first time. I'm not expecting miracles so I'll give it a week or so.

Suaimhneach · 26-04-2009 11:11pm

If it works for you during exam time it should do the same trick for sleep. Thats excatly how I started to use it in the first place! I hope you sleep tight!

If not, my bro took melatonin for a while when he was on other meds that kept him up, and they literally knocked him out so they were good for that. In terms of getting rescue remedy vs melatonin though, RR is much easier to get!

run_Forrest_run · 27-04-2009 7:38am

Jesjes wrote: »

If it works for you during exam time it should do the same trick for sleep. Thats excatly how I started to use it in the first place! I hope you sleep tight!

OK, I took RR last night as I hopped into bed and read a bit. After about 20 minutes I turned off the light and I nodded off no problem and more importantly I stayed asleep. I'm delighted, now of course it could be a coincidence or it could be a typical placebo type affect but hey, I slept well last night and that's good.

ian_m · 30-04-2009 11:20pm

run_Forrest_run wrote: »

OK, I took RR last night as I hopped into bed and read a bit. After about 20 minutes I turned off the light and I nodded off no problem and more importantly I stayed asleep. I'm delighted, now of course it could be a coincidence or it could be a typical placebo type affect but hey, I slept well last night and that's good.

Let us know how you are getting on...

run_Forrest_run · 01-05-2009 7:23am

ian_m wrote: »

Let us know how you are getting on...

hmm, well after the first night it's back to the drawing board. I nod off but after about 10 minutes I'm wide awake again. I was reading a new book in bed and the book was replaying in my dreams, this sometimes happens to me and then I wake up.:mad:

I'll keep trying it anyway!

ian_m · 01-05-2009 1:31pm

run_Forrest_run wrote: »

hmm, well after the first night it's back to the drawing board. I nod off but after about 10 minutes I'm wide awake again. I was reading a new book in bed and the book was replaying in my dreams, this sometimes happens to me and then I wake up.:mad:

I'll keep trying it anyway!

Have you tried listening to 'white noise'? Or sea sounds? I've tried that sometimes.

run_Forrest_run · 02-05-2009 11:38am

ian_m wrote: »

Have to tried listening to 'white noise'? Or sea sounds? I've tried that sometimes.

I'll have to use headphones because the wife wouldn't be best pleased with white noise:)

spiderdog · 28-05-2009 2:17am

i had a machine years ago that had diff settings ie. white noise, rain, sea ... it was great, have no idea where to get one now though

if its rainy or windy outside....i fall asleep no prob listening (window open)
also.....listening to my dogs snoring seems to help me sleep....ironic really, cos if my oh snoring it has opp effect:p

sickpuppy32 · 28-05-2009 11:12am

i find the sound of the dishwasher and washing machine really relaxing, thank god i discovered nightsaver electricity;)

kincsem · 28-08-2009 7:05pm

I have a book called "The Promise Of Sleep" by William C Dement that I found useful. I don't know if the book has been mentioned before in the sleeping and dreaming forum.

Chapters / contents are listed here on amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0440509017/scienceandpol-20#reader

Insomnia?/Tips for good sleep

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