Sleeping aid advice

[coffeebuddha]

So here's the thing. I'm tired. I'm ridiculously, literally fall down when I try to walk, feel like my eyes are about to fall out of my head tired, but I just can't fall asleep. It's 5:45AM and I haven't slept even a moment. I only slept about three hours last night (night before last at this point? idek) before my alarm went off and I had to get up. This has been the norm for me for months now. I've been drinking a single glass of red wine before going to bed, which helped to slow my brain down enough that I could fall asleep, but that doesn't seem to be working anymore. I don't want to go on sleeping pills. I really don't want to go on sleeping pills. I have an addictive personality and a history of alcohol/narcotics abuse in my family. For me, sleeping pills are the absolute last resort, and maybe even not then.

I'm tired and I'm desperate. If anyone has any tricks they use to help themselves fall asleep, I'd be willing to try pretty much anything at this point. Except for sleeping pills--vitamins and supplements would be okay--or meditation--because I've been trying that on and off for years and it's never once helped me. Other things I've tried that don't work include warm milk, tea, and lavender scented lotion. Tried that shit for a week and I hate the smell of lavender. Which is possibly part of the reason it didn't work.

Comments

[roachstar.livejournal.com]

I read for 30 mins before bed if I can't sleep - it shuts my mind off from all the things going on. But reading online doesn't work. Has to be a book.

*hugs*

My problem at the moment is life being too short so I want to cram as much into my days as possible so I end up going to sleep around 1-2am lol I feel soooo tired in the mornings, but I'm in the habit of it no!

[coffeebuddha.livejournal.com]

Reading worked when I was little and the books I'd read were a lot shorter, but now I tend to just not stop reading at all. I can't even count how many times I've read a 300-400 pg novel in a night because I couldn't stop. It's almost like a compulsion. =/

*hugs*

I get really paranoid that I'm going to miss something while I'm asleep and work myself up wondering what that something might be. If that's not bothering me, then I tend to replay everything that bugged me about my day and play out how I would do it differently if given the chance. And if that isn't the problem, I can always think up a million other things to obsess about when I should be sleeping. >.< Basically, my brain just never wants to shut off.

Shutting off my laptop now in the hopes that I'll be able to get an hour or two of sleep before I have to get up.

[laurensa.livejournal.com]

Have you tried melatonin? I have a whole family of non-sleepers and it works for us.

[coffeebuddha.livejournal.com]

I haven't, though I've been leaning toward trying it. I've just read enough reports about possible side effects--since ingesting hormones can always be problematic and melatonin isn't regulated by the FDA--that I'm still a little wary about it.

[devon99.livejournal.com]

I log onto youtube on my phone and pick a vid called sleep music which really does help.It's that background, almost white noise that helps my mind just relax and switch off. All I focus on is the sound and just let go.

Is your bedroom dark? That helps along with earplugs.

The key is to get your body back into a set sleeping schedule by going to bed at the same time each night and not watching tv or having a laptop on - it's too hard for your brain to switch off if you stimulate it before sleep.

I would cut out the wine and about one hour before your bedtime have the warm milk and honey. There is something about serotonin and milk that makes you drowsy (helps toddlers to sleep) but it takes around an hour to reach your brain.

I go through stages of not sleeping and can sympathise. There is nothing worse than that restless edgy feeling that it leaves you with.

*hugs*

[coffeebuddha.livejournal.com]

White noise might help some. I used to have a white noise machine that I used when I lived in a more residential area, but I lost it in the move and never got around to replacing it.

The sad part is that I really do try to keep to a sleep schedule. It just...usually doesn't work.

I've tried warm milk, but never with honey. I'll have to give that a shot tonight.

Thanks! *hugs*

[broken-faith12.livejournal.com]

Try counting in your head.

I sometimes have similar issues with sleep - I can go for months sleeping just fine and then become this crazy eyed zombie because I haven't slept for more than an hour at a time in two weeks.

I find counting helps because it helps me block out any noise that might keep me awake and if you do it steadily it can be very soothing. Plus, it doesn't take nearly enough brain power to keep you awake.

Hope it helps.

[coffeebuddha.livejournal.com]

Counting's never worked for me. It always ends up turning into a competition with myself to see just how high I can count without losing track no matter how hard I try to keep it slow and soothing. >.<

Thanks!

[broken-faith12.livejournal.com]

Heh, that wouldn't be very helpful I suppose. Hope you find something that is!

[a_blackpanther]

Oh, wow, that has to suck. I don't have any experience with this really (my problem is waking up), but I remembered an article I read a while ago:

http://lifehacker.com/5828581/how-i-achieved-better-sleep-with-the-help-of-technology?tag=sleep

And this one: http://lifehacker.com/5838765/ask-and-answer-questions-about-sleep

Anyway, also read the comments, those are a bunch of inventive people there with good tips. Hope this helps, or at least gives you some idea of what to try.

*hugs*

[a_blackpanther]

Oh, and this one: http://lifehacker.com/5798884/end-your-insomnia-snoring-and-other-common-sleep-problems-with-these-expert-tips?tag=sleep

Actually they have a whole sleep tag: http://lifehacker.com/sleep/

Also, have you tried meditating before you go to sleep, or in the evening? I've tried it a few times, it's probably not exactly what any expert would actually call meditation, but it did help clear my brain and make me feel more relaxed.

[coffeebuddha.livejournal.com]

Thank you for all the links! I haven't had a chance to read them yet, but hopefully something will help. :)

Meditating has never worked for me. I even did yoga for a while just to try to learn the proper breathing techniques. It relaxes me sometimes, but never enough for me to fall asleep.

[rispacooper.livejournal.com]

Actually the sugars in alcohol keep you awake once the initial sedative effect wears off. Poo.

[coffeebuddha.livejournal.com]

Oh, boo. See, that's something I wish the doctor who originally recommended I try it would have mentioned. =/

[rispacooper.livejournal.com]

Apparently it causes cascades in your brain chemistry or something. IDK. I didn't pay close enough attention to recall the specifics.

[coffeebuddha.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the heads up. :)

[theslashbunny.livejournal.com]

One of the best things I've heard (from doctors, etc.) is avoiding anything with a screen - like TV or computers - for at least an hour before bed. And avoid doing anything that constitutes as work, which according to my doctors includes writing or reading for school. Also, if you don't like tea, have you ever tried chamomile lemonade? It tastes like apple-y lemonade and I find it very soothing, especially on warm nights. It's really easy to make with Countrytime lemonade powder and chamomile tea bags.

Do you want me to rip you a copy of a couple of sleep cds that I have?

The females in my family regularly suffer from insomnia and that's what we usually try. I hope some of it works!

[coffeebuddha.livejournal.com]

My problem is that I try to turn all electronics off, but then I get paranoid and anxious that I'm missing something, so I'll be halfway asleep and work myself into a panic until I check the news and my email. Basically, I have issues. >.< The lemonade sounds interesting. I'll have to give it a shot.

That would be wonderful, if you wouldn't mind the trouble.

Thank you!

[theslashbunny.livejournal.com]

I'll get my mom to email me the chamomile lemonade recipe tonight and I'll post it here.

I'll also dig out those cds and figure out how to send them to you. :D

I'm not sure if it'll help, but I'm happy to try to make things easier any way I can. Insomnia sucks. Also, you can always feel free to see if I'm still awake if you can't sleep. I'm up late lots of night - my inhaler makes me jittery and I've been needing to use it a lot lately. I'd be happy to chat with you until you get sleepy if the electronics avoidance thing is a no-go anyway.

[coffeebuddha.livejournal.com]

Thank you, honey. &hearts I really appreciate that and I'll probably end up taking you up on the offer to talk to. Just be forewarned that I have a tendency to talk about really random, usually inappropriate things after a certain point at night. Just ask topetine. I don't even know how many times I've emailed her during the early hours of the morning about things like my thoughts on blow jobs.

[theslashbunny.livejournal.com]

I'm all about random discussion topics - even really random ones about blow jobs at stupid o'clock in the morning. Hey - we could discuss more crossdressing! Seriously, I have no shame anymore.

I'll PM you my email address and we could even open a GDoc just for the sake of saving our random conversations if you want.

[coffeebuddha.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a plan. :)

[lazaria91.livejournal.com]

What I do is I make sure the room is completely dark and all electronics are off. They hum and sometimes I can hear them. Then I concentrate on my breathing. What I do is I inhale and when I exhale I imagine sinking deeper into the pillows, that my eyes are heavier, and just keep it up. I guess it's kinda like meditation but I've never had the patience for it and this is just breathing and snuggling into the mattress. Lots of fluffy blankets and pillows and a fuzzy thing to hold help too.

[coffeebuddha.livejournal.com]

The humming white noise actually helps me a little bit. I've tried breathing/meditating, but it never seems to work to make me sleep. Relax? Yeah, but not enough to actually fall asleep. =P Thank you!

[cedara]

I'm using a sleep tea mix that contains valerian. Works well for me most of the time to get relaxed enough for the brain to settle and me to sleep through. Tea needs four weeks to start working properly though, like any other herb as an infusion.

Sidenote: If you're taking any meds then valerian might cause interactions/counteractions, so that would have to be checked first.

[coffeebuddha.livejournal.com]

I really, really hate most teas--I mean, I can choke them down, but they definitely wouldn't be my first choice. I wonder if I could find something else with valerian in it to try. Thankfully, I'm not on any meds. Thank you!

[cedara]

Anytime.

BTW, pre-made mixes are usually missing something tasty, that's why I made my own (if you're curious, the recipe is here).

[dlasta.livejournal.com]

Read something familiar and comforting before going to bed.

[dlasta.livejournal.com]

Also, cool bedroom & clean sheets are beneficial.:)

[coffeebuddha.livejournal.com]

I need to do laundry anyway and it's about time to reread Lord of the Rings again, so I'll try that tonight. :) Thank you!

[dlasta.livejournal.com]

Heh, LOTR as sleeping aid. :d

[dreams-of-irony.livejournal.com]

I take two Herbalife supplements: Sleep Now and Relax Now. If, at around 9 pm, I realize I'm not tiring and probably won't be able to fall asleep easily I will take just the Sleep Now (about 1-1 1/2 hrs before I want to go to sleep). If I am feeling particularly wired, I will take both the Sleep Now and Relax Now. If I feel like I am just not going to fall asleep no matter what (I'm sure you know the feeling), I'll take a Relax Now and two Sleep Now. However, if you try the last option, make sure you have at least eight hours for sleep...you will regret it otherwise.

A therapist once told me that if you're an insomniac, you should not do anything in your bed other than sleep. When you, say, do homework or read in/on your bed, it creates an association with something other than sleep and can exacerbate insomnia symptoms.

[coffeebuddha.livejournal.com]

I'll see if I can't pick those up when I'm out tomorrow.

Huh. That makes sense. I usually sit on my bed when I'm using my laptop and/or watching tv in my room just because of where it's positioned in my room, but I have an armchair in there too that I could try using if I cleared all the books off of it. Thank you!

[sinjah.livejournal.com]

I have the exact same problem and still haven't found a solution, so I don't know how much help I can be, but there are things that help me on occasion. Reading usually helps, as does listening to podfics/audiobooks with a timer on so it shuts down and doesn't keep my brain busy all night. Clean sheets do help, like dlasta said, especially if it's hot.

And I've never tried it myself (yet) but I've heard great things about valerian. There are all-natural valerian pill things that you can take. I know that it doesn't help some people, but I've heard mostly positive things.

Oh, and try keeping your bedroom as dark as possible. Or at least make sure there isn't any blue light. Blue light especially suppresses melatonin. (This is why doctors tell you to avoid electronics around your bedtime, because their light suppresses melatonin production). I'm a bit wary about melatonin supplements, but if you work somewhere with mostly artificial lighting, and you generally spend a lot of time in front of a screen, it's quite possible that your melatonin levels are low.

[coffeebuddha.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the tips! I'd never heard about valerian until someone else mentioned it further up in the comments. The fact that there seem to be less horror stories about it than melatonin pills makes me hopeful. My melatonin probably is low, but I don't really want to mess around with hormones without a doctor monitoring/advising me and I don't have insurance anymore, so that's not an option.

[sinjah.livejournal.com]

I haven't heard any horror stories about valerian, just someone I knew got really weird dreams from it. But I know at least three other people who are extremely, extremely pleased. I think it comes in syrup form too? I'm pretty sure I've seen it, but the pills are the most easy to use.

I agree with the messing around with hormones thing without going to a doctor first, and especially with melatonin, because they say you shouldn't use it for more than 3 months, and that it's not proven it's very effective with sleep disorders.