How to cope with insomnia?

[Geoff-Allen]

May post this into the health area?

Hope you're all well rested ...

Sealchan and I "met" over in the poetry section and the subject of sleep was raised.

So awaiting Sealchan to do the following -

I was up last night and did some writing. But I have a pretty good understanding of why, on any given night, I am having difficulty sleeping and can usually change course to correct that before it becomes too much of a consistent trend. If you care to start a thread on the topic I would be glad to unload my wealth of personal experience on mastering sleep.

sealchan, Today at 6:44 AM

Any other pointers MOST welcome!

Cheers.

 

[Lyndon]

prescription tranquilizers, works for me, otherwise I wouldn't sleep at all

 

[beenherebeforeagain]

-no caffeine after 1 pm
-melatonin, 5mg, three or four of them just before going to bed
-prescription sleeping pill at the same time
-reading quietly while laying in bed (but that's just me)

that combination works for me about 99 percent of the time.

 

[Aupmanyav]

I prefer a cup of tea before going to sleep, every day. For others in India it could be a glass of hot sweetened milk (they are not much enamored of milk in West). Goes without saying that sex is a good sleep inducer.

 

[beenherebeforeagain]

Goes without saying that sex is a good sleep inducer.

I don't think this comes across in the way you intended it to come across...

 

[Aupmanyav]

Why? I meant it that way. Oxytocin and Prolactin. Sleep induction - Wikipedia

 

[Gambrinus]

When I can't sleep, a cup of coffee will usually work for me.

 

[Thief]

all pills have a side effect.....use with caution
and I do

grew up with a restless mind
have learned to accept that condition

I typically and casually stretch and flex the portions that seem tense
back....legs.....neck

and then roll over

if I sleep ….fine
if not....pretending goes a looooong way

REM was not mentioned......and I don't mean the music band

 

[Stanyon]

These are the three rules of sleep I used to tell my children when they said they couldn't sleep:

1) Shut your mouth
2) Shut your eyes
3) Go to sleep

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Otc stuff doesn't really help me, and I've never had anything prescribed to me for it. If this meditation/yoga thing I learned doesn't help (i forget what its called) then it just stuck tossing and turning until I either give up in trying to sleep or fall into a state that doesn't really count as sleep.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

These are the three rules of sleep I used to tell my children when they said they couldn't sleep:

1) Shut your mouth
2) Shut your eyes
3) Go to sleep

Those generally aren't enough for people with clinical sleep difficulties. Very often whats found is a need to shut off the mind, which isn't easy if it's running at a million miles an hour. Or in a state of mania, the body becomes capable of running on very little sleep and sleep itself becomes difficult for its own reasons. Depression, anxiety, and chronic pain can also make sleep difficult.

 

[beenherebeforeagain]

Why? I meant it that way. Oxytocin and Prolactin. Sleep induction - Wikipedia

I read what you wrote and my first thought was "a boring sex partner..."

 

[Cooky]

May post this into the health area?

Hope you're all well rested ...

Sealchan and I "met" over in the poetry section and the subject of sleep was raised.

So awaiting Sealchan to do the following -

I was up last night and did some writing. But I have a pretty good understanding of why, on any given night, I am having difficulty sleeping and can usually change course to correct that before it becomes too much of a consistent trend. If you care to start a thread on the topic I would be glad to unload my wealth of personal experience on mastering sleep.

sealchan, Today at 6:44 AM

Any other pointers MOST welcome!

Cheers.

I wouldn't know. My problem is with trying to stay awake and not fall asleep.

 

[beenherebeforeagain]

Those generally aren't enough for people with clinical sleep difficulties. Very often whats found is a need to shut off the mind, which isn't easy if it's running at a million miles an hour. Or in a state of mania, the body becomes capable of running on very little sleep and sleep itself becomes difficult for its own reasons. Depression, anxiety, and chronic pain can also make sleep difficult.

Yeah, that's what I've got...sleep apnea, depression, continual headache...getting me onto a more regular schedule does help in falling to sleep, too...

 

[Aupmanyav]

I read what you wrote and my first thought was "a boring sex partner..."

But works. Does not it?

 

[74x12]

May post this into the health area?

Hope you're all well rested ...

Sealchan and I "met" over in the poetry section and the subject of sleep was raised.

So awaiting Sealchan to do the following -

I was up last night and did some writing. But I have a pretty good understanding of why, on any given night, I am having difficulty sleeping and can usually change course to correct that before it becomes too much of a consistent trend. If you care to start a thread on the topic I would be glad to unload my wealth of personal experience on mastering sleep.

sealchan, Today at 6:44 AM

Any other pointers MOST welcome!

Cheers.

Sometimes it is demons that torment people by making them stay awake. They have various ways of doing this and it's often very annoying. Prayer is good. Pray for a good rest and protection from bothersome spirits in Jesus name. Also to rebuke any demons in Jesus name may help. Finally, realizing that they are liars is helpful. Convince yourself you can sleep. Convince yourself that nothing can stop you from sleeping. It's not good when we believe they can do things to us. They can't necessarily if we see through the illusion. Sometimes we worry so much about not getting sleep; that it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.

Obviously, there could be other reason for being sleep deprived; but this is one I think many people overlook.

 

[wizanda]

poetry

Stuck in thought,
Wandering free in our mind;
Only problem is when we ought to sleep,
Yet we can't get a peep,
Because we need to hide in the deep.
To rest from the test,
Give up all the stress.
Don't think so deep,
To find some sleep,
Else we won't get a peep!​

In my opinion.

 

[Erebus]

It took prescription medication for me to finally start getting sleep. Even now, I have to monitor myself as it's far too easy for me to slip into a semi-nocturnal sleep pattern. That's no good when you have to be up in the morning and quickly becomes a vicious cycle.

For some people, medication is going to be necessary and it's important that they get help from a doctor. Severe insomnia is extremely bad for both mental and physical health.

There are also a few things that can help, both for people with clinical insomnia and for anybody who has occasional rough nights:

1. Don't look at electronic screens before bed. Give yourself an hour or so without them. This is quite a new theory but has gained popularity and seems to help a fair few people.

2. Maintain a comfortable temperature in your room. This one can be tricky depending on where you live and some seasons may be more manageable than others. Summers where I live rarely drop below about 75-80% humidity and are uncomfortable as hell. Having some windows on vent can make a big difference.

3. Avoid alcohol before bed. Alcohol can be tempting when you're exhausted because it genuinely can help people get to sleep. However, it typically reduces the quality of sleep and can leave you more tired than you should be the next day. The big danger though is that you risk forming a dependency if you use it regularly as a sleep aid.

4. Get more exercise during the day. This is another one that's often easier said than done as more and more people have sedentary but mentally taxing jobs. If that's the case, then small changes can help such as using stairs instead of elevators and using breaks to walk around a little.


I've tried all of these things and found them all helpful, though I have to admit that the first one is something I often forget to do. Hopefully this might be of use to people, though again it's worth pointing out that some cases really do need medicinal help.

 

[Thief]

melotonin……

produced by a small item in your head....the pineal gland

the gland seems to be made of eye tissue but responds only when your frontal eyes
STOP seeing light

the hormone is given when the lights go out
supplements help
but you still need the dark

 

[beenherebeforeagain]

But works. Does not it?

of course, but not for the same reasons...