Hey everyone! I been having difficulty sleeping on and off for a week now. I don't know why. I never used to have a problem before, but now I find myself waking up at 3am and finding random things to buy on Amazon! 😩😣
@Mennahugs ~ TELL ME ABOUT IT!!! lol I thought the insomnia would stop, once we got back to more outdoor activity! Nope! I'm glad that your intuition brought you HERE, during one of your "all-nighters". There's a LOT of really great insight and human thought to be enjoyed in this forum. That'll take up some of the time.. Generally, I like to either research new topics (Law of Attraction, Executive Functioning, Computer Coding, Construction/Building Techniques, or Makeup and Fashion Tips) on the internet, eat, or take a Melatonin supplement/Valerian herb so I can try to drift back off! Hopefully, a few other "insomni-istas" will chime in on this, because I've been wondering about this a lot, lately, myself!
Imajen
I've found supplements that contain passionflower and hops help, especially if you feel quite tense and have a hard time sleeping because of that. L-Theanine and magnesium are good for that too. I like drinking a bowl of plain bone broth before bed, as I find it helps me sleep more soundly and deeply. I like doing EFT tapping to calm myself down and help me release my stresses, as well as meditation. Hugging a teddy, using a weighted blanket or imagining cuddling can be soothing as well. Good luck with it!
I have had that happen before, 3-4am, wide awake, toss & turn for an hour, can't go back to sleep. I make a large cup of hot chocolate with some honey ,never have measured it, maybe 1-2 tablespoons, that seems to work for me. I have also learned, NO sweet tea for me after about 6pm, it seems to keep me awake, maybe it's a sugar high, LOL I also have a sound machine with 6 different sounds, I like the bubbling creek sound, I also use it when cuddling.
My Insomnia To-done List for 8/3-8/4 so far... ▪︎I've been writing lot lately ~ mostly metaphorical nonsense, so I added to that ▪︎read a mess of forum threads ▪︎reorganized playlists and finally downloaded Spotify ▪︎purged my tear ducts ▪︎crafted to-do lists I'll probably never get to ▪︎organized things that still look unorganized ▪︎made a list of mantras I'm considering for a lettering project ▪︎visited websites about PTSD support and copied some stuff to ponder and potentially weave into my personal narrative of things that might be helpful should one ask (including me) ▪︎reminding myself that sleeping doesn't really matter, time is a human construct, blah, blah, blah, it comes in waves so try again tomorrow, it'll work itself out by the time school starts back up, or won't, and you can deal with it then, or not...
4:54am pst...
Edit: Obviously sleep matters. A lot. But I don't need to stress about it because I don't have anything forcing me to maintain a traditional schedule at the moment. And although Covid has certainly added another layer ~ I've had fluid summer sleep cycles since I was a kid ~ so this madness is actually "normal" for me. What I don't like though is when I'm completely exhausted but still can't sleep or get anything done... 7:07 am
I used to take melatonin 5mg, but my body got used it and now a dose of 50 mg doesn't cut it. Sleepytime Tea sometimes does the trick and sometimes a dose of Magengda Premium, (Brand name) from the 420 store....taken once in a blue moon can put you body in a relaxing state.
Oh wow ! Thank you everyone for the recommendations definitely going to give it a try! Hopefully it works tonight!!
Something that makes me think seems to make me sleepy sooner than watching tv. But people are different. Put some people in front of a movie in a comfy chair and they'll never know who directed it. I don't fall asleep during movies. But if I play a pc game that makes me think constantly, it doesn't take long. Body or mind, which one isn't ready to sleep? Work it.
Valarian Root also works. It can be found in the Vitamin/Herb Isle in stores
🤦♀️ ...and sometimes I type things into forum threads that I later regret because I completely missed the point of the question, or the gist of what was happening, due to my sleep deprived state... 🤷♀️ Oops! But I still got a lot done... sort of... 🙇♀️
Lol
Start doing the boring jobs that you've been putting off for ages.
Either the job is so boring that it puts you to sleep, or the boring jobs get done freeing up time for something else ; win either way.
Physical exercise is another good one. Either you wear yourself out and want to sleep, or become very fit.
A week? So sorry, but I’m 67 and welcome to my LIFE. Insomnia has been my almost constant companion for 60 years.
Some things that can help:
Getting a lot of exercise during the day. Do not do any vigorous exercise for at least four hours before bed Turning the lights down in the evening and staying off the computer. Limit caffeine during the day and none at all for at least six hours before bed, preferable eight. Listening to relaxing music for an hour before bed. Minimize alcohol, it disturbs sleep brainwaves I have a sort of meditation I do as I’m trying to fall asleep of counting backwards from 15 to 1, paying attention to my breathing i.e. counting breaths Changing sleep location I’ll get up and sleep on the sofa No naps If all else fails, get up, keep the lights low, do something mundane.
Now that I don’t have to keep a schedule, I started letting myself just fall asleep when I got tired and woke up when I woke up. I would go anywhere from 27 to 36 hours without sleeping, then sleep for 11 - 13. It was very weird. And inconvenient. I’ve managed get myself into a relatively regular sleep/wake cycle lately but then I’ll have a bad night and it will mess me up for 2-3 days.
If it’s only been a week, it will probably pass. Good luck. Let us know how it turns out for you.
@waynewv - sweet tea has caffeine in it. That’s what is keeping you awake
@Mennahugs - going online when you can’t sleep is about the worst thing you could possibly do, guaranteed to keep you awake
Coffee, cola, black tea, chocolate, Mountain Dew, all contain caffeine. Not good for sleep.
Chocolate also contains theobromine, which relaxes the sphincter between the top of the stomach and the bottom of the oesophagus ; causing acid reflux when you lie down. OK if you sleep standing up, like a cow ; very bad if you sleep hanging upside down, like a bat.
I get up and read an actual paper book until I start to nod off. Podcasts can also do the trick if my eyes are too tired to read.
I have struggled with insomnia for many years. Melatonin helps for a while. The biggest help was cutting out caffeine completely and adding a weighted blanket. Unfortunately, my caffeine addiction always comes back during stressful times, so, for me, it's not permanent.
@creedhands Yes, that caffeine is a hard one to crack. Maybe try just first thing in the morning when you have to wake up. I also find decaffeinated tea and coffee are useful props, fooling at least the naive part of my brain.
@Mennahugs Exercise will help, as well as eating foods with ample tryptophans. I recommend you try a deep tissue massage, or at least a Swedish massage if you aren't up for deep tissue.
@UCpaaHVg6u0 Wikipedia has a useful article which includes : "Tryptophan is present in most protein-based foods or dietary proteins. It is particularly plentiful in chocolate, oats, dried dates, milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, red meat, eggs, fish, poultry, sesame, chickpeas, almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, buckwheat, spirulina, and peanuts." Most of us should find something on that list.
"Contrary to the popular belief[18][19] that cooked turkey contains an abundance of tryptophan (with this being used as an explanation for sleepiness following consumption of the meat), the tryptophan content in turkey is typical of poultry.[20]" I think turkey was a suspect only because a meal with turkey is usually dinner at Thanksgiving (USA) or Christmas (UK) ; where we typically over-indulge in everything. 😀
Thyroid imbalance can also mess with sleep. Hyperthyroidism can be linked to insomnia.