Insomniacs, what do you do to help you sleep?

[D-Fens]

Been struggling with Insomnia for almost a week now. Most nights, I'm lucky if I get 5 hours of sleep. I'm been struggling on and off with Insomnia for as long as I can remember but it has never lasted this long. I often go to bed anxious wondering if I will ever fall asleep. I have tried Melatonin and Unison (benedryl) and while they do help, I do not want to develop a dependence on them. I believe they have already started to disrupt my body's natural ability to fall asleep.

I go through the days as a zombie, cranky, and depressed. My body wants to sleep but my mind won't allow it. It's only been a week and it has wreaked havoc on how I feel. I think I want to make an appointment with my doctor.

 

[oil&gas]

This is probably common knowledge. I've found that exercise that leaves
me tired help with improving the quality of sleep. My problem is that I am
not the athletic type and have to avoid high-impact or cardio exercise
because of certain physical weakness. It takes me no less than 2 hours of
brisk walking to get sufficiently tired to crave a good rest. The one
exercise that I think will be most effective is swimming. 15 to 20 minutes
of swimming in the pool leaves me exhausted. Too bad swimming
on a regular basis is not an option for me.

Other than Melatonin did you try Valerian.

 

[fuji]

Check the basics:

1. Cut out caffeine and alcohol
2. No sugar in the afternoon or evening
3. Exercise but not just before bed
4. Make sure your room is pitch black dark
5. Don't look at a phone or laptop at night, and don't watch TV. (Don't stare at bright lights)

Also don't nap on the couch when you get home from work. Those twenty minutes make it harder to sleep for real later.

 

[Zoot Allures]

Melatonin is an antioxidant so t is good for you. Positive Changes will make a subliminal tape you play at night

 

[danmand]

4 finger whiskey or cognac.

I find the best remedy is cognac with equal amount of tap water.

 

[SchlongConery]

Been struggling with Insomnia for almost a week now. Most nights, I'm lucky if I get 5 hours of sleep. I'm been struggling on and off with Insomnia for as long as I can remember but it has never lasted this long. I often go to bed anxious wondering if I will ever fall asleep.

I have tried Melatonin and Unison (benedryl) and while they do help, I do not want to develop a dependence on them. I believe they have already started to disrupt my body's natural ability to fall asleep.

I go through the days as a zombie, cranky, and depressed. My body wants to sleep but my mind won't allow it. It's only been a week and it has wreaked havoc on how I feel. I think I want to make an appointment with my doctor.

The term "insomnia"is very broad with innumerable causes, types and solutions. Without more clearly defining them, it will be impossible to resolve, or even bring meaningful and actionable information to your Doctor for their help.

I think I have significant knowledge of this type of insomnia you are speaking about. I might be able to offer some useful information for you to further explore in a more focused direction. Doing some basic homework yourself by narrowing and more clearly defining these issues will help you find a better solution either on your own or through your Doctor or sleep specialists.

So that I might be able to direct you in some initial have you identified or can you analyze the underlying reason(s) that ;

a) causes your inability to initiate sleep? For example; Worry about work tomorrow, worry about work today, being excited about something, thinking about ideas or problems and not being able to shut off your brain etc?

and;

b) cause you to awaken in five hours?


If you don't want to give specifics publicly, feel free to PM me in absolute confidence.

 

[onceaday]

As an OP mentioned, Melatonin is great and a natural product. It works. Try a 5MG tablet and see how you do.

 

[rhuarc29]

Whatever you do, do not take medication frequently or long-term. It's okay to take some for one night of respite. But aside from dependency issues, medication tends to disrupt your REM sleep, and lack of REM sleep may cause significant problems, though research in this area is surprisingly scarce.

Practice good sleep hygiene:

-Don't use your bed for anything other than sleep (or sex)
-Don't watch TV or use your computer/phone for an hour beforehand
-Develop a one-hour bedtime routine
-Ensure your room is dark
-No caffeine after morning

Personally, I set my phone to play a podcast for 30-minutes, then shut off. Half of the time I fall asleep before the timer ends. The other half is usually within 15 minutes of it ending.

 

[IRIS]

Two intensive blowjob on a row. Doesn't matter you got it or you give it....lol. You'll be exhausted and sleepy after.

 

[roxyfan]

If I hit more than two nights of insomnia, I book a visit with one of my favourite ladies for the third day....I always sleep well that night. Guaranteed to work.

 

[Zoot Allures]

Do you snore? If you do you may have sleep apnea that causes you to micro wake up hundreds of times in a night. This causes lack of sleep which causes anxiety about sleep. I went to a MD who sent me to a sleep clinic and now I use a CPAC

 

[justfor]

Check the basics:

1. Cut out caffeine and alcohol
2. No sugar in the afternoon or evening
3. Exercise but not just before bed
4. Make sure your room is pitch black dark
5. Don't look at a phone or laptop at night, and don't watch TV. (Don't stare at bright lights)

Also don't nap on the couch when you get home from work. Those twenty minutes make it harder to sleep for real later.

To add to what fuji has stated, no exercise or any strenuous activities ( except may be sex ) at least 2 hrs before bed. Don't drink any liquid at least 2hrs before bed too to prevent having to get up to pee at night.

I find that meditation and deep breathing help a lot. You don't have to sit up like a Buddhist monk or aYogi to do that - just lie in bed and concentrate on your breathing or a point in your body, like the chakra below your navel or dantian. It works for me every time.

 

[rhuarc29]

Don't drink any liquid at least 2hrs before bed too to prevent having to get up to pee at night.

I disagree with this. Being dehydrated can impact your sleep too. Just don't drink excessively late at night.

 

[spaman]

Been struggling with Insomnia for almost a week now. Most nights, I'm lucky if I get 5 hours of sleep. I'm been struggling on and off with Insomnia for as long as I can remember but it has never lasted this long. I often go to bed anxious wondering if I will ever fall asleep. I have tried Melatonin and Unison (benedryl) and while they do help, I do not want to develop a dependence on them. I believe they have already started to disrupt my body's natural ability to fall asleep.

I go through the days as a zombie, cranky, and depressed. My body wants to sleep but my mind won't allow it. It's only been a week and it has wreaked havoc on how I feel. I think I want to make an appointment with my doctor.

one word for you brother
Imovane

 

[bigbangupper]

Melatonin never worked wonders for me like it does for many others, but I do use Benadryl on weekdays. I can't say if taking weekends off is enough to prevent a dependence. The answer is probably no. The prescription drug Restoril seems to knock out my grandmother very effectively, but going the prescription route isn't for everyone.

I've heard that a high-fibre meal before bed can make it difficult to fall or stay asleep due to digestive action during the night, but I'm not sure of the validity of this claim.

If noises are an issue, you can also wear foam ear plugs during the night. 3M and Hearos make decent ones. The "Pharma Systems" brand from Wal-Mart gave me dermatitis, which led to an outer ear infection, so I won't be touching those again. I make sure to keep the LED clock facing away from me as well so that I don't feel obliged to check the time.

 

[Mr.KW]

When my engagement fell apart about a year ago I went through a bout of insomnia for a while.

A poster above me has recommended apo-zopiclone - don't take these. These are highly addictive (there is a reason why they're not available in the United States). Not to mention they don't even make you feel fully rested. I would only take them if I had gone through a couple of days without sleep.

I agree with SchlongConery. You need to address the root cause of the insomnia and then you'll sleep. Look at relaxation techniques such as meditation, they should help.

 

[sweetiepieexo]

When I was going through mild insomnia roughly two years ago. There would be times when I would sleep for 3-4 hours a night MAX.. otherwise I was tossing and turning all night...
What I do to help insomnia is I drink tea - peppermint or green tea and that usually helps mellow out my mood. If that doesn't work I put on some music and try to lay down with all the lights off and just let the music calm me down. Sometimes this doesn't work either though. What reallllyy really works for me though is when I put on a movie that I have seen before and I usually end up falling asleep to it.. If ALL OF THE ABOVE FAIL.. then I use a little "herbal" remedies , if you catch my drift lol
I have never taken any pills for insomnia and I don't think I ever will. hope this helps hun

 

[oil&gas]

Green tea contains caffeine and it can be stimulating
depending on how strong it is. I don't see how drinking
it would help you to fall asleep.

I don't mean to recommend this, but Rhodiola Rosea
seems to have a little soothing effect as a relief formy
anxiety. But I haven't tried it often enough to know for
sure if that wasn't placebo effect.

 

[kherg007]

Two intensive blowjob on a row. Doesn't matter you got it or you give it....lol. You'll be exhausted and sleepy after.

LOL iris yer awesome! But true - lots of sleep issues but a visit with one of my faves and I sleep like a brick for a few days til....then back to the usual

 

[xmontrealer]

I can't fall asleep in a silent room. I always use a "white noise" sound machine. Mine is made by Marsona, but there are probably lots of cell phone apps that will do the same thing.