Insomnia...any fellow sufferers?

[jolly bitar]

Hi. This might help

http://insomnia3000.com/5-simple-ways-to-sleep-longer-and-get-better-rest/

 

[DisneyOma]

Green leaf salads are soporific - remember Peter Rabbit? Have a Caesar with your evening meal and you should feel more relaxed!

Also, try eating a bit of chocolate just before bed. Chocolate - especially dark chocolate - is an antidepressant and should help you unwind, making sleep easier.

Doesn't chocolate have caffeine?

OP, there are so many triggers for insomnia. Are you getting a lot of sunlight exposure? If not, that could help. Reading in bed could be the issue too - your brain is being trained to expect it. I've got stress/anxiety induced insomnia. So I go for walks during the day to get the sunlight and exercise that will help reset my sleep cycle. I try not to do anything in the bedroom besides sleep, but it's hard because just lying there waiting to fall asleep makes my mind wander to the stuff that makes me anxious! And napping during the day is a big no-no for me. If I take a nap, my brain thinks I don't have to go to sleep that night!

 

[mom2rtk]

I hear zombies only come out at night.

 

[msminniemouse]

I had terrible insomnia that started during pregnancy (my DD is now 8) - but mine was a completely different variety from the descriptions I am reading here.

I can / could fall asleep easily and quickly. No problems there. BUT, I wake up at 4 am. And then I'm unable to get back to sleep for at least two or three hours, even though I know I am tired and need more rest (I go to bed at about 11 every night).

The best cure for me was dropping caffeine, like a previous poster mentioned. I used to drink 1 cup of coffee a day, but switched that to decaf. And exercise makes a big difference as well. I try to get 4 to 5 workouts in each week, and make myself good and tired so that I go to sleep and STAY asleep.

But I've come to accept that this is a lifetime problem for me - it always surfaces during times of illness, stress or poor lifestyle behaviours. So I just get up, go lie down on my couch and channel-surf until the sun comes up.

I have found that sometimes it is better to give up and get on with my day - peculiarly enough, if I do fall back asleep after being up for 2 or 3 hours, I am in a much worse state (groggy and grouchy) and it takes me longer to get going!

I have same problem. I can fall asleep easily, but wake up after a few hours, in the middle of the night. Once I wake up, I can not fall back asleep. It must be anxiety induced, because I wake up feeling anxious. Have not found solution yet.

 

[kimblebee]

I have same problem. I can fall asleep easily, but wake up after a few hours, in the middle of the night. Once I wake up, I can not fall back asleep. It must be anxiety induced, because I wake up feeling anxious. Have not found solution yet.

I’m the exact same way, if I wake up I am up for hours..and that’s after my two nightly sleeping pills. Mines not anxiety, my brain just starts going a mile a minute thinking about how my husband is doing at work and wondering what my daughter is doing and what’s for supper and on and on and on. I don’t watch tv or pick up my phone so I just toss and turn for a few
hours trying to get back to sleep.

I would give anything to sleep for a solid eight hours.

 

[Kitty 34]

I hear zombies only come out at night.

No, only if they have sleeping issues!!

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

I’ve had good luck with Belsomra. Zolpidem (Ambien) works for me, until it doesn’t. I’ve had the beat luck rotating through several different medications and not staying on any one too long.

Not sleeping is the worst!

 

[mamamary]

I’ve had good luck with Belsomra. Zolpidem (Ambien) works for me, until it doesn’t. I’ve had the beat luck rotating through several different medications and not staying on any one too long.

Not sleeping is the worst!

I think I’ve been on mine too long. It worked great for a while but now I’m back to being up in the middle of the night for hours.

 

[Fldisneyfamily4321]

After a decade of awful insomnia I got my MMJ card and have slept 8 hours minimum at night . I have never felt so rested !
Also that was after yrs of pills and meds that didn’t help at all .

 

[Gigi22]

Have had trouble sleeping periodically for as long as I can remember. About a year ago I happened to see a British tv show “The truth about sleep” which featured a completely ‘non-scientific’ testing of several methods of promoting sleep by a number of volunteers. None of the methods involved taking prescriptions. Pretty sure the show is still available online. You may find some of the suggestions helpful, or at least find find a couple of new strategies to try.

 

[kimblebee]

I’ve had good luck with Belsomra. Zolpidem (Ambien) works for me, until it doesn’t. I’ve had the beat luck rotating through several different medications and not staying on any one too long.

Not sleeping is the worst!

I think that’s what’s happening for me. I used to take my one sleeping pill and be out 15 minutes later. Now, I take two, and it takes a few hours to kick in. I have a dr appointment on Friday so I’ll probably mention it but I’m scared he’ll take me off them and not give me a replacement.

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

I think that’s what’s happening for me. I used to take my one sleeping pill and be out 15 minutes later. Now, I take two, and it takes a few hours to kick in. I have a dr appointment on Friday so I’ll probably mention it but I’m scared he’ll take me off them and not give me a replacement.

I know the system in Canada is totally different so I don’t know who you see for this. I also have anxiety, but I’ve had much better luck with my psychiatrist working on sleep medications than with my GP. My GPs tend not to want to spend much time or write out the varying scripts to try different meds for what works best. They seem happy that a different Dr. is running point on the sleep medications.

 

[kimblebee]

I know the system in Canada is totally different so I don’t know who you see for this. I also have anxiety, but I’ve had much better luck with my psychiatrist working on sleep medications than with my GP. My GPs tend not to want to spend much time or write out the varying scripts to try different meds for what works best. They seem happy that a different Dr. is running point on the sleep medications.

I am seeing my gp and I’m really happy with him. I don’t have any anxiety issues, it’s just that my brain turns on the second I wake up. It could be really random things too, it’s not all wondering about my husband and my daughter.

I go through stages where the pills work well and where they don’t. I’ll see what he has to say on Friday.