S.S. Insomnia

[riskykougra]

Ok so this usually happens quite alot but hasnt now for a few months. I go to bed an acceptable time so I wont be tired the next day..usually around 11. Well last night was another one of those lovely nights where I lay there until 1 in the morning then I give up and usually surf the net till Im either so bored or tired I can sleep. Now I am really tired since I have to get up early and get my kids to school so I have to try to stay awake all day so that I can sleep tonight. If I fall asleep for even 10 minutes this will become a pattern for the next few days until the weekend when my kids go to their fathers and I can pop a few sleeping pills and make myself return to a normal sleep pattern. I hate when this happens....

[ray]

I suffer from mild insomnia as well, but I never have problems actually falling asleep. I will just wake up after 3-4 hours of deep sleep and I can't fall back asleep It's like my biological clock just tells me it's time to wake up and my body responds. Whenever I get into this cycle, it lasts at least a week, usually no more than 3 though before i'm getting 5-6 hours of sleep again. Sadly, 5-6 hours of sleep is my normal sleep duration.

[clutchy]

try doing some exercise about 2 or 3 hours before you hit the sack.

[Houdini]

Ok so this usually happens quite alot but hasnt now for a few months. I go to bed an acceptable time so I wont be tired the next day..usually around 11. Well last night was another one of those lovely nights where I lay there until 1 in the morning then I give up and usually surf the net till Im either so bored or tired I can sleep. Now I am really tired since I have to get up early and get my kids to school so I have to try to stay awake all day so that I can sleep tonight. If I fall asleep for even 10 minutes this will become a pattern for the next few days until the weekend when my kids go to their fathers and I can pop a few sleeping pills and make myself return to a normal sleep pattern. I hate when this happens....

Everyone suffers from insomnia from time to time. Hell, I've had it pretty chronically for a couple of weeks. Careful with the sleeping pills, especially the non-prescription stuff (I have no idea what you're using, but I have a couple of guesses, none of which are that good for you even if you take 3-4...PM me for more info). If it's really that big of a problem, I'd do like others have suggested - exercise a little more, don't play with the computer in bed, or do anything else for that matter. Use the bed for sleeping and sex - that's it. I read and check my email waaay too much in bed. Very bad. But that's probably the single most important thing to do.

Don't nap if you can possibly avoid it, and if you can't, set an alarm for 1.5 hours or so.

Take a nice hot shower about 90 minutes before hitting the sack, and keep your room nice and cool (AC and ceiling fan on.)

Don't drink alcohol as a "nightcap." Yeah, a small glass of scotch or something will make you feel sleepy and may help you to relax and sleep, but after an hour or so, you'll wake up and be alert. Just not worth it.

No caffeine after 5PM, and even then, only a moderate amount.

No drugs, except maybe a doctor-prescribed sleep aid. Even then, take as directed. Otherwise (this goes for OTC pills as well) you'll get to the point wher eyou CAN'T sleep without them. Dependence isn't necessarily a BAD thing in this case, and many sleep drugs have been shown to be perfectly safe if taken nightly for extended periods, inducing dependence, but that's not a big deal, especially if you have good insurance, b/c these new things (Lunesta, Ambien, Ambien CR, etc.) are pretty damn expensive.

Kill the TV at bedtime, and don't watch it in bed at all, especially at night. Go into the other room to watch TV if you can't sleep. You just don't want your brain to associate the bed with anything but sleep and sex. That's it.

H

[riskykougra]

The pills I have are doctor prescribed and I am supposed to take them regularly but I never do. Usually only every few months when something makes me have trouble sleeping. Usually stress related. I dont like to take them when my kids are home because they make me extremely drowsy the next day. I have to take them at around 6pm to go to sleep at 11...apparently I have a very slow metabolism. As for exercise I already do that atleast 2 hrs a day in the mornings sometimes more so I dont think that will help. I dont have a TV or computer in my room, just my bed. I really try not to nap but if I do its 10-15 minutes then I jump awake completely disoriented and usually have a headache. And the saddest of all....I only sleep in my bed...no sex....I really have to get out more.... ..

[johnnymk]

I started taking CalAbsorb about four years ago before going to bed. It's a powder form of Calcium and Magnesium, which is immediately absorbed into your body, unlike pills. Both Calcium and Magnesium are nature's tranquilizers.

If I don't take it, I don't feel as refreshed in the morning. Plus I can sleep for one hour less than normal without feeling tired.

It's the shiznit!!

[Houdini]

Not a bad idea johnnymk. I don't know of any studies to support it, nor do I have any experience with it, but it can't hurt as long as you don't overdo it or have natural problems metabolizing the Ca and Mg.

If it's only an occasional thing, Tylenol PM is good for most people. I tend to skip the Tylenol part and just take 25 - 50 mg of benadryl - the "sleepy" ingredient in Tylenol. Unisom sells doxylamine as well, and it can work too. Just be sure to check with you doctor, read the labels on your meds, and other disclaimer stuff.

The newer sleep meds, like Lunesta, Ambien, Ambien CR, etc., are great. Ambien CR doesn't do much for me, but it does help some people. Even a short-acting benzo, under a doctor's supervision and limited supply, like Ativan or Valium can be helpful. I know some docs won't prescribed Ativan or Valium for whatever reasons (addictive potential, etc), but if taken as directed, there's almost no chance of real addiction. It's sort of like the docs who refuse to prescribe opiates for acute pain. They are treating themselves, not the patient. Aggravates the hell out of me, and I find docs, especially psychiatrists, who won't prescribe Ativan, Klonipin, Valium, etc., unconscionable.

I don't know what your doc prescribed, but if it isn't working, there's probably another option. I've had to "reset" my internal clock several times over the years, thanks to F$#$ing call schedules.

My main problems tend to be caffeine too late, napping, waking up too late (b/c I can't fall asleep at a normal time), and some meds that I take for other reasons. And stress, and no exercise. This will change soon, and I plan on changing sleeping meds in a few days. So, yeah, I feel your pain.

First, try the things I mentioned in the other post - the sleep hygiene stuff. Then try the OTC stuff.