Insomnia

[Maklaar13]

Since it is a serious problem and family related, you should have a sleep study done, that way a physician that specializes in sleeping disorders can better help you. My partner is a sleep disorders guru, and he is good. So, if you are able to, get to a doctor and treat this as a serious condition because it is. Best of luck to you.

 

[cisco_teen]

Some nights I have the same problem, it seems that my brain will simply NOT turn off...

OTC pharmaceutical tablets may not help you, but speak to your healthcare provider about some prescription sleep aids out there, like ambien or requip. I know I took ambien for a month, and those knocked me out great... best month of sleep I had ever had!

If you shy away from the pharmacalogical approach, or if you have tried this and sleep still eludes you, consider a few 'alternative' treatments.

Meditation is a wonderful tool to help focus and control your mind, and such control may help you sleep at night when it comes time to quiet the chatter in your thoughts.

A nice hot, relaxing shower right before bed, and some pleasant, calming aromatherapy (i.e. lavander or chamomile, among others) may be enough to push you over on those especailly restless nights.

Finally, if all else fails, ask your doc to refer you to a specialist or order a polysomnogram (sleep study). There are all sorts of sleep disorders out there other than insomnia, like circadian rhythm disorders, that can be diagnosed this way along with an in-depts Q&A section with your doc.

Hope this helps, and pleasant dreams,
~Eric

 

[xtc99992003]

I have similar things. But it's not hard for me to sleep during the day like a nap. I am on Rozerem. It's not addictive like most sleep aids... it produces melatonin which is the natural hormone that makes you feel tired. I do experience grogginess the next day however.

 

[cityboy-stl]

This will probably sound stupid and may not work at all for you. I read this in Ann Landers column years ago...yeah I know... but it has always worked for me. When you can't sleep concentrate on relaxing your tongue. Yes, your tongue. The tongue is one of the strongest muscles and relaxing your tongue relieves stress in your entire body and takes stress off the mind and loosens up your face muscles. When your mind is going a mile a minute, your face and jaws and tongue and body with be tight and all that is focused right in your head. Relaxing your tongue helps to break the tension and quiet the mind so you can sleep. It takes a little practice but I've always had good luck with technique and I'm asleep before I know it unless I've had too much caffeine or something.

 

[justsimon]

The problem seems to be related to an inability to turn off my mind when it hits the pillow. Rather than simply shutting or even just quieting down, it suddenly explodes with all manner of new trains and trails, which I lack the self control to sever. As a result, it's a rare night that I get to sleep before three in the morning, and it has been this way for as long as I can remember.

I make lists and diagrams of everything I can possibly think of that I need to do or think about the next day/week. Then I schedule it out. After I have everything written down I can tell myself that it's pointless to worry about it until the scheduled time because I can't do anything about it until then, anyway.

 

[Yngbldhwk]

You could try taking Melatonin in tablet form, starting at 1 mg or so an hour before bed. I don't know where you live, but if you're in the US it's available over the counter.

You could also try a sedating antihistamine like Benadryl (also available over the counter) but be aware that, in some people, these drugs act as a stimulant.

Another OTC supplement is 5-HTP, usually sold as 50 mg capsules. Again, try taking one capsule about an hour before bed.

Two amino acids, Ornithine and Arginine, taken in doses of a few grams before bed help some people achieve deeper or more restorative sleep. The downside is that they can be expensive, especially Ornithine, and they need to be taken on an empty stomach.

I have trouble staying asleep myself, and I've used any and all of the above at some point in my life. For me, they all work to a degree, but your results may be different.

By the way, if you're able to function pretty well at school or work on the amount of sleep that you do get, then you might want to consider just doing nothing and accepting the fact that you have insomnia. (I suspect that's not the case, though, as most people with insomnia are exhausted.)

 

[kiltlover]

I count backwards from 300, doing my best to shut out any other thoughts than the numbers.

If I reach Zero (which I only have done once) I try not to get pissed off with myself and start counting again.

Good luck

 

[Jaime]

one piece of advice that's helped me a lot is to make sure that you don't do anything work-related within an hour of going to bed. read a book, watch tv, play a game, but don't even think about work.