Sleeping

[scoobygirl2005]

Hey.

Not sure what to say really, just looking for some advice and tips if you got any. I have a strange sleep pattern, most nights I go to bed at 4am and have to get up at 6am but because I am so tired I end up not getting up till 9am or later which makes me late for college. I can't seem to sleep and eventually when I do get to sleep I wake up every hour or so and it takes a while to get back to sleep. I am so tired most days but even then when I go to bed I can't always get off to sleep until early hours of the morning. This has been going on, on and off for the past year or so. Has anyone got any tips on what I could do to help me sleep? (Not sleeping tablets, I don't want to take them.) Any ideas apart from sleeping tablets are most welcome.

Scooby2005
x x

[DavidJ85]

My sleep is being effected lately and I wish I knew why.

Last night I was on and off every hour and its been like that for a while now, I used to be a mega sound sleeper

[Ma Larkin]

Would you consider any herbal remedies? I take Quiet Life pills, they are about £3.50 for 100 tablets and have really helped my sleep. I take 2 in a morning, 2 early afternoon and 2 half an hour before I go to bed. I don't feel sleepy during the day, but within half an hour of taking my last 2 I'm ready for the land of nod!

Don't go to bed if you are not tired, it really doesn't help and it's pointless lying there knowing that you are not going to fall asleep, watch some TV or read a book.

My sleep really suffered when I was on medication and it took me ages to get back to a near normal sleep pattern. With the Quiet Life tablets I get at least a good 6 hours sleep, which is brilliant compared to waking up every couple of hours and not being able to get back to sleep before I started taking them.

Good luck.

Les

[scoobygirl2005]

Hi.

Thanks for replying. I probably sound like an idiot saying this but..... I won't take herbal stuff, I get too scared to I don't know why but just have a bit of a fear of taking something herbal, I used to take herbal stuff a few years ago and I would get all panicky and think that it was making me ill, if I felt sick one day or had stomach ache I'd blame it on them and think they weren't good for me so I'd stop taking them. So since then I won't take any now.

Scooby2005
x x

[jo61]

You don't sound like an idiot at all. Each to their own, I personally swear by Nytol if I can't sleep which has an antihistamine in it. However, I also find a warm bath, a milky drink and some lavander on the pillow helps too. Good luck.

Love Jo x

[Sax]

Lucy, well done for posting

I know I've suggested meditations before now and you've told me it makes you sad however meditations are suppose to do exactly the opposite so I'm thinking you haven't found the right one for you. Someone somewhere has suggested a site where you can download some for free otherwise download onto you mp3 player, i can send some accross if your mp3 player will take them.
I however disagree that there is no point in going to bed until tired because I think you have in your head 'i can't go to sleep til ....' this has become habit and is making things worse. If you set yourself a time to go to bed and watch say an hour tele then turn down the lights (i know u won't turn it off but low as u can) then having tried a bath and warm drink see if you can try the new routine of bed before midnight

Ok Lucy thats all for now but I'm proud of you for posting and see people do not think you are stupid and lots of others have the same problems. Talking about them will help!! Different ppls experience also help.

The suggestion of routine bed is of course just my opinion, at end of day its up to you and others say go when you are tired. Something for you to ponder!!!

Speak soon no doubt

Sax xx

[danoxford]

All I can advise is changing something each night. A lot of practitioners reccommend trying to go to bed at the same night, getting into the habit of falling asleep at the same time, but I find that as someone who suffers from anxiety that can feel quite trapping. Everyone is different though so that might work for you.

But if not, try not to get into the routine of going to bed at the same time, change something. Stay up and watch TV, have a bath, read a book, write something. Just do different things and don't worry about the time. When you feel sleepy don't think "oh, I have to go to sleep now..", just think of it as having a lie down - listen to some music or something and hope you drift off.

[scoobygirl2005]

Thanks for all your advice guys. Well I am going to go to bed in a sec and watch a bit of tv and then hopefully I may fall asleep but then again I may not. I am going to try and go to bed each night at a certain time and see if that helps, if it doesn't..... I'll be posting on here again lol!

Scooby2005
x x

[nomorepanic]

I am working on a website page for this but this is what i have so far..

Sleep

How many times have you woken up in the morning and said “I didn’t sleep a wink last night”?

How many times have you struggled to get out of bed because you had such a restless night and feel as though you only managed a couple of hours sleep if any?

How many times have you gone to work and struggled through the day because you were so tired?

Most of us have been there at some time or another but for some the problem is recurrent and troublesome and affects our daily lives and ability to function well. You are certainly not alone.

I have had sleep problems for many years and talking to people in the Chat room and reading messages in the Message Forum it seems that I am most certainly not alone and there are many others like me. I decided to research the subject and here is my article that I hope will be of some help to you.

I am going to try and keep this information to the point and I am not going to bombard you with facts and figures about sleep as this can be found on any site that you search for on the topic of “sleep”.

I will try to provide you with some useful tips on how to get a good night’s sleep and explain what sorts of things can interrupt that sleep process.

Some interesting facts about sleep

• Sleeping pills should not be taken for more than 21 days and preferably on non-consecutive days

• Problems with sleeping are the second most frequently reported health problem – the first is a cold.

• It takes an average of one week to adjust to the summer/winter clock changes.

• Weight loss or gain can effect sleep patterns

• The rate of alcoholism amongst insomniacs is twice that of good sleepers.

• It is more common for adult women to have sleep problems than any other group of people.

• Don’t smoke just before going to bed – the average smoker sleeps 30 minutes less than a non-smoker.

• Early morning awakenings tend to be a symptom of depression. Sleep in depressed people is usually un-refreshing.

Why can’t we sleep?

Now that is the burning question! It is rarely due to a single cause but more to a set of circumstances that form a vicious circle we call insomnia.

The “causes” or reasons that we find we have difficulty sleeping vary from mildly irritating – a dog barking or a car going past in the street – to unexpected traumas, grief (e.g. bereavement) and most frustrating of all, free-floating anxiety of all kinds.

It can also be caused by medical illnesses, or various physical sleep disorders such as sleep apnoea. Psychological and emotional issues are other obvious causes. Lifestyle factors that disrupt sleep can be drugs, poor diet and even a snoring partner.

Maybe one of these sounds like you?

Anxiety insomnia – Where anxiety rules, manifested by general anxiety, tension and feeling on edge and by physical symptoms such as butterflies in the stomach, frequent diarrhoea, dry mouth etc.

Tension insomnia – Where stress and tension rule, manifested in an ability to relax, muscle ache, head-aches, finding it hard to let go.

Sleep-centred insomnia - Obsession with not sleeping well / enough and believing that you can’t cope, can’t concentrate, feel unwell, look awful, etc if you don’t get enough sleep.

Stimulus control insomnia – Being awake, watching TV in bed; falling asleep somewhere other than your bed (e.g. the living room) or sleeping better in a bed which isn’t yours.

Worry centred insomnia – Worrying about not being able to sleep, being unable to unwind, worrying about the day, the next day, the day after …


How much sleep do we need?

There is no definitive answer for this question as it varies between the sexes and ages but the average is around 7 hours. Some individuals can function on much less (4-5 hours) and some need slightly more (up to 9 hours).

A “good” sleeper will fall asleep quickly, and have serene, deep and uninterrupted sleep; they rarely snore; they wake up feeling refreshed, and do not feel sleepy during the day. They are getting enough sleep – whatever that amount is.

A “poor” sleeper will wake up more than once during the night, they are more likely to snore more and they feel tired and sleepy during the day.

Common Sleep Disturbers

Children
Dreams/nightmares
Needing the toilet
Snoring partners
Restless partners
Room temperature
Uncomfortable bed/bedclothes
Noisy pets (I personally can relate to this one because my 3 cats are always waking me up).
Thinking
Worrying


Sleeping Environment

Look at your sleeping environment as several things will have an effect on your sleep. The main factors are as follows:

Light – Use thick curtains or blinds. Make sure the room is dark. If you can’t do this then invest in an eye mask.

Noise – In our own homes we become accustomed to the general noises that go on overnight – e.g. passing traffic, birds, the milkman rattling bottles, aircraft noise, trains, and even simple things like the heating switching on/off. You may notice that you sleep better or worse when you go on holiday or to stay away with friends/relatives and even in a hotel. I find that my sleep is even worse in hotels as there are so many more noises that wake me up and hotels are never the quietest of places! You could get the room double-glazed to reduce the noise levels or may even consider ear-plugs. Be aware though that sometimes you need to be able to hear noise e.g. a fire alarm going off – so try not to cut noise out completely.

Bedroom Temperature – It is impossible to give an exact temperature that the room should be as it is a combination of the sleeper’s own temperature, what bedclothes the sleeper is wearing and the ambient temperature. Most of the literature I read suggested the room should be around 62F (16C). Cooler temperatures are generally appropriate and some people actually like to sleep with the window very slightly open (even in the winter). Overheating will disturb sleep and can damage the skin too.

Beds – You need to get the right bed and pillows to get a good night’s sleep. Mattresses should distribute the pressure evenly over the body. If the mattress is too hard then you may get pressure leading to numbing and pain. If it is too soft then the neck and spine sag causing muscle tension and pain for some. Pillows should support your neck as well as your head. Some people (myself included) are allergic to feather pillows so a hypoallergenic material is preferable. Pillows don’t last forever so change them at least every 2 years and turn them over occasionally.

Sleeping Posture – Your spine will be aligned if you sleep on your side or back but is twisted if you sleep on your stomach, perhaps with one leg drawn up, bent at the knee.

Clocks - Most of us nowadays have digital clocks but they are illuminated at night so you can always see what time it is! Most sleep experts advice against clock-watching – keep it turned away from you and then you can’t keep checking the time and worrying because it was only x number of hours since you last looked at it.


Sleep Aids

Over the counter aids

These include brands like Nytol (there is also Nytol herbal if you prefer a natural remedy), Sleep-Eze and Sominex. The active ingredients in all of these are anti-histamines which have a sedative effect. Diphenhydramine is the most common of these. They don’t put you to sleep but make you drowsy so you fall asleep faster. They should only be used for short periods of time and they don’t work for everyone. If your insomnia is temporary they will probably work well but if it is chronic then they will certainly not help. They take a long time to clear from the body so only take them before you go to bed and not when waking in the night. They are not suitable for everyone and you should check with the doctor or pharmacist that they are suitable for you and mention any medication that you are on.

Another thing that I have tried is “Night Nurse” (a cold and flu remedy) and it does have a sedative effect on me but I do wake feeling “hung over” and groggy so again this is should only be used short-term and check that you are suitable for taking it.


Lavender
Pillow inserts, plug ins, lavender scented balls.

Nightcap?

Some people swear by a hot toddy or a glass of whiskey/brandy before bed. Hot milk is best – contains triptophan

[scoobygirl2005]

Thanks for that information Nic!

Well here we go...... I went to bed at about 11 and eventually got to sleep at about 1am so it wasn't too bad.... woke about 3 times in the night but managed to get back to sleep and I managed to get up at 7am without too much trouble lol. So at the moment I just got to keep going up to bed at 11am and hopefully I will fall asleep and not keep waking up every hour. Will keep you posted.

Scooby2005
x x