Can't sleep! What do I do?!

[ParrotLover]

Well, I was not able to sleep at all last night (and not much the night before, and not at all the night before that). I wasn't necessarily getting many intrusive obsessive thoughts like the other nights (a few though), just my mind was wide awake and I felt anxious. My boyfriend snores a little and every time I heard him it was irritating me. I took one .25 Xanax but it didn't do anything :( I don't know what to do! Should I ask the dr. to call me in sleeping pills? I really hate to take another drug....plus I can't really afford ANOTHER prescription (aside from my Cybalta and Xanax I take Singulair for allergies and Vytorin for high cholesterol). Help!

It's like I dread going to bed because I'm so worried I won't sleep and I get all nervous. Well...then I don't sleep. I need sleep so bad to fight my obsessive thoughts, think rationally, and stay positive all day long.

I'm so desperate.

[oneluvdmom]

Hi, I know how you feel about sleep, I haven't slept without the aid of something for over 7 years, I take trazadone now, it is an anti depressant, but it also helps me sleep, I am on all the same meds you are on cept for the cymbalta, I take depakote & resperadal, but I think if you talk it over with your doctor it may help, I know how you feel, play some soft music, pray, whatever it takes to get your mind to linger off to sleep. I am also a napper during the day & I have tried to stop that, also, I'm off all caffeine, for almost a month now, so when bed time comes, I have been ready MOST OF THE TIME. hope this helps, good luck!@

[spiral]

I drink camomile tea to help me sleep and you can by special teas to help you sleep. If you're worried about the cost of prescriptions couldn't you get one of those certificate things so you pay monthly and don't pay per presciption? Don't know what it's called or how to get one as I don't need to as all prescriptions are free in wales, yay! but think there's something like that in england...
I find that if i try to sleep that i can't and that when i stop worrying that i'm not getting enough sleep i start to sleep properly...

[nomorepanic]

Try this that I wrote....



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.


Sleeping pills


Nightcap?

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

Hot bath



Spiral - Parrot is in the USA so they don't have the NHS service we get here.

[ParrotLover]

Thanks for your advice! I have my mug of chamomile tea steeping right now. My colleauge at work told me to take my Xanax for sleep suring the week and go with out it on the weekend. I may try this.

Is it bad I want to take my Xanax to help me to relax before bed? The thing that I think my biggest problem is thinking all day long "Oh, I hope I sleep tonight. I will be terrible tomorrow if I don't." and when it gets closer to bed time I get more and more anxious that I will be awake all night. The main thing I don't want is being dead tired at work the next day and I worry about that.

The disturbing thoughts have been less today! I hope I keep getting less and less! I find myself testing my thoughts, though and that freaks me out a little.

Advise?

PLUS my boyfriend lightly snores :huh:

I did swim several laps in the pool tonight and take a brisk walk and dance around the apartment with one of my birds (don't laugh :winks:) to use up some of my nervous energy.

Ah, an hour before bed time. We shall see. I'm gonna pop .5 Xanax and sip on my chamomile lemon tea....

I'll check in, in the morning!

[cattttt]

Nobody mentioned exercise! It's great for making you feel good and relaxing you, but not too near bedtime. So exercise in the late afternoon/early evening, a warm bath and then the chammomile tea............zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[ParrotLover]

*sigh* Okay so last night I took my .5 Xanax and chamomile tea...went to bed around 10:30 p.m...woke up at 12:30 a.m. Worried my Xanax wore off and I won't sleep again. Thought, "Should I take more?" No no way...just deal with it. Not going to depend on the Xanax. So then it was off and on until a few minutes before my alarm went off. I'm exhausted this morning. Feeling pretty depressed and worried I'll have another bad thoughts day. Yesterday I had a really good day...having a good day is almost like a high, do you understand? I hope today I will wake up and have another positive day :weep:

[domino]

Hi parrotlover, You really need to stop worrying , i,ve read your post over and over, please understand that i,m not having a go at you, i too had a few months of not sleeping too good up after a few hrs sleep, but thinking about what if ,s ar,nt helping you at all.Have you tried yoga? it,s brill for total relaxation, i find that a mug of warm milk is very good too. I,ve used relaxation tapes to help me wind down, watching what i eat helps too,nothing after 8 p.m.Wishing you well and many peaceful nights.:smile:

[ParrotLover]

rickards, thank you for your concern!

I wish, more than life itself, that I could just stop worrying. Believe me, I'm busting my bum working on it, though. I think part of it is my obsessive thinking. Thoughts going through and through my head even if they are not worrying thoughts. My mind will not feel tired. It will feel very awake, so how do you force yourself to sleep then? I should get up and read a book but can not get myself out of bed! I'd have to get out of bed because I woulnd't want to wake my boyfriend. If I was that depserate for sleep, wouldn't I do whatever it takes to get back to sleep including getting up and doing something to make me sleepy? Well I don't even consider that....perhaps because I do just drift in and out of it.

I don't like milk, only in cereal :blush: I didn't even enjoy my chamomile lemon tea last night because I like it with sugar and of course I was not about to have sugar before bed. White sugar in general is bad for anxiety.

Tonight I will try it with out my Xanax, I will just give my work out an extra go. Tomorrow I will talk with my therapist about it, as I have an appointment with her at 5 p.m.

Have not yet talked with her about my sleeping problem as it's gotten worse with in the past week. Hmm...could it be my Cymbalta medication???

[ro44]

Parrot Lover,

I'd talk to your doctor. I take an occasional xanax during the day. If I can't sleep I take a dalmane. Xanax really isn't for sleep. I only take the dalmane occasionally. Also, my husband snores and I have an "air machine" on my nightstand. It just makes a constant sound which helps to drown out the snoring. You might try that.

Good luck

Ro44

[Pen]

Parrot Lover

I sometimes can't get to sleep or even worse am kept awake by my racing mind or my snoring husband :mad: and I either pretend that I have won the lottery and imagine how I would spend it, varying each time or I put the television on low in the room and this is usually enough for me to drift off as I concentrate on the sounds from the TV my mind stop racing. The lottery win day dream works every time for me though :)

[ParrotLover]

Hi all,

I tried sleeping with out meds last night. I had some chamomile tea and took a warm shower and went to bed. It took a while to fall asleep. was focusing on being able to feel my heart race rapidly, I was trying not to thought! I think I was awake for longer than I was sleeping. I do not know how long I slept as I am trying to keep myself from looking at the clock. I feel exhausted today, though. Not a morning person as it is.

I will talk to my dr. and therapist about my lack of sleep. I really need my sleep to stay mentally strong :(

I have a floor fan that I run at bed time so there's a bit of noise. I try to think other happy thoughts to keep my mind from racing as well.

Any othetr tips or advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Kyra714]

Hello.
I'm also currently in the insomnia stump.
But I have a couple of tips that I find work well with me.

Exercise--- Go for a jog, or a light run about three-to hours before going to bed.
Read--- Find a good book to read for a bit before going to bed, then later when in bed, think about the plot of the story and what you think might happen.
You might eventually get bored and fall asleep.
Noise---Play a calming song whilst in bed, and follow the tune in your head.
This should distract you from any mind-chatter, or intrusive thoughts.

Oh, and I find this exercise to be helpful, when you think of a irrational thought, instead of really acknowledging it, merely say 'Irrational.'
It'll make you feel better about having the intrusive thought, being able to tell it from rational or irrational thinking.


Insomnia blows. I hope you beat it soon.:D