How do you fall asleep and stay asleep?

[BarenakedLady]

After another grueling night trying to sleep, I'm barely functioning on fumes. I need some tips on how to fall and stay asleep. My problems may stem from medication I am on, which will hopefully straighten out after I'm on it a bit longer. So any ideas?

:boring:

[billyskank]

1. The only knowledge I have about sleep is this

I used to have lots of trouble sleeping, back when I used to smoke pot and would stay up very late whenever I could. At the same time, I was forced to get up in the mornings during the week for work, so my sleep schedule had no regularity to it. I was trying to go to bed early(ish) during the week, and then staying up till 4am on Friday and Saturday nights, and sleeping in till lunchtime the following days. My body never had any chance to settle on a rhythm, with the consequence that I could never sleep when it was appropriate and I had a hell of a time getting up.

The only thing that fixed it was when I started getting up at the same time every day, and going to bed at the same time every day. A standard 8 hours sleep each night, no matter what. I had to give up the pot to do it, of course. Now I tend to fall asleep within 30 minutes of going to bed every night, often faster. I'm afraid I don't think there's any other trick to it.

[BarenakedLady]

3. Thanks billy

I do try to stick to some sort of schedule on most nights. Though sometimes trying to sleep in a bit on the weekends if possible. I wish there was a way to switch off my brain so I could just fall asleep. :banghead:

Thanks for replying :hug:

[billyskank]

5. Sleeping in for about an hour doesn't do any harm

I find if I sleep in longer than that, it screws up my following bed time. It will then take an effort of will to get up at the right time the next day.

:hug:

[SpreadItAround]

2. I had really bad insomnia...

...for a while and billyskank has it pretty much nailed.

During the week, make sure you stick to a schedule of going to bed at the same time every night and waking up at the same time ensuring that this schedule gives you eight hours of sleep, no more, no less.

Exercising an hour before bed helps a lot. Try not to watch TV in bed but if you do, turn it off 1/2 hour before you're ready to go to sleep and read. If you must watch TV before going to sleep make sure you don't leave it on and try to sleep.

If none of that works, take prescription sleeping pills for three days (Lunesta works well for me).

I'm no doctor but that's what my doctors told me to do and it worked.

Good luck!

[BarenakedLady]

6. Thanks!

That's good advice. I have been watching TV in bed, so maybe I should stop that. Exercise is a good idea too. I sure could use that.

Thanks for the luck.

[Left Is Write]

32. Exercise energizes me. I couldn't do it that close to bedtime.

YMMV, of course.

[anarch]

4. booze

It doesn't do much for the feeling good the next day, though.

[billyskank]

7. Okay, that's a BAD solution

For one thing it risks developing alcoholism, and it doesn't make for a satisfying sleep anyway. Alcohol may put you to sleep, but after a few hours it wakes you up again. Do you not always wake up early the morning after a bender, when you would much rather sleep it off?

[BarenakedLady]

8. Heh

Believe me, on those nights of imbibing I have no trouble falling asleep. However, it does nothing for my typical 2-4am internal wake up call. And yes, the next day's repurcussions suck.

[likesmountains 52]

23. I don't know how close you are to menopause, but waking up for

a couple of hours in the middle of the night (typically 2-4AM) happens to a lot of women during peri/menopause....I have been doing that for several years now and it does suck...I have to be to work at 6AM so on nights before I work I take an Ambien and that works for me...I don't take anything to sleep if I have the next day off. I used to get so pissed off at being awake, but now I just kind of look at the clock and think well...I'm going to be awake for 2 hours..ok. Thankfully it does not happen every night..good luck....

[Bossy Monkey]

9. You've already eliminated all caffeine, right?

That's the big one for most people. People say chamomile tea helps, but I never tried it so cannot comment intelligently. Regardless, good luck with it.

[BarenakedLady]

10. Hmmmm

Would the one mug of coffee I had in the morning still effect me at 11pm at night? I don't have any other caffeine during the day. You are probably right, I should stop the coffee in the morning. So now my next thread will be advice to get over the caffeine withdrawl headache. LoL.

Thanks, I can't believe I didn't think of the caffeine connection. I told you, I'm running on fumes here.

[billyskank]

11. Coffee in the morning should be okay

I would say it's probably 4pm onwards you should avoid caffeine, so I don't think your problem can be that.

[XemaSab]

12. Unless you're going to coffee cat

and ordering the triple shot 10oz mocha.

That stuff is good for 12 hours of pure wide awake goodness. :D

[Bossy Monkey]

18. Sensitivity varies from person to person. My own weakness was

sweetened iced tea. Sometimes I'd only have one glass with lunch. I eliminated it not because of sleep problems but when I was stumbling towards figuring out I was lactose-intolerant. However, I suddenly noticed I was sleeping at night and having about 100 times fewer nightmares. Caffeine, like alcohol, fucks with your dream cycle. If she's having trouble with waking in the middle of the night, eliminating it is probably a good idea, or at least worth a try.

[Haole Girl]

25. If you are drinking enough coffee that you'd have a

"caffeine withdrawl headache," then there's your answer! ;-)

[Phillycat]

13. If you're on Prednisone or another steroid, there is nothing you can do

I was like a crazy person when I was on Prednisone for a contact dermatitis last year. It was horrible. I was so sleep-deprived I was afraid to drive my car.

[mark414]

14. booze or ambien

seriously

if i don't have ambien i'll have a couple glasses of some good whiskey...yum, and relaxes me like nothin else

[wildhorses]

15. as an insomniac, I have no answer-- just my sympathy.

I have Ambien on hand. If my back is the problem, then flexaril and either tylenol or a pain pill of some sort, Vicodin is a wonderful thing to me:boring:

[BigMcLargehuge]

16. I don't know about staying asleep... I don't tend to wake up unless

my kids are crying or something equally jarring occurs. But for falling asleep, I try and focus on how nice it feels to lay in a soft bed, how warm it is under the covers, I regulate my breathing, and try to drift off.

It usually works for me.

[caty]

17. Sometimes we have trouble sleeping

because our blood sugar is low. Try having a little snack about 30 minutes before going to bed.

[cwydro]

19. Remember

that caffeine is in chocolate and sodas and tea also! Have you ever tried melatonin? That's worked for me before, and Sleepytime tea. Alcohol will just wake you up later in the night, though I have had some nice sleeps with a glass of wine:P .
Getting truly exhausted physically during the day helps too; that is, if you like to exercise.

[OllieLotte]

20. I'm Sorry - I can tell you what helps me...usually.

I try to get some exercise every day. You don't want to exercise before you go to bed however. I don't watch TV or read in bed...ever. When I go to bed and feel like I'm not going to fall asleep, I get up, I don't toss and turn and get frustrated...I get up. AFTER, I've tried to sleep and gotten up. CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR NOW***but for me, an antihistamine (Benadryl) and a small glass of wine and in about an hour I'm ready to try to go to sleep again. I think the advice given about caffeine and alcohol is valid, different people react differently. Good luck.

[Sequoia]

21. Here's a book for you!

I know I'd like to read it. Of course my country library doesn't have it.

Do your worry and think while you're trying to fall asleep? I try to think about things that make me happy. As a kid I had this problem too so I'd tell myself a story and continue it the next night.


From Booklist
Just when you thought you were familiar with most of the really unusual medical ailments, along comes fatal familial insomnia (FFI), which has afflicted one Italian family for two centuries. The disease strikes in middle age. Symptoms include profuse sweating, constipation, impotence, and sudden onset of menopause. Eventually the body, deprived of sleep, begins to shut down. Fifteen months after the first symptoms appear, the patient dies. The brutal thing about FFI is that, while a lot is known about its effects, very little is known about its cause or its treatment (if there is a treatment). The book is like a nonfiction version of a Michael Crichton novel: an enigmatic illness, a family in jeopardy, a race against the clock to find a cure. Max, a science journalist, uses FFI as a springboard to tell a broader story about the history of fatal diseases for which cures are desperately needed, such as Parkinson's and mad cow. It would be a mistake to call this book "entertaining"--it's too unsettling and scary for that--but it's certainly very timely and compellingly written. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Amazon.com

[Roon]

22. I heard melatonin(sp) is good

Not sure where you can get it, my guess would be a GNC or something.

[Crazy Dave]

26. That's what I use when I need to

Supposedly it's a natural chemical that your body produces to make your body rest. It works very mildly and you don't get that hung-over feeling the next day as with a lot of sleep aids. Just about every store sells it in their vitamin section.

[calico1]

24. Billyskank gave you good advice and it's

also what I have read about the subject. Going to bed and getting up at all kinds of different times can really screw up your system. Ask anyone who works rotating shifts! The best thing is to follow a routine. Go to bed at the same time each night even if you are not tired and get up at the same time even if you are. This helps to adjust your internal clock but you have to do it for a while. Exercise is good but not too close to bedtime. Also, check for hidden caffeine. I would not suggest alcohol for sleep because I find that it will help you sleep at first but then make you feel wired at 2 am. For those nights when you are having an especially hard time, try 1 Benadryl (if you are not allergic). I get the tablets and actually use half of one and that is enough. But like alcohol, too much can make me feel wired.

[pitohui]

27. time of day taking medication

you should really call your doctor or your pharmacist but for allergy medication and also lariam (so two very unrelated medicines) if i switched to morning rather than evening i could easily get normal sleep again

you may want to try that if it's possible, i realize not all medicines are taken only once a day or once a week so it may not be possible

lack of sleep is dangerous, driving on lack of sleep is as dangerous as drunk driving, i wouldn't fool around too much longer without calling a medical professional, you may need a change of Rx

[LaraMN]

28. Come over and babysit my kids for fourteen hours.

That does it for me; I sleep like a rock!

Seriously though, I hope you figure out something. I couldn't sleep well when I was on meds last year, and it stunk. My energy was sapped very quickly.

[BarenakedLady]

29. Thanks everyone

I spoke with my doctor and she gave me much of the same advice as all of you (stick to a schedule, avoid caffeine and alcohol, don't read/watch tv in bed, relaxation breathing, exercise, etc.) So I guess I'll try everything and hope something works.

Thanks again for your replies! :grouphug:

[Guava Jelly]

30. ambian

:)

[Left Is Write]

31. How do I do it?

I take Ambien CR, but I've been dealing with chronic insomnia issues for years. The Ambien has made a huge difference in my sleep.

[LSK]

33. I dont worry about anything before bed

;)

[pokerfan]

34. Practice good sleep hygiene

Get up and go to bed the same time every day

If you can't fall asleep within a half hour, get up and do something boring until you feel sleepy

Only use your bed for sleeping and sex. I don't even have a tv in my bedroom, though it's wired for cable.

To help get to sleep I count backwards from 100 by threes. I forget where I learned that but it never fails.

[u4ic]

35. self-inflicted

cast iron frying pan. :D