Sleepless nights - what would you do? (Feb/02/2008 )

Hi all,

When sleeping becomes a problem, everything is problematic. I cant sleep well these few days. The mind just keep on thinking of anything (just anything) when i lay down on the bed and couldnt get into sleep. And it's getting worse and affecting my daytime work...

tried exercise, music etc etc..but not working very well. I am not in a stressful situation now. Everything is pretty good but i just dont know why i cant sleep peacefully

Does it happen to any of you? Anyone has any suggestions?

Thanks

Regards,
William

Exercise, music .. . they are all myths. Some try 'rain sounds', 'water sounds' .. all myths.

Solution : record lectures and play it continuously (loop).; print 1-2 articles and read in your bed.

herbal sleeping pills (avoid chemical ones like the plague - stop taking them, stop sleeping)

camomile tea can work too (camomile, honey and vanilla - hmmm - i add a little vanilla extract for extra flavour)

also stick rigidly to your sleeping/waking times

i also made a deal with myself - when i leave the office/lab i stop being a scientist (ok it only works about half the time - but if you have more lab stuff to do - stay at the lab - switching off is very important)

dom

A couple of glasses of wine usually does the trick for me!!! Of course that's not very healthy advice!!!

In my experience nothing really works, I suffer from insomnia and as it comes, one day goes.

A hot bath and a hot drink just before bed time sometimes do the trick. Also, as Dom said stick to your sleep/wake cycles, your body will eventually get tired enough and sleep. I suggest that if you cant sleep at all don't just stay in bed, walk round the flat, watch some telly, read a book... all of this should be non-science related, try to keep your mind busy with something trivial so you don't think about the fact that you cant sleep, might not help you to sleep but does help combat desperation.

Herbal pills, or a nice tilia infusion (I think that's the name) work too, again agree with Dom don't go for chemical pills, it just hides the problem doesnt fix it, you stop taking them you stop sleeping again.

Exercise works for me, but if failing you may want to try some sort of relaxation-exercise combination, ie yoga, pilates, thai chi.... Is amazing what our mind does to ourselves without us knowing.

I’ve learnt to live with my insomnia periods, but I know not everyone can. Are you not sleeping at all, or finding it hard to get to sleep or waking up in the middle of the night and there’s no going back. There are so many different types of sleeping problems that unfortunately no one solution can fix them all. If it is affecting your life maybe you should seek medical advice

Good luck!

I know the feeling with the not sleeping. For me its often when I'm a little stressed or worried. But also environmental factors- when its too hot I can't sleep and when the snow clearing machines come round 4am by me I wake up (now I wake at 4am expecting them when there not there).
I 've found when I work late that its hard to get to sleep, I really need a good break from finishing work and going to sleep, I don't like to bring work home with me.
Boredom can also make you sleepless too. This is my first living away from my home country and it takes time to get a good circle of friends and a social life (which are relaxing) so I found myself on my own often in the evenings, while its nice to have alone time, too much alone time is not good and I got sleepless. Try going to the cinema or cafe or something or a long walk round your neighbourhood and then I find its easier to get a good nights sleep. Now sometimes I'm sleepless cause I'm at Karaoke all night with friends- but thats fun and the next night at home I sleep like a log!
The hot bath really helps for me and I like to combine that with music and a book- a nice long soak.

I hope any of the suggestions help

Lost in the snow

sleeping pills?? i would suggest the same as lauralee, a good glass of wine (maybe two...) or ultimately, go to a shrink. i mean, i have had the same kind of problem before, most of the times because of stress (related to the lab most of the times) and it just keeps accumulating in your subconciousness. talk to people really helps relax. watch terrible movies, the good thing about them is you can not forget them and if those movies are bad PLUS horror you could disipate your mind into other things such as nightmares with dead people chasing you in your sleep

Did you ever try mental training? To relax by activating a certain picture in your mind. For me, I always try to imagine me somewhere in a wood or on a mountain. Then I try to see as much details as possible. Mostly it works but after a while I have to change the picture.

wllmch . . . where are you? Wake up.. . . William .. . wake up!!!

I know nothing works for sleepless nights. Nothing works.

Are U sleepy in the afternoon by the way?

This happens to me always. Sleepless nights and Sleepy days. I diagnosed my disease - 'born in wrong time zone'. I calculated and found that I would perfectly fit to Bagdad's time zone but it is too far. May be after I finish my studies, I should think of moving to Bagdad.

not sure about being born in the wrong time zone but one thing you should remember is that not everyone follows a 24hr day (my body works on 27hrs - if left to its own devices my body will create a rolling day which means getting up later and going to sleep later till i have a reversed cycle - its not lazyness but it can appear that way to others) - this will naturally feel like bouts of insomnia when its in fact your normal rhythm (not the easiest word to spell).
also some people are better in the morning - others at night (are you waking up too early or not getting to sleep).

sorting out exactly whats going on will help you come to a conclusion on how to solve the problem (insomnia is too general a word)
your'e a scientist - use your skills to solve this problem

good luck

dom