by iamthewolf5562 9 Replies latest jw friends
Does anyone here have or have had a problem sleeping at night?
You can take a wild guess as to what I may have to attribute to this....
When I try to sleep ar night.... mind thinks and wanders to all sorts of terrible things that could be happening to me at anytime. Some nights I can shut it off. Other times, I can't.
I don't want to end up on meds and I don't want to drink every night just so I can sleep.
Has anyone here been through this? Any experiences?
Thanks
I sympathise. I only sleep in fifteen or twenty minute bursts, but I am waking up from physical pain. I've tried loads of things....camomile tea, milk, honey, milk and honey - the list goes on. I try to follow the basic guidelines for 'sleep hygiene' which might be of some help to you. If you do a quick search on the net for sleep hygiene you may be able to pick up a few tips. I find turning the lights down low about an hour or so before I plan on going to bed helps, so does switching off the t.v and no reading - that's me though, I tend to overthink when I read - I switch to music instead. Also, if you are home during the day and you feel tired it is a good idea to try and sleep then. Sometimes we have to re-think the idea of how we should be sleeping. I can no longer think of sleep as happening as an eight hour event. I sleep whenever I can, even if it is only 15 or 20 minutes - at least it's better than no sleep. Hope that's of some help.
I was told by a physician in a sleep clinic that the worst thing you can do is to lay there staring at the ceiling. He suggested reading something but not anything too interesting. I have my Cardiology/EKG book from nursing school if you would like me to loan it to you
But seriously read something boring, get up and do a load of laundry or get up and watch TV. You may need to see your doctor to rule out other things. I hope things get better for you I know what it's like to not be able to sleep at night then have to function during the day.
nj
Since I was a child
I have only slept no more than 5 hours a night
For me it was an adequate amount of rest
As I got older I began sleeping less and less
This started to be a problem
I would sleep for 2 hours and then awaken
By noon I would be exhausted, for the first time in my life
Went through sleep studies
No real problems showed up
So I started taking Ambien
Problem solved
It may not be the best solution out there
but it does work for me
Don't attempt to self medicate
Sleeplessness could be indicative
of a number of serious problems
See a good doctor or sleep specialist
Do get it looked into
Mr.Wolf nice to see you back I only have a suggestion and that is to use some natural essential oils,like an unwinding mist you can spray on
your pillow so you can sleep like a baby! Sorry I did not include a truth comment,I'll catch ya next time.Wink,Wink..
I would suggest magnesium. I wonder why more people do not take that mineral, which is perfectly and ridiculously safe. This might be sufficient, since it can reduce spasms and certain kinds of pain. And it relaxes the muscles. Which might be enough on its own to allow you sleep. And, even if you still need drugs, you might get by on a lower, safer dose.
Magnesium is so good for so much. It can favorably affect allergies, headaches, heart disease, epilepsy, spasms, diabetes, and so much more. Most people in this country are deficient in magnesium and would benefit from a supplement. The worst reasonably expected side effect from too much is diarrhea (they do use it as a laxative). Starting with 250 mg at night is a good place to start, and do not be afraid to adjust the dose to the optimal level. There are no long term side effects (magnesium is an essential nutrient).
I have no problems sleeping, which is quite amazing, since as a child I use to have issues. These days I hit the pillow and I'm out within a few minutes.
I do remember I use to have a similar problem, staying up thinking about stuff that stresses me out. And then, one day, I had this grand realization that I thought about stuff at completely the wrong time.
If your going to worry about stuff, school yourself to worry about it when you can actually affect it. This is the most important thing you can do when it comes to managing stress and fears.
At 1am in the morning, there is nothing you can do about a bill that needs to be payed, or a conversation that needs to be held. Your literally wasting mental capacity by worrying when you can't do anything about it right then.
And catch yourself when you start to steamroll your own mind. People love to think about one thing, realize it's a problem, and then move onto another problem, and try to realize how grand it is. Instead of sticking with the first problem and reasoning it out. So by hopping from one bad thing the next, your basically just panicing yourself.
I had real bad insomnia for almost two years. I had the same symptoms as you. My mind would race and I couldn't shut down no matter how tired I was. I was also suffering from major depression. I took Ambien CR for almost 8 months. I didn't get addicted to it. When I ran out of my prescription I didn't try to get a refill and I thought I would have trouble sleeping again, but I didn't! :D I've been off the Ambien for 4 months and I sleep very well. I no longer have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. I know you said you didn't want to take meds, but they helped me and I didn't suffer any bad side affects or addiction. You should talk to your doctor. Good luck!
Weird. Well, you inadvertently posted two identical threads of this, and I replied on the other one, but this one seems to be the one that kept going, so here is my pasted reply from the other thread:
Melatonin can help... so can the herb Valerian root or a hot chamomile tea.
A very deep meditation before bed can also help. Dr. Weil has a very good meditation cd you can use to get yourself started.
Sweet dreams.
Love,
Baba.
Often it is words that keep us awake.
If you can watch thoughts passing through your mind and avoid attaching words to them, you will be deeply relaxed and sleep will often follow.
The minute you convert feelings and images into words sleep becomes impossible. Cats don't have this problem - they never learned to talk!
