I don't really know where this goes, so I hope this allright.
My problem is I have sleeping difficultys. I always have done for as long as I can remember.Once I go to bed millions of thoughts just pop into my head and I can't do anything to stop them. I've tried incense,hot baths, exercise,counting sheep,homeopathic medecine,relaxing every muscle and many other things whihc I cant remember. It's a real pain in the ass as I'm doing the first part of my baccalaureate in 2 weeks(end of school exams) and I'm too knackered to work properly.Not that this is an unusual occurence as I've always had this but right now I'd kill for some sleep.I go to bed around 9 30-10 then lay awake until midnight-1 o clock.When this is done every day it really gets on top of me.I'm trying to bulk and read here that sleep is very important.If anyone could give me some help I'd really really appreciate it.
THanks a million

I have the exact same problem. Some people get their best thinking done in the shower. I get mine done while lying awake for 2 hours. Some things that helped me were meditation, or guided meditation. That really helped for a bit. Other than that since I started increasing my physical activities, I get tired quicker. So idk, maybe add some more physical activities or check out some guided meditation. Good luck!

When I can't sleep I get back up and force myself to stay up till I can't stand it anymore. If that means I'm up a lot later than I should, well at least I'm getting stuff done and not frustrated about laying there not sleeping as the numbers on my clock tick on. Keep a tablet and a flashlight by your bed and write down things keeping you awake. THings you can jump on in the morning so you can put them out of your head for the night. When my insomnia gets really bad I take 1 tylanol PM about 30 min before I want to sleep. then I read on my couch and go to bed only when my eyes start crossing.

Have you tried ZMA?

Zma?
Yeah I've tried exercise before bed,ditto walks but then I'm just knackered with a still fully awake mind.I've tried a lot of different stuff.

try cutting out all caffeine from your diet, not eating too late, and what always works for me is either staying up a night and then going to bed early, or waking up really early a few days in a row. usually kicks me right back into gear.

No no no, don't try exercising right before bed. That will only keep you up longer. Before bed try to clear all things in your mind. I know it's hard to do. The best way to do this is by concentrating on your breathing. For meditation its best while you are lying on your back arms by side and legs together.

When I had guided meditation the basics of it were...
-close eyes and take in a deep breath, hold it 2 seconds, and repeat
-concentrate on your breathing, slow breathing but not huge breaths
-scrunch up your toes, and legs for apx 3 seconds and release
-scrunch up yourarms and make a tight fist - 3 sec
-flex your chest and abs - 3 sec
-scrunch face up - 3 sec

After you scrunch/flex those muscle groups, leave them alone. You will feel them become heavy. All the while you are concentrating on your breathing, and your eyes are closed and you are in the dark. After your whole body is relaxed you can continue on your breathing. Just try it once and see if it does anything for you.

BTW dont count 3 seconds, just dont even think about it, just do it for a bit

GL

Thanks man,I tried it last night and it seemed to have some effect,I was more relaxed anyway though it could've just been a placebo effect.Either way thanks.

I had the same problem. It takes a while to get in the groove but once you do you get the sleep alot faster. Get some meditation music and play it while you sleep. It helped me out alot.

Also I read in Mens Health that if you wear socks to bed you get to sleep faster.

The lady's giving you good advice. I used to have the same problem. What it was for me was that my circadian rhythm was all screwed up from years of getting random amounts of sleep at different times of the day.

The key is to set yourself a time to wake up every morning (NOT a time to go to bed). Then, stay up until you feel sleepy. This does not mean until you can barely hold your eyes open, but until you find it difficult to concentrate on tasks like reading or doing homework. Going to bed so early and lying in bed stressing over your inability to fall asleep only makes it worse.

The relaxing activity before bed helps, too..but first you need to get the fundamentals in place. If you want some links on the subject of sleep and how to get up when your alarm clock goes off (this used to be so impossible for me..but these days, I hop out of bed every time ), throw me a PM. Anyway, the key is to get up at a fixed time. Over a period of a week or two (during which you will probably feel sleep deprived..but you already do!), or possibly a little longer, your body will adjust and you'll find yourself with better much better sleeping habits. If you already do wake at a fixed time, every day (this includes weekends), then just follow sparrow's advice to go to bed when you're tired and don't worry about it. It will very likely correct itself naturally..especially as you work on eating better and exercising regularly. It's made a world of difference for me, anyway.

Also, ZMA is a supplement (zinc and magnesium) that has been shown to deepen sleep (and therefore improve its quality). As far as I know, it hasn't yet been shown to actually assist in inducing sleep, but it's worth a shot. At the very least, you'll be getting two minerals that most diets are lacking in.

Glad to see im not the only one who suffers from a million and ten thoughts when trying to sleep. I do shifts of 2days 2 nights 4off with each working day consisting of 12 hours. Unlike most people, I can sleep fine during the day when ive been on nights but sleeping at night when im on day shift is an absolute nightmare. Im quite fortunate really that i only have 2 days to do so I dont get too fatigued at work. One thing is for sure though, my body clock is shot to hell

hi my name is donna i was the same as you all could never sleep at night then went to a sleep lab ( sleep apnea ) now i sleep all nite you could have a snoring problem that wakes you up or maybe you stop breathing at night that was my problem i would really check into this , i hope this helps luv donna

Echoing the others who have posted on this thread, I too have always had severe sleep problems. I have a pretty stressful life as a business owner, and I cannot turn off the thoughts. The thoughts will literally get my heart racing, and I have always been like this. I don't even know how I managed to stay sane through my teen years and college years. I got by on 3-4 hours of sleep and just half-functioned.

What turned things around for me is Ambien. I need something to just knock me the f*** out, and it does the trick. I like it because it is non-narcotic, non-addictive, and it has a very short half-life, which means that it gets out of my system in 5 hours and I wake up after 6-8 refreshing hours of sleep, completely refreshed and rested.

I only take it on weeknights since I have to be at work by 5am, so if I get it in my system by 830, I'm out by 9pm, and the 430 alarm doesn't get thrown across the room. For the last couple of years I have performed at the highest level of my life in business.

I would recommend trying it a few times... You can usually get a few free samples. Make sure that you are at home and close to bed when you try it.

My 2 centavos anyway. Good luck, whatever you end up doing.

I have those days occasionally, but I couldn't imagine having that problem all the time. Jeez, I feel for you JP.

This helped me Its natural as well. you should also drink a glass of good water before going to sleep. Walk a little before bed. MELATONIN PLUS