i suffer from insomnia from time to time.. its a right pain in the fkn a$$.

yesterday a friend told me how he couldnt sleep and was awake till 5am... i think it put it in my head coz last night i just couldnt sleep n was awake till 3am then had to get up at 7am. i need about 9 hours a night so you can imagine how much a feel like crap today. tried to get an hour n half sleep earlier but cant sleep during the day for some reason.

gonna struggle through 30 mins on my exercise bike in a minute .. but that should be a right misison.

any tips to help me sleep tonight??? would be much appreciated ...
i need to have a good sleep tonight as i have a night out saturday and prob wont roll home time about 6am... so need to be fresh for saturday.


ps- i only ever have green tea in the mornings and an occasional square of dark chocoalte.. dont touch any other caffeine at all.. so its nothing to do with caffiene.

I suffered from insomnia a while back while on medication and the best tips I could give would be

1) Take a bath or shower before bed - your body cools as you go to sleep so cooling down after a warm shower will help your body sleep
2) Keep bedroom temperature down
3) Keep any clocks out of sight as watching the time pass can increase anxiety and make it harder to sleep

It could be related to alot of things.

However, the most common is simply anxiety caused either by using common modern items such as TVs, games, and so fort, or can be caused by work or work related stress.

Practice a bed ritual other than just laying down.

Here are some tips:

* Set aside about an hour to prepare to sleep.
* Don't smoke or otherwise do something where you're playing with your hands.
* Don't watch TV or get on the computer prior to sleeping or while attempting to sleep
* If you are worried about something tomorrow, tell someone out loud of all your worries and plans of the following day or week. This way, you'll let go. If it's personal, write it down on a notepad or tell an animal other than a parrot ()
* Read a book, listen to music or something along that line
* Make sure you are flat on your back asleep. If you like to turn to your side, put a pillow between your legs.
* Wear comfortable clothing. Some people prefer to wear nothing while asleep.
* Use warm water for a bath or shower prior to sleeping or drink some milk
* Hugging works too. If you have no one to hug, simply hug a pillow or stuffed animal such as a bear (works wonderfully for children and sometimes adults). I remember at my MRI I was asked if I wanted a stuffed bear, lol.
* Don't use sleeping aids such as sleeping pills: these can be habit forming and can cause stomach bleeding

I'm assuming you mean set aside an hour before sleeping?

I fixed it.

thanks everyone.. wil ltry some of those things later.

not sure if doing 35mins on my bike was such a good idea now coz i am no longer tired n feeel buzzin n like i could take on the world... praying that i start to get tired again in a whille. grrrrrrrrrrrr

I WILL SLEEP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have you tried taking melatonin? Some people whom can't sleep at night or have trouble sleeping produce insufficient melatonin. I will say that GABA puts me out like a light.

Yeah, I was gonna say melatonin. Also, zinc and magnesium. Make sure you are getting enough.

The relaxation tips are good, as well. One that I don't believe was covered is after preparing yourself for rest, try reading. Nothing too exciting, though. When you find you can't concentrate, it's time to go to bed.

One trick a lot of people overlook is to condition your body by only going to bed when you're ready to fall asleep (meaning you fall asleep within 15 minutes of being in bed). If you have the discipline to wake up at the same time every day, your body will eventually adapt and know to put you out at a time that will allow you to get enough rest.

I have found that the above have helped me sleep less each session, but much more overall (due to sleeping every night), and to feel very refreshed upon waking.

Reading works great for me. I used to lie in bed for hours before falling asleep sometimes, now I go a little early and read for maybe 1/2 hour. It makes my eyes feel tired and I can't hold them open anymore

I do not promote any type of medication use at all however I had insomnia for years and the only way it was cured for me was through medication. BUT I urge you to try an all natural approach, as the ones stated above, before even thinking about meds.....

i tried melatonin and it made me feel woozy, but i never fell asleep. it totally sucked! it was like i took nyquil and was wide awake all night long. only meds helped me and yes unfortunately they are habit forming. i stopped taking them for now because i can sleep a little better on my own. the only time i go to the dr. for meds is if i cant sleep for like weeks, then i go out of desperation. but, for now i feel good.

Im stunned that no one has mentioned exercise.

There's a lot of evidence that exercise, specifically around the 4-6pm period, imroves sleep.

She already said she's exercising. It stuns you that no one was intent on being redundant?

Also, it depends on the person. While exercise surely improves sleep quality in general, for some people, exercise in the evening is a big no-no with regard to their being able to sleep at night, for others it's a blessing.

As Dallen suggested a ritual before bed might help.

I too am among the many here who have (or had) insomnia. I have had it all my life and have just learned to live with it.

Though, there are things that can help. The routine is one. Another is stretching. I'm not talking doing exercises, I'm talking about laying in bed and flexing/stretching all of your muscles starting from your feet to your arms, kinda like you would do when you get up in the morning. It helps your body relax.

So after say, taking that shower, and you are ready to lay down, stretch out and then close your eyes......

Quiet also can help. If you live somewhere, where there is noise and it is a fact in keeping you up, maybe some ear plugs are in order. I hate them, but literally cannot sleep without them these days....

Does it stun you that the exercising needs to be done around 4-6pm otherwise it's benefits won't help with sleeping.

Anyway enough of you.

Try and avoid eating when your about to hit they sack, keep lighting minimal to.