Having trouble sleeping. Any ideas?

Question

i'm having trouble sleeping. I go to bed at 10 and by 2am i'm still awake. Its exhausting not being able to sleep. I'm tired just not sleepy. What can help me sleep (besides medication)?

Answer 1

you could use sleeping pills like 'panadol night'.

if you don't want medication,then just don't go to bed at 10.

Try drinking hot milk before you go to sleep so you can be relaxed.

Answer 2

Your mind might be running and you could just be thinking about what is to come tomarro. What I find to help is not being hungry for one and two I love to listen to my favorite music, but then again that can keep you awake, just put on a c.d. really low and try to just not think about stuff. Some people even say a glass of milk will make you tired, I don't really know though.

Answer 3

Been there and so has my gf and there is nothing worse!!!

Consequently, between us we have tried everything (fortunately I'm not on meds as I knew what the trigger for my insomnia was - work!!)

There's a number of "old wives tricks" which are believed to aid sleeping difficulties and they do help. However, it is important to consider what type of insomnia you have and what the underlying trigger may be, i.e. is it long-term or short-term? Do you know what is keeping you up (an over active mind perhaps)?

The tricks noted above include:

(1) taking a warm bath before bed;

(2) using a couple of drops of lavender oil on your pillow;

(3) doing light cardio exercise in the evening;

(4) reading a book;

(5) not eating after 8pm;

(6) cutting down on caffeinated drinks;

(7) cutting down on sugar consumption;

(8) changing sheets more regularly;

(9) playing gentle music in your bedroom; and

(10) counting sheep!!

(Also, for some reason, having a TV on in the background works well for me as it keeps my mind from being over active.)

These are really all solutions where short-term insomnia is the case or if you are suffering from an over active mind. If you're suffering through a sustained period of insomnia then chances are, unfortunately, that none of these are going to work for you.

This type of insomnia is often referred to as acute or chronic insomnia and is triggered by an underlying physical, mental or emotional cause.

If you are highly stressed then this may be the trigger and you will need to target the source of your stress, take medication designed to help you maintain your stress levels or speak to somebody who can help you work through your stress. This is the same if there may be emotional triggers. If you are overanxious (triggered by a chemical imbalance) then you may also need to consider supervised medication.

Chronic insomnia may also be brought about by metabolic issues (such as diabetes) or an over/under active thyroid. You should really seek medical help.

In summary, if this is a recent issue for you then maybe try out some of the ideas above. However, if this has been an issue for more than a month you should speak to a doctor as soon as possible and undergo some blood tests to try and identify the source of the problem and to determine a course of treatment.

Incidentally, nearly everybody experiences a period of sustained insomnia at some point in their lives and it is more common in women (particularly after child birth or during menopause). For some people it can last a long time but there are more and more doctors and specialists out there who can help.

Also, depending on the cause, there are many alternatives to medication such as cognitive behavioural therapy (basically sleep rehabillitation programme - which means a form of therapy not hospitalisation!), sleep clinics which monitor your sleeping problems and suggest changes to your environment, hypnotic therapy and so on.

I hope this helps!! And best of luck getting back to slumberland.