When you can't sleep

[Shotokan-kez]

Hey guys. It's 2.17am and i had been in bed since 11.30pm, i was getting so frustrated with it i got up. My mother always suggests getting up and doing something if you can't sleep then going back to bed to try again. So i decided to come on here for half hour or so. This seems to happen a lot, i don't think i'm a major insomnia sufferer or anything but i do have at least two or three nights in the week where it takes me ages to sleep. And another problem i have now is that i am so hungary my belly is rumbling I don't particulary want to cook at 2.30 in the morning.

I have to be up at 8.00am to get Ryan ready for school, i know i will have to have matchsticks in my eyes to keep them open and they'll be all itchy and sore, then i can't have a nap in the day time cos i have my youngest, then i have karate in the evening.

So there's my little moan over with So what do you guys do when you can't sleep? I'm totally against sleeping pills because i hear a lot of people can get addicted to them. Any hints or tips on what i can do to help me go to sleep? I try not to think to much in bed, but thats difficult when you have been mad busy with the kids all day and not had a moments peace, so it's obvious your going to think more when your in bed and all is quiet.

kez x

[Simo]

yeah hey, lately i cant sleep at night, so i usually come on ere aye waste a bit of time, but sometimes i goto bed say 10 get up again at 1130 and head back to bed like at 4am it sucks, but yeah but im cutting down on my naps during the day! Ahh well..

[pegasi]

I can't tell you how many nights I've laid in bed, with my eyes wide open. To me, it seems like I just can't "turn off". So, my default is to read a book. Something purely fictional, nothing serious or educational. I'm fond of fantasy books, magic, dragons, mystical creatures etc are entertaining. Reading at least has the body resting, even if the brain is stuck in gear.

Something I do when I'm awake late, and my stomach is rumbling, is to have something with protein in it. A couple slices of sandwich meat on crackers, or peanut butter and jelly, etc. Not a lot, maybe a half sandwich or 5 or 6 crackers with something on it. Protein is harder to digest, so a little bit keeps the tummy content longer. I avoid anything too sugary or with caffine, they just make matters worse. A banana with a spoonful of peanut butter is good for sweet cravings.

One of my latest things is to have my cd player read to me. There's an awful lot of books on cd available, and I've found some new ones by favorite authors. Laying in bed, comfy, with the light out and the cd player reading me a story often puts me out before the disc is done. The downside is that sometimes I play the same one 3 times to get to hear the end of the disc.

One of my oldest standby insomnia cures is "relaxation discs (tapes)" or "meditation discs). I find nature sounds I like, such as thunderstorms, and play that on repeat. It lulls me to sleep. I've got a bunch of them, water in a stream with native american flute, waterfalls and rainforest birds, the thunderstorm ones, the ocean with piano music, etc. I like listening to the sampler machine at the store to decide what new one to try.

[karatekid1975]

Good post Kez. Since I got my last Depo shot (treatment for surgery), I can't sleep through the night. I may fall asleep fast, but I get up two to four times a night (I used to sleep through the night). This is my 5th shot of depo. It never bothered me like this before. I don't wanna take any more drugs either (other than the depo and my vitamins). So I don't know what to do either.

I sleep late on my days off, but that's after waking up all night several times. This is frustrating.

[bushido_man96]

I have to work all night! So, I spend some time here as well. If you get time, do something that just totally wears you out during the day, like some running or something, that way, you are more tired, and you have to sleep.

I like to read when I can't sleep as well. Sometimes, my mind races, or I think about something that happened during the day, and I can't sleep. I have noticed, though, that now that I sleep duing the day, I usually don't have any problems going to sleep. Funny, huh?

[ashworth]

I normally read or come on a site normally after reading or being on a site for a while I'll feel tired so then I go back to bed and sleep!!

[Shotokan-kez]

I really like the idea of nature sounds, i can imagine they can be very relaxing. The relaxation tapes are good but i find it to hard to switch off sometimes. It was 4.30am before i finally got to sleep and now my eyes feel like they have grit or sand in them lol.

Reading is good to, and normally it does work for me, just for some reason last night it didn't help very much. I know whats bothering me though. Ryan is going on a cruise on monday and this weekend is my last time with him for two weeks. He's going to barbados, st lucia ect and i'm going to miss him like mad. He hasn't been away from me for more than a weekend.

Cheers guys i'm glad i'm not the only one that experiences this, man it's annoying. It annoys me also when you finally get to sleep and you just have very vivid or scary dreams GGrrr lol.

Funny you should say that Brian my step-dad used to work nights and he used to hate sleeping in the day, and i hated it to cos we all had to be as quiet as mice lol

[Orion]

I haven't had that problem for a long time now, i get up at 5am every morning to go to work so when my head hits the pillow thats it.

Although I used to do the hoovering when I couldn't sleep, saved me a job at the weekend.

[Patrick]

I generally am able to fall asleep. But, every once in a while, I'll just be laying there for a while. Sometimes I'll read. Once in a while, I might try to watch TV or listen to the radio or something. I do like the sound of rain/rain storms, but I don't have any of those CDs or anything. Maybe one day.

[Symphony-x]

sometimes where I cant sleep I read a magazine until im either tired or so bored i go to sleep