Hi Keypi

Where I live the last few days have been humid during the day which is awful for me - all achey and arthritic. At night though it's been cool enough that I recently got my doona out of hibernation (ha ha) and I think it's as nice as a weighted blanket maybe. Have you got something like that? I mean it's a nice secure feeling but without a massive weight on me - I like the idea but I'm not sure I'd actually like the weight!

Hi Everyone,

It has been a while since I popped in here.

I have not read much about the weighted blankets. Do they make you warm as well? Sometimes I get so hot at night I have to kick all the bedding off!

Hopefully our nights will be getting a bit cooler soon!

Hope you all manage to get some decent sleep!

Cheers from Dools

Hello Everyone...

I have been having trouble on and off with sleeping for a long while...I do have sleepers but they really make me so tired the next day, I prefer not to take unless absolutely necessary...

I have been looking for different things to listen to of a night while I’m in bed trying to sleep...I googled sleep stories on you tube and tried one..I layed down, closed my eyes and concentrated on his voice and words, and I tried to drift off into the theme of the story...I never heard the end...I fell asleep sometime during the story...Maybe this is something, that someone might try...

Mrs Dools, I am the same as you..I get to hot with weight on me...Love the idea though, I could see how it would benefit some people...

My dogs 🐕 🐕 lean on my back and it helps a lot making me feel safe and somewhat relaxed...until bang, crash, ouchy..I fall off the bed😂😁..they keep snuggling up to my back, I must try to move away when I’m sleeping..I move a bit to far over😂😁😂..and onto the floor...

I find animals don’t seem to have problems sleeping..they can fall asleep in the blink of an eye like tiny little babies do...I read once that babies, fix there eyes onto an object and look at it until they fall asleep....animals do the same...”mindfulness “...?

Love and hugs..💜🤗,

Grandy..

Hi Grandy and All,

I like the idea of listening to a story and falling asleep to that.

Many years ago I used to have a tape of the ocean, only problem was when it came to the end of the tape, there was a loud click noise as the tape stopped!

I'm sure some modern technology could replicate that for me without the loud click at the end!

I used to leave the window open to hear the night sounds and the wind, now our road has become the main truck route from Sydney to Adelaide so trucks go through all hours of the night, either slowing down and using air brakes, or accelerating through the gears just near our house and the change of speed zone.

The ceiling fan has developed some interesting noises so I listen to that as I fall off to sleep.

It is annoying when sleeping medication makes you tired and groggy the next day!

Wishing you all some better sleep.

Cheers from Dools

Hi all,

Thanks for helping me to laugh Grandy. It was the bang, ouch and hit the floor words you said that did it. 😂 I imagined it all, complete with dogs edging there way over.

I have been sleeping much better. Which really helps with other things in our lives doesn’t it?

My bedside fan has a gentle blowing type noise that I find calming and air circulating around me helps me. Like the movement of air.

Also talking of sleep stories and the noise of the ocean. I often listen to this ambient sound type music. It’s called “ wholetones”. It is a challenge to describe but I find it soothing and calming. This man that plays this ambient sound has lullabies that are for adults as well.

And sorry, I am hoping you do not get to hurt.

Hello Shelly,

Oh no you could never hurt me dear lady....I love the fact that I made you laugh..it made me feel good.that I put a smile and more on you face.....Thank you also Shelly...xoxo..I might check out wholetones..

Love and hugs 💜🤗..hoping you all sleep well tonight.l

Grandy...

Hi All,

Last night it was really windy here, I like the sound of the wind in the trees, so I left the bedroom window open. This morning everything is covered in a layer of dirt!

Maybe I will stick tot he noise of the fan...it does not create dirt!

There is enough dirt on the front porch to make a garden! Ha. Ha. Maybe after I clean all the dirt out of the house today I will sleep well tonight and have a clean house as well!

Grandy, I too like the story of the dogs taking up all of the bed and pushing you out! My 2 year old niece was a bit like that when she slept over!

Cheers from Dools

Hello Everyone,

I only started letting my dog sleep on the bed with me when I moved here & like Grandy I have found it makes me feel safe. Being a Dane he usually takes up most of the bed but he hasn't as yet pushed me out (touch wood), though I have woken up cold in the night to find he has stolen all the covers to make himself a nest.

I love the sound of the rain on my tin roof, but never really liked the sound of the wind & a house full of dirt is good reason not to. lol. I do feel sorry for you, what a thing to wake up to, it must be desperately dry out your way Dools.

I wish I found listening to something restful helpful. I've tried listening to recordings of 'calming sounds' like ocean waves or whale calls (that my Psych gave me) & I've tried light music or even just having the radio on low, but none of that helps. What I find the hardest is when my sleep patterns go haywire, like now, I wake up just as tired as when I went to bed.

Hopefully you are all in the 'land of nod' at this hour & I wish you all sweet dreams

Paw Prints

Hi Paw prints.

It does sound beautiful the rain hitting a tin roof. There is something about it, maybe it is feels cosier or something. Like we are nice and dry and not out there in the wet.

Oh I have not formally met you, I do not think. So hello!

A Dane ! Wow big doggy.

Hi Paw Prints,

The sound of rain on the roof is lovely, it has been some time since we have heard that here! I love the cooler weather and having the windows open, the dirt flying in is a bit too much though! Guess I just have to keep on dusting and vacuuming until the rains come.

Hope you manage to find something that helps with your sleep!

Have you had a sleep study done or discussed this with your Dr? I do realise there may be some people who just have trouble sleeping for reasons the Drs aren't able to help.

I agree with Shelley, you do own a big dog!

I can't have the cat sleep on the bed as she walks all over me during the night, hits my nose with her paw or sits with her back to me and whacks me in the face with her tail! Nice cat! Not! Ha. Ha.

Hi to Everyone!

Cheers from Dools

Hello Dools,

Thank you for your reply. Like all Danes my boy thinks he is a little lap dog. Your cat sounds like she is quite a character, though definitely not a good sleeping companion. I had to chuckle at the paw to the nose.

My sleeping had improved with my move to the country. That combined with my meds, my Dane & having a routine helped me to get off to sleep & reduced the nightmares. Unfortunately something triggered me in January & I've been struggling since. At least I know it can get better, I just have to keep trying.

Hello Shelley Anne, I don't think we have met before, nice to meet you. I'm glad your sleeping better.

Best Wishes

Paw Prints

Hi Paw Prints,

Maybe get another Dane for the other side of the bed! Nightmares are horrible things. I have been experiencing some flash backs during the day of a recent horrible event. Thankfully I don't seem to have nightmares so that is beneficial.

Yer, the cat is a lousy sleeping companion. I am sure in a past life she used to pierce noses for a living. Ha. Ha.

Now it is cooler I am sleeping a bit better.

Hope everyone manages to find ways to get more sleep!

Cheers from Dools

Hello Dools

I am really sorry you are having to deal with flashbacks, they can be so debilitating. I hope you are getting help from your Dr's or perhaps you have a friend/family you can call just to be there for you. I wish there was something I could say that would make it better for you.

Take care

Paw Prints

Hi Paw Prints,

Thanks. It is certain things that are triggering. I am trying to tell myself each time that it is okay, to ask myself what is really happening and is there anything to actually fear. The answer is NO. I just need to keep reminding myself of that.

I am so looking forward to some rain so I can open the bedroom window at night and have fresh air instead of a dust storm!

Thanks again, hope your nightmares are reducing for you!

Cheers from Dools

Hi all

I can relate to the nightmares or flashbacks as I still occasionally get them. I am usually a lucky one who "when I go to sleep I go to sleep." In other words out-to-it. Don't hear anything! But like some of you I still have the flashbacks and say negative things about the flashbacks in my sleep which concern my partner, but over time they are reducing as my self-confidence grows.

Love the thoughts from Grand and Dools about listening to natural sounds. I enjoy the rain on the roof when we get it as it can be quite relaxing sometimes the wind can also be relaxing, knowing that you are sheltered. I still have a set of CDs with nature sounds. Think I need to record them onto an mp3 or similar so that I can still hear it regardless of when it finishes. But I am not the best with sound or picture files.

Someone also mentioned the heat. I have had up to three nights this week when I have just had to lie on the cold tiles in our living area just to cool me down enough to relax. Sounds awful but it works, then I go back to bed and soon fall asleep if I'm tired enough.

Re: meds. I am kind of lucky in that my medications seem to sedate me within an hour of taking them, which helps me feel sleepy. But with my busy committee-style life now (see post in Committees), I am usually dead by around 4 or 5 pm. I was once put on an antidepressant by my psychiatrist at the time to assist with the nightmares, it was a lifesaver. But when I came off it almost two years ago I have been fairly fortunate to no longer get them like I did.

Sleep well everyone!

hello sherie. so someone else who has trouble sleeping. i have not had a decent uninterrupted sleep for about 10 plus yrs. i have tryed many things which include meditating b 4 bed ,about half and hr b 4 bed, while doing this i am telling myself to relax as well concentrating on my breathing. u have to keep everything else out of the grey matter.[sometimes easier said than done] . go to bed at a set time every nite this way it becomes routine. no coffee after 3 pm. turn off the tv and maybe do some lite reading. try and turn off from the days activities even if it is bugging u. do u do any excicse during the day or at nite. i find it helps a bit as u need to rest up after. quite often i will sit out side and just look at the cosmos for 30 to 40 minutes ,i live on a station so nice and quiet. basically try and leave the day behind,i no not always easy, slow the brain down, have positive thoughts and keep smiling life is good. hope this helps a bit

Hi Something Missing,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us. I really like everything you have mentioned, especially the idea of looking at the night sky for a while. I used to do that more when my husband was working, but haven't done so for a while.

It is still dark when my husband leaves for work in the morning. I sometimes go out and look at the stars then before the dawn approaches.

I have read before that a set bed time works well. I might try and stick to atime more myself. Thanks again for sharing!

Cheers from Dools

Hi all,

I am so glad to find this thread. I do not get enough sleep; I work full-time and my morning schedule requires me to be up early (by 4:30AM). I try to go to bed early but there's a limit to how early I can go. I make sure my room is dark and there is no tech stuff around (phone off/silent). My work is quite heavy and does tire me, even more with less sleep.

Sometimes I get anxious before sleep, like last night. I was crying and crying and couldn't relax. Really wanted to sleep but couldn't. I tried some deep breathing and ended up having to take Valerian, which I use to get me to sleep.

Hi sparrowhawk,

Not getting adequate sleep can affect so much of our lives. Sorry to read you have such a difficult time getting to sleep. Certainly sounds like you were very wound up the other night.

Are you aware when you begin to feel anxious? Are there ways you can accept the anxiousness and try to work through it before it becomes overbearing?

Have you spoken to your Dr about your sleep pattern?

Sometimes I will write down what ever is bothering me a couple of hours before sleep or at least go through it in my mind so I don't think too much at bed time.

Would some calming music help you before bed?

Hope you find some solutions. Look up Sleep Hygiene on the internet, you may get some ideas there as well.

All the best from Dools

Hi Dools,

Thanks so much for your response. I usually do sleep through the night, my trouble is getting to sleep. I often find I do need to take something to get me to calm down, or sometimes even simply drinking a relaxing tea helps.

Yes, very wound up last night and another night last week. I was thinking a lot, or something had happened to me to bring on the feelings of anxiety and general unhappiness with myself. I feel that my negative thoughts, especially those about myself, tend to inundate and overwhelm me before I am able to tell them to back off. I generally try to divert myself with music or looking for something positive but it doesn't always work.

I did talk to my doctor, yes. She said the only thing, besides making sure I have a calm sleep environment, is to change my schedule of waking. There is not much chance in that given my current schedule, so I make sure I keep my room dark and try not to use too much technology at bedtime.

I will try the writing technique you suggested; I love to write and I think that will help!

Hi sparrowhawk,

Our minds certainly are amazing things aren't they! It is beneficial you have an understanding of what your issues are, you have a sense of what may help and what does assist you already.

I need to practice some of these techniques myself. My mind is working overtime with a few issues I am not sure how to resolve.

I'm usually able to get to sleep after a while, staying asleep is my issue. I might have 2 hours and then I am awake again, sometimes for hours.

t sounds like you are making every effort to have a better sleep. Sometimes I think we also need to just accept we have issues now and then and try again the next day to do things a little differently if we can.

Cheers again from Dools

dools and everyone reading,

I am resigned to the fact I don’t sleep more than 2 hrs at a stretch usually one hour but I have tried ways to help me.

I have tried the writing down what is worrying me but then I felt that may make me dwell more.

I did the same with disturbing dreams that made me feel very low when I woke up but by writing the bad dreams down I found it made it worse as I kept thinking about them.

I am probably repeating myself, but I have tried so many different pillows, music, meditations, therapies techniques, every herbal tea for sleep available , blankets mattresses etc.

I too can fall asleep but I wake up up to 12 times a night due to a physical problem.

I think I have decided it is what it is, and uninterrupted sleep is not something I will experience. So maybe I should embrace it rather than fighting it!

Quirky

Hi Dools, thank you! I was able to settle yesterday, maybe because I had started on my antidepressant and was feeling very sleepy. I am still quite sleepy and feeling a bit out of it today. It would be so hard to consistently have interrupted sleeps, that would make you feel so tired. I really hope something can help you to give you a more restful night.

Quirky, sending good vibes to you too. Your sleep schedule sounds rough.

Hello everyone 🤗..

I have a lot of trouble sleeping lately....my mhn said that I have been re-traumatised since a visit to family members....causing me nightmares, which is causing me sleep anxiety....

Recently I discovered sleep stories on YouTube...They are softly spoken..I particularly like Dan Jones, who does a lot of vids concerning mh...his stories are relaxing...My mind still wanders off to unwanted places before I realise it, so I bring myself back to the story, listening and absorbing myself in his voice and words...Eventually I fall asleep without knowing it while listening to the story....They last around 30-50 minutes...and if you turn off auto play...It doesn’t go from one vid to the next... It stops after your selected story has finished...YouTube turns itself off..(I think)..um it’s always off when I wake up....

Just wanted to let people know about the sleep stories...I find them better to relax me more then meditation does...They might work for others..I’m not sure as everyone is different..Maybe worth a try..to see how and if they work for you....

Kind thoughts....💖🤗.

Grandy...

Hi Grandy,

Thanks for the idea of the sleep stories. This may well be beneficial for people. I'm not technologically minded, guess I could get someone to help me with it!

My issue is turning off the negative thoughts when I do wake up during the night. Sometimes it is easier than other times. I could get up and write them down to get them out of my head, or write about issues a couple of hours before I go to bed.

I know what may help but don't do it!

sparrowhawk all the best with the new medication. It can take our bodies a while to get used to them. Good to read you had a better sleep.

Quirky, I understand what you are saying about sleep, yes, maybe your sleep patter is your normal. Hopefully you may find some things that do help though.

Regarding writing stuff down, once you have written out the yucky stuff, can you add a few happy notes? Maybe think of 3 things that are good in your life and expand on those thoughts.

Look up some cheerful quotes or funny sayings and add some of those after your off loading session. Draw a picture, even if it is of a flower and a butterfly.

Something else I need to practise more of myself!

Cheers all from Dools

hello all,

Grandy those sleep stories sound interesting but I read that you should avoid tv and computers at least an hour before bedtime because of the blue light or something like that.

I wonder if there are audio stories to listen to.

Dools, thanks for your suggestions. I do keep a gratitude journal.

Cheers

Quirky

Thanks Dools. I'm drowsy most of the day, because of the medication, and am sleeping on and off at night... but at least not crying myself to sleep.

Hello everyone...

Quirky..there are audio books that you can listen too, but I find that the way they read them, sometimes acting out the words are to loud and sharp, and it wakes me as I’m drifting off to sleep..

The sleep stories are read in a very soothing soft voice with no acting out of the words...after a few minutes my iPad goes into sleep mode and blacken the screen while the story is being read....I get them of you tube...and don’t click auto play..so after the story has finished you tube stops...

Waking up of a night is something that happens to me a lot..I usually just turn on the sleep story again...and start listening to it...as best I can...after a few minutes the negatives for me seem to fade away as I try hard to put my full concentration into listening to the story...

Kind thoughts.....Love n hugs..💖🤗.

Grandy

Giving this gold mine a bump.

I don't know what it is but some days a sleep fine (I may wake up once or twice) but others i'll sleep for like an hour or 2 then wake up and not be able to get back to sleep for hours.

I try -

breathing exercises - they work sometimes, sometimes my mind is to interested in counting breaths then getting back to sleep.

relaxation techniques.

sometimes music works (playlists on spotify that relate to sleep/nature/weather sounds)

taking a walk around the house then trying to sleep on the couch.

start reading a book on the couch.

Before going to bed, I try to just relax and watch a random show whilst drinking a cup of peppermint tea. I also try to a sleep meditation when im in bed.

I don't feel OVERLY anxious when i cant sleep (although - when i cant sleep its usually week days knowing I have to go to a job that I dont like) although I do think about whether or not ill get enough sleep to function the next day.