gambit

I have tried everything you listed and much more but none have ever worked.

I have not given up hope yet.

My partner does like me getting up and moving around as it disturbs him.

hey Gambit...good on you for kick starting this excellent thread

I know that leaving our mobile phone on is bad news as we leave ourselves open to an incoming call

Cell phones are a great tool yet where quality sleep is concerned they can sometimes leave us in a state of anticipation....even when we sleep

Just my opinion......If an incoming call is that urgent they can knock on my door...otherwise its muted

Paul

How is everyone going with their sleep at the moment? I have been struggling to turn my mind off at night and have found re-reading through this forum to be helpful.

My psychiatrist has always told me to make quality sleep a priority so it worries me when I know that I am not sleeping. I have decided that instead of stressing about not being able to get to sleep I am doing meditations as I lay there in bed so at least my body is relaxing and I have also started taking naps during the day if I feel like it. My Dr used to always say to avoid daytime naps as it would affect my sleep at night however seeing as though I am not sleeping well at night anyway I figure that any time I can get sleep it helps.

Hope everyone is sleeping ok.

Fred

Hi all, just saw this thread, sorry. Does anyone have any tips for sleeping? I have insomnia and get weird dreams and also traumatic flashbacks, regardless of what time I sleep and wake up.

I've tried the essential oils and room sprays, counting things to 100 such as Sheep and so forth, tried thinking good thoughts before I sleep, listening to relaxing music, and more. Nothing really helps and I don't like a complete dark room because I'm afraid of the dark even with a nightlight (yeah I know that sounds stupid), I have been since I was a kid.

Any suggestions would be helpful, thanks.

Tayla

Hi Fred, Tayla and all reading,

It sounds like you are both trying lost of different ways to get better sleep.

I've not slept well since I was a child, sometimes I am so tired during the day it is like I don't know how to function. I too sometimes have a snooze during the day.

With all that is going on around us right now, it is little wonder people aren't sleeping well.

Also what works for one person might not work at all for someone else, so we need to try different things.

Tayla, if you need a night light that is okay too! We all do what we can to make the most of situations.

Hope you all find ways to sleep better!

Cheers all from Dools

Sorry to hear that Dool. I think insomnia/sleeping issues is common for those with depression, etc. Well so I've heard anyway. I'll look up some things.

I was prescribed some meds that are supposed to help with sleep but I never took them because my Psychiatrist told me the meds I take will be toxic with them so they're just sitting in my bedside drawer, a waste but oh well.

Hello everyone reading

have given up that I will ever sleep well and cant remember in the last 49 years when I have slept more than 2 hrs at one stretch. Usually I wake up ever 40 mins or so or stare at he ceiling for hours.

I have tried everything and am always tired but I think there are worse things.

Every night I hope tonight things will change,

Sorry to hear that quirky. I've struggled with insomnia for years however it seems worse lately with flashbacks and weird dreams, the weird dreams I just laugh at mostly. It takes me an hour to fall asleep and I wake up every hour or so.

I too have been having strange dreams . . . not necessarily bad dreams or good dreams but unusual dreams which make no sense. Clearly a reflection of what is going on in my mind at the moment!

My psych has prescribed medication to help with sleep on nights that I really need it - I used to only take them a couple of nights a month if I'd had a particularly hard day or if I needed a good night's sleep before something important the next day. Usually one tablet knocks me out but I have tried taking two tablets (the maximum prescribed to me) and it is surprisingly having zero effect on me at all. I even double checked the pack to make sure that they somehow weren't swapped out for placebo tablets as I couldn't understand why they weren't working. My psych and I have decided that for the time being my mind is in too much of a heightened state of alert that it is resisting the medication, hence my need to take naps as often as I need. I think the Dr thinks that it is better for me to sleep when I can. Today I bought a lavender eye pillow to put over my eyes while I meditate to help me to relax. I am not sure exactly how it works but it seems to make me feel safer having the little bit of pressure over my eyelids.

Hi Everyone,

It is great we can share ideas and suggestions here as well as let go of frustrations about not sleeping.

My husband is the opposite. He comes home from work and falls asleep in the chair, then after dinner he is asleep again, has a meal then back to sleep, then he goes off to bed and sleeps some more! Maybe he was a cat in his past life!

He has a mate who is fast asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow and doesn't wake up until his alarm goes off in the morning.

My Dr gave me tablets that were supposed to make me sleep for 8 hours...I slept for about 2 hours.

Hey Quirky, sounds like your sleeping habits are worse than mine! Makes me feel sorry for you and a little happier about my own situation!

Cheers all from Dools

I miss sleep :(

I felt like I had finally gotten to a somewhat ok place in relation to my sleep, especially over the past five or six months. I was having more good nights’ sleeps than bad but this past month that has all gone out the window. I really do hope that I can get back to that after everything going on in the world settles down.

Hi fred,

You mentioned you had been sleeping better and now you are struggling. It is certainly understandable with all that is going on in the world for people to be having all kinds of issues, sleep included!

I'm wondering if you can go back to what did work and try to implement those things again if you have given up trying them.

A Dr told me once that having a good night's sleep is like forming a habit, so a poor sleep is habit forming also. He told me I need to break the habit...but didn't tell me the magic solution to that.

I don't know it is that easy! Hope you find some solutions!

Kind regards from a fellow poor sleeper, Dools

Hello everyone

I keep being drawn to this thread, with its big letters.

I have coped for so long on little sleep but always hope things will change.

Hi Dools, unfortunately a lot of the things that I had been doing to help with sleep involved leaving the house . . . regular floatation therapy had made the biggest impact on my sleep routine but now my float centre is closed :(

I have tried to float in an Epsom salt bath but it isn’t the same. Even when I meditate at home I find it harder to reach that same level of calmness and relaxation that I get from an hour in a float tank.

I am aware that the quality of my sleep directly impacts my depression, anxiety and OCD symptoms. Maybe I am getting more and more worried about sleep as I find myself slowly spiralling downwards. Although the way the world is at the moment it kind of seems like it is ok for me to be a little bit crazy!! I do feel a certain amount of disappointment at having finally gotten my sleep under control only for it be worse than it has ever been.

I appreciate the comments and support. It makes a difference knowing that I am not alone in my sleeplessness.

Hi fred,

I agree with you, it must be very disappointing you had found something that helped with your sleep and now it is not available. It sounds like you have tried to replicate it at home with a bath of Epsom salts. Most baths are not long enough to get all of you wet at the same time!

Either your knees are out in the cold, your feet, or you are twisted up like a pretzel!

Are there other ways you could create the softness of the flotation tank?

Do you have some soft quilts you could pile up, lay under a blanket to keep yourself warm, put on some calming music, do some calming breathing and tell yourself you are relaxing. Sometimes we can trick our minds into thinking they are somewhere else like a floatation centre.

What about a blow up mattress? Put a soft quilt on that.

Yesterday I went for a 13 kilometre walk hoping that would assist me in sleeping through sheer exhaustion. Didn't make a difference to my sleeping, but I had plenty of exercise and saw streets and roads in our region I'd not been on before.

Wish I had the answers for you!

Cheers from Dools

Hi there. I am normally a decent sleeper, however, after going throughout some trauma late last year, my sleep is still very disrupted & short. I’m keeping a sleep diary, & getting on average 4hrs broken a night...although it seems & feels less than that.
I’m currently trying sleep restriction. I’ve been doing it for a week 11-5am. I’m getting to sleep ok, but waking about 1am, falling back asleep after 20mins or so, to wake up about 3.40am.
Has anyone tried this therapy? Did it work?
I take melatonin & some other otc stuff, but nothing seems to work.
I don’t want to take a sleeping pill.
I’m starting to get some anxiety from lack of sleep. (Mainly pressure in the chest)
Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Hi Missy72,

Thanks for sharing your experiences here. Have you had a talk with your Dr about your sleep issues?

I have tried something similar and had limited success. We are all very different so what works for one person might not work for you as well.

It is certainly worth continuing though as you never know when you will be more successful with sleeping.

I found the more I worried about not sleeping, the less I slept.

If you don't mind me asking, have you been receiving help to get through the trauma you experienced?

My Dr suggested talking sleeping tablets for 3 nights in a row then leaving it for a week and trying for another 3 nights. This was so I didn't become dependent on them and so my body and mind had a chance to reconsider a different sleeping pattern.

Hope you find some answers. It sounds like you are working on finding solutions.

Cheers from Dools

Hi Missy72

Like Dools, if I worry about not sleeping - I dont sleep well.

What I have found that helps me is having a pre-sleep routine.

At 9.30 my phone goes into night mode, and dont look at it (sometimes I do fail haha), I make myself a cup a peppermint tea and put on something light on tv or maybe read or something like that. I try and just zone out and relaxed. It puts me into a state that when I'm ready to go to bed (I only sleep 6-6.5 hours naturally) i fall asleep quite quickly. I may wakeup during the night but i fall back asleep quite quickly.

all the best!

hi all how is the sleep going during covid

anyone been able to find any helpful tools or appraoches?

hope you're all well

Not that bad! especially since I have gone back to work and things are getting back to 'normal' (im in WA).

I wake up a few times a night, but usually fall straight back asleep.

Hey Gambit (and wave to Sleepy21)

You have had heaps of rain in WA....Good1 Mr G :-)

Just from my own experience...sleep can be hard to get if we are 'expecting' a call or even 'having our phone on' during sleep. Even though we may be sleeping we are aware that we are 'available'..so to speak

Hey Sleepy! my sleep is okay during this crappy Covid-19 period...Could have something to do with all the therapy I have had since 1983....I hope you are sleeping okay Sleppy21

my best always...Paul

It’s 2.43am I still haven’t been to sleep tonight. Whenever I get up out of bed (to read or do a puzzle book or draw) after being unable to sleep, I find that it wakes me up even more. Does anyone else have this problem? When I am in bed trying to sleep I sometimes feel so tired and it is almost as if I am nearly asleep for hours - I just can’t seem to get across the finish line! Most nights I have been choosing to stay in bed trying to meditate or listening to sleep stories. Except for tonight when I decided to get up and use the computer. I generally avoid screens in the evening before bed and definitely in the middle of the night.

Hi Fred4761

Good1 bumping up this thread :-) Especially in the difficult period we are going though..

I asked my psychologist (years ago) how she helps her patients with their sleep problems...

My psychologist replied ' thats easy...I always suggest that they try to stay awake as long as they can'

Great to see you Fred :-)

Paul

hi blond guy - i've heard of a concept called sleep restriction therapy - very similar to what you've suggested!

i've battled such poor sleep but it's like a trauma related thing - i have this horrific, vivid nightmares, and am scared to sleep. I avoid it and then htae myself for being up late at night... it's cyclical.

I think it's great to have places like this to give space to share.

Hope you are taking care all

Hey Sleepy21

having a quality sleep can be difficult for sure.....great to see you as always :-)

I used to have the nightmares....(and occasionally do when my stress/anxiety increases)

Ive been working on my sleep quality for years....just from my own experience and sorry if it sounds silly...

• Like Fred said above....no screens...TV....mobiles...laptops...ipads for at least 2 hours before bed as they only stimulate our brain activity and can hinder sleep
• breathing through the nose..it is a 'easier' way to fall asleep
• like you mentioned....never 'try' to sleep...we only stay awake by doing so
• if I am 'overthinking' when I go to bed....I 'gently' and 'slowly' repeat the word 'boring'....or 'blank' and intrusive thoughts are minimalised and then sleep happens...(just as per my own experience that is)
• if you are restless and wide awake.....find the most boring movie you can....lie on the couch and try to watch it....(old westerns put me to sleep quickly)
• having a 'reasonably' calm home environment is always a bonus

my apologies for rambling Sleepy21....just thinking out loud...oops!

Thankyou for all the TLC and support you have been providing to so many Sleepy...Nice1

Paul

Hi Sleepy21, I feel like I had kind of heard something about sleep restricted therapy but never really understood it until now. It seems like it can take a couple of weeks where sleep might get worse before it gets better so I don't think now is an appropriate time for me to start trying it when I don't know if I can stick with it. It does look interesting though and something that I would like to come back to as I have been battling sleep issues for a long time.

Blondguy - I like the idea of trying to stay awake as long as I can and then sleeping as long as I need to! I could see this working for me if I didn't have other commitments and didn't have to adhere to work/family/business timetables.

Reading back through this forum I found the suggestion of listening to 'Sleep Stories' to help put you to sleep. I put one on last night and fell asleep before the hour long story had finished. Unfortunately I was wearing headphones, so as to not disturb my partner, and woke up a couple of hours later when I tried to roll over onto my side and the headphones got in the way. I might have to do some research into the best headphones for sleep or see if I can come up with a different solution. I don't use earbuds as I have problems with ear infections when I use them regularly.

Flotation rooms are back up and running around Brisbane. I'm booked in for a float this week. How many do you do a week to help with sleep? Thanks

Hi Fred,

Quick thoughts:

-Removing caffeine or sugar

-No phone time or tv etc 1-2 hour before wanting to go to bed

-Meditation

-Lavender essential oil sprayed in the air if you have no allergies

- Camomile tea

-Journaling which may bring forward what it is

-Yoga legs up the wall pose before bed time

Overall, i'd say head over to your GP get a casual check up. Allergies, diet, medication reactions, stress, lack of melatonin production along anything else may cause insomnia. Nevertheless you'll have a potential solution and be on track with no fatigue in no time.

Wish you the best!

Hey good list of strategies. Can you tell me more about the putting up your legs on the wall.. the yoga. Like what it actually does Rose?

Missy72 - I am so jealous that float therapy is open in your state! I really don’t know when float centres will be able to open in Vic. Prior to Covid I had been floating for an hour once or twice a week and that made a huge difference in my sleep. The more I floated, the easier I found it to meditate and to relax outside of the float tank in my daily meditation practice, and it became so much easier to settle my mind at night laying in bed. On the days that I floated, I would always fall asleep so quickly when I went to bed. I am not sure if that is because of all the magnesium in the Epsom Salt or just the relaxation! Since stopping floating, I have found it so much harder to meditate and I don’t get the same benefits that I had been getting. I can only dream of what my return to a float tank will be like! I did look into purchasing a float tank of my own as I would love to be able to float on a daily basis, however the price is a bit too much to justify at the moment. I heard of a Zen at home float tank which is a lot cheaper but reviews say that it doesn’t block out light and sound as much as other tanks. So I will just hang out for when I can float again. One float centre in my area has announced that they are closing as this virus has made them broke :( I am just praying that my regular float centre stays in business.

Rose Quartz, thanks for your helpful list of suggestions. I don’t consume any caffeine and limit sugar to natural sugars and try to minimise that too. When I first starting cutting out sugar I noticed an almost immediate improvement in my sleep. I have F.lux installed on my electronic devices to block out blue light in the evenings and I also wear orange glasses that block out blue light in the evenings when I am doing anything like watching tv, cleaning or reading. I just I was given a L’occatine lavender sleep spray which I use most nights and it does seem to help to a certain extent. I have a selection of herbal ‘sleep/night time’ herbal tea blends which I drink each night about 1-2 hours before bed. I like that you mentioned the legs up the wall pose - I haven’t done it for a while, I think that I just forgot about it - I used to do it most nights along with other relaxing bedtime yoga poses that I would do on my bed before hopping under the covers. I haven’t talked about sleep with my GP for a while now. Previously I have been examined and they haven’t found anything to explain my sleep issues!