Insomnia

[paxilgirl]

OK, I've mentioned this in other posts but I feel I really need advice.

I'm tearing my hair out because of lack of sleep...my insomnia has hit all time highs....

Is there any NATURAL remedy that I can take to get me sleepy enough to go to bed at a decent hour????? I've been consistently awake until 2 or 3 am for weeks now. I can't get to sleep....event when I go do bed at 10 or 11 I am awake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alot of it has to do with anxiousness and general overall depressed feeling....I know it is the WD symptoms kicking in again and that has gotten me very upset, which is only aggravating my sleep...

This is so frustrating...I can't take it....

[MizzT]

you know me....first thing i will suggest is EFT.
but ok....a warm bath...maybe an hour before bed. dry off, wrap up in a soft towel or robe, snuggle up with a really boring book....or quiet music. candle light. deep breathing for the rest of the hour with a quiet mantra. cammomile.
quiet down everything for at least 2 hours before bed too. no computer, no games etc. no news, loud TV etc.

an easy EFT.....even if i dont fall asleep until 2 or 3 i deeply accept myself. tap your breast bone or outside of the hand. while you repeat 3 times. or use as your mantra.
try to do this every night and it will become a pattern quickly!

[rdjanis]

paxilgirl, you are near the end now, this will stop. Relaxing stuff early evening like Bev suggests, hot bath, relaxing music and a book helps for sure.

[Light]

A few thoughts... I don't know how relevent these will be but I'll throw them out there.

1. Do a search for "sleep hygiene" and make sure you are doing all of things that that promote healthy sleep patterns.

2. Exercise in the early evenings was a godsend for me. Might be worth experimenting with? It may also help with depression.

3. My guess is that you are either worrying about sleep or worrying about other things and this is what's keeping you up. Sometimes it helps to make lists of all of your worries, to/do lists, etc. This shuts off the worry cycle for some people. It gives them a sense of control and makes it easier to let go of concerns at bedtime.

4. In addition to doing relaxing things at bedtime, I find it helpful to tidy up, lay out clothes for the next day, get any loose ends tied up. This makes it possible for me to let go for those couple of hours before I actually go to sleep.

5. You mentioned that you were working on a thesis and it sounds like you generally have a busy schedule. One of the worst things you can do is to work late and then try to sleep. My wife had a real problem with this and stopping work earlier quickly took care of the problem.

6. If you are a "clock watcher" (while trying to go to sleep), you can turn your clock toward the wall. This helps some people.

7. I've found that if I stop "trying to go to sleep" I actually fall asleep much easier. For me this means, just enjoying the comfort of my bed and concentrating on that comfort instead of trying to fall asleep. If you do a search for "PBS and magic bed" a friend of mine did a piece on this. It's been a long time since I've listened to it but the last time I had some sleep issues it helped me some.