Insomnia

[Shush]

I have briefly talked about this sad issue in posts past, but just lately it has been out of control. So far this week I have not slept in my own bed since Monday night. I have gone by this week with half or one hours sleep in front of the telly here an there. I do have things on my mind at the moment, but nothing serious that needs to be worried about.  Daft as it is, I have been awake thinking about the new album and upcoming tour amongst many other things.

As far as I know, I have always been an insomniac. Some of my earliest memories are or being awake in bed. thoughts racing through my head, rerunning the days events. What could I had done differently or better, or what will happen from  what I did do, or even just what was on telly that night.

Are there many other of us out there? I always related to the lyrics of No Rest for the Wicked since I first heard it in the 1980s. JS has hinted, to my mind at least to having the same, or similar issues in some of his other lyrics.

This year has been my worst ever. I have to get up at 8am to go to work, but rarely go to bed before 3 or 4am. I usedto go to bed earlier, but now try to only go to bed when I start to feel tired. But still lye there awake on a good night at least an hour. I accept I may need less sleep than others, but i DO need sleep. It just feels like it doesn't need me. .

Always bothers me when I have talked to people about it in the past, and they say, I am sleep in a couple of minutes after going to bed. They don't know how lucky they are.

Getting to sleep sometimes when I am wide awake seems to be like you going to die. When you are dead, your conscience is gone. When you are awake in bed, rerunning everything in your head, you still have it in your control.   switching off seems to be on a par with a light going out, your life going out. I truly wish I had an on and off switch for the brain, but without it, it is hard to let go, turn off conciseness.

When I was in my teens trying to get to sleep, I used to get up in the middle of he night in frustration and write things. Sometimes a bit of poetry.  In recently months, I have started doing the same again. Yesterday, or Thursday morning, I gave up lying there at about 5am and wrote a poem / rhyme about looking forward to going to the NMA gigs in November !!, it passed half an hour or so. Only ever do a bit of poetry when I accept the night has gone, and I may as well get up and do something.

Anyone else fighting this curse??

Any decent tips other than the tablets, all of which I have tried over the years, from the Doc, or over the counter. Bored  of counting sheep 

[Brian-DC]

That sucks man.  I've heard that you should really avoid computers and TV before going to bed.  Not because of the activity but because of the light associated with the screens.  Something about it will keep you up.  There's probably some truth to it because whenever I'm at the computer before heading off to bed, I never fall asleep quickly.  And then I start thinking about the most mundane shit in the world and I'm up for hours.  "I wonder whatever happened to that useless thing I put in the garage 2 years ago?  I'll have to look for that tomorrow".  Crap like that.  Stuff you couldn't care less about, you end up thinking about for 3 or 4 hours.  Pretty soon you're back on the internet making posts about not sleeping.  Again.   

[Shush]

that's great, love it..

[Dipple]

I am sure somebody as suggested this to you before but have you tried reading a book in bed I find this makes me tired and helps you concentrate on something. Sounds like a bit of nightmare hope you sort it out.

[jc]

Have you tried meditation.

Cheers

jc

[Barty]

Usual tips include:

• No food or drink 2 hours before bed
  Limiting stimuli such as TV, internet, music etc in the hour before bed
  Open window in the bedroom all year round to keep air fresh
  Exercise earlier in the day or evening - being physically tired helps
  Writing down any troubles and throwing the paper away
  Getting up early (although I know this isn't easy if you don't get to sleep until 4am - it's a vicious circle - or "catch 2" (sic) as that bloke told us years ago!)

Well, they're some of the usual ideas but it's such a difficult thing to beat - good luck mate. If all else fails, 8 pints of dark ale will do the trick.....for a limited time!


[/list]

[Shush]

Thanks lads. As you say Barty, sadly the only guarantee of a good nights kip is a few pints.

I'll work on that this evening

[Gayle]

Listening to a podcast might help. You can close your eyes and half listen and it stops our mind racing around.  My personal favourite for this purpose is the Infinite Monkey Cage.

[lfran]

Some of us do need less sleep than others, I usually find that when my body really needs to sleep, I will just collapse. For bedtime reading I recommend having something which is interesting, but not a " can't put it down " page turner. Science, history, something like that. After all, your brain wont force you to keep reading so you can find out who won the Second World War 

And those who say drunk sleep isn't proper sleep have never suffered from insomnia. When it's the only chance of a decent nights kip you've got, it's awesome. And well worth any hangover.

[Wessexy Witch]

Thanks lads. As you say Barty, sadly the only guarantee of a good nights kip is a few pints.

I'll work on that this evening

Please don't get into this habit.

Go for a walk around the block for half an hour or as much as you can.
No pooter after 10.
No late night telly.
Have a bath.
Hot milky drink.
Dim lights or candles.
Read in bed.

Give it a go.
Try it for a week.
Good luck.

[Guy]

Try hops, valerium & other natural remedies. Avoid tamazapam, zopliclone and other addictive chemicals. I find that taking the dog for a walk helps. Also hitting the gym during the day.

[sozbot]

I don't really have any remedies or ideas to offer, other than things other people have already mentioned... but I'm a fellow sufferer, and it sucks.

Solidarity!!

[sozbot]

...actually, I might add that I have had some success doing what I call a "sleep reset" - but I can only do that if I have a few days without much to do as it leaves me a bit useless for a while. I'll go to bed at my usual time, and set the alarm for some ridiculously early time (usually 5am or thereabouts) and force myself to get up and go about my business. If I'm tired at a reasonable time, and sleep well, I leave it at one night. If not, I'll do the same for a second night. Honestly, I do feel a bit rubbish for a day or two but it does work.

Also, I find that if I'm exercising regularly, my sleep patterns are far more "normal". Although I do think I'm actually nocturnal. My body wants to sleep during the day and be awake during the evening/night...

[Johnz]

Getting to sleep sometimes when I am wide awake seems to be like you going to die. When you are dead, your conscience is gone. When you are awake in bed, rerunning everything in your head, you still have it in your control.   switching off seems to be on a par with a light going out, your life going out. I truly wish I had an on and off switch for the brain, but without it, it is hard to let go, turn off conciseness.

This paragraph stood out to me. I have a close friend who used to be an insomniac for many years, suffering pretty much the same symptoms you're describing. For her it changed almost instantly when she changed jobs and found a more fulfilling and enjoyable professional life. Worry and control seemed to be her main issues. With the burden of the unhappy working environment lifted the rest just followed suit and things have improved drastically for her.

I used to get panic attacks at night which would keep me awake and set of a whole fear of fear reaction. A friend suggested self-hypnosis and it worked a treat. This was many years ago and now I sleep like a log. If you have issues with control then self hypnosis will be a challenge but perhaps that's where you need to focus.

Anyway, I hope this helps you in some way.

[Shush]

Interesting. Thank you