General Chat

Real or funny ones welcomed :-)

I am sleeping badly and waking at ungodly hours, best night was watching CSI in the early hours and then sleeping on the settee but it's not quite long or wide enough for comfort.

I'll watching to see if anyone comes up with a good idea.....
Would love a good nights sleep...

Count to 1000. It works for me.

I can get to sleep reading, but after about an hour or two I wake up and can't go back to sleep at all , or worse, keep waking every hour or so having had complicated dreams which leave me exhausted.

I find if I feel tired and go to bed I do tend to get a couple of hours sleep, but like you I wake and then I get up. Just a shame that you can't do the house work!!!!! :D

The following works every time.......

Watch a film that won't be shown again for years.......or listen to an audio book.....bet you will never hear the end of it.


failing the above.....get an hypnotism cd.......soooooo relaxing.

sex


Although I have to admit, CSI would do it for me.


You are obviously suffering from anxiety; insomnia + disturbing dreams are pretty good indications.

I wave from my chesterfield where the same things happen.

If you can't get rid of the source of the anxiety, you might try one of those attention-diverting strategies. You know, you go to your nice place. XP

Me, I design dream houses in my head. I can do the whole thing without graph paper or pencil, all the laying out and 3-D envisioning and decorating. I can go off into that world at the drop of a hat when it's needed.

Probably for going to sleep purposes you want something less intellectually stimulating. ;)

A walk/drive down a country lane ... or planting a dream garden ...

Hot chocolate. That one beginning with C that has now been taken over by K of America and some drops of lavender oil in one of those things with the candle underneath.

Vera

Rose, I was the same but ended up staying up spending time on here and also watching prerecorded programmes and falling asleep on the sofa sitting up or snoozing over the keyboard as I did just a little while ago.
I read myself to sleep in alone in bed and wake up with the light on and the book over my face lol

If I can't have the light on to read, ie. o.h. in bed still, I sometimes start to imagine spending a million pounds or more or similar to Janey's idea, refurbishing a house I know.

I really can't offer much practical help except to make sure you are getting fresh air, exercise and not becoming depressed. Eating a banana before bed can help, see below:

Does eating a banana before bed help you sleep?
I've heard that eating a banana before bed will help you sleep. Is this true, if so how does it help? Approximately how long before bed should I eat it to get the best results? Also does it matter if I eat it with peanut butter?

Yes, Bananas contain melatonin and serotonin, chemicals known to help the body sleep, as well as magnesium.

Other sleep-inducing foods include:

Almonds: Almonds contain both tryptophan, an amino acid that acts as a sedative, and magnesium, which acts as a muscle relaxant.

Chamomile Tea: Chamomile tea's mild sedating effect has helped many restless people fall asleep.

Flax seeds: Flax seeds are bursting with omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s are natural mood lifters and can prepare your body and mind for sleep.

Honey: Consuming too much sugar before bedtime can keep you awake. However, eating just a little glucose before hitting the sack alerts your brain to stop producing orexin, a neurotransmitter that keeps us alert. Add a little honey to your tea or milk prior to bedtime.

Milk and Dairy Products: Milk and dairy products contain tryptophan and calcium, both of which help the brain effectively use tryptophan.

Oatmeal: Oatmeal contains melatonin, which prepares your body for sleep. To up its effectiveness, make your oatmeal with milk and top it with a drizzle of honey.

Potatoes: Eating a small baked potato or a small serving of mashed or roasted potatoes will clear your body of acids that can block the effects of tryptophan.

Turkey: As many Thanksgiving diners know, turkey contains tryptophan. To get the most from the tryptophan in turkey, eat a slice of white turkey meat on a slice of whole-wheat bread in the middle of the evening.

Whole-Wheat Bread: Eating a slice of whole-wheat bread will trigger your body to release insulin, which can help deliver tryptophan to your brain. Once in your brain, the tryptophan is converted to serotonin.


Good luck love,

Lizxx

I have a herbal tea, called Sleepy Time (made by Celestial Tea Company), at about 10 pm

When at home, I stay on the computer (usually on this site) until about 10:30 or so, then I start to play one of the solitaire games that is on my computer.

I play until my eyes start drooping. That's usually sometime between about 11 and 11:45 pm


I go to bed with a warm grain pack, which I put on my back.

Usually manage to go to sleep after about an hour, and will sleep almost solidly for 5 to 5½ hours.


If we're not at home ............... I still try to have the tea, will read for a bit, and then hope I can fall asleep within about 2 hours :((




sylvia

This is my favourite Relaxation video. It gets rid of everything going round in your mind :-) Give it a try and,most important for me,her voice didn't irritate me! I prop up my laptop and then when I am ready for sleep...gently let it slide to the floor... BCXX

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Grz-hWGNUCE&feature=related

My daughter's doctor prescribed 6mg Melatonin capsules, 1 to be taken 3 hours before bed to sort out her body clock. You would need a compound chemist to make them up. They can experiment with the dosage to find what would suit you. It did work quite well while she was taking them - teenagers!!

Good luck, I sympathise as I have had it since I was 24 now nearly 54. I often fall asleep listening to Question Time from the parliament. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker..... lol My husband wakes me up and gets me to bed and then I'M WIDE AWAKE :-(

The previously mentioned counting did for me for years,in fact I had to concentrate when counting up to big numbers in anything because I would sub-conciously be preparing to drop off.

My hypnotherapist had not heard of it before but he managed to supercede it anyway.He prepared my deep inner mind for me to be able to self-hypnotize and I use that as a sort of treat to look forward to,getting warm and comfortable before drifting into that lovely peaceful state.

I want to go and do it now but I have only just got up.Doh!

Try sleeping on the edge of the bed - in no time you will drop off

LOL @ Agatha

A really good one and works everytime.......as long as you do it exactly as I tell you how.

After 5 - 10 minutes of being unable to get to sleep *OPEN YOUR EYES* and say to yourself firmly "right sod it then, I'm going to see how long I can stay awake for".

Now from this point you MUST keep your eyes open, they will be tired and you will find yourself closing them......everytime you do, force them open again repeating to yourself "no, I've got to keep my eyes open", if you allow them to stay closed it won't work!

Within minutes you will be asleep, works every time! It's a method told to me by a sleep therapist and is the only one I've found to really work...........and I've tried many believe me!

Mary

good one Agatha :D

Mary that's the method I used to use but I found it for myself and it does work. I found a cup of cocoa before bed was the best for sleep but now I have no trouble, I open a magazine and read a few words and two hours or more later wake up with the light on and magazine over my face.

Caz

Thankyou all for the many suggestions...ironically I was too tired last night to read them, fell asleep after about an hours reading (old favourite) and didn't sleep badly at all. So maybe asking for advice triggered something?!

What I used to do on the rare occasions I couldn't sleep was take myself for a mental walk around a places we used to go on happy holidays when I was young, might try something similar.

It's chicken and egg really, I worry, then can't sleep, then feel shattered which makes everything seem worse, so I worry, can't sleep........

I'll work through some of the above and let you know what works best :-)

These tablets worked wonders for me a couple of years ago when I couldn't sleep at all...


Still take them now and again for insomnia..

Nelsons Noctura Insomnia Tablets Lack of sleep causing you problems? Use Nelsons Noctura Insomnia Tablets to bring you soothing relief from insomnia.

Size: 72 tablets

£3.79