shape
carat
color
clarity

What do YOU do when you can''t sleep...?

Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.

CNOS128

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jan 28, 2008
Messages
2,700
Sometimes I just lie in bed trying to imagine myself falling asleep.

If that doesn''t work I get up and read or watch TV.

When I get really desperate for a distraction, I guess I post on Pricescope. I also look up long-lost friends on Facebook and clear out my email inbox. And eat candy (that''s probably not helping the sleep thing).

What do you do?
 

Harriet

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jul 7, 2006
Messages
12,823
Read the UCC.
 

FrekeChild

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 14, 2007
Messages
19,456
Post on PS.
Read something of the genre "Chick Lit".
Lie in bed and try to not think.
Go in the living room and watch a movie.
Go take a Tylenol PM. This one doesn''t happen that often though.
 

Phoenix

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Oct 5, 2006
Messages
9,975
Drink my new tea!
9.gif
 

justjulia

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 4, 2006
Messages
2,308
The chatter of QVC does it for me.
 

LtlFirecracker

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Feb 29, 2008
Messages
4,837
herbal remedies. Although my insomnia is bad enough that I have needed ambien. I don''t take anything, herbal or not, more than once a month or so

Some non medical things I do

1) Keep to a schedule as best I can (but that is not always possible for me, take today, it is 4:30am and I just got off work)
2) Stop caffeine by 3pm
3) Keep the room comfortable, not too hot or cold
4) I don''t read or watch TV in bed
5) Treat any pain issues (e.g. headache, that might be the reason I am awake

Hope this helps.
 

Italiahaircolor

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 16, 2007
Messages
5,184
I used to suffer from horrible insomnia and I would spend my nights online shopping, ''trolling PS, reading...
 

Hudson_Hawk

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Nov 2, 2006
Messages
10,541
PS, Ebay, FB, reading
 

Tacori E-ring

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Aug 15, 2005
Messages
20,041
Italia, what was your cure?

I don''t sleep well and it is frustrating. I actually tried a sleeping pill the last two night and still tossed and turned all night. If I am really desperate I will read for a bit. Usually I just lay there though.
 

Lauren8211

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 25, 2008
Messages
11,073
My problem is that I can''t STAY asleep. I fall asleep just fine, but wake up multiple times per night. When I finally do fall back asleep, I just wake back up again. It sucks.

Last night i was kept up by my cockatiel who had a "night fright" and the cat was crying because he threw up.

What a mess.
14.gif
 

CNOS128

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jan 28, 2008
Messages
2,700
Harriet, I''m seriously LMAO here. That''ll cure insomnia.

Freke, I do love me some chick lit. I try not to buy it during the semester for fear that I won''t do the reading I should be doing, but maybe just one or two little books . . .

Phoenix, I thought your tea was for detox/weight control -- does it cure insomnia as well? What''s the "active ingredient?"

JustJulia, I LOVE to nap with QVC in the background. It''s somehow very soothing.

LtlFirecracker, I actually tried Ambien years ago, and it didn''t work for me. Well, it made me sleep -- for 2 days! But I think the schedule and the "no afternoon caffeine" rule is a good call.

Italia, it''s the online shopping that gets me in the most trouble!! Good thing there''s so much free shipping out there, at least...

Hudson, what do you read?

Tacori, me too! My insomnia seems to come in waves, and last 3 or 4 nights. If I haven''t slept well for a night or two, I get worried that I won''t sleep again -- and THAT keeps me up!


At least the Internet is 24/7.
9.gif
 

Italiahaircolor

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 16, 2007
Messages
5,184
It was a long road for me and I didn''t recover over night. I stopped smoking, worked out before bed and gave myself a bed time, meaning, at 10pm I go upstairs to bed regardless if I am tired or not. I can watch TV in bed or read or even play on that computer but at least being in bed helps my mind relax.
 

Phoenix

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Oct 5, 2006
Messages
9,975
Date: 3/11/2009 9:25:42 AM
Author: TheBigT
Harriet, I'm seriously LMAO here. That'll cure insomnia.

Freke, I do love me some chick lit. I try not to buy it during the semester for fear that I won't do the reading I should be doing, but maybe just one or two little books . . .

Phoenix, I thought your tea was for detox/weight control -- does it cure insomnia as well? What's the 'active ingredient?'

JustJulia, I LOVE to nap with QVC in the background. It's somehow very soothing.

LtlFirecracker, I actually tried Ambien years ago, and it didn't work for me. Well, it made me sleep -- for 2 days! But I think the schedule and the 'no afternoon caffeine' rule is a good call.

Italia, it's the online shopping that gets me in the most trouble!! Good thing there's so much free shipping out there, at least...

Hudson, what do you read?

Tacori, me too! My insomnia seems to come in waves, and last 3 or 4 nights. If I haven't slept well for a night or two, I get worried that I won't sleep again -- and THAT keeps me up!


At least the Internet is 24/7.
9.gif
Actually, I originally blended my tea primarily to help me with insomnia. I had really really bad insomnia. I have a thyroid problem, was very stressed out at work and all these added to worsen the problem. I've done all kinds of research, looked up all the so-called "cures" and none of it really helped much. I've had nights whereby I didn't even sleep a wink, one time I had a test the next day and I almost died!

I took Ambien/ Stilnox for a couple of months when it got really bad, thought it was just some kind of sedative (Drs didn't really tell me what it was). When I had difficulty breathing, I did some research on it and found that it was indeed the cause and that it may even have had something to do with Heath Ledger's death. Well, I went off it immediately after that! And thank my lucky star that it didn't do anything worse to me or that I didn't get hooked.

That's when I really looked into this herbal tea thing and really and truly, it has helped. I haven't had a single sleepless night since I started drinking it on a daily basis, and I sleep all the way through the night with no interruption.

Other things that I've found to be of help include:

- no caffeine after 12 noon (and I only drink decaf coffee anyway) and that includes any kind of caffeine, be it in (diet) Coke, green/ black/ red tea, medicines etc
- exercise, but be sure to finish about 4 hrs before you go to bed
- a glass of warm milk just before you go to bed
- a small banana
- a hot bath
- reading helps too
- try not to get over-excited before you retire to bed, this not including you-know-what
2.gif
1.gif

- try not to eat anything too sugary/ starchy (definitely no candy there!) or anything heavy about 2-3 hrs beforehand. In general, it is better to not eat carbs/ little carbs after 6pm and make yr dinner a smaller size and lighter than yr lunch.
- don't drink too much water before you go to bed. It's good to drink lots of water throughout the day but too much water intake would mean that you go to ...hmm... the bathroom often and that would result in you constantly getting up. Less uninterrupted sleep will leave you more refreshed in the morning than longer but interrupted sleep.

Hope it helps.
 

ckrickett

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jul 26, 2008
Messages
5,346
lay in bed, I don;t really move around just wish I could go back to sleep. Or wake up and watch whatever is on my DVR, it''s usually old SVU episodes, and those can be creepy to watch at night by yourself.
 

Phoenix

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Oct 5, 2006
Messages
9,975
Date: 3/11/2009 9:56:22 AM
Author: ckrickett
lay in bed, I don;t really move around just wish I could go back to sleep. Or wake up and watch whatever is on my DVR, it''s usually old SVU episodes, and those can be creepy to watch at night by yourself.
Oh, I don''t know how you do that. Scary TV or movies would make me less able to fall asleep.
 

hoofbeats95

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Nov 23, 2008
Messages
1,458
I get online . . . last night I played bejeweled on facebook! I watch TV.

An interesting cure that I have is to flip to the other end of the bed. Meaning put my head at the foot end. I swear this works! It''s crazy. It has worked for some people that I have told as well. I don''t know why, but it hasn''t failed me yet. :) Gotta be careful not to kick my FI in the head, but so far so good!
 

vespergirl

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jan 29, 2007
Messages
5,497
I take melatonin every night, and it''s really helped my sleep cycles (I am a chronic insomniac). Occassionally, though, the melatonin doesn''t cut it, and I take an Ambien. Works every time, but it''s habit forming. I try not to take an Ambien more than once or twice a week.
 

Lauren8211

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 25, 2008
Messages
11,073
Date: 3/11/2009 10:08:06 AM
Author: vespergirl
I take melatonin every night, and it''s really helped my sleep cycles (I am a chronic insomniac). Occassionally, though, the melatonin doesn''t cut it, and I take an Ambien. Works every time, but it''s habit forming. I try not to take an Ambien more than once or twice a week.

Do you have trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep?

I can''t stay asleep for the life of me. I don''t remember the last time I slept through the night. Wondering if Ambien works for staying asleep.
 

Phoenix

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Oct 5, 2006
Messages
9,975
Date: 3/11/2009 10:08:06 AM
Author: vespergirl
I take melatonin every night, and it''s really helped my sleep cycles (I am a chronic insomniac). Occassionally, though, the melatonin doesn''t cut it, and I take an Ambien. Works every time, but it''s habit forming. I try not to take an Ambien more than once or twice a week.
I find melatonin give me the most horrific dreams! Very vivid and most often, very scary/ disturbing too!

Pleeeeaaasseeee, ladies, read what I wrote above re Ambien. This stuff is NO good for you!! Do yr own research and you''ll see what I mean.
 

Hudson_Hawk

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Nov 2, 2006
Messages
10,541
Hudson, what do you read?

LOL anything and everything? I''m a book worm, but I''m usually drawn to arcaeo/historical fiction/mysteries (like The DaVinci Code). When I can''t find anything like that to read I like romance novels-especially those about Scottish highlanders or vampires/the occult. Weird I know. There''s a great series of books the I love called The Outlander series, by a woman named Dianna Gabaldon. They''re fantastic reads, historically interesting, genre-speaking they''re romance, but they''re not mushy or overly explicit. Best of all, they''re LONG (like Harry Potter long!).

Other authors I like are:
Clive Cussler
David Gibbon
William Dietrich
Karen Marie Moning
Sherrilyn Kenyon
Keri Arthur
J.R. Ward
Steve Berry
 

geckodani

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jun 25, 2008
Messages
9,021
Date: 3/11/2009 10:10:46 AM
Author: elledizzy5

Date: 3/11/2009 10:08:06 AM
Author: vespergirl
I take melatonin every night, and it''s really helped my sleep cycles (I am a chronic insomniac). Occassionally, though, the melatonin doesn''t cut it, and I take an Ambien. Works every time, but it''s habit forming. I try not to take an Ambien more than once or twice a week.

Do you have trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep?

I can''t stay asleep for the life of me. I don''t remember the last time I slept through the night. Wondering if Ambien works for staying asleep.
I''m the same way. I''ll fall asleep, but then a butterly will flap its wings somewhere and the noise wakes me up. And I go back to sleep. And then again, so on so forth ad naseum.

I think the last time I slept through the night I was so drunk I couldn''t stand. And that''s not a good option for worknights.
2.gif
 

Dreamgirl

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Mar 25, 2008
Messages
5,070
I haven''t been sleeping well at all this past week
15.gif
I just try to think of a nice relaxing song. Sometimes it helps, then sometimes I end up thinking of another song that then gets stuck in my head...lol
20.gif
 

basil

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jun 27, 2006
Messages
1,528
Date: 3/11/2009 5:35:56 AM
Author: justjulia
The chatter of QVC does it for me.

QVC for me too. It's mind numbing how people can talk so long and say so little. Usually if I can't sleep it's because I'm worrying about something - it helps me focus on the tv and not my worries, but it's not interesting enough to keep my attention from falling asleep.
 

Aloros

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
May 2, 2006
Messages
947
I imagine myself doing something really boring, like giving myself a guided tour of my house, starting at the front door. I try to go over every detail and take it at the same pace as I would if I were actually walking through the house.

Never get to the end.
 

Rock_of_Love

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jan 7, 2009
Messages
1,274
I''ve tried melatonin...seemed to help at first, but then I started getting this "restless" feeling in my arms. I literally could not keep them still, cuz when I tried they started feeling like the nerves were going haywire underneath my skin. Creepy!! Has this ever happened to anyone???

Kava tea seems to relax me. But, I have the problem, too, of getting to sleep then waking up in the night and having a hard time getting back to sleep.

If I''m really stressed, I take Klonipin or Xanax, but I really do try and stay herbal for the most part.
 

musey

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Sep 30, 2006
Messages
11,242
Play sudoku.
Listen to a thunderstorm track.

Thankfully, I don't have insomnia issues much anymore (had a lot of trouble during college and soon after). It helps to have a husband that can sleep ANY time, no matter how much sleep he's had before then, and a dog that's about the same. With two sleeping bodies in the bed with me, it's hard not to get relaxed and sleepy!
 

chiquitapet

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Oct 17, 2007
Messages
3,185
Great thread. It`s currently 3.30am here (I have to ''get up'' at 6am for a 10 hour shift). I`ve been lying in bed trying to ''relax'' and sleep for past 3 hours. I forced myself to go to bed at 10pm, fell asleep fine, but that didn''t last very long. I have finished a set of night shifts 2 nights ago, and I`m still unable to stay asleep at night. Now it''s only a matter of time when I get a nasty migraine... The joys of life!

But usually when no night shifts are in play, I have no troubles sleeping. Reading usually does it for me - I read couple of chapters (lately been reading Michael Connelly - detective/law fiction), and then I think about what I read rather than thinking about worries/stresses that may keep me up.
 

monarch64

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Aug 12, 2005
Messages
19,224
I study for my life insurance licensing exam. It usually does the trick in five minutes or less.
20.gif
Seriously...it''s uber boring.

Otherwise, if I can''t fall asleep I read until I get sleepy. I think the reading takes my mind off worrying over whether I can fall asleep or not.
 

gwendolyn

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Aug 4, 2007
Messages
6,770
Date: 3/11/2009 9:24:03 AM
Author: elledizzy5
My problem is that I can''t STAY asleep. I fall asleep just fine, but wake up multiple times per night. When I finally do fall back asleep, I just wake back up again. It sucks.
I have that problem too--I don''t know if you might do it for the same reasons, but I tend to do it because I wake up stressed that I''ve forgotten something or know I need to do something soon. As a result, I tend to write things down on paper when I wake up worried about something so that my mind can rest and calm down enough for me to fall asleep and stay asleep again.
 

LtlFirecracker

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Feb 29, 2008
Messages
4,837
Phoenix,

Sounds like you might metabolize drugs slowly, or you were given too high of a dose and no education about the possible side effects. Yes Ambien is a newer version of the old fashion sleeping pills (valium ect). It has less side effects than the old drugs, but can still cause problems, especially if you overdose on it. It is really for last resort and for short term use. I have only used it twice, and never received more than a few pills with no refills (and I got the lowest dose on the market). And these were for big time things like when my mother died, and when I was having some major work issues. I don''t think blanket statements should be made about any prescription medication. A drug that can cause problems for one person might be the saving grace for another person.
 
Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.
Be a part of the community Get 3 HCA Results
Top