Chronic insomnia

[Newo]

Exercise early in the day, right when you wake up (get up in your case, I guess), try going for a run, push your body to exhaustion, then have breakfast and resume your regular schedule. Don't eat too close to when you want to sleep (an hour before should be fine). For a lot of people washing your face with warm water before bed, or showering, is really helpful.

Make sure your room isn't too warm, a bit chilly is actually best, and forget stresses before you go to bed.

 

[greg_atlanta]

Drink caffeine only within 2 hours after waking up, and limit yourself to two cups of normal coffee. Avoid starbucks, their coffee has a MUCH higher caffeine content than most other coffees (thus the popularity).

One glass of red wine near bedtime may help, but only one.

 

[Oxnard]

Originally Posted by coldarchon

how was your experience with jacobson's progressive muscle relaxation?
Huh? The muscle relaxers I am referring to are a kind of prescription drug. Most common forms are flexeril, soma, robaxin, etc. I am not 100% on how they work but they are not physically addictive like xanax or anything like that. Have taken them for years without any side effects or any negative experiences at all, I also took them for a few years during high school due to restless leg syndrome, which is a very annoying condition that I was able to dull out with muscle relaxers until it just went away all together as I got older.

 

[coldarchon]

are you serious you don't know a natural way to fight insomnia? I don't want to attack you personally, I just see this as a huge failure of the health system. and probably some of the docs made it even worse ..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progres...cle_relaxation

 

[Oxnard]

Originally Posted by coldarchon

are you serious you don't know a natural way to fight insomnia? I don't want to attack you personally, I just see this as a huge failure of the health system. and probably some of the docs made it even worse ..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progres...cle_relaxation
Hey when I had insomnia really badly for a few years, trust me when I say I tried most every kind of "natural" way of falling sleep, I tried a lot of those different relaxtion systems, breathing exercises, meditations, zen cds, etc. For some people this stuff works, for some people it does not, at the very least it is worth trying before trying to solve the problem with medicine.

 

[upnorth]

If lifestyle changes don't work, then the underlying cause could be medical. Have you lost weight or strength rapidly, swollen eyes or limbs, bruising easily and difficulty in recovering from workouts, cuts and other wounds.

Lifestyle changes such as heavy meals or strenous exercise late in the night. Television and other distractions in the bedroom. Change or flip mattresses/ pillow. Climate control/ air conditioning. Is stress at work or family getting to you? Diet may play a role, too much lunch meats and convenience food can hamper sleep.

Habits can form in as little as 10 days. Try and sleep at an earlier time slot or don't sleep for one night. The next day, you will feel so tired that you will sleep earlier.

 

[coldarchon]

Originally Posted by Oxnard

For some people this stuff works, for some people it does not

henry ford said "whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right. "

I know how hard this can be, I have sort of a sleeping disorder for my whole life, because I never get unconscious. when I sleep it's like a mixture of lucid dreaming, near-death-experiences, out-of-body-experiences and the meditating of an autistic mind. but if there is one thing that I have learned, only willpower limits the power of your brain. if you want to change habits, the philosopher schopenhauer gives you an answer.

"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. "

 

[svelten]

acute insomnia can be the mother of all bitches. I haven't slept in over 48 hours at a conference, probably still suffering from jet lag two days ago. 4:30AM and wide awake, just like yesterday and the day before.

How often can you take OTC sleeping pills before it becomes a real problem with dependence? Safe to use it once a week? I've used them occasionally before and they've never failed to make me sleep within an hour.
I can sure as hell pop one right about now, but then I'd need to find a 24 hour drug clinic, which is driving distance away from my hotel, which is a recipe for ending up in a ditch the next day. fml.

 

[Diomedes]

Ambien is superbly effective for the sort of insomnia you're talking about. However, it is habit forming and one can develop a strong tolerance for the stuff, so care ought to be taken when using it. Still, for someone who simply cannot get to sleep at night, I wouldn't hesitate to call the stuff a miracle drug.

 

[sophia321]

thank you

 

[scientific]

i used to have this problem for years, until it ... went away. you may be depressed or something, whether you realize it or not

 

[stevester1]

Weed

/thread

 

[Sunnydale]

Saw this article about how to achieve a better nights sleep. It is written from an evolutionary standpoint. Lights and Humans - the other wildlife http://nephropal.blogspot.com/2010/0...-wildlife.html

 

[TGPlastic]

Amyl Nitrate