Insomnia??

[Serendipity1607307077]

Hello there all

 

Lately I have been having a very hard time sleeping. I have a feeling it is anxiety related but it's driving me nuts. I try to catch up on sleep on the weekend but no matter what I do, I can't sleep during the day!

 

If it's related to any of this, my bf just came off anti depressants and has been having pretty bad anxiety. I have been very worried about his state of mind since coming off those and I believe that my insomnia is somewhat related to me thinking about how he is feeling and stressing over him... something I can't help seeing I love him so much!

 

I had five hours sleep on Friday night, and only three last night. I am at my wit's end here! Can anyone offer me advice??

[lostlove]

Yeah, insomnia is something that I have struggled with recently. Here is my best advice:

1) Eat healthy food; this helps you feel better about yourself, and it is easier to excersize and sleep with the proper nutrients in your body.

2) Get lots of excersize; not only will you be healthier, but you will be more tired at the end of the day.

3) Try not to go on the computer too much; sometimes it can wake you up even more.

4) Try reading a book or doing some other calming activity before going to bed.

5) Come up with a designated 'lights out' time.

Hope this all helps!!!

peace out,

lor

[geo_jane]

This may sound corny but...

I find when I have a hard time sleeping doing some yoga helps. You might consider a yoga class. You will be taught how to relax and its great exercise.

[DBL]

I have had insomnia problems for a while. The doctors used to just tell me to take Benedryl at night. Of course you should ask a doctor and not just take my word for it. I still have insomnia, just look at the time of this post!

 

It is probaby stress related like you mentioned. You may want to seek help since lack of sleep can effect you in many ways health wise. I once read, don't know how true it really is, that you can never make up sleep. You may sleep longer to recover, but you can never really make it up.

 

Be Cool

DBL

[Prue]

Here are a few tips that I can remember from Foundation Psychology (I can't find the text book so let's see how much I remember)

 

Cut out caffeine almost altogether, but you don't need to entirely. If you like a coffee in the morning go ahead - especially if it's a good eye-opener for you as it might be a good idea to get up at the same time each day.

 

Don't eat heavy foods at night - spicy foods, or cheese etc... however, don't go to bed hungry. Perhaps include a small snack in the late evening into your diet. A very small bowl of porridge, a couple of digestive biscuits, or a warm milk flavoured with just a teaspoon of malt and a teaspoon of honey.

 

If you smoke then quit. I recommend nicotine patches as they worked for me. I found the 24 hour ones the best in my case. They cause sleep disturbances as a side effect, but the end result will be worth it as smoking will always interfere with your sleeping.

 

Try not to use your bedroom for anything other than sleep or sexual activity. If you study, read, watch TV etc... try and do it elsewhere. If you decide to do one of these things because you can't sleep, get up and go to your living room for a bit before trying again.

 

Foundation Psych' aside - I have found that a few drops of lavender essential oil on a pillow or in the bath has helped me a bit.

 

Exercise - definitely. I'm wondering if everyone on here is a little sick of me writing back to every post on here - and no matter what their problem is I tell them to join a gym But for me, joining a gym changed my life in several ways - it really was about 90% of the answer to my insomnia, depression, lack of confidence, and giving up smoking. The difference in me in just a few months you'd just about need to see to believe. In my case, it my main interest now, 100 minutes of cardio a day, and weights on top of that every 2nd day. But to help with depression, anxiety, or insomnia - 30 minutes a few times a week would make a difference. 30 minutes a day would be great. And if you and your bf could do this together it would be terrific. It might be hard to stay motivated at first if he is recovering from depression, but if you could just keep it up it would only be the first couple of weeks that would be the hardest.

 

I hpe all goes well for you soon - I think that it's great that your bf has someone who will love him through depression and beyond.

[DBL]

Jacy,

 

I always recommend working out as well to any lifestyle, people do not realize how significantly it can change their lives in many ways. Also a sound diet consisting of 5-6 small meals a day.

 

Another thing I do when I have problems sleeping is having a cup of sleepytime tea. Seems to do the trick.