Can't Sleep

[Noodles]

I just can't seem to get off to sleep. I'm in bed around 12.30 and I'm still awake at 3.30.

My mind seems to be racing, and I can't shut off.

I've tried vallium etc, but I hate taking it as I messes my head and body up for days after.

Also I don't see why I should be dependant on drugs for sleep!

Are there any natural remedies that anyone can recommend, like chinese teas etc.

Any other advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

[eek]

insomnia is a bugger! poor you.

For herbal, you could try taking Hyperiforte tablets (can be found in boots and prob watsons), basically its Saint Johns Wart (but take 1 half an hour before bed rather than regularly which is for hypertension and depression.) If you are female and taking the pill, be warned that st.johns wart can interfere with it. ALso check up if you take any other medicines that it is compatable.

Herbal tea such as camomile can help with mild insomnia..but sounds like you have it bad. Id take this along with the hyperiforte a little while before bed.

Other fairly gentle way to relax the mind is to take an anti-histimine which will make you drowsey. Recommend Atarax 10mg, which can be bought in strips of 10, and available at most chemists.

Also..if you dont already, take excersise in the day time (obviously not before bed) and dont eat anything 'heavy' an hour or two before bedtime.

What may also help (this helps me sometimes) is to have a notebook and anything thats bugging you or comes to mind keeping you away, note down. If its written down, you can tell yourself that you will deal with it in the morning. So, takes the weight off your mind.

Other than that, have sex!

Hope you get some decent shut eye.

[mikethevigoman]

insomnia is a bugger! poor you.

For herbal, you could try taking Hyperiforte tablets (can be found in boots and prob watsons), basically its Saint Johns Wart (but take 1 half an hour before bed rather than regularly which is for hypertension and depression.) If you are female and taking the pill, be warned that st.johns wart can interfere with it. ALso check up if you take any other medicines that it is compatable.

Herbal tea such as camomile can help with mild insomnia..but sounds like you have it bad. Id take this along with the hyperiforte a little while before bed.

Other fairly gentle way to relax the mind is to take an anti-histimine which will make you drowsey. Recommend Atarax 10mg, which can be bought in strips of 10, and available at most chemists.

Also..if you dont already, take excersise in the day time (obviously not before bed) and dont eat anything 'heavy' an hour or two before bedtime.

What may also help (this helps me sometimes) is to have a notebook and anything thats bugging you or comes to mind keeping you away, note down. If its written down, you can tell yourself that you will deal with it in the morning. So, takes the weight off your mind.

Other than that, have sex!

Hope you get some decent shut eye.

do you exercise ?

[eek]

er..yes i do. but, why do you ask? (or is this question directed at noodles lolz. um ..i think im being slow..)

Edited May 20, 2007 by eek

[Noodles]

Yes I got to the gym 4-5 times a week.

When my minds racing I try and tell myself...right think about it in the morning...time for sleep,

but it never works.

I'm going to buy some camomile today and see how I get on.

Thanks

[sainarm]

Please don't exercise too hard in the evening time coz it would make you get sleeping disorder at night. I read from the healthy book, should exercise in the morning. honey drill should be some help. 2 tea spoon with warm water before going to bed. pls try.

i don't recommend you to have any kind of pill to get sleep but if you do really have sleeping disorder, I can tell you what kind of pill can release coz my mom have it now.

[kratindaeng]

try a few drops of Lao Cao, sure to do the trick!

[mikethevigoman]

er..yes i do. but, why do you ask? (or is this question directed at noodles lolz. um ..i think im being slow..)

no not at all. i went through a spell of not sleeping, i was on a pc all day and doing no physical work, started to walk more, immediatly got better, it was just a thought, seems you may have an over active mind,,also a trait of mine !, not an easy one, meditation , i kid you not Edited May 20, 2007 by mikethevigoman

[John K]

Self hypnosis relaxation is very good. Several people have reported to me they have fallen asleep before they finish, and it only takes 5 to 10 minutes. You also may be suffering from some anxiety or have recently changed your diet.

You can also try something much more basic like eating turkey. Tryptophane is a natural sedative that has high concentrations in turkey. If you ever wondered why people sleep after a Thanksgiving dinner, now you know why. They even serve turkey several nights a week in psychiatric hospitals in the states just for that reason.

[jumnien]

Nobody died from lack of sleep, but plenty of people have died trying to induce sleep chemically. If you can't sleep, get up earlier.

[eek]

meditation , i kid you not

Yes, I have that problem with my mind ticking over a bit too much too. I really should look into meditation. Something i should take advantage of seeing as I am here. Good tip. ty.

.........

Noodles, all good advice here, hope your sleeping pattern regulates soon. Best of luck.

[Old Man River]

I just can't seem to get off to sleep.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Watching a soccer game always does it for me.

I know you don't want to medically induce sleep, bit if all else fails, then ask your doctor for something other than valium.

[Lost in LOS]

don’t lie in bed and read or watch tv. only get in when really tired and ready to sleep

drink warm milk before sleeping or better yet, if you can find fresh cherries eat some of them before sleep

don’t exercise too soon before wanting to sleep

don’t drink any caffeine after 5pm

a bit of meditation if having trouble sleeping like thinking of something that relaxes you i.e. fishing, golf etc and nothing else

a hot girl with great sex and send her home after

if in bed and still cant sleep after 20 minutes, get up, walk around, read or something relaxing and then get into bed

had this problem for years when running my businesses. hope this helps

jimmy

[colino]

i suffer a lot from not being able to sleep doc gave me tabs but they make me feel crap the next day,, so now i tend not to sleep for 2-3 days then get one good nights sleep on day 4 ,its that or take meds

[Sheryl]

First of all, remove the causes of your insomnia

A key one for many people is caffeine

NO caffeine after 12 noon, that includes coffee, tea, cola drinks etc. And keep what you take before noon to an absolute minimum.

Another key one is stress, inability to relax

meditation does wonders for this but you must invest the time to learn how, i.e. take a retreat where it is taught in a systematic way. trying to learn on ones own rarely works.

If you have some particulalr stresses and anxieties in your life which you are having difficulty sorting out, counselling may also help. This type of insomnia is often an indication that all is not well within.

Aside from these things which address the likely causes, melatonin (which I recently found was available at MBK centre, 3rd floor, kiosks in the center) is a natural hormone and is helpful but, for me at least, I find it makes me sleepy for a short time but if I fail to go to bed then, it passes. So you have to time when you take it and be sure to go to bed as soon as, or just before it takes effect. It is OK to repeat a dose if you waken during the night.

Good luck

[jdinasia]

Nobody died from lack of sleep, but plenty of people have died trying to induce sleep chemically. If you can't sleep, get up earlier.

Actually many people have died from lack of sleep, not to mention psychotic episodes etc

I have sufferred from insomnia for a few years now! It can be awful! I do far better when I have had exercise and now try hard to get out and about much more than in the past! I suggest actually avoiding alcohol as a sleep aid ... really bad choice!

Over the past 2 years I have gotten better to an extent and now rarely take anything to help with sleep. about once a month I will take a medication that is not for sleep but puts me out pretty easily but only if I have been having a run of sleepless nights.

What did work for me before I got this other medication was taking hydroxizine HCL which is sold for MANY different reasons under different names !

[rak sa_ngop]

Serious suggestion:

Plug in your walkman/mp3 player and listen to foreign language lessons in bed (i.e listen and try and follow). I always found that listening to the sing-song (and often incomprehensible) sounds of the Vietnamese language was especially successful at sending me to sleep within minutes.

Maybe you could try the same with Thai language recordings?

[goatfarmer]

I just can't seem to get off to sleep. I'm in bed around 12.30 and I'm still awake at 3.30.

My mind seems to be racing, and I can't shut off.

I've tried vallium etc, but I hate taking it as I messes my head and body up for days after.

Also I don't see why I should be dependant on drugs for sleep!

Are there any natural remedies that anyone can recommend, like chinese teas etc.

Any other advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

A few suggestions:

Xanax is preferable to valium. It won't give you a hangover. But try the smallest dose. Get a pill cutter and start with a quarter. Try not to take it two nights in a row. It's addictive.

Massage: Try getting someone to walk on your back, especially around your shoulders. Ten minutes of such therapy gets me off to sleep within ten minutes.

Reading distracts the racing mind. Something dry, like non-fiction, should absorb the racing thoughts.

Edited May 28, 2007 by goatfarmer

[Old Man River]

I just can't seem to get off to sleep. I'm in bed around 12.30 and I'm still awake at 3.30.

My mind seems to be racing, and I can't shut off.

I've tried vallium etc, but I hate taking it as I messes my head and body up for days after.

Also I don't see why I should be dependant on drugs for sleep!

Are there any natural remedies that anyone can recommend, like chinese teas etc.

Any other advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

A few suggestions:

Xanax is preferable to valium. It won't give you a hangover. But try the smallest dose. Get a pill cutter and start with a quarter. Try not to take it two nights in a row. It's addictive.

Massage: Try getting someone to walk on your back, especially around your shoulders. Ten minutes of such therapy gets me off to sleep within ten minutes.

Reading distracts the racing mind. Something dry, like non-fiction, should absorb the racing thoughts.

Xanax is a controlled substance in Thailand and can only legally be obtained from a doctor. I am sure if one looks hard enough it can be found at a pharmacy, but not all will sell it over the counter to someone they don't know.

Meditation and massages are probably the best non pharma alternatives, but if the PM ends up going to a doctor, he might also want to ask about Stillnox (Ambient). If not abused, it is a wonderful sleeping aid.

[Noodles]

Well I'm sleeping better now, one cup of camomile at 11.00 and a short read of a book and my mind is closed

off, without all the silly thoughts going through my head.

Many thanks for all the suggestions

[jdinasia]

good news!

[Gary A]

I too used to have that problem. I got out of the stock market and moved out in the boonies. Getting rid of the stress one way or another is the secret.

[mickyboy104]

Try sprinkling lavender oil on your pillow or small cushion you can have next to your pillow this works for me and I suffer from bad sleeping patterns alot.

[chinthee]

Here is a little weird thing that works for me when I can't sleep. You might try it. I lie down, close my eyes, and immediately try to "induce" some dreams. Some might call this sort of like daydreaming, but don't confuse it with a wandering mind. You actually try to script your dream like a play, and once you follow along, you go to sleep!

[bkkmick]

Funny Chinthee I do something similar. If I can't sleep I go through a kind of dream starting off at home in Ireland and driving through France (where I used to live). I find that repeating the same route with the same details helps me drop off (maybe boredom - I don't know). Develop a dream sequence and stick to the same routine. I try and avoid anything exciting in mine - don't want to get the heart beating too fast - no sex!

[Ramleo]

Try melatonin, which is the natural hormone that controls your circadian rhythms. It is inexpensive, works great (for me, at least), and you won't be groggy the next morning.

[tuffy]

Try melatonin, which is the natural hormone that controls your circadian rhythms. It is inexpensive, works great (for me, at least), and you won't be groggy the next morning.

I agree with Ramleo, I have been using Melatonin for years... It doesn't knock you out like a sleeping pill but helps your mind relax and fall asleep. Also it is non addictive.

[lost_in_space]

Noodles,

there are many kinds of relaxation techniques out there. Try downloading something off the internet. I had great success with auto-hypnosis and napping.

The reason I suggest this is that if you run out of chamomille tea, you have a technique or two that you can fall back on.

It's amazing how little is understood about sleep. If you look in wikipedia, it seems to say that prior to the industrial age, sleeping was a different deal.