Viewing 35 posts - 1 through 35 (of 35 total)
  • Alcohol and insomnia
  • trailofdestruction
    Free Member

    Having real problems sleeping at the moment, usually waking up at around 1 – 2 am and then just lying awake staring at the ceiling until dawn. I can't tell you how cr@p not sleeping for a week makes you feel ( at this point, people with small chidren may tell me where to go 😉 )

    Thinking that alcohol may be a factor in keeping me awake, so I'm going to cut that out, and maybe cut down on coffee during the day. Although today, it's the only thing keeping me going. Will cutting back on the booze have any effect on sleeping patterns ? Are there any other remedies out there worth a go ?

    Don't really want to go down the route of popping pills, but right now I'd go for anything that would give me 7 hours of uninterupted sleep.

    Any docs in the house ?

    Yours in a hazy, zombie like state.

    TOD

    cynic-al
    Free Member

    For me booze and coffee do not help either (not as bad though) – I need to cut both down/out. Are you tiring yourself out, with exercise etc, or just sitting around in the evenings?

    gravitysucks
    Free Member

    +1 Excercsie. Go out and hammer yourself come home and sleep like a baby, repeat.

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middling Edition

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middlin...
    Latest Singletrack Videos
    imp999
    Free Member

    Alcohol screws my sleep for sure unless it is the eating I do with it just before I go to bed.
    And I think it is lettuce and bananas that help sleep – but not just before I go to sleep!
    Good luck!

    TheSouthernYeti
    Free Member

    Stay up later.

    DrDomRob
    Free Member

    +1 imp999

    Admiralable
    Free Member

    And I think it is lettuce and bananas that help sleep – but not just before I go to sleep!

    Lettuce had a soporfic effect on Peter Rabbit!

    TheSouthernYeti
    Free Member

    valerian(?) root extract?

    tron
    Free Member

    Alcohol reduces the quality of the sleep you get. I'd go for a big +1 on the excercise.

    Another good trick is only using your bedroom for sleeping. That way you pretty much condition yourself to go to sleep when you go into the room.

    Coyote
    Free Member

    Another good trick is only using your bedroom for sleeping

    Presumably you will need to be a bit more adventurous in "other" activities then?

    pedalhead
    Free Member

    Am I the only one who finds that a really long ride (100+km, 7+ hrs) leaves me LESS able to sleep properly? I find myself quite restless after a ride like that (one day most weekends).

    tron
    Free Member

    Presumably you will need to be a bit more adventurous in "other" activities then?

    I was more thinking of not using it as a TV room, office etc. 😆

    I believe Hora's the STW expert on what you're thinking of.

    trailofdestruction
    Free Member

    Get lots of excercise, 20 miles a day commuting on the bike, and walk the dogs morning and evening. I try and stay up as late as I can, but I'm up at 6 am so usually knackered by 9.30 pm.

    I might give Valerian root a go, and lay off the booze completely.

    Another good trick is only using your bedroom for sleeping

    What else do you do in the bedroom ? 😀

    EDIT : damn you lot are quick

    Matbike
    Free Member

    eat a lot and lettuce makes me sleep!

    TheSouthernYeti
    Free Member

    When you wake up, get up and go through the same routine you would when going to bed at your normal time.

    If that doesn't help, don't just lie there…. read a book. You may just find you wake up to your alarm with the book laid across your face.

    chvck
    Free Member

    A couple of pints of beer leaves me waking up at 1 or 2am and then every hour or so there-after. A lot of booze leaves me unconscious but knackered the next day :P. Coffee also leaves me waking up intermittently during night and takes me much longer to get back to sleep.

    I'm doing an experiment this week of drinking no booze or coffee and laying off any spicy (hot) food to see if I can sort out my sleeping and my stomach.

    richardgiant
    Free Member

    generally, beer makes me sleep

    hora
    Free Member

    OP- what time do you have your last coffee/tea during the day?

    I can't drink coffee after 3pm.

    It sounds like you are having too much sugar (or too little) in the evening.

    I used to have pudding in the evening. Stopped these and I stopped waking up a few hours later. I think its your body is high, depletes and rewakes you up for more(?)

    Re alcohol- yes it does screw up and prevent deep sleep. You sleep shallower.

    CaptainMainwaring
    Free Member

    I have suffered from insomnia for about 15 years. Biggest (but not the only) factor is dehydration. The common thread between alcohol, coffee and exercise is they all dehydrate you.

    I now religiously drink a minimum of 2 litres of water a day, much more if I exercise and I definitely sleep better. Try and drink a litre in the couple of hours before going to bed, more if drinking alcohol or coffee

    uplink
    Free Member

    generally, beer makes me sleep

    It makes me sleep too but only for 4 hrs or so

    I suffer badly with insomnia on & off, work related stress is the biggest factor for me & not being able to fully relax of an evening
    If I make an effort to slow everything down after around 8pm – I can usually get quality sleep
    A nice bath & reading something with a 'feelgood' content helps me

    bottom line is – try to relax more & the good sleep will come & don't stress about not sleeping
    I still get bouts of it & sometimes I can't relax enough but I – at least – know what needs doing.

    hels
    Free Member

    I find lots of exercise DOESN'T make me sleep.

    Yesterday case in point – long road ride – lots of food – woke up about 5 times 1. too cold 2. too hot 3. thirsty 4. need the loo 5. stupid cat wants fed at 4am.

    Second the drinking two litres of water during the day, but try to slow it right down towards evening.

    trailofdestruction
    Free Member

    I drink strong black coffe, so I only have 2 per day. One first thing to get me to work, and one at about 3.30 pm to get me back from work. Try and avoid it in the evenings as well. Don't do puddings very often, only as an occassional treat, so not OD'ing on sugar late at night. Try and avoid other snacks late at night as they don't seem to sit well on my stomach when I'm lying down.

    I'm trying Horlicks (rock'n'roll dude) to see if that works.

    Sheesh, 10 years ago it was drinking yourself into a coma and waking up in a SOHO gutter, now it's Horlicks and in bed by 9.30. How the smeg did that happen ?? 😯

    hora
    Free Member

    My old boss used to keep a notepad and pen by her bed.

    Why?

    Anything on your mind you can just jot it down. wierdly it works and you feel you've noted it to pick up on tomorrow.

    skidartist
    Free Member

    Don't over-compensate for lack of sleep with coffee, use it as a jump start in the morning, but cut out tea and coffee in the afternoon and evening. If you are having trouble sleeping get up and do something distracting rather than lay in bed fretting about it. Going back to bed again an hour later is better than just lying there annoyed. Read a book or annoy the internet, but be careful no to do anything too interesting.

    Also keep to the same wakeup / get up time at the weekends. If you usually have to get up at 6 on a weekday do the same at weekends, regardless of whether you've gone to bed later. You can lounge around once you're up, just be up. Otherwise your body spends the week feeling like it got up too early

    higgo
    Free Member

    My old boss used to keep a notepad and pen by her bed.

    I am pleased to say that I have absolutely no idea what my boss has next to her bed.

    trailofdestruction
    Free Member

    Biggest (but not the only) factor is dehydration. The common thread between alcohol, coffee and exercise is they all dehydrate you.

    Very true. I try and drink lots, but could still hydrate a bit more. Woke up very thirsty last night.

    try to relax more & the good sleep will come & don't stress about not sleeping

    I think this is where I'm going wrong, stressing about not sleeping. Might put on a film tonight and see if I can switch my brain off and try and relax more. Same goes for getting up and reading or something if I wake up in the middle of the night. Might end up having pointless arguments on here at 3 am.

    MrOvershoot
    Full Member

    Higgo – Member

    My old boss used to keep a notepad and pen by her bed.

    I am pleased to say that I have absolutely no idea what my boss has next to her bed.

    Me too Hig's, but from her reputation I suspect it takes batteries 😮

    simonfbarnes
    Free Member

    The common thread between alcohol, coffee and exercise is they all dehydrate you.

    I thought this was shown to be untrue for coffee? Isn't it 99% water ? As I understand it, the diuretic effect of caffeine is overestimated…

    and surely exercise makes sleep easier ?

    CaptainMainwaring
    Free Member

    I thought this was shown to be untrue for coffee? Isn't it 99% water ? As I understand it, the diuretic effect of caffeine is overestimated…

    and surely exercise makes sleep easier

    There was one article I remember from earlier in the year. But it was one article by one author flying in the face of all other evidence for years. Anecdotally, it certainly makes me feel dehydrated

    Agree with some of the comments above that perversly I don't always sleep well after a lot of exercise

    TheSouthernYeti
    Free Member

    Don't watch films, only come on here to claim the 'Thread Killers' thread.

    READ A BOOK!

    grunty
    Free Member

    I had 6 months of this before I eventually went 'pop' and ended up with Stress and Anxiety / borderline depression.

    The doc gave me amitripaline (sp?) but found that just made me even more tired in the morning and a real think head and found it difficult to work on problems during the day (software developer), though they did help me sleep slightly better.

    Ran out of the pills about 3 days before next doc visit and out of panic and desperation read 'I can make you sleep' by Paul McKenna (don't laugh – I was desperate) and found that night using the exercises in the book I slept all night.

    The second night wasn't so good (i think it was because I was so tired) but they soon started to get better after a week or so.

    Top tips were.

    No alchol: Alcohol depresses the nervous system, once the alcohol has worn off the neverous system becomes active again. normall 3-hrs after finishing drinking (unless you have drunk a lot)

    No caffine after 2pm. There was good medical reasoning on this in the book. Can't remember it at the moment.

    Bed is for sleeping and sex. Nothing else, no reading, no watching TV.

    Turn the alarm clock away from you so you cant see it. This will stop you looking to see what time it is. Normally about 10mins later from the time you previously looked at it. ;o)

    Turn off the TV 1 hour before bed and read a book for the remaining time until you feel tired.

    Only go to bed when you are tired.

    Make a list of all the things on your mind – could be your subconcious waking you up to remind you to do things. (This was more my problem than the alcohol, though I was using the alcohol to try and sleep without realising the 'things on my mind' was the real issue.) Writing them down tells your sub concious that you are aware on them and to stop bothering you about it.

    If you are having problems getting to sleep or back to sleep then use the image streaming technique. Normally gets me to sleep in about 5 mins, where as before I could lie awake for hours and hours.

    Also, the book says that insomnia IS NOT heredity – no matter what family members tell you. That is just their way of (NOT) dealing with the issues causing the insomnia.

    Hope this info helps. I went through hell with mine for 6months so know it is not a pleasant experince. You need to nip it in the bud now!

    grunty
    Free Member

    Might put on a film tonight and see if I can switch my brain off and try and relax more.

    This is also another big no-no. The directors of films and tv shows want to get the tension up in a film which will make you fight/flight response become alert – not good for going to sleep with!!

    trailofdestruction
    Free Member

    Grunty – top post sir, and much appreciated. All points have been duly noted. Funny you mentioned the hereditary thing, as both my mum and dad can have real problems sleeping. My dad definitely over stimulates with work/caffeine/alcohol/nicoteine which will almost certainly not help, but he won't give these things up. Trying very hard not to go down the same route, and I now have another good reason to try and knock the booze on the head.

    In a funny way, I'm glad you've been negative about pills. As I mentioned earlier, it wasn't something I was keen on having to do.

    Thanks all for input. Fingers crossed for some decent kip.

    EDIT : Yeah, I suppose films would be abad idea. Books it is then.

    CaptainMainwaring
    Free Member

    Even when you have controlled the insomnia, it still comes back at times. I keep some sleeping tablets to use only when necessary. Only use them once every one to two weeks now

    Zimovane – major knock out, non addictive and non drowsy next day. 7mg for total knock out, but 3.5mg for 99% of the time

    Zaleplon 10mg – effective for 4 hours. Incredibly useful if you regularly end up waking at 1-2am. Can force another 4 hours of sleep before the alarm. Non-addictive

    I don't like taking pills generally, but insomnia can be incredibly debillitating and you sometimes need to "train" your mind out of being awake at the wrong times. As per my earlier post, I've suffered for 15 years but now have it very controlled and does not now threaten to ruin my life/health

    grunty
    Free Member

    Once you have cracked the insomnia, you need to watch that you don't fall back into your old habits because without fail, the insomnia WILL return!
    Again, experience proves this. :o(

Viewing 35 posts - 1 through 35 (of 35 total)

The topic ‘Alcohol and insomnia’ is closed to new replies.