[Closed] Insomnia - Any tips to deal with it?

sex, lots of it. releases sleepy drugs in your head.

Stop watching telly/computers an hour earlier than you do. Find a non-fiction book of extreme length, stultifying boredom and heaviness, and challenge yourself to read a chapter of it every night.

No tea/coffee after 5pm.

I suggest a [url= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_%28drug%29 ]herbal[/url] remedy.

No, I'm not kidding.

EDIT: In conjunction with the above tips.

how much sleep do you need?

I used to really struggle with sleep, speding hours trying to get to sleep, lying in bed worrying about it. I went to speak to doctors about it and the first question he asked me was "are you ever tired?" and when I thought about it I wasn't struggling through the day (once I was out of bed)

I've since realised that 6 hours a night does me, maybe once a week I'll go to bed earlier but I usually go to bed at 11 and if I'm not asleep by 11.45 I get up and go and do something for an hour, read, watch tv, dismantle a bike. I've been much happier since and I'd really push the fact that worrying aboutis just a viscious circle

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In seriousness, I tend to listen to audiobooks etc. Next thing I know it's morning most often....

No tea/coffee after 5pm.

No tea/coffee after lunchtime did it for me.

As soon as you feel yourself start to get frustrated get up and read a book or something, never let yourself lie there tossing and turning for ages.

Temazepam

Tantric press ups

I've struggled with sleep on and off for years. Overactive noisy brain at night. I've learned that the only way to really shut down is exercise. I "need" to get out for a night ride etc, to get myself physically tired before my brain will let me relax.

Of course being unable to ride at the minute makes this difficult so I compensate with beer, read forum threads about leverage ratios, engine remapping and listen to sludge/stoner metal.

I find night rides or running after 9pm can make me worse Jim, hence why I also compensate with beer and days of thunder!

when you hoping to be back on the bike?

I might get out just for a spin on the road this week. Not sure I'll be able to but I'm keen to find out. Going a bit crazy.

I'd agree with the late night running/riding. Must jump start your metabolism, but getting out around 7, not so bad.

Audiobooks/podcasts generally work for me, as well as some of the above tips about screens etc.

Go to bed at the same time every night, inc wkends, works for me.
Yes i am the boring b****** who goes to bed at 9.00pm every night, but the bonus is i'm ready to rock at 5.30 in the morning.
Nooky night can throw a spanner in the works once a month. 😉

Radio 4 and the World Service are your friend.

I find I tend to get involved in audiobooks and stay awake 🙁

None of it works for me. I have good periods and bad periods. Just accept you can function fine without sleeping and it makes it easier to cope.

I'm a terrible sleeper and happen to be going through the worst sleep I've ever had at the moment. Been waking up at around 3.30am and not being able to get back to sleep, this is after going to bed around 11 and I guess drifting off a bit before 12, takes me a long time to go to sleep.

I get into a bit of a vicious cycle where when I do wake up at 4am or whatever, I think "well that's it I'm awake now", get annoyed and become even more awake.

I usually get 5-6 hours but three nights in a row of 3 has left me feeling pretty awful, staring at the screen all day at work like a zombie.

I suggest a herbal remedy.

No, I'm not kidding.

Yeah this does work for me in terms of sleeping through the night, not as refreshing a sleep though.

A day's snowboarding or biking works well, but doesn't fit in with working life.

Every Sunday night before work it's the same pattern - fall asleep , wake up about 2.30 , try like hell to get back to sleep , fall asleep about 5 & then the alarm goes off at 5.45 to go to work .
I've tried everything i know - have a drink , don't have a drink ..exercise, don't exercise ...pee's you off i can tell you .
Wish i could find something so i could sleep ALL night .

I suggest a herbal remedy.

No, I'm not kidding.

Needs to be the right strain though - some are quite stimulating/buzzy. Depends on the dominance of Sativa/Indica and levels of THC/CBD etc

Or so this guy down the pub told me...

If you share a bed room a Kindle Paper White means you can at least pass the time reading without disturbing the other person

Also means that when you stop reading you don't have to turn the light off

Buy a road bike and ride it a lot, eat a big dinner then mash "one" out before bed time and you will sleep like a baby.

As soon as you feel yourself start to get frustrated get up and read a book or something, never let yourself lie there tossing and turning for ages.

This is what I do. I figure if I can't sleep there's no point in lying there getting all wound up so I go and do something until I'm so tired I zonk out.

My experience is that is about stacking the odds in your favour...

- No caffeine after mid afternoon
- No technology in the room (phone, radio, watch)
- Black out blinds
- The right duvet for the temperature (single duvets if sleeping with someone else)
- Bed-side light - not too bright and not too white
- If it is noisy, a broadband noise sources can mask other noises e.g. radio hiss (or ear plugs)

If you can't get to sleep...
- Don't worry, you have managed on less sleep in the past
- Read a book (see bed-side light above)
- Get up and have a glass of milk
- Take a paracetamol if there are any aches and pains
- Go back to bed
- Try to remember every person that you were friends with at University (or similar pointless irrelevant exercise)
- Don't worry, you have managed on less sleep in the past...

A good hard Tom tank

As someone has already asked- how much sleep do you need? I've been functioning on less than 5 hrs for 20 years or more. Maggie Thatcher famously said she ran the country on that.

Try to remember every person that you were friends with at University (or similar pointless irrelevant exercise)

Read a wood burner thread on here, works for me.

Without being crude sex really does help me sleep. I am usually snoring within seconds of finishing 🙂

i had a real bout of insomnia (through work stress) some years ago and my father in law told me to use a small mantra, something that works for you but something like 'warm soft bed' or 'deep relaxing sleep' and keep repeating it to the exclusion of everything else. its actually pretty hard to do, but i found it really helps.

Easy to say, but try and stop thinking about it.