NCEP: Anyone have insomnia help?

[2curlydogs]

For the last two months I've been having bouts of work/stress-related insomnia. I'll wake up for whatever reason in the middle of the night and then cannot fall back asleep.

Last night, for example, I woke up to pee and then stayed up coding in my head with "Elmo and his Ducks" YouTube video running on constant loop. That was fun.

It's no real surprise this is happening. I have 49 business days left to launch 3 bloody websites. I started coding yesterday and it's going ok but, still. Lots of stress, lots of worries.

Anyway, anyone have some suggestions, short of using medication?

[copzgirl1171]

I am not sure about your mentality but once I get in that vibe where my mind won't shut down I need something to shut it down for me. I don't have the self control to count sheep or drink warm milk.

I have come to accept that its ok to use an ambien occasionally to short circuit my mind enough to sleep.

I am so sorry, I know how bad it sucks. Good luck!

[mominatrix]

I don't know if you consider supplements to be medication, but look up this stuff called

200 mg of Zen

I take 2 at bedtime (along with another supplement to help me stay asleep, L-Triptophan) and my formerly raging insomnia is way way way better.

...via mobile.

[wawa]

Whenever I have a night like that the only thing that helps is change of venue. I CANNOT just lay there in bed.

So I get up, drink a glass of water in the kitchen while reading a book I've already read 12 times (so no urge to just keep reading) and then lay back down in the guest room. I have no idea if that would help anybody but me, but the combo of an old favorite book and a change of location sorta resets the loop playing in my head and keeping me awake.

ETA: I'm not opposed to drugging myself, but I've found that readily available sleep aids knock me out for about an hour and then I'm back awake, but all groggy and out of it. Not cool. The good shit (i.e. ambien, etc) probably works better.

[mominatrix]

...and I've been on all kinds of meds and seen a sleep medicine guy.



...via mobile.

[eclaires]

I take melatonin every night b/c I take ADHD stimulants every day. Otherwise, my body can't really transition to sleep at the appropriate time.

ETA: I meant to say - not sure if melatonin counts as meds to you. It doesn't really make you fall asleep - it's more about helping regulate your sleep cycles or something like that.

[GailGoldie]

i have that problem a lot- i fall asleep easily but wake around 2-3am and can't go back to sleep for a few hours.

I often take 2 benadryl before bed (which is the drug in tylenol pm, etc - that helps you get sleepy) and that keeps me sleeping through the night. I have to take it by like 10:30pm otherwise I wake up groggy.

ambien is too much for me - i have only taken that a few times when things were REALLY rough - and i took it very early like 8pm, so i wouldn't be out of it in the am.

[pescalita]

I agree that in the middle of the night like that it's tough to do on your own. I was never awake enough to shut off my brain (which is hard to do with all your faculties).

[copzgirl1171]

Ambien is weird for me. It really doesn't do the trick (as in sleeping like the dead) but it puts me right out and I am able to get back to sleep if I wake up.

The best thing is that I am super clear headed in the morning as if I had slept exceptionally well even if I didn't

[GailGoldie]

Aug 7, 2012 9:48:59 GMT -5 @littlemoxie said:

Valerian root is another natural supplement hat helps you sleep.

i tried that and it didn't do anything for me. I couldn't get over how stinky it was- maybe that's why, lol.

[ringstrue]

I agree to first look at your diet and drinking which is most likely suffering as well from the stress. You could be eating sugary things in the evenings that will mess up your natural cycles and you could be drinking more caffeine than you realize and drinking then later in the day than you really should for you.

melatonin (sp?) is an OTC drug like unisom (same active ingredient?). Also, milk has more tryptophan in it than turkey does and some people can take an antihistamine like benadryl or NyQuil. I'd try diet/drinks first and then those OTC med/supplement remedies for a night or two to see how much that helps.

They also say to get up and go do something like watch TV for 20 mins or so before trying to get back to sleep. That way you are letting your brain be awake and active in that way before trying to get it to sleep again.

[passthewine]

Aug 7, 2012 9:52:18 GMT -5 ringstrue said:

They also say to get up and go do something like watch TV for 20 mins or so before trying to get back to sleep. That way you are letting your brain be awake and active in that way before trying to get it to sleep again.

You're definitely not supposed to watch TV when trying to fall asleep, the lights reflect as a stimulant and have the reverse effect.

These guidelines help me some but I still have the occasional bad night where the anxiety is so bad that I just take a Xanax.
sleepdisorders.about.com/od/howcanisleepbetter/a/bettersleep.htm

1. Get up and go to bed at the same time every day, even on weekends.
We are creatures of habit, and our sleep is no exception. By consistently going to bed and getting up at the same time, we condition our body to follow a regular pattern of sleep. This allows our body’s natural clock, called a circadian rhythm, to help initiate and maintain our sleep.

2. Make sure your bedroom is quiet, dark, cool, and comfortable.
Studies find that sleeping in a cool environment is most conducive to sleep. By eliminating excess noise and light, we can minimize the disruptions that might wake us up. In addition, the bedroom should be a relaxing place and not a source of stress.

3. Bedrooms are for sleeping and sex, not for watching television or doing work.
Somehow we have managed to make the bedroom a multipurpose room. All electronics must be removed! Televisions, gaming systems, computers, telephones, and various other gadgets are stimulating and disruptive to sleep. Don’t allow them in your bedroom and don’t use them in the brief period before going to bed. Even the small amount of light from a computer screen in the evening hours can stimulate your brain into thinking it is time to be awake. Moreover, do not use the bedroom to do work as these activities are likewise stimulating and will disrupt your sleep.

4. Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine 4-6 hours before bedtime.
Caffeine can be found in expected places like coffee, soda pop, or tea, but also in unexpected foods like chocolate. As a stimulant it will keep you awake, even if used nearly six hours before bed. Likewise, nicotine will disrupt your sleep. And contrary to common practice, an alcoholic “nightcap” can actually make your sleep worse. Though it may cause you to become drowsy, alcohol fragments the stages of your sleep and makes it more disrupted.

5. Don’t take naps.
The period of time that you are awake adds to something called “sleep drive.” The longer we stay awake, the more we want to go to sleep. By taking a nap we can relieve this desire to sleep, but it will also make it less likely that we will be able to easily go to sleep later. Adults should have a consolidated period of sleep at night without additional naps. If there is excessive daytime sleepiness and desire to nap, in spite of adequate sleep time, this might suggest a sleep disorder warranting further evaluation.

6. Exercise every day, but avoid doing it 4 hours before bedtime.
Staying active and physically fit is an excellent way to ensure a good night’s sleep. However, exercise too close to bedtime may actually cause difficulties in getting to sleep as your body will still be revved up.

7. Develop sleep rituals which include quiet activities, such as reading, 15 minutes before bedtime.
Just like we maintain for children, adults need daily sleep rituals prior to going to bed to allow us to unwind and mentally prepare for going to sleep. These rituals should include quiet activities such as reading, listening to relaxing music, or even taking a nice bath.

8. If you are having trouble getting to sleep, don’t struggle in bed or you will train yourself to have difficulties there.
Individuals who have difficulty initiating sleep often toss and turn in bed and try to force sleep to come. As this is repeated, night after night, this sets up a situation where we associate our bed with the anxiety of not being able to sleep. If you are unable to get to sleep within 15 minutes, go to another quiet place and lie down until you feel ready to fall asleep, and then return to your bedroom to sleep.

9. Avoid eating or drinking in the few hours right before going to bed, as these might lead to disruptions of your sleep.
Discomfort with heartburn or acid reflux as well as needing to get up multiple times to urinate can be very disruptive to a good night’s sleep. It is best to avoid setting up these situations by not eating or drinking in the few hours just prior to bedtime.

10. Make sleep a priority: don’t sacrifice sleep to do daytime activities.
The most important advice is to respect that your body needs to sleep. Too often we are likely to allow our sleep time to be infringed upon when our daytime obligations take longer than we expect. Additionally, opportunities to engage in pleasurable activities—visiting friends, watching television, playing on the internet, eating out, and any number of others—quickly cut into our sleep time if we allow them to. It is important to schedule your sleep time and keep to that schedule, no matter what might come up during the day.

[heyjude]

I watch 30 Rock or Parks and Rec on my iPhone via netflix. I've seen them all so many times it generally puts me out right away. Good luck.

[KateAggie]

When I'm having stress-related sleep issues, sometimes it helps me to give in to it for awhile...I focus on what's stressing me out, make an action plan for the next day, or work through possible scenarios/solutions if applicable.

Then I focus on counting to 300, visualizing each number so my brain has something to do. If I still can't sleep, I get up for 20-30 minutes, and then try again.

[basilosaurus]

Melatonin and unison are definitely not the same thing, ringstrue. Unison has the same ingredient as tylenol pm, minus the tylenol part. I take unison if I wake too early, and I don't feel groggy even if it's only been a few hours. It's better than not sleeping at all.

[Deleted]

I have lots of issues with sleep. My psych currently has me taking a low dose sleep aid. In addition, I've found THE most helpful thing is calming music. I will get some terrible song stuck in my head and can't sleep. I have a 2.5 hour Spotify playlist of the Bach cello suites. I put that on and start slowly counting to 100. I also force myself to lie still unless I'm truly uncomfortable. I have a bad habit of moving around too much, so I find that if I force myself to lie still, listen to the music, and count, it usually works.

[lahoagie]

I keep a notebook next to my bed. When I wake up at 2 worrying about something, I also start worrying that I am not going to remember what I am worrying about and not get it done the next day. So I write and down and then I have one less thing to worry about.

[secretlyevil]

No caffeine after 12 pm; stop eating three hours before bedtime, exercise in the am or early pm, yoga. I have also heard you are supposed to put all technology (including tv) away a couple of hours prior to bed to let your mind settle down.

[heyjude]

Other things that have worked for me:
- Earplugs
- Eye mask
- Cool, cool, house
- Getting rid of the latex foam mattress
- Moving to the guest bedroom

But really....having a baby has improved my ability to fall asleep anywhere at anytime.

[Deleted]

I personally like Benadryl. It knocks me out pretty easily.

I get massages every 4-6 weeks--I get the best sleep of the month when I go in. Clean, smooth sheets help too. We normally change them every 7-10 days, but I would do it more often for the value of sleep I get if I were having problems.

[terpsfan]

Making sure I get daily exercise, no caffeine after noon and earplugs have helped me with that 2/3AM wakeup problem. My DS (20 months) still wakes up around then but with my earplugs in, DH gets up to get him and brings him to bed with us, so I am aware he is there but all the noises are "fuzzy" and don't really wake me up fully. Also, DH snores so the earplugs help me block out his noise if I do happen to wake up as well. Once I put my earplugs in I feel like I am in a dreamy calm swimming pool LOL...

I have recently "allowed" myself to use the earplugs again (I was freaked out using them in DS first year of life as we coslept and I needed to be hyper aware or whatever)...now that he sleeps most of the night in his own crib and now just comes into bed with us around 3ish and is bigger and mobile I don't have the fear that I am going to smush him or anything. I will say that the quality of sleep for me earplugs vs non earplugs is huge!

Benedryl, Nyquil, etc just make me worse in the morning than if I didn't have any sleep..I hate that medicine head feeling

[scout8]

My issue is falling asleep initially. Once asleep, I am usually good. But, I still think these might help. Don't look at the clock. Seeing that I am missing out on sleep stresses me out even more. So, I never check the time. Also, moving to another place often helps, either the sofa or the guest room. Trying to distract myself with boring, non stressful, repetitive type thoughts. When all else fails, I take a xanax.

[emmybean]

Tom dammit now I have "Elmo has three ducks, three birds of a feather! To waddle with, and quack together!" in my head.

Outlaw elmo. That's the solution. it's the only way.

[NitaX]

Aug 7, 2012 9:34:37 GMT -5 eclaires said:

I take melatonin every night b/c I take ADHD stimulants every day. Otherwise, my body can't really transition to sleep at the appropriate time.

ETA: I meant to say - not sure if melatonin counts as meds to you. It doesn't really make you fall asleep - it's more about helping regulate your sleep cycles or something like that.

Melatonin FTMFW. That shit is awesome wrapped in awesome sprinkles. Also, Calms Forte by Hylands is good too. I used it along with Nature's Way Ex-Stress when I was going through the hell known as the 1yr prior to my divorce. All three of these are natural. I never had any residual grogginess when using any of them.

Hang in there.

[dylanite]

Try the pots. I really, really recommend the pots.

[2curlydogs]

Yeah, so I always go to bed at the same time, rarely have sugar (no, seriously), no more than 2 cups of coffee a day that I finish before 10am (and is usually half-caff/half-decaf), I work out on my lunch hour training for a triathlon, we don't have a tv in our bedroom, I always read before bed (right now it's Michael Palin's diaries...and it's a "real" book), I never nap, our bedroom has blackout blinds and we always run our ceiling fan, dinner is usually at 6:30 with bedtime around 10pm, the clock is on H's side of the bed so I can't see it, etc.

The only thing I can think of is the alcohol - I like a glass of wine after B goes to bed - and maybe food some nights (small bowl of ice cream, which is the only real "sugar" I have).

I do like the idea of keeping a notepad or something so i can write ideas down. And, yeah, I think maybe getting up, getting some milk or something, would help. We don't have a guest bed but do have a pull-out in our living room.... I've used that on nights/early mornings where B wakes up too early for a normal human but won't go back down (that 4-6 witching hour) and it does ok.

Otherwise, I am trying to find ways to help mitigate work stress. Getting some people to handle some of the grunt work and chasing of people to set up appts and stuff..... I hate doing that cause it's not their job to be my secretary but I just don't have the bandwidth to do it all and they did offer to help....

Thanks all.

[2curlydogs]

Oh, also, I was attacked by a swarm of yellow jackets on Saturday and stung repeatedly, so the itching doesn't help I'm sure.