Probably most of us at some time or another find it hard to go to sleep. I recall counting sheep when I was a child helped me,sadly that doesn`t work any more but there are other methods I use to varying results.

How do you go off to sleep when you find it difficult to do so?

Stressing that we can not offer medical advice here...

I read until I drop the book but that wouldn't be popular if you don't live and sleep alone. Another disadvantage is that a really good book can keep me awake, not so good.

When I was married and living with my (now) ex-husband I couldn't sleep and tended to stay up until about 2am until I was dropping, but unfortunately the act of walking upstairs and getting ready for bed woke me up again. I then saw an hypnotherapist who taught me self-hypnosis, I then used to get into bed and hypnotise myself giving myself the instruction to sleep - that worked.

Sara mentioned to me that a herbal sleep remedy might be effective and I have taken that occasionally, mind you with such things you would need to check with a pharmacist as to whether they might be contraindicated if you are on medication. Also lavender can help with relaxation.

I need to listen to something when I'm going to sleep. If it is all quiet I can't stop my thoughts keeping me awake so if I can have something half boring (ABC is good for this, DSR ) coming out of the TV or radio then I drift off pretty easy.

I can't sleep unless I have my radio on. It's always a talk programme, so no irritating music to stop me being frustated by it If I tire of the radio, I slip on a cassette tape or audio CD. Eventually the zzzzzzz's come ...

Oh yes, talk-back radio does the trick for me too. Only works when you're in bed alone though, unless you're both having sleeping problems.

I've had chronic insomnia since I was a kid. I've tried a lot of things and some things work sometimes, but not always (except for Ambien, which I only take when I absolutely must because I tend to see wagon trains passing through the bedroom ). I've even tried full-spectrum light in the mornings, melatonin and lavender pillow spray.

Most of the time I need to have music on. TV or talk radio engages me too much and I tend to get too interested in a book . I was taught some relaxation exercises that help sometimes - relaxing my body piece by piece. If I can concentrate enough, this will help.

For the time being, I'm working from home so I can have a weird schedule. That's as close to a solution that I've ever had .

Y

I usually just take an antihistamine, such as Benadryl, if I can't sleep. (I don't know about any drug interactions that it may cause. (Again, this is not medical advice, so you will want to check with a doctor or pharmisist if you are taking any prescription medications.) This seems to work for me every time. They do tend to make me nod off, so I always make sure that I am ready for bed before I take them. Usually I fall asleep within an hour after taking them. If you think you have a more serious issue with sleep, you should probably not take any type of drug, over the counter or otherwise, without seeing your doctor.
Many types of tea that I have tried were somewhat relaxing, but none of them have actually put me to sleep.

Yoga relaxation excercises work for me.

If I fall asleep infront of the TV, by the time I get up and into bed, I am wide awake.

Once I begin to think of all the things I have to do and get frustrated by the fact I am lying awake in bed and wasting time, I will be awake for 4 or 5 hours.

Roos, have you always had problems sleeping?

No Lady1 my sleeping hours have been about average throughout my life but the more serious health problems I`m now experiencing have generally caused my sleep to become interrupted and hard to attain since approximately last Christmas. I take morphine not just for pain but to assist in sleeping and have also just started taking a slow release pain killer that helps as well.

When I did have trouble sleeping from time to time I read books,left the television on and also had a tape that featured a gentleman talking me into a relaxed state, that was in fact so effective that I`m yet to hear more than 10 minutes of the tape! All of the above measures were more often than not needed only after accidents and other pain producing occurrences.

I do shiftwork, so sleep is a very precious commodity, especially after a night shift, when I do not get home until after 6am.

My technique, for want of a better word, is simply to try to clear my mind of clutter, and envisage a totally black space. I then just count my breaths and my heartbeats, and try to slow them down. It may sound silly, but it seems to work.

The fact that I am usually exhausted after staying awake all night has absolutely nothing to do with my falling asleep so quickly.

I think the fact that I'm typing this at 2.38am local time indicates I need to follow some of the tips given above...

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I've had chronic insomnia since I was a kid. I've tried a lot of things and some things work sometimes, but not always (except for Ambien, which I only take when I absolutely must because I tend to see wagon trains passing through the bedroom )...

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I could've easily written the above paragraph, except my 'knock out' of choice used to be Nyquil -before slightly elevated blood pressure caught up with me. That and some other medical problems have forced me to be much more careful of interaction.
I kind of miss those neon conestoga wagons being driven by multiple Orlando Blooms, though. Nyquil put me there every time.

ktstew Pass the Nyquil!

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I then just count my breaths and my heartbeats, and try to slow them down.

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I have found listening to my husbands breathing or snoring puts me to sleep.

My late husband, who was a physician, used to say that people worry too much about sleep. That they should just say to themselves, "If I can't sleep tonight I'll just sleep tomorrow night." This seems to work for me and I don't usually have trouble sleeping because I don't worry about it.

However, for awhile after he passed away I did have trouble sleeping, so instead of counting sheep I decided to think of something more constructive. I started trying to remember US states, their capitals and nicknames. It worked every time and now when I play trivia at a local restaurant on Tuesday nights and they ask a question about state nicknames (and they often do), I'm right on top of it!

Roos, no doubt your medications may be partially a cause of your insomnia, as well as the stress you are presently undergoing. What a horrible side-effect! I really feel for you, it's awful to not get a good night's sleep.

You may be interested in this news article and video in which states that new research has shown that cognitive behavioral therapy (C.B.T. or 'talk-therapy') can be effective in helping chronic insomnia.

Here's another article about the same research, which also states in part "[sleep medications are] recommended only for short periods. Side effects include morning drowsiness and hallucinations if sleep does not arrive right away, and drug dependence is not uncommon. "


You probably don't want to add more medications to your list anyway. I wish you all the luck, and hopefully you will find a solution for your insomnia. Let us know how it goes.

I should add my own formula that works for me. I do a total relaxation of my entire body. Starting with my feet, I mentally relax each part, moving then onto my calves and so on, willing each part to relax and sink into the mattress. The hands, fingers, shoulders and head sometimes need more time than other body parts, don't be in a hurry to move on until you feel that 'that' part is now relaxed. This technique can take anywhere from 10 to 45 minutes to complete. You should slow your breathing down too, breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.

Hopefully this works for you.

I do the same thing, MadMags! I was taught this technique when I was pregnant with my first child, as a way of relaxing my body during labor. That was almost 30 years ago, and I have used it countless times to relax and drift off to sleep.

I'm with Madmartha - in general, I just don't worry about it. If I really am wide awake, I just get up and do something useful - any of you who have had your quizzes put online in the middle of the night can thank my insomnia.

However, sometimes this doesn't work. If I have to go into the city the next day, say, and know I will be facing a long drive home about the time that tiredness will really set in, I take a mild sedative to help me stay asleep. My problem is not falling asleep, it's waking up at 2 am and staying awake.

I think the only way out of the vicious circle of sleeplessness is not worrying about it as Agony says. There's nothing like having someone tell you to sleep or that you should be asleep to wake you up, don't you think?

If you think about babies and their cycles, the ones who find their sleep are the ones who put themselves back to sleep easily. Doubtless, one always gets one of each type in the draw! I was one of the babies who put themselves back to sleep apparently. I got one of the babies who put me through the wringer, then the other one struck an agreement that if he let me sleep, I'd be a much better mommy. He immediately let me sleep and in fact, still does!

So I try to accept the fact that it's ok to read until my eyes drop, or do something until I feel drowsy again.
The problem with chamomile tea or lavender (there's a wonderful combination by one of the Herbal tea companies out there) is that it makes you get up and go to the 'conveniences' which is going to wake you up.

My mother is experiencing difficulty sleeping with her chemo treatments and has tapes of books that she plays but that would keep me awake as the words would enter my brain.

I just read an article in Dear Dr. Gott, (from my local paper) about Barometric Pressure keeping people from sleeping. Evidently, it doesn't matter if it's high or low, it's the 'change' itself. The recomendation was for Central Air Conditioning, as a sort of 'climate control'-- to ward off the changes in pressure...Very expensive fix, I think!

Well, I can always count on my diabetic old cat to wake me at 5:30 for her food and insulin.
This morning I had to get up at 5:30 anyway, to get to the city for an appointment. So what time did she come around, patting at my face? You guessed it - 4:30.

One of my birthday presents yesterday was something that I had wanted to try out for a while, a mattress overlay that is made from foam that has no air pockets in it,similar to latex I guess. I used it last night and the comfort it gave was great. It molds to your body and has memory so that it restores itself back to its` original shape. Because I`m all skin and bones at the moment I was uncomfortable with different nerves digging in and being pressed but this new mattress overlay has solved that problem that was causing some sleeplessness.

I have seen those on QVC, it is good to know that they are as good as claimed. What a great gift to receive Cris.