Published on 12, July, 2020
I average about 3 hours sleep a night. The main blockage appears to be my inability to switch off. Tried: listening to music, watching telly, doing nothing for a couple of hours before bed, tried doing loads of exercise, I have been prescribed amitriptrline by the GP 2 years ago, nothing it has helped me at all.
Does anybody else struggle this way and does anybody have any ideas to help.
Yes I have a similar problem, often skipping nights of sleep entirely (tonight being one of them) as I am simply too ‘on edge’ to fall asleep no matter how tired I feel. I have also tried the things you have mentioned, along with more boring things such as cross stitch, colouring and sudoku in the early hours of the morning as I thought they’d be sure to send me to sleep, but no such luck!
What I have realised over time is that my insomnia is often anxiety related, so addressing outstanding worries before bed can help sometimes e.g. if I need to send a particular email, have certain things to be put away/got out for the next day, can’t remember if I locked the doors etc. these can all be done quickly before bed. The other things I turn to are:
1. I take long walks (2-3hrs) in the late night/early morning because I find it stops me becoming increasingly stressed at my inability to fall asleep, it burns off any adrenaline that is keeping me awake, it physically tires me and it makes me feel more sleepy due to the darkness.
2. I meditate, which I can use to help me fall asleep though this usually only gives you a short, deep sleep, so it’s no good if you want a whole nights sleep. It can be very useful however when you’re totally sleep deprived but have to be awake/alert for something regardless, because I find it can quickly refresh me and give me the energy I need in the short term.
3. I occasionally use sleeping tablets. Promethazine and temazepam/diazepam did nothing for me, but I’ve found that zopiclone or lorazepam can help me provided that I am tired/settled enough to truly try to sleep in the first instance. I also wouldn’t rely on these drugs frequently as they do have side effects and your body quickly becomes used to them, making them less effective. But if really desperate for sleep, they can be helpful.
4. This isn’t really such a healthy idea, but sometimes I deliberately force myself to stay awake all night and the following day, as opposed to sleeping a few hours as you describe, because I know that I will then get more sleep the following night and I try to use this to reset my sleep/wake times. Sometimes this works for a longer period and sometimes it doesn’t, but desperation can lead me to try anything at times!
The only other thing I’ve heard suggested for sleep other than the usual sleep hygiene advice is prescribed melatonin, but I don’t have any personal experience with that, so I don’t know how helpful it is/on what grounds it would be prescribed.
PPS Also, you might try some of the herbal teas containing 'knockout' herbs and plants like valerian and skullcap. Just a small cup, though, otherwise you'll have to get up in the night...
I've always struggled with sleep but not quite as badly as you describe. I don't sleep for much more than 3 hours at a time but I usually get more than that a night. I have found I just have to sleep when I need to. I usually sleep for an hour or so when I get in from work. About 3 hours from around 11 till 2. And another 2/3 hours before I get up at 7:30. Doctors have never been able to give me much help. It is very frustrating. I used a drink called Cherry good night for a while. It did help me to drift off but I would wake up thirsty layer on. Might be worth a try though.
PS I've also found that the use of alcohol to help me to sleep is a bad idea. It isn't proper sleep. Then, if I wake up (which I probably will - dehydrated and needing the loo), my head starts racing twice as fast to catch up on the stuff that's been numbed by the booze!
Sorry to hear you're getting so little sleep.
I've had issues with sleep all through my life, but have found it has been getting better in the last 5 years as my stress levels and general mental health has improved.
Like @Martian Tom says, one of the things I've found most helpful is to write in a journal any thoughts/feelings that are bothering me. Then they are "out" of my head for the time-being and I can deal with them after I've slept.
The other main thing I've found helpful is to look at what I,m eating at night. I don't know if you have any food sensitivities or intolerances? I'm super sensitive to caffeine and dairy (they make my heart pound and my thoughts speed up). So I try not to eat/drink these things too often and not have them after morning so my body has time to recover by night-time.
Hope you find something that helps.
I also am one of the hardcore insomniacs on this site. My current sleeping pattern is from 2am to 8am. Then I dozed off in the evening for about 30min.
I try every thing . Reading , watching TV ,listening to music, YouTube.
When sleep comes it comes, .Eventually.
My main advice is avoid keeping yourself awake. Sleep when you can. If you feel sleepy at 6pm and it's safe to do so. Go to bed and sleep.
Hi AAArunner,
I've struggled with sleep for about the last month due to work stresses. The main things keeping me awake have been my heartbeat (pounding), and my inability to stop my thoughts.
You've tried some of the things I would have suggested. Here are some other things that usually work for me:
1) Mindfulness. It takes practice, but it's the most effective thing. I imagine I'm sitting beside a slow-moving river. My thoughts are leaves floating on the surface. Slowly, the current carries the leaves away. When there are no longer any leaves, there's just that slow-moving water. It sounds very simple... but it actually works very well for me, even if I've got a huge amount on my mind and am hyper-anxious. To help it along, before I go to bed I'll write down a short list of the main things I have to deal with the next day, or the main things on my mind. Once I've got them on paper, it's like I've 'transferred' them out of my head. The important thing is practice. Don't give up if it doesn't work straight away. Persevere.
2) Another trick I found that can work is to switch the lights out, then push the button on my phone so that the screen lights up. It usually stays alight for about 20 seconds. I place it beside the pillow, out of sight, and just look at the glow. Then, when it goes off and I'm back to darkness, I close my eyes. Providing there's not much in my head (it usually only works on such nights), I can then drift straight off to sleep.
The worst thing, for me, is if I wake around the start of core sleep time - between say 3 and 7 am. That's when I find it hardest to get back off. Again, I use the above methods to help me. They don't always work. But, for me, they're the best things.