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⌈ Secret Post #3393 ⌋

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Through a combination of stress, school, and boredom, my sleep schedule is really messed up. I fall asleep, but I can't stay asleep. Or I toss and turn. Or I wake up five times. Or I'm too wide awake to fall asleep.

Any advice to help me get through this last month of school?

[P.S. I already exercise daily, sometimes twice daily, so it's not that. I also eat plenty of fruits and veggies, so it's not my diet either.]

Edited 2016-04-18 23:50 (UTC)

I'm basically a life-long insomniac and have even had prescription medication for the roughest streaks - I don't know if this applies to you, but for me, knowing I won't sleep well is the worst, because I deliberate and stress out about it which makes sleeping even more difficult. I don't know if that applies to you, since you can fall asleep, but for me, I had to NOT look at the clock ever because I would get so anxious and work myself up if I saw it was 3am and I was still awake.

Some things I've done to control my insomnia-

-Don't do anything on your bed except sleep (or have sex lol). Associate the bed with sleep. No laptops. Don't check your phone. etc
-Unplug from technology half an hour to an hour before sleeping. My brain personally is so technology addicted that it becomes like a tick, needing to check Facebook constantly or whatever even though I don't actually care. Read a book or something, let yourself relax
-Drink chamomile tea to help with sleep! No caffeine, makes you sleepy, and it being a nice hot drink can help you relax
-And this should be obvious, but stop drinking caffeine after like 3pm

In emergency situations I'll take a Benadryl or something to really conk me out, if I'm worried about not sleeping well (or my prescription). That stuff really dries you out though, so prepare for a bad headache the next morning. Still, I find knowing I have pills like that to be reassuring, even if I don't use them. It's like a crutch.

The not looking at the clock thing really help. I learned that from a therapist, and for some reason, not knowing if it's been 3 minutes or 3 hours is very helpful!

I struggle with not doing things in bed because I live in a dorm, so all I have are a desk chair or my bed to chill out on, and sitting in my desk chair all evening can be a real pain, but this is something I can definitely do more of at home/over the summer and stuff.

I also love my Sleepy Time tea! I think I should be drinking it more regularly. Maybe two cups a night?

I also limit caffeine to non-school nights, though I did cheat on that rule tonight. (Oops.) Sometimes I take Benadryl, but since I have year round allergies, it doesn't dry me out or give me a head ache, so I should probably start doing that again too. I should call my doctor and see about getting sleeping pills.

Sorry for going into a lot of detail, but it was so helpful going down your list and reminding me of things I can do. Thanks very much! :)

When I had that problem it turned out to be my depression and antidepressants helped a lot. Have you looked into psychological issues like that at all?

In the meantime, I don't know if this is a problem for you, but one of my biggest problems was getting stressed out as I tried to fall asleep and basically counting down the hours I still had left until I had to be somewhere. "Crap, I'm down to only four hours of sleep if I fall asleep right now." That stress didn't help anything. So I started listening to music at night and sort of pretending that I wasn't trying to fall asleep but it would be fine if I just happened to anyway.

Oh, yeah, I'm on pills for depression and a bunch of other stuff, so I know those bases are covered too! But yeah, I think I need to cover up my microwave clock in my dorm room before I go to bed!

melatonin

http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/tc/melatonin-overview

the sleep aid melatonin, not the skin color kind

Lol, thank you!

one of my friends was going through a similar situation and it worked wonders for her :) good luck if you try it out

Seconding melatonin. It helps you fall asleep and stay that way instead of holding you hostage in a coma like Ambient or Lunesta. But it can cause vivid dreams and be unpleasant, so try the smallest dose possible (usually 3mg).

Blackout curtains or a sleep mask. It really makes a difference for me; you don't realize how much headlights or streetlights can interrupt your sleep.

Cut back on caffeine as much as you can. Ideally, no caffeine except maybe first thing in the morning – it takes a whole day to leave the system.

No exercise in the evening – you need to be winding down then.

F.lux will dim your screens at sunset. https://justgetflux.com/

Sleepiness runs in 90-minute cycles, so if you can notice when you get sleepy, make use of that. This is why I go to bed at 11.15 prompt every evening.

This book was a godsend: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sleep-Solution-Improve-quality-tonight/dp/0091819717/ref=sr_1_14?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1461027447&sr=1-14&keywords=%22sleep+solution%22 The programme they set out takes three weeks to work through thoroughly, but I was seeing improvements after three nights.

Good luck!

SA Oh, and if you toss and turn a lot, it's possible you've got restless legs syndrome: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/restless-legs-syndrome-rls which is easily treated, once diagnosed.

Eat some type of protein before bed. A handful of nuts. A hardboiled egg. Some beef jerkey. A spoonful of peanut butter. Since I've adopted this, my sleep has been so much better!

My psychiatrist says, just lie there with your eyes closed. It won't be as effective as sleep, but you'll at least be somewhat rested.

(Also, a lot of times when I do this, I'll fall asleep anyway.)

Make yourself get up at the same time every day, even if it's a weekend or a day where you don't have class until later. It's really, really tempting to sleep in if you have nowhere else to be, but if you're prone to sleep disturbances, that can be the worst thing you can do. Avoid naps unless you're sick - if you're feeling dragged out, you can let yourself go to bed early, but unless you're really, really good at timing your naps, they can wreak havoc on your sleep cycle.

If possible, you want to be going to bed at around the same time every day, too, at least until you have your sleep schedule under control. If the problem persists, try a sleep clinic once you're on break.

If you can't reboot your sleep schedule by shifting your habits, talk to your doctor about possible side-effects from your meds. Some anti-depressants can cause insomnia, particularly if you're taking them in conjunction with other medication. (But don't stop taking them without talking to your doctor first - they might well not be the culprit, and quitting them cold can have hellish side effects on its own.)

[ SECRET POST #3393 ]

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