Sleep problems

[SovietSecrets]

For about a month or so now, I find it harder and harder to fall asleep each night. At first I couldn't fall asleep until 1 or 2 in the morning and then it changed to 4 in the morning and now I can't get to sleep until 6 in the morning. I have been insanely tired as of late and have even tried staying up for a day to tire myself out and try to get to bed earlier, but to no avail. I have taken sleeping pills and they don't work either. Anyone have any ideas on what to do? I would be most grateful.

 

[Naheal]

How's your stress level?

 

[SovietSecrets]

Pretty good. Not stressed out at all.

 

[Mr Montmorency]

Set a bed time and a waking time. Stick to it, no matter how tired you get. Do it even if you don't get any sleep for an entire night. You go to bed at a certain time and wake up, whether you sleep or not.

Eventually your body will stop slacking off during bed time and will let you sleep during the usual bed time.

 

[Naheal]

Pretty good. Not stressed out at all.

Anything that you can do to relax prior to needing to hit the sack?

 

[Monadnock]

Do you exercise a lot or are you sedentary during the day? I find if you use a lot of energy, you sleep better. If you're already doing that obviously it won't help.

I agree with setting a usual bedtime. Also try and have a routine that you do whenever you get ready for bed. Read for 40 minutes, or play on a handheld/phone, watch a specific show. Take a nice warm shower. Drink something warm that isn't caffeinated.

Don't stay up on the computer though... I can go all night glued to a computer screen.

Then, when you're in bed, don't TRY to fall asleep... I find that, for met at least, doing that just makes my brain race. Just try and be comfortable, and do something that doesn't stimulate you too much but occupies your attention.

For me, I have played my DS so regularly in bed before sleeping while watching the Daily Show/Colbert Report (they air at midnight/12:30 where I am), that I'm nodding off automatically out of habit. Specially if it's a DS game that's turn based (e.g. Pokemon > Gardening Mama, for example ). I actually bonked myself in the face once because I dozed off while holding my DS up.

I get something like this a few weeks a year where I can't sleep well and am just tired all the damned time. Being exhausted sucks, so I hope yours goes away soon.

 

[SovietSecrets]

Pretty good. Not stressed out at all.

Anything that you can do to relax prior to needing to hit the sack?

I read a book or listen to some music before going.

Set a bed time and a waking time. Stick to it, no matter how tired you get. Do it even if you don't get any sleep for an entire night. You go to bed at a certain time and wake up, whether you sleep or not.

Eventually your body will stop slacking off during bed time and will let you sleep during the usual bed time.

Do you exercise a lot or are you sedentary during the day? I find if you use a lot of energy, you sleep better. If you're already doing that obviously it won't help.

I agree with setting a usual bedtime. Also try and have a routine that you do whenever you get ready for bed. Read for 40 minutes, or play on a handheld/phone, watch a specific show. Take a nice warm shower. Drink something warm that isn't caffeinated.

Don't stay up on the computer though... I can go all night glued to a computer screen.

Then, when you're in bed, don't TRY to fall asleep... I find that, for met at least, doing that just makes my brain race. Just try and be comfortable, and do something that doesn't stimulate you too much but occupies your attention.

For me, I have played my DS so regularly in bed before sleeping while watching the Daily Show/Colbert Report (they air at midnight/12:30 where I am), that I'm nodding off automatically out of habit. Specially if it's a DS game that's turn based (e.g. Pokemon > Gardening Mama, for example ). I actually bonked myself in the face once because I dozed off while holding my DS up.

I get something like this a few weeks a year where I can't sleep well and am just tired all the damned time. Being exhausted sucks, so I hope yours goes away soon.

I skate a bit during the day, but thats about it. I'll try the usual bed time thing out and see how that goes. I don't try to fall asleep while in bed, but then I end up awake anyways until 6 still.

 

[Naheal]

Pretty good. Not stressed out at all.

Anything that you can do to relax prior to needing to hit the sack?

I read a book or listen to some music before going.

What kind of music?

 

[SovietSecrets]

Pretty good. Not stressed out at all.

Anything that you can do to relax prior to needing to hit the sack?

I read a book or listen to some music before going.

What kind of music?

Couple of rock/metal songs and a bit of rap.

 

[Naheal]

Pretty good. Not stressed out at all.

Anything that you can do to relax prior to needing to hit the sack?

I read a book or listen to some music before going.

What kind of music?

Couple of rock/metal songs and a bit of rap.

That might be part of your issue. Calm it down a bit.

 

[SovietSecrets]

Pretty good. Not stressed out at all.

Anything that you can do to relax prior to needing to hit the sack?

I read a book or listen to some music before going.

What kind of music?

Couple of rock/metal songs and a bit of rap.

That might be part of your issue. Calm it down a bit.

I'll give it a shot as well.

 

[Neo10101]

Well, my solution to sleep problems is when you lie down to sleep, instead of letting your mind run, or just try to think about nothing, actually try to think about something more dream like, as in try to purposely day-dream. This will begin to lull your mind into sleep because it already feels like its dreaming.

 

[Abseith]

im not a great sleeper either im usually up till about half 4 - 5ish every night but when i finally go to sleep i usually just put a tv show on and go through that until i sleep personal favourites for it are big bang theory and mock the week the comedy helps relax me

 

[joe the janitor]

I find I have to think about everything that's going on in my life before I can fall asleep. You know:
- That girl
- Friends being annoying
- That game that comes out in a week or so
etc...

Other then that try focusing on staying awake (yes awake, it does work in a reverse way sometimes), and as a last resort I think about words.... Ya "Hook, ... cook, book, took etc".

 

[SovietSecrets]

Thanks to all the suggestions<3. Gonna give them all a shot.

 

[Aurgelmir]

How is your intake of caffine/suggar during the day/evening.

Also when do you get up in the morning.

I used to drink loads of cola and sleep till I felt like getting up for a while, and my sleep got so destroyed because of it.

After cutting the cola and getting up at a decent time every day I saw a huge change in how fast I could fall asleep.

 

[Tharwen]

Stop gaming before bed!

Well... you may not be gaming right before bed, but it's probably something like that that's keeping you awake.

 

[Silentsmoke1990]

Try to find your sleep niche. For me, it's doing something that relaxes me before bed, then sleeping with the fan on. Stillness in the air will prevent me from sleeping normally, but the humming sound of the fan soothes me and it actually puts me to sleep faster then anything else besides my girlfriend. Just little things like that could make all the difference. Try sleeping with a fan, and before that doing a relaxing activity.

Additionally, and this is meant to be a serious recommendation, you could try masturbation. Sexual climax is extremely relaxing, at least to the people I've talked to and been with, and aside from a fan that will put me in that relaxed mood to sleep in a jiffy. You could try this as well.

I hope this helps!

Classic solution of white noise with that fan approach, however your suggestion of masturbation might not be so nail on the head, studies show that unlike climax from intercourse, masturbation produces very little in the way of a natural tiredness/sleep response.

alternativly Ecky, you could should the issue really get to you, see a doctor, it depends for how long this has been going on. again be very sure that there's nothing bothering you at the moment that could be causing subconcious conflict wheter it be friendship issues, coming to terms with a death in the family (even if that death was awhile ago.) parental/sibling issues (you being aware of finnancial problems of someone close to you can induce sleep problems)

if the problem persists for more than a month continiously go to your GP, keep reporting back to him (it might take several attempts to get the right doseage) until you can sleep, continiously (without waking up, rolling over back to sleep.) through the night.

Good luck.

 

[SnipErlite]

I hope you find a decent solution Ecks, I could do with one too >.> It's currently 4:46 in the morning and I don't feel tired at all.

Damn.