Insomnia

I have been plagued by insomnia all my life. Lately it has gotten worse, and I'm up with the Aussies. Warm milk doesn't help. Valarian doesn't help. Counting sheep, cats, rats doesn't work. Any ideas?

A radical change in diet will radically affect your body, in ways you never expected. On the other hand, it's not fun, and not for the faint of heart.

What do you suggest? I'm getting desperate!

Make sure you get UP at the same time every day no matter when you go to bed/sleep. A friend told me about this and it eventually worked to get his body back on a schedule. <shrug> worth a try anyway.

Make sure you are not anemic. I know, from a period in my life before they got my Crohn's disease under control, that if you are anemic (low on iron) you will have trouble sleeping and even the smallest amount of caffeine will keep you up all night.

SamIam wrote:

What do you suggest? I'm getting desperate!

Eliminate gluten. It's no good for anybody. It is, however, in the majority of food products as a nutritionless filler, so going without it means a lot of cooking your own meats and produce. I did it as a side effect of having to eliminate it from the house for my son, and ended up losing 15 pounds without trying, and feeling a hundred times better and healthier than I have in my entire life. My sleep is better, my digestion is better, my sinuses are better... but believe me, it's a severe cramp on your social life. I just got lucky in that I didn't have one anyway. :) And yes, you should get your basic nutrient levels checked too, like Pete suggested. Most people have no idea just how crappy their diet is, even when they think they're eating "balanced" meals.

SamIam;633253 wrote:

I have been plagued by insomnia all my life. Lately it has gotten worse, and I'm up with the Aussies. Warm milk doesn't help. Valarian doesn't help. Counting sheep, cats, rats doesn't work. Any ideas?

Ever do any meditation/relaxation exercises? Are you getting enough regular exercise?

Pete Zicato;633326 wrote:

Make sure you are not anemic. I know, from a period in my life before they got my Crohn's disease under control, that if you are anemic (low on iron) you will have trouble sleeping and even the smallest amount of caffeine will keep you up all night.

Thanks, I was anemic at one time and maybe I am again.

Yeah, Griff, I haven't been getting much exercise this winter. We have had tons of snow and I'm not much for walking on ice covered roads and through 4 foot drifts. Maybe joining a fitness center will help.

Thanks for the suggestions, everybody!

vitamin D,Iron,herbal teas, working at something taxing during the day,baths,candles

Eliminate caffeine after a certain time during the day.


...but then I sleep like a baby

As far as changing diet, for someone who's had luck at it, it could be as simple as switching from excess processed foods to foods that are raw or as close to their natural state as possible and excluding HFCS in breads and cereals. Whole grains,fruits and vegetables.Low sodium is best. Avoiding the trans fats and the hydrogenated vegetable oils in those things like breads, cereals, margarine and baked goods.

Adding both mental and physical exercise doubles the benefit of a healthy diet.

skysidhe;633482 wrote:

...but then I sleep like a baby

You wake up every two hours and cry?

ha!

Lifelong insomniac here. I just suffer. Nothing I've ever tried really worked. I hate pills, and just don't take them often. I did try Ambien. Hadn't slept in 48 hours, took an Ambien, laid, staring at the ceiling for four hours. Got up, and came to the Cellar.

BTW, if you get rid of all those cats rats & sheep, ya might get some sleep.

Seriously, I feel for ya.

Ever seen the Al Pacino/Robin Williams flick "Insomnia"? One scene, in the police squad room, I guess, hits the insomnia nail square on the head. Pacino hasn't slept, and starts noticing all these sounds you would never pay ANY attention to in normal day-to-day interactions. Coffee maker dripping from across the room, guy flicking his nails off a pencil, all just screaming inside his head. Spot on accurate for true insomnia sufferers.

Have you tried a white noise generator?
A ceiling fan helps my insomnia. As does sleeping in a colder environment, blocking out extraneous light, sex before sleep (tmi), elbowing my husband in the back to stop snoring (after the tmi).

Sometimes, there's a minor bodyache keeping me awake -- not quite enough to be registered as painful, just enough to irritate. I take a quick advil and it usually does the trick.

Pie;635715 wrote:

Have you tried a white noise generator?
A ceiling fan helps my insomnia. As does sleeping in a colder environment, blocking out extraneous light, sex before sleep...

I run a fan at all times when sleeping (or trying to). It's usually around 66-68 degrees (F) in the bedroom. It's very dark, even at noon. I'd be interested in hearing more about this "sex" you speak of. Feel free to go into as much detail as you like. As a matter of fact, PLEASE, GO INTO DETAIL!!!!

I take trazodone. It puts me to sleep and enables me to fall back to sleep if/when I wake during the night...which happens all the time, unless my husband isn't sleeping in the bed. If I run out of pills, I suffer horribly.

Bright sunlight in the morning can help with insomnia. No screen time at night can also help, not that anyone is going to do that. Blue (and natural) light resets your clock. Dim your lights at night.

Getting up at the same (early) time each day, even on weekends.

Going to bed at the same reasonable time each night, even on weekends.

Getting plenty of exercise each day.

Eating health foods.

Don't drink a lot before bed time.

No caffeine after noon.

SamIam;633253 wrote:

I have been plagued by insomnia all my life. Lately it has gotten worse, and I'm up with the Aussies. Warm milk doesn't help. Valarian doesn't help. Counting sheep, cats, rats doesn't work. Any ideas?

Buy yourself some melatonin @ 3mg. It's cheap, and it's the same hormone your body naturally produces to induce sleep. It won't make you noticeably sleepy if you are involved in an activity, but if you observe a few steps when you take it, you will find sleep.

Take it on an empty stomach at least 2 hours after a meal. If heavy in fats, 4 hours. Take it 30 minutes to an hour before your bedtime. When you do go to bed, try to relax and avoid any movement. You'll find that easier to do than you normally would.

If you observe these steps, I think you'll find a quality, restful sleep. If not, you're only out a few dollars.