Yeah I have insomnia every summer for some reason. I’ve talked to my doctor about it but he has been no help at all. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Chosen Answer:

To relieve insomnia, you should avoid substances that make it worse and have good bedtime habits that make it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep. Make sure your bedroom is a comfortable temperature, dark, and quiet enough for sleep.

Good bedtime habits include:

- Prepare yourself for sleep by, e.g. preparing a ‘to do’ list for tomorrow, so that such distractions are at their minimum when you actually hit the bed.

- Turn your alarm clock so that its glow doesn’t let you know of the time ticking away.

- Not exercising, eating heavy meals, or drinking a lot shortly before bedtime. One exception is yoga. A number of yoga postures are designed to calm your body and prepare you for sleep.

- Following a routine that helps you wind down and relax before bed, such as reading a book, listening to soothing music, or taking a hot bath.

- If you share a bed, buy a king size bed with two different mattresses so that you two don’t disturb each other while sleeping.

- Making your bedroom sleep-friendly. Avoid bright lighting and minimize possible sleep distractions, such as a TV, computer, or pet.

- Going to sleep around the same time each night and waking up around the same time each morning, even on weekends. If possible, avoid night shifts or alternating schedules at work and other causes of irregular sleep schedules.

Both herbal and homeopathic remedies are commonly used alternatives to sleeping tablets in reducing insomnia, and can be very effective in helping to assist an individual in the transition to peaceful slumber without strong sedatives or any concerning side effects.

Certain herbs such as Hypericum perforatum, Scuttelaria laterifolia, Passiflora incarnata can be used to maintain healthy sleep patterns and promote optimal balance of sleep-related hormones involved in the sleep cycle.

Homeopathic remedies such as Coffea C30 and Nux Vom. C30 are also used to reduce insomnia and maintain restful, satisfying, and healthy sleep. Other natural supplements that are widely used to address the underlying causes of chronic insomnia are calcium lactate, magnesium lactate and vitamin B6.

You may get more info here http://www.healthherbsandnutrition.com/remedies/i/insomnia.htm

Hope all this helps

Good Luck
by:
on: 20th January 11

I think i’m an insomniac. I can’t fall asleep until 4 am each night. I always get super anxious at night. Is this something worth going to the doctor over? Do i have insomnia?

Chosen Answer:

You may take a trip to the doctor but pre-diagnosing yourself may be part of the problem. Only a doctor can actually tell you what the problem is. Try getting ready for bed earlier, cut off the tv an hour before you intend to fall asleep. I usually get a book and read until I get sleepy.

Eating before can also cause you to lose sleep.

The less thoughts you have running through your mind the better your body starts to relax. Try that first and if that doesn’t count then you should see a doctor.
by:
on: 24th July 11

I just started taking effexor on Thursday for depression, anxiety, muscle pain, and migraines. Before I started taking it I would always wake up early in the morning (6 to 7 am) and not be able to fall asleep but now I also am waking up about 4 times throughout the night and having a hard time falling back asleep. My question is will this go away after the 1st couple weeks of taking this drug or will I continue having insomnia the whole time?
I have always avoided taking pills but my depression/anxiety got so bad I just lay on the couch and watch tv day from the physical pain it causes me.

Chosen Answer:

I had that too when I first started taking Effexor. After about 10 days my sleeping patterns were back to normal, and after a month the benefits of taking it far outweighed the first couple of weeks of insomnia. If you’re still sleeping badly in a couple of weeks you should see your doctor, as with any other side effects that haven’t gone away by then. God luck!
by: Rain Dogs
on: 20th February 09

Sometimes, humans can be trouble falling asleep when we want to sleep. Whenever humans feel that we need to be asleep, sometimes we have trouble falling asleep.

While insomnia is extremely common in humans, there isn’t much news about dogs, cats or other mammals with trouble falling asleep.

Chosen Answer:

Humans abuse themselves so much more. Look at the crap we eat, look at the lack of exercise we get, look at all of the unhealthy levels of stress we undergo. Animals have a very simple mission: Eat, reproduce, run away from predators, and sleep. If life were that easy for us, we’d all be getting our 8 hours just fine.
by:
on: 17th December 11

I don’t want links to websites about insomnia or suggestions for different types of meds. I just want to know how other insomniacs like myself deal with it. How do you deal with your day at work/school? At the end of the day what do you do to help your body fall asleep?

Chosen Answer:

If you have real insomnia you either don’t go to sleep at all or you go to sleep for only a few hours.

I went through a period of about three months where I didn’t and couldn’t sleep at all. I am a single mom of three kids, full time college student, and could barely function. I had a difficult time concentrating on anything.
A friend of mine gave me sleeping pills to try but that only put me to sleep for about 3 hours.

Then a nurse friend gave me B-12 and calcium to take.
Once I got started on that I was able to get more sleep.
Some other friends helped take care of my kids while I could sleep some. After about two weeks my life starting getting back to normal.
by: Jenn B
on: 8th September 08

I have high blood pressure and sometimes have trouble falling asleep and I have problems dealing with stress and anxiety. Can anyone give me any tips?

Thanks!

Chosen Answer:

Below are some proven methods you can use to reduce or eliminate anxiety:

a) Meditation is proven to help reduce anxiety and is also not difficult to learn. 10 minutes a day is all that is required to help calm your mind

b) Self Hypnosis: You should buy a good book on this and learn self hypnosis

c) Repeating Positive Affirmations: The best time to do this is at night before bed or in the morning when you wake up. About 7 to 8 minutes is all you need.

d) Try to learn the root cause of your anxiety. For example I use to be scared of the dark, and learned I was accidentally locked in a dark basement as a child. As soon as I learned this my fear of the dark immediately went away.
by:
on: 16th December 11

What is insomnia? Is it like sleeplessness, or is it worse? Where can I find information about insomnia and sleeplessness?

Chosen Answer:

Insomnia

is a symptom of a sleeping disorder characterized by persistent difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep despite the opportunity. Insomnia is a symptom, not a stand-alone diagnosis or a disease. By definition, insomnia is “difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep, or both” and it may be due to inadequate quality or quantity of sleep. It is typically followed by functional impairment while awake. Insomniacs have been known to complain about being unable to close their eyes or “rest their mind” for more than a few minutes at a time. Both organic and non-organic insomnia constitute a sleep disorder.

more facts:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insomnia

by: remrem
on: 4th March 09

I have insomnia and i really can’t fall asleep at all i’ve tried since 11pm until now. I’ve tossed and turned many times and i don’t know the real reason why i can’t fall asleep. I think it could be because of my insomnia but I’m not sure. It’s like 2:15 am in the morning on the east coast right now and i can’t fall asleep and i feel sleep deprived. What could i do so i could fall asleep ? I feel so crappy right now because i can’t fall asleep.

Chosen Answer:

Check your current heart-rate. Do anything you can to get it to slow down. Get up and dance like crazy or work out if you’re stressed out. If that isn’t your cup of tea, try meditating. I try reading a boring book. Something to get my mind out of the spiral of thoughts.
I know you’re crazy tired though. Basically, what you can do is get up, walk around, take a deep breath and do something that relaxes you, whether it be reading/listening to music/drawing/singing/etc. Whatever it is, get out of bed and do that. Then do some deep breathing exercises, and try and clear your head of all thought. But only do that after you can get your body to relax. Don’t drink coffee, or anything caffeinated.
But don’t worry too hard. It’ll be okay.
by: Hailey
on: 20th October 09

I have on set insomnia meaning that i would have trouble falling asleep sometimes it lasts for hours even when am sooo sleepy, when i am in bed i can;t fall asleep. but i do sleep alot and i have trouble waking up and would sometimes wake up restless.
I also can’t concentrate at all, I can’t play a mind game that lasts for exactly one minute with concentration.
it has been like that for a week.
never drank or smoked or did drugs and don’t even get caffine.

Chosen Answer:

stress, anxiety, caffiene or alcohol overuse, depression, hormonal changes, change in environment
by:
on: 28th August 09

Please describe the severity of your insomnia, and how regularly you take the drug.
@ I do care: Are you in Australia too?

Chosen Answer:

I suffer severe insomnia.
I had a sleep study done a few weeks ago.

It is currently 4:30am here and I’m still wide awake.
I sometimes won’t fall asleep until 6:00am.

I DON’T sleep my day away either.

I have had insomnia for 5 or 6 years. It’s hard to tell. It ‘feels’ as if it’s gone on forever.

At night, I try my hardest NOT to take ethe meds unless I need to. I have been prescribed Seroquol 200mg XR. Initially it was 200mg immediate release. But I got so hungry and couldn’t stop eating. Gaining 15kg’s although I am still active.

I am also prescribed Temazepam 20mg.

My Endep, an antidepressant that works on neuropathic pain, makes you tired.

With my hey-fever and head cold I have now, I take 2 to 3 Phernergan.

I have now been started on 100mcg of Catapress. So far that’s working. But I have no idea why I am so awake tonight.

I will ONLY take this if I try and get to sleep doing relaxation and still can’t go to sleep.

Insomnia sucks!

EDIT: Yep I am.
In Victoria.
by: I do care!
on: 10th August 10