Would Like Some Advice on getting better sleep

[lookingforme]

Hi All,

Just taking an opportunity to vent some frustration here, maybe get some advice...

I've been on my meds for about half a year now and I've had some averages and lows that I've cycled through. I've been on a low recently and I'm trying to work my way out of it now. Doing little things to reassert control over thinghs in my life. I've been on an exercise regimen and I've been eating healthily. I've established some goals that I'm actually looking forward to achieving (an immense improvement over the beginning of the year).
However, the one thing that I cannot seem to shake is my sleep/insomnia...
When I first started my meds they put me to sleep rather quickly but I've seemed to outrun that effect. More of a concern is my sleep quality. Again, these meds make it almost impossible to wake up within 12 hours of sleeping. They used to keep me asleep for that time but now I find myself waking up during the night again. And the wuality of the sleep...everytime I wake up I feel like I've run a full marathon, I'm exhausted. And the fatigue doesn't leave me.

I guess I'm just wondering if, like my psych says, this will settle down in time (I'm wondering if that means that I have to wait for my current crappy situation to change), and if anyone has some non-chemical things that work for them that I could try?

[DefiantPanda]

I managed to have warm milk work for me one time, then another time I googled 'mindfulness' and did a mindfulness exercise in bed and it worked. In case you don't know what mindfulness is, it's like guided meditation.

[sunlightguardian]

Hi lookingforme

I'm glad to hear that you've been doing things that help you take better control of life and finding something to look forward to. 

As DefiantPanda said, milk sometimes works for me and maybe also try to decrease the amount of salt consumption and electronic time before sleep. You could also try writing down your thoughts (you might not realise it but it may be because you're mind's too crammed with them), on a piece of paper. Any form of meditation could also be helpful and is a good way to end the day. 🙂

Take care,

Steph

[geoff]

dear Lookingforme, hi and thanks for posting your comment, although you aren't a newcomer doesn't stop any of us still having problems.

When I went to bed in a depressed state I would listen to a radio station that always played the music I loved to hear, sure there were times when I cried, but I tried to listen to the words of the song being played, rather than getting absorbed in the negative thoughts that were going around and around in my head. Geoff.

[Chris_B]

Hi lookingforme, some great tips above. See also these threads below which have further advice:

Need to sleep

I can't sleep

Sick of getting no sleep

Feeling very overwhelmed can't sleep

Need to sleep

Counting sheep

Advice on sleep

Depression, anxiety and sleeping

[Granma_M]

Hi lookingforme.  Lack of good quality sleep makes dealing with life, no matter who we are, or what our responsibilities are, pretty well impossible.  I have found the following very helpful. Every day when I make the bed I make sure that the sheets and covers are smooth over the mattress and that the bed smells nice.  Lavender is good in the bed as long as you are not allergic ( if you don't sleep in a regular bed,  sometimes it might be on the lounge or floor or in a sleeping bag make sure you prepare it freshly each day]

Before I go to bed I make sure that I have a comfortable pillow.  

  If I fall asleep Ok but then wake and can not get back to sleep within 1/2 hour, I get up.  I leave the bedroom . Then I  decide, am I hungry? am I thirsty? need to go to the toilet. If so I make myself a  drink and something to eat.  Maybe turn on the TV /radio  or play some soothing music.  If I am relaxed / sleepy  I go back to bed.

If I wake up and start feeling anxious , sad or frightened or have garbage running  through my brain I go and find something to write with and something to write on.

I keep writing down what ever is going through my brain until it seems to be empty  of all the rubbish.

If I  feel relaxed enough, I go  back to bed

If I do not settle down within 1/4 hour I get up again .  Start writing again  maybe a drink of water.   Back to bed  etc.  I have in the past when I was really ill and doing it tough I might of got up as many as 12 times in one night.

[lookingforme]

Hi All,

 Thanks for all of your responses.  I put into practice almost everything you have suggested, except for the milk thing.  I try to minimize my milk consumption actually.  

I think I find particular trouble with my quality of sleep.  I have an immense amount of dreams at night, mostly troubling.  In fact, the other night I thought I was having successive fits or something.  

I don't know, meds, therapy, nothing has actually helped me sleep better when I can sleep.  But I definitely write it down or draw it.

Granma M, it is particularly hard to function due to lack of sleep.  I often feel like I have PTSD from my dreams, it's what it can feel like.  I'm seeing the psychiatrist this week some time so this is definitely something to discuss.

I feel frustrated because this is the only thing I feel I can't proactively change because I've been trying.

Thanks again

[Kiten]

Hi lookingforme,

I don't know if the advice I have is going to be helpful or not.

I have had insomnia since my early teens. Both trouble getting to or staying asleep and lack of restful sleep. Mine is usually caused by stress and anxiety but I can't always tell what the cause is. For me there's no "cure" I've found but there are things that help. 

I'm anti sleeping pills as they often make me feel worse and only use them in extreme circumstances to reboot my sleeping patterns. But I can share some things that have helped at various points: 

- hot bath or shower before bed, or other ways of relaxing my body often helps

- having no phone or computer access an hour before I actually go to bed. 

- visulisation exercises once in bed. For example I make up a story  (something that interests you as long as it's not negative) and keep adding more until I fall asleep

- the sound of a fan, rhythmic noise or white noise 

- making the bedroom a problem free zone (this takes time), not permitting yourself to think about things that cause you stress or anxiety. If I can't stop these thoughts I make myself get up and leave the bedroom 

-bad dreams - forcing myself to get up and do something when I have a bad dream. This helps me to shake the dream and can be something as simple as having a small glass of water or in the case of nightmares I play with my cat at 2am in the morning lol

Then there are these 2 which may not be useful but worth considering-

- hydration and potassium, you said you've been exercising ... when my body is dehydrated or lacking potassium I usually sleep restlessly... This was something I never had considered having an impact until my personal trainer brought it up

- pillows - (this is not me trying to sell you something) I bought a bamboo pillow on a whim after a friend was talking it up, took a little getting used to but it has helped keep my body more comfortable and I think it's helping the quality of my sleep

now that I've created I huge post, I've probably bored you to sleep ... but I honestly hope something might help, real sleep makes everything easier to deal with 🙂

[Dwwmills]

Hello lookingforme.

Something else you could do is to see whether there is a
sleep clinic in your area. These people specialise in sleeping disorders. I
went to one myself and found it to be extremely useful.

They will check out your sleep patterns by getting you to
feel in a sleep diary. They use a sleep diary to find out when you go to bed,
when you wake up, how often you wake up at night, for how long, when you eat,
caffeine intake, alcohol intake and medications. They will all so liaison with
your psychiatrist/Doctor who was prescribing medication, if the medication
happens to be a problem.

They will also check to see if you’re likely to have sleep
apnoea and do blood test to check for other physical problems.

You’ll learn a lot about sleep and sleep hygiene. They will
help you get to the bottom of the problem as they look at all areas that may be
affecting your sleep.

There are private sleep clinics and also sleep clinics are
connected to public hospitals. Some you can attend as a public patient and some
are private.

Good luck.

[persistence]

Hi 

hoping that you have had some success with the above suggestions.

i found that listening to 1/2 hour guided meditations on YouTube helped me.

it took me awhile to find the right one (the voice,the music,etc) but once I did I was asleep within the first 15-20 minutes.

good luck x