Trouble sleeping?

[vernon]

hello,

Sometimes i have trouble sleeping, or just trouble getting to sleep at a reasonable time, its not that i am one of those people who only need a few hours sleep either because i think i need loads! maybe i could be nocturnal?

As stress is a big cause of sleeping trouble i thought it'd be a good topic for a post, ther've probably been topics on here before but i couldn't find a thread on it with the search function :)


i found this site (http://www.mental-health-matters.com/articles/article.php?artID=521) which i thought had a couple of good things


... any ideas to help with sleeping trouble?...

[Bonkers Mad!!!]

Chamomile is excellent as a tea and as a bath preperation (a well known brand's, baby bath contains chamomile). ready prepared Chamomile tea is fine and you can also drape one of the bags over the hot tap while the bath is running. if you add clove (which is also a sleep aid), you end up with an excellent tea that not only aids sleep but also lifts depression.

you will need:
2 Chamomile teabags
a handful of cloves
a sandwich bag
a rolling pin
honey (and/or whiskey) optional

first, put the taps on for a bath, hang one of the teabags over the hot tap :thumbs: .

then take your cloves, put them into the sandwich bag and whack them with the rolling pin, DO NOT smash the hell out of them :nono: just bruise them slightly. put on a small pan of water and bring to the boil, empty the cloves into the water and simmer for a few minutes. remove from the heat, remove the cloves and add one teaspoonful of the liquid to your cup.
CHECK THE BATH :rolleyes:
next, fill the kettle and put it on. put the other teabag in the cup ;)
boil the kettle, make the tea, add honey (and/or whiskey), (optional)

drink the tea in the bath :thumbs:

(don't do this if you are allergic to any of the ingredients ;) )

[Bonkers Mad!!!]

btw, you can refrigerate the clove water but don't keep it for more than a couple of days. and never substitute the clove water with clove oil :nono:

[mazza]

Hi Vern :)

I like to have a drink of instant malted chocolate horlicks before bed if I feel I will have bother getting to sleep (mind you these days I can just about sleep standing up :yawn: ) .

I also put 'TalkSport Radio' on really low so it just drones away - very hypnotic!! :zzz:

Otherwise you can get hold of CD's quite cheap that have 'nature' sounds on them designed to realx that can be useful. They don't have to be nature sounds either, there are all sorts - pan pipes, classical chill, etc.

Hot baths with nice smelly things in as suggested are good too, or what about a hot (but not too hot) shower and pamper yourself with a fave shower gel & body lotion after. Loads of guys now moisturise their skin, the routine of which is is a way of winding down and relaxing, ready for a kip. :zzz:

Oh and no tea or coffee in the evenings - too stimulating! :nono:

Best wishesto you :) !!

[E N D V R A]

We went through a period of not sleeping. We had two children under 3 and NFH with 3 barking dogs.

Eventually had to go to the doctors and get some sleeping tablets, which did the trick.

[vernon]

theres a few things to try! ..thanks.. i thought it would be a good thread because im sure loads of people with nfh have trouble sleeping. Any ideas welcome :)

I was suprised too that it said on a website that something i already did was a good idea!! .. to have a bowl of cereal with hot milk at bedtime, i never have breakfast so that was a time saver for the next morning ;) and apparently your stomach doesn't properly digest at that time anyway, so when up the next day and the metabolism gets going a little energy boost all morning!

Its probably very bad but i don't even eat much through the day either so i spose thats a contributor.

hmmm...im nut sure if i'd stretch to appyling body lotions and stuff quite yet
but i do rate good bubble bath :)

a cd of "raining" noise might be quite good, i sometimes leave classicFM on quite low as that is pretty relaxing, and when i had nfh stuff i left the tv on just for white noise :)

[alicks]

The only time recently I had a good night sleep was when I palmed the kids (2 under two) off on my mother in law, when my wife was away for the night.

I suggest borrowing 2 children, and getting a babysitter. LOL :D

[Annabel]

:blink: i dont always sleep as well as id like to and i put the blame squarely on the bedroom environment...i have these very nasty polystyrene ceiling tiles in the bedroom which we havent mananged to have removed yet (a right pain of a job for any decorator)...

i absolutely hate sleeping with those things over my head...

so i think,. make sure your bedroom is as nice as you can get it, with the best bedlinen, keep it nice clean and tidy and as uncluttered as possible, to get positive CHI flowing round it, dont leave smelly socks etc on the floor, basically get the room as tranquil as possible so your brain can wind down and switch off and not be over stimulated....

also, vernon, your eating patterns are all round the wrong way, you are going to bed hungry which is why you end up eating cereal...you need to fill your tank with petrol in the morning, not at night!!!!

i love the sound of that clove and camomile tea , i will defintely try that!!! (and then put a sleep mask on so i cant see those blinking ceiling tiles :bigeyes: )

[Eeyore]

I've had trouble sleeping in the past, now the things that work for me are:

A brisk walk on an evening, so that I come back feeling tired :)
A cup of hot chocolate :)
A nice warm bath
and then crisp bed sheets :thumbs:

(and no snoring from Mr Eeyore :( )

[mazza]

:lol: I also came back to add that you shopuld make your bedroom your sanctuary - as comfy as possible. Spend as much as you can afford on really nice bedding - including a nice new duvet or blankets.

I have a really crud bedroom that I am working my way round to 'getting sorted'. But I have got new bedlinen and pillows and it def. made a difference! :D

Funnily enough, TalkSport had a sleep expert on this morning ( :lol: :wow: ) and he said to try just about everything that we have said here already!! (are we cool? B) )

He especially recommends Camomile tea as it has been clinically proven to help relax and calm :thumbs: .

:D

[sickofhull]

Suffering from insomnia to varying degrees most of my life I’m either a really good or really bad person to talk about this.
The most important thing seems to be routine.
Going to sleep around the same time every night.
If you do have a bad night try not to sleep in too much next morning as this breaks your sleep cycle.
i.e. when you wake up- get up.
It’s a good idea not too eat big meals on a night as this raises your metabolism.
Easily digested food such as cereals, toast, soup etc are best.
Reading has helped me take my mind off my situation & so help me wind down.
Try not too deal with or talk about any serious issues which need a lot of thought.
If you have the heating too high this can also interfere with sleep- it’s actually better to have a slight “nip” in the air, relying on covers for warmth.
If really stressed there are some simple relaxation techniques such as counting backwards.
Sit or lie comfortably keeping your back reasonably straight.
Then start to focus in on your breathing.
Don’t try to change the depth or rhythm just become aware of it.
Feel the air going in through your nose & out through your mouth.
When ready, count 50 on an exhale then 49 on the in etc down to 20.
When you reach 20 only count on the exhale.
This acts as a natural break & generally slows you down & calms your thoughts.
It can take a bit of practice to get used to it but is well worth the effort.
When you get to 0 you can just stop ( a good time to start reading) or carry on focusing on the breath. (counting from 1to10 if you need focus)
Another one is to take a good steady breath in & then release it in a sigh relaxing your whole body as you do ( keep this calm & relaxed).
Repeat about 12 times ( as good a no. as any).
You can also put the two together starting with the twelve breaths & then counting backwards.
Again , the main thing is routine.
Keep the last couple of hours before sleep as your wind down time( hard to do with NFH, I know) try to “let go” of any troubles, leaving them for the morning & find a routine that works for you.
Hope this helps.
P.S. not wishing to preach , if you do have faith , the lords prayer in the morning & “the lord is my shepherd”- psalm 23 - at night ( followed by a personal prayer ) is a great way to reinforce a routine & strengthen & refresh your spirit.

[Beth]

you mentioned CHE flowing Annabel, Feng shui really does work! and it should be practiced in the bedroom aswell, like dont have a mirror opposite your bed, never have the bed behind the door, have it facing the door so you are not worried about not seeing if theres anyone there etc :)

mmmm crispy clean bedsheets, great! I have some fluffy lavender filled pillows that do help me too
and I go with the white noise too :D

[Domestic Goddess]

I find having a warm bath and then, while the water is draining away, stay lying in the bath with your eyes closed and feel the water slowly lowering - it's feels as if you are being gently pulled downwards. Then when the bath is empty, gently pat yourself dry, rather than rubbing vigourously and then quietyly mooch off to bed.

Don't watch anything exciting on TV as this can make adrenaline pump through your body.

As you lie in bed think of 5 things that you are grateful that day. It can be anything like being thankful for a comfy bed.

If, like me, you have faith then this is a good time to pray and reflect.

I can't recommend having bedtime drinks because, having had 2 children, they'd only mean that I have to get up and wee in the early hours of the morning!!!

I suppose you good video a collection of Party Political broadcasts - they always make my eyes glaze over!!

[Bonkers Mad!!!]

and if at all possible your head should be pointing North ;)

[Eeyore]

They're excellent HN :thumbs:

My bedroom is lilac so I sort of click there ;)

The alarm clock thing is true too, nothing worse than lying awake clock watching :rolleyes:

[Lady Penelope]

:D Fluffy pillows...all four of them :)

Wax ear plugs :)

Alarm clock in the drawer :)

Watch dog under the bed (not snoring) :lol:

CCTV running....dictaphone/phone by the bed :rolleyes:

Before all this.....nice bubble bath....hot chocolate and bed socks :bigeyes: CD playing soft music..little glass of Bailys if overly stressed.

Works for me even now..... :lol: Doing this after the decorating :thumbs:
LPxxx

[Beth]

just dont forget that whirlpool bath make a lot of runmbling noise, low pitch which can be heard by neighbours, so if you are having a whirly bubble bath dont leave it too late! :D

[Mr Ribbit]

Good tips there HN! :thumbs: Thanks.

I read a story to ribbit to help her sleep. That seems to work well (unless something funny or dramatic is happening :rolleyes: ).

mr ribbit B)

[mazza]

I noticed that there will be a programme on BBC1 in England & Wales (NI I think too) tomorrow, that's Weds 2nd Feb at 9 pm about sleeping.

The review I read said that it will give all sorts of info about sleep, why we need to sleep, problems sleeping and what to do about having difficulty getting to sleep...etc :) .

I don't know when it will be shown in Scotland yet - can't find it on the schedules. But Sky viewers can get it on BBC1 England (Ch 944) anyway.

It is to be presented by Robert Winston so it shouldn't be too boring...mind you if you want a kip, that could be useful! :yawn: :zzz:

[hollygolightly]

Thanks, mazza. :)

I saw a clip for this and it looks interesting. :D

:zzz:

:yawn:

[vernon]

i watched that TV show... who else did??... what did you think?

i did the tests as well... i think i got a "medium nght owl" .. and i know on one test i scored about 30!!! .. my relaxation balance is all out :unsure:


i wanted to say too...there's loads of good advice and info in this thread...plenty of things to try in different areas :) danke

the idea of lying in the bath and letting the water out sounds really good!... even justing imagining that seems quite relaxing, lying there letting the water drain away.. very symbolic too for un-stressing.

There's one mental exercise i have found very very good too, it was on the website i found, it really works to stop stress or thoughts flying round your head if you want to sleep:
Choose any relaxing color (blue, green, yellow, etc). Place your hands on your stomach and imagine that you are expanding a colored balloon in your stomach when you inhale. Exhale an insomnia/anxiety color (red, black, etc) through your mouth. Continue this for 5-10-50 times, whatever it takes. It is impossible to focus on your body/breath while entertaining thoughts.


i don't know about how many repititions, but i just try it for a few seconds when i want to stop whatever has crept in me head when i want to sleep, and sure enough you can't think about anything except the thoughts linked to breathing :D

[hollygolightly]

Originally posted by vernon@7th February 2005 - 10:53 PM
when i want to stop whatever has crept in me head when i want to sleep, and sure enough you can't think about anything except the thoughts linked to breathing :D
94779


I missed that programme, vernon, but this kind of technique works for lots of things.

If you're having a really hard time with things whizzing around your brain, try picturing the number one, it can be as a numeral or written, keep saying "one" in your head. Doing this properly can really help clearing your mind from unwanted thoughts. :D

Well, it works for me anyway! ;) :D

[cinderella]

Gahh!! I've got insomnia right now!!! :angry:

Truth is, I really don't want to sleep - far too may other things I want to do, but know I have to be up early for work. I'm going to have a go with some of the techniques people have suggested - and convince myself sleep is a good idea (I know I'll think it is at 7am.....)


:blink:

xxx


Cinders

[JessicaRabbit]

There are some good tips there.I am having trouble dropping off these days as just can't relax as I just think that NFH is going to start,I feel very anxious on a night now.

I have thought about getting a CD which plays the sound of a distant thunderstorm or a rain shower.

I had 2 bottles of red wine last Saturday night and didn't hear a thing,really did the trick but I can't really reccommend this for regular use :D