I haven't been able to sleep at a decent hour for awhile...any suggestions?

Edited by author 12-02-2002 01:32 PM
Chamomile tea and some rum. Or a glass of red wine.

definately chamomile tea (celestial seasings sleepytime extra) w/ honey
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Try to tire yourself out with exercise, but be sure its a good 4 hours before you plan to go to bed. A hot bath. Sleepytime tea. Counting backwards slowly. A terrible book.

a little author by the name of David Hume. gets me every time.

Edited by author 12-02-2002 06:10 PM
Liquor helps - you can get over-the-counter sleeping pills that work like a charm too. Just don't mix the two. I battled with insomnia for over a year and NOTHING worked (boring books, warm baths, teas, etc.) I was real hesitant to try pills, but that is what they were made for... They didn't make me feel drowsy during the day either and I didn't have the morning aches that you get when you have a "night cap" to help you sleep.

I haven't had trouble getting to sleep for a long time though - the problem ended up solving itself... I moved to a better neighborhood and the anxiety that was keeping me awake at night left. :)

Insomnia has driven me mad mad mad. The best thing that seems to help me is to recite some sort of simple chant over and over and over until my brain, just from plain boredom just goes to sleep. I use "ohm nah may padme ohm" which is a buddist prayer. That way, I figure I'm taking care of two important needs with a single effort.

I wrote about it in my own WeBLog: The Pain and Itch of Insomnia. If nothing else works, try drinking wine, chanting, counting sheep and melatonin while taking a hot bath.

Good luck,
-Karan

Celestal Seaonings Sleepytime tea, reading, an aromatherapy concoction rubbed on the temples worked wonders for me last time I had a bout of insomnia, I got my aromatherapy stuff at Escents in Vancouver not sure if they sell it in the US but I’m sure that you can find something comparable. Also I find just thinking of a “blank white screen” or solid color while breathing in and out to be effective also. Good luck!

I have hideous insomnia problems, more than ever this past year when I haven't been working (that's how I found your blog, Bonnie, during one of my regular 4am surfing sessions). I've just been going with it, and have learned where all the squeaky floorboards are so I don't bother my sleeping partner.

Two solutions I have heard -- one is the "20 minute rule", where you never lie awake in bed for more than 20 minutes. If you can't sleep, stop trying and get up and do something useful. The other is "SR", or "sleep reduction", where you stay in bed for only certain hours, like between 11 and 7 am, and if you don't sleep between those hours then you don't sleep, you have to stay up the rest of the day. I think I will be getting this treatment automatically next year when I start back to university in January, because I'll have early lectures. I expect the first few weeks to be hellish, but to get on a better schedule after that because of the increased structure in my life. Do you have more unstructured time this year? Maybe that's it.

Sound machine...sound machine...sound machine! I've been using a sound machine and white noise to help me sleep. The white noise helps to induce alpha waves and gives me something to concentrate on other than my rambling ADD mind. The only problem is that now I can't sleep without a sound machine...so I had to buy a travel one.

Just try smoking pot - works perfectly for me.
And you don't get the bad side effects of using pharmaceuticals.

http://www.erowid.org/index.shtml

take some sleeping pills.

What helps me get to sleep is to force myself to concentrate on one thing, and one thing only. It helps if it's something mundane. For example I'll imagine myself giving somebody directions on how to get somewhere, or giving someone a tutorial on something, leading them through it step by step. I think that's the idea behind counting sheep. Just think of something that holds your concentration and keeps your mind from wandering.

Edited by author 12-10-2002 09:56 AM
Watch boring movies, those old classics. I have lots of em to put me to sleep. My favorite is "Breakfast At Tiffany's". Not that I hate them but their mono language just bore me to sleep. Works fer me. Do something boring. Doing the laundry, very calming. The splashing murmurs always put me to sleep.

nothing is working!! i'm out of smokes and smoke... maybe staying awake for a few more days will help me get a good sleep in a couple of nights. what can i do for the next 3 hours before work?