Can't seem to get to sleep!
Question:
All of the aforementioned remedies are splendid, I’ve tried just about all of them at one time or another … for me, I usually go ahead and make sure the alarms are all set for getting up (I use 3 alarm clocks), I make me a bourbon and coke in one of those Hardees to-go cups, take a Benedryl, set the TV to Nick At Night, get comfortable in front of the computer and the next thing I know it’s time to go to work … I think the computer and TV diverts my attention while all the other is kicking in … – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Have to go to get up for work in 4 hours and I just can’t stop my mind long enough to fall asleep. Just one of those night where you can’t stop thinking about what if……Oh well, guess I am better off laying in bed resting then sitting up yawning. John
Response:
This will work well in the short-term, but do not let it prevent you from rebuilding your life and moving on. That, IMHO, is the LT solution. The more of your life becomes consumed with "other things," the less need there will be for self-medication. — ===Roger=== "Ya can’t please everyone, so ya got to please yourself." — Ricky Nelson, "Garden Party"
All of the aforementioned remedies are splendid. I’ve tried just about all of them at one time or another. … for me, I usually go ahead and make sure the alarms are all set for getting up (I use 3 alarm clocks). I make me a bourbon and coke in one of those Hardees to-go cups, take a Benedryl, set the TV to Nick At Night, get comfortable in front of the computer and the next thing I know it’s time to go to work … I think the computer and TV diverts my attention while all the other is kicking in …
Response:
Have to go to get up for work in 4 hours and I just can’t stop my mind long enough to fall asleep. Just one of those night where you can’t stop thinking about what if……Oh well, guess I am better off laying in bed resting then sitting up yawning. John
Ever try visualization? Picture yourself walking on the beach (substitute your favorite non-stressful place) – that combined with deep breathing/counting backwards from 100 sometimes helps. Lately, though, it’s still been taking me 2 – 3 hours to get to sleep – - even with the long beach strolls.
Response:
Try my solution, go to school full time, work full time, and then go to your part-time job… no matter how much is on your mind, you will get your full 4 hours sleep a night 
Have to go to get up for work in 4 hours and I just can’t stop my mind long enough to fall asleep. Just one of those night where you can’t stop thinking about what
if……Oh well, guess – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I am better off laying in bed resting then sitting up yawning. John
Response:
I will try the antihistamine tonight but I might not need it *** I just can’t stop my mind long enough to fall asleep. ***
I know this feeling well. Lately it’s been much, much better but sometimes my racing mind gets the better of me and I can’t sleep till 1 or 2 am (that’s how it was last night). I can usually trace it back to either extreme stress about something or having drunk too much caffiene. One thing that works sometimes is to remind myself that there is NOTHING I can do about (whatever the problem is) tonight; that this is the time for sleeping and I’ll be rested and better able to deal with the problem in the morning if I set it aside for now. If that doesn’t work, I will get up and make myself a hot de-caf drink and make a list. If I’m worried about bills, I make a list of the bills and reassure myself that I can work out a plan. If I’m worried about a kid, I make a note to call the ex and discuss it with him so that we can work out a plan. You get the drift. If I just can’t get sleepy, I either read till I fall asleep, or turn on the tube and watch Letterman. Sometimes it only takes a few minutes to fall asleep, once I’ve distracted my mind from the problem. When I was going through this DURING my divorce, I dealth with it by not dealing with it; that is, I drank too much and was irresponsible. All that did was delay my healing for a couple of years. Lauri in WA I like my email spamless
Response:
Glad to see that I am abnormally, normal. I used to think that I was the only one with these sleepless symptoms. I usually do the visualization but when it doesn’t work….I start visualizing something a little more muscular and "explicit" if you catch my drift. Before long…I’m relaxed and ready for sleep….. Did I say that? Nope…not me!
Have to go to get up for work in 4 hours and I just can’t stop my mind long enough to fall asleep. Just one of those night where you can’t stop thinking about what
if……Oh well, guess – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I am better off laying in bed resting then sitting up yawning. John Ever try visualization? Picture yourself walking on the beach (substitute your favorite non-stressful place) – that combined with deep breathing/counting backwards from 100 sometimes helps. Lately, though, it’s still been taking me 2 – 3 hours to get to sleep – - even with the long beach strolls.
Response:
For Sleep: My therapist advised me to use a non-prescription antihistamine, such as Benadryl, and to listen to mind-numbing music, like Enya or James Taylor. — ===Rog’===
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – It’s called depression, John. That’s why God gave us Valium. Ask the doc for some to help you sleep on nights like that. It’ll help in that respect and keep you on an even keel so you don’t get worse through sleep deprivation. Have to go to get up for work in 4 hours and I just can’t stop my mind long enough to fall asleep. Just one of those night where you can’t stop thinking about what if……Oh well, guess I am better off laying in bed resting then sitting up yawning. John
Response:
I will try the antihistamine tonight but I might not need it as I have just got home from a 13 hour shift. I was just about to leave at the 10.5 hour mark and I caught a shoplifter (always at the end of a shift). The guy was a fighter and tried to run – his only ID – prison release paper. LOL John
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – For Sleep: My therapist advised me to use a non-prescription antihistamine, such as Benadryl, and to listen to mind-numbing music, like Enya or James Taylor. — ===Rog’=== It’s called depression, John. That’s why God gave us Valium. Ask the doc for some to help you sleep on nights like that. It’ll help in that respect and keep you on an even keel so you don’t get worse through sleep deprivation. Have to go to get up for work in 4 hours and I just can’t stop my mind long enough to fall asleep. Just one of those night where you can’t stop thinking about what if……Oh well, guess I am better off laying in bed resting then sitting up yawning. John
Response:
Sorry to hear you#re feeling depressed. The same happened to me for a while. Sombody advised to me that worry is just a form of negative fantasy – what you are worrying about is something that hasn’t and probably won’t happen. Chin up. Chris
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – It’s called depression, John. That’s why God gave us Valium. Ask the doc for some to help you sleep on nights like that. It’ll help in that respect and keep you on an even keel so you don’t get worse through sleep deprivation. Have to go to get up for work in 4 hours and I just can’t stop my mind long enough to fall asleep. Just one of those night where you can’t stop thinking about what if……Oh well, guess I am better off laying in bed resting then sitting up yawning. John
Response:
It’s called depression, John. That’s why God gave us Valium.
no, you don’t have to go to the meds. My mom didn’t take them after EITHER of her husbands died…. try the natural approach (suggested above) unless you literally do not sleep for DAYS in a row and cannot walk upright. warm milk is good…some people swear by valerian or camomile tea or even (ugh) melatonin….my sister swears by Benadryl but that’s a drug (doesn’t work for me). You can read something boring or watch bad TV. I still say: exercise. tire yourself out….it couldn’t hurt. listen to lulling music. Signed, Lane "I am not a doctor nor do I play one on the Internet" Ask the doc – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -for some to help you sleep on nights like that. It’ll help in that respect and keep you on an even keel so you don’t get worse through sleep deprivation. Have to go to get up for work in 4 hours and I just can’t stop my mind long enough to fall asleep. Just one of those night where you can’t stop thinking about what if……Oh well, guess I am better off laying in bed resting then sitting up yawning. John
Response:
For Sleep: My therapist advised me to use a non-prescription antihistamine, such as Benadryl, and to listen to mind-numbing music, like Enya or James Taylor.
I think I’ll forward this to ol JT and see how he likes it! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text — ===Rog’=== It’s called depression, John. That’s why God gave us Valium. Ask the doc for some to help you sleep on nights like that. It’ll help in that respect and keep you on an even keel so you don’t get worse through sleep deprivation. Have to go to get up for work in 4 hours and I just can’t stop my mind long enough to fall asleep. Just one of those night where you can’t stop thinking about what if……Oh well, guess I am better off laying in bed resting then sitting up yawning. John
Response:
After only a few nights on Benadryl, I was well-conditioned to fall asleep and it was no longer needed. Occasionally, I found myself waking after a short doze, siting in front of the computer. I also played a few "what if" games in my head, but managed to put them away (for the most part) by repeating this to myself: "I am not going to beat myself up over someone who chose to treat me like dirt. I deserved better." …So did we all (with certain exceptions). — ===Roger=== I will try the antihistamine tonight but I might not need it *** I just can’t stop my mind long enough to fall asleep.
***
Response:
When those wheels are a turnin’, nothing works. I’ve tried the gamut… I just tend to write down whatever is in my head and that usually works, but first, ya gotta know what is bugging you for that to work. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Have you tried melatonin? Works wonders for me. Denise I have those too. Don’tcha hate them! I try everything to get to sleep and then it seems that 15 minutes before I’m supposed to get up, I get verrrrry sleepy. Zzzzzzzz…. Cheryl (*an insomnia sufferer from WAYYYYY back) Have to go to get up for work in 4 hours and I just can’t stop my mind long enough to fall asleep. Just one of those night where you can’t stop thinking about what if……Oh well, guess I am better off laying in bed resting then sitting up yawning. John
Response:
Try these John: Stewart’s sleep potion: guided imagery tape. Cut the banana into sections and add to the milk in a blender. Liquefy the mixture and add NutraSweet to taste with perhaps some nutmeg. Take the Tryptophan. After 20 minutes, lie down in a dark room and follow the guided imagery. This works for me still after 2 years.
Have to go to get up for work in 4 hours and I just can’t stop my mind long enough to fall asleep. Just one of those night where you can’t stop thinking about what
if……Oh well, guess – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I am better off laying in bed resting then sitting up yawning. John
Response:
It’s called depression, John. That’s why God gave us Valium. Ask the doc for some to help you sleep on nights like that. It’ll help in that respect and keep you on an even keel so you don’t get worse through sleep deprivation.
Have to go to get up for work in 4 hours and I just can’t stop my mind long enough to fall asleep. Just one of those night where you can’t stop thinking about what
if……Oh well, guess – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I am better off laying in bed resting then sitting up yawning. John
Response:
… and some of us can take a whole medicine chest and be wide awake. PTS will do that to you.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – It’s called depression, John. That’s why God gave us Valium. no, you don’t have to go to the meds. My mom didn’t take them after EITHER of her husbands died…. try the natural approach (suggested above) unless you literally do not sleep for DAYS in a row and cannot walk upright. warm milk is good…some people swear by valerian or camomile tea or even (ugh) melatonin….my sister swears by Benadryl but that’s a drug (doesn’t work for me). You can read something boring or watch bad TV. I still say: exercise. tire yourself out….it couldn’t hurt. listen to lulling music. Signed, Lane "I am not a doctor nor do I play one on the Internet" Ask the doc for some to help you sleep on nights like that. It’ll help in that respect and keep you on an even keel so you don’t get worse through sleep deprivation. Have to go to get up for work in 4 hours and I just can’t stop my mind long enough to fall asleep. Just one of those night where you can’t stop thinking about what if……Oh well, guess I am better off laying in bed resting then sitting up yawning. John
Response:
Have you tried melatonin? Works wonders for me. Denise
I have those too. Don’tcha hate them! I try everything to get to sleep and then it seems that 15 minutes before I’m supposed to get up, I get verrrrry sleepy. Zzzzzzzz…. Cheryl (*an insomnia sufferer from WAYYYYY back) Have to go to get up for work in 4 hours and I just can’t stop my mind long enough to fall asleep. Just one of those night where you can’t stop thinking about what
if……Oh well, guess – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I am better off laying in bed resting then sitting up yawning. John
Response:
Have to go to get up for work in 4 hours and I just can’t stop my mind long enough to fall asleep. Just one of those night where you can’t stop thinking about what if……Oh well, guess I am better off laying in bed resting then sitting up yawning. John
Response:
I have those too. Don’tcha hate them! I try everything to get to sleep and then it seems that 15 minutes before I’m supposed to get up, I get verrrrry sleepy. Zzzzzzzz…. Cheryl (*an insomnia sufferer from WAYYYYY back) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Have to go to get up for work in 4 hours and I just can’t stop my mind long enough to fall asleep. Just one of those night where you can’t stop thinking about what if……Oh well, guess I am better off laying in bed resting then sitting up yawning. John
