help with insomnia, please!

[dutchgirl]

Here are suggestions I give to clients.

1) Stop looking at things that emit blue light (phones, tablets, TV) at least 1 hour prior to your bedtime.
2) Finish drinking all fluids 1 hour before your bedtime so you won't have to get up to pee.
3) If you need a snack before bedtime make sure it's protein dense and light on sugars.
4) If you're in bed and can't sleep, get up and leave the room until feeling sleepy. Do not watch TV, check your phone, etc. You can read and you can color. Go back to your bed when you feel sleepy. You don't want to associate your bed with feelings of frustration.
5) If you can't sleep because of stress or worry, make a worry box. Prior to going to bed, write your worries/stresses on slips of paper and place them in the worry box. Make a ritual of putting your worries away for the night and leave the box in a room outside the bedroom. Revisit the worries the next morning and actively decide if you need them for that day.
6) Utilize aromatherapy. Find a scent that is soothing or calming for you. Light a candle of that scent, use a diffuser, or apply to hands and throat as a lotion prior to bedtime. Only use the scent for nighttime.
7) Make sure the room temperature is cool (not cold) and the room is adequately dark.

I would also suggest yoga and stretching, specifically forward folds and upper back stretches.

Good luck! Poor sleep is a real energy and emotion suck.

[angie_nrs]

Originally Posted by Joni O

I've been taking magnesium at the suggestion of a dietitian for a couple of years. 800mg before. Not recommending, just saying what I do.

This^^^ Mg helps the muscles relax. Apparently Mg deficiency is quite common.

[Tracyso2]

Hi--
Not sure if you're a meditator (or meditation-positive) but if you are, I'd recommend the Insight Meditation app. There are three practices in there (in the Sleep playlist) by Jennifer Piercy. They are amazing and effective and knock me out every single time.

[bee]

Originally Posted by Tracyso2

Hi--
Not sure if you're a meditator (or meditation-positive) but if you are, I'd recommend the Insight Meditation app. There are three practices in there (in the Sleep playlist) by Jennifer Piercy. They are amazing and effective and knock me out every single time.

Oh, yes.... that is also an excellent help. I haven't had to use it in a while but it really helped me many nights!

[cecififi]

Depending on your age - it might be a result of changing hormones. When I was in menopause or late peri - I could fall asleep but couldn't stay asleep. Turned out I had estrogen dominance - not enough progesterone - so I needed it to help me fall and stay asleep. I am on bio-identical hormones and do not take estrogen to counter the progesterone. It has helped me for years now. Deep deep sleeps.

acupuncture helped my sleep immensely (i was seeing acupuncturist for something else).

otherwise, if it's your hormones, or thyroid etc.. here is a great site i found:
https://www.hormonesbalance.com/

good luck!

[Vantreesta]

Originally Posted by Tracyso2

Hi--
Not sure if you're a meditator (or meditation-positive) but if you are, I'd recommend the Insight Meditation app. There are three practices in there (in the Sleep playlist) by Jennifer Piercy. They are amazing and effective and knock me out every single time.

This sounded great until I downloaded and found out you have to register to use it. Uninstalled already. Any good free meditation apps that can just be used without registering?

The mention of magnesium reminded me of smthg I got from my chiropractor when I was having trouble relaxing enough to go to bed. I can't remember what it was called but it had both magnesium and valerian root and was amazing!!

ETA: I found it. It's called Formula 303 and also includes passionflower.

[spotted zebra]

Magnesium used to help me too, especially magnesium glycinate.

It's funny how we react so differently to the same things. Melatonin gave me horrendous nightmares. With Valerian I have interesting to mild dreams. When I don't take anything I tend not to remember my dreams at all.

[Tracyso2]

Not sure what's wrong with registering for the app...I'm pretty sure there's a free version, and the one I paid for (optionally) was, I think, $4.99. ??? To each her own, I guess. I hope someone else can help.

[toaster]

Sherry, Sabine gave excellent suggestions and similar to what I recommend to clients as well. I would say that most important is her #4--be sure to GET OUT OF BED if you are not sleeping! Otherwise, your brain starts to form an associate with bed as the place that sleep does NOT happen. Also, if you haven't been falling asleep until 1:30 or 2 a.m., then don't go to bed at 11 p.m.--go to bed closer to the time that you have been actually falling asleep. This will ensure that you are REALLY tired when you get to bed. If you are able to fall asleep at this time, you can eventually start resetting your bedtime earlier, gradually moving it up about 15-30 minutes at a time.

[DawnP]

Sherry,
Is there any possibility you might be going through perimenopause? I have no idea how old you are.

I had a dickens of a time sleeping when I was perimenopausal. Women in my family tree menopause in their early 40s so I had the joy of not sleeping while raising my daughter...

Just thinking out loud.

I wish you luck, it's a stressful time of year.