Sleeping

[chloelouisexxx]

I keep getting myself worked up at night time and can’t seem to fall to sleep anymore!! Overthinking everything and it just getting to much.

Anyone got any tips to help with falling asleep?? I cant sleep with lights/ noises

Thank you in advance

[Michael8072]

Hi. Idk if this is a good tip or not but might be worth a shot. I have trouble falling asleep with all my thoughts. But most of what I use are lights or noise to help me fall sleep. Sometimes it works other times I'm awake most of the night.

I'm stealing this from the movie "happy gilmore" but can you think of maybe a happy place or a time in your life that you were happy and try to use that image to distract you from your thoughts to fall asleep. Idk if it'll work but maybe worth a shot.

I hope you find something that works. It's no fun not being able to sleep due to your thoughts. Hugs.

[chloelouisexxx in reply to Michael8072]

I get really angry at night if i can hear/ see lights around. Iv literally tried it on the off occasion to see if it helps but sadly it doesn’t for me! Thank u !

[IheartDogs]

Have you tried meditation? It takes some time to really get into it but once you do it teaches you how to block out every thought in your head. And let's face it, it's those thoughts in our heads that lead to negative places. I hope you get some rest today.

[chloelouisexxx in reply to IheartDogs]

No i haven’t even thought about that, will certainly look into this!

[MariaLove123]

Melatonin! It helps tremendously and you can get it at any pharmacy over the counter. I take the ones that dissolve under the tongue. It starts at 3mg but I take 2. Sleep music helps too. I have the app “Calm.” I hope you get some sleep 🙏🏼

[chloelouisexxx in reply to MariaLove123]

thank you so much will give it a go!!

[maggief9812 in reply to chloelouisexxx]

Melatonin helps even more if you train your body to use it, by taking it at the same time every night. It imitates the way your natural biological clock works. Also: amazon.com/Lewis-N-Clark-Co... isn’t the same exact kind, but is the same style eye mask I already use, and it’s my favorite I’ve ever tried for blocking out the light without putting uncomfortable pressure on my eyes. Hope this helps!

[Calm_mama]

Hello chloelouisexxx!

I am not quite a pro yet on all that is anxiety but I am doing very well with that. With insomnia specifically, as an offshoot of anxiety, I am definitely a pro. In fact I'm such a pro that I barely have insomnia anymore. And when I do, I don't care at all. Instead, I use it to my advantage. Here are my suggestions!

Whenever you can't sleep:

-Get up

- do something, anything that will help you keep your mind off of your body, even just a little

-do something you like (I get up and plan trips, cook, bake and write letters- real letters, not emails )

- if you start to feel sleepy, go back to bed

- if you fall asleep,great. If not, that's OK too- get up after 30" and do something again

- get up when it's time to go to work/school/start your day (whether you slept or not) and shower and go. Do NOT sleep in to catch up

-No naps

Some of your sleepless fog should lift a little by afternoon. You'll make it through the day, I assure you.

Then moving forward, sleep hygiene helps: denverpsychiatry.com/resour...

Related to sleep hygiene- Don't underestimate exercise. It's my medicine of choice! I generally sleep better at night if I've done some hard exercise that day.

I have gone days without sleeping at all and I'm not exaggerating. Still standing. Some of it was due to insomnia, sometimes it was because I was working double shifts (12 hour shifts) and then went off on a trip or something. Sometimes it was a combo of the 2. I'm alive and well!

Sleep is very overrated in the anxious person's mind. Insomnia- especially insomnia due to anxious thinking, responds very well to the same treatment for anxiety itself. Lean into it. Don't fear it. It's just anxiety and it won't hurt you. It's just a sleepless night (or in my case, 2, or 3 ) and it won't hurt you, I guarantee it. Yes, it's uncomfortable, as are all the symptoms of anxiety, but it won't hurt you. As you adopt this attitude more and more, you will both feel better, and you will sleep better. I'll never be a great sleeper, but I sleep well enough these days.

I have had amazing resources help me through anxiety and insomnia- I repeat them like a broken record. Dr. Claire Weekes, of course, and a few others I really like. You can look at my profile if you like and see what they are. They really support recovery. Wishing you all the best!

[chloelouisexxx in reply to Calm_mama]

I will certainly give this one i go later on if i’m not asleep again!! Thank you

[BG298]

I don't know if this will help you, but it helps me.

Sit on your bed for five minutes just taking huge deep breaths, in and out, in order to calm your body and also calm your mind... I hope this helps.

[chloelouisexxx in reply to BG298]

Will try thank you!

[Hidden]

I use reverse psychology. I tell myself I won’t sleep or do whatever it is that is keeping me up about the next day.

[maggief9812]

I have 2 different approaches, depending on which type of insomnia is plaguing me. If I’m having anxiety induced trouble falling asleep, I add “list making” to my pre-bed routine of brushing my teeth, washing my face, etc. I’ll get clean and put on my pajamas, take a melatonin, then sit down in low light and make a list of actionable items related to my anxiety. For example; right now I’m anxious about school starting Tuesday. An actionable list would include things like “order textbooks from bookstore” or, setup my online student account”. The goal is for the list items to be small actions that you can take before bed that are a step towards alleviating your anxiety topic. The act of checking off an item before bed is satisfying, and having the list available the next day reassures me that I won’t forget something important as the day distracts me. This gives me a peace of mind that helps to slow my thoughts and works with the melatonin to put me in a more relaxed state before bed. I never stay upright more than 10 minutes after I take the melatonin though- the idea is for it to start kicking in soon after you lay down!

Other times I have no trouble falling asleep, only to wake up after only 2 or 3 hours. I try to stay in bed, and fall back asleep when this happens, but if I can’t after 1/2 hour, I “embrace the insomnia” and just get up out of bed, no matter how little sleep I’ve gotten. When this happens, I am often WIDE awake & almost jittery. My response is to use this crazy energy to go run through the neighborhood, or go for a hike, or aggressively clean my entire house. The goal is to do something physically strenuous to wear yourself out. I don’t take a nap or go back to bed. The next day I sleep like a baby. That’s often enough to break an insomnia streak for me. My neighbors will never know that when they see me in workout gear running up and down the street I’m not exercising, I’m maniacally running away from the memory of the nightmares I had today! 😂