Trouble Sleeping

[SR2727]

Does anyone else have trouble sleeping? When my anxiety or depression is worsening I definitely develop problems with my sleep. For the past couple months I've struggled to stay asleep during the night. I always wake up multiple times leaving me drained in the morning. I'm trying a few different things at the minute to target it but any advice from someone who's experienced it would be appreciated! 🙌

[IncognitoC]

I also have trouble sleeping, I get through most of the day feeling tired but when it comes to going to sleep I’m usually wide awake.

[SR2727 in reply to IncognitoC]

I have that same problem. My mind starts racing as soon as my head hits the pillow.

[litethatnevergoesout]

there is also this forum on HU for sleep

healthunlocked.com/sleep-ma...

[BedBug]

Hi. What I do is to get up in my recliner and read. If that doesn't work then I put on some soft instrumental music with all the lights off ,close my eyes and relax. This usually works for me. Different things work for different people so what ever works for you do it. Take care.

[Learn-Teach]

Very common symptom. When you are asleep do you tend to wake up fast early in the morning? This is called Early Morning Waking (EMA). For me, it is a sure fire way I am experiencing a depressive episode.

[SR2727 in reply to Learn-Teach]

I usually will wake up about 2 hours before my alarm goes off and feel wide awake. I definitely think it's related to stress and anxiety, it's so draining.

[marsbarr]

I sometimes have trouble going to sleep when my anxiety is at an all time high . I hate laying there staring in the dark, turning over and over. Stretching hundreds of times and hearing my heartbeat in my ears or feeling it againt the mattress when laying on my back.I have a coloring app that I do until my eyes get so heavy and insist upon closing. Next thing I know it's later in the morning . Time to get up. Maybe a couple of hours but I did sleep lol.

Also try drinking a hot cup of chamomile tea

Nite nite sweet dreams

[SR2727 in reply to marsbarr]

I can relate, I'm always tossing and turning with racing thoughts. I haven't had Chamomile tea in a long time so I guess I should give it a go again! Thank you!

[marsbarr in reply to SR2727]

Is that you snoring?

[LadyZen]

I struggled with this too. So I actually set a night light to a timer. It cuts on at 9pm and shuts off at 5am. So if I wake up at 2am, and the night light is on, I know to keep my eyes closed and try to keep sleeping. If it's dark, I know it's after 5am, and I wake up. It's a bit counterintuitive, but it helped me a lot. My night light is also a lava lamp, so it might be having an hypnotic calming effect on me.

[SR2727 in reply to LadyZen]

That's an amazing idea! I currently have a white noise machine that has a light on a timer. I could maybe give something like this a shot 🤔

[LadyZen in reply to SR2727]

Let me know how it goes. I'm curious if it actually works for others, or if it's just something that works for quirky me.

[punkster]

I find that meditating right before I go to sleep helps. I use guided meditations, so I can stop my thoughts and concentrate on the meditation. Clearing your mind before you go to sleep should help with subconscious worries that rear their ugly head in the middle of the night. Meditation takes practice, and you get better at it the more you practice. Oh yes, I also use trazodone to help me sleep. Like another poster said, I suffer from waking up early, and I'm not sure what to do about that.

[SR2727 in reply to punkster]

I haven't tried meditation before sleeping, it makes sense how it'd work. Did you feel it took a while before you felt any benefit from it?

[punkster in reply to SR2727]

Yes it did take awhile. I began my journey with meditation during the day, so it was easier to transition to bedtime because I was already “practiced” at it.

[catsrock]

I've had a lot of sleep issues for years, but only recently feel like I'm getting some decent sleep. It's a lot of trial and error, but here's what helps me: the right meds taken at the right time of day as some meds can perk you up and mess with your sleep, a white noise machine, wearing an eye mask, being pretty vigilant about turning off electronics an hour or more before I go to bed, going to bed around the same time every night, and also there are some good free meditations that you can listen to that help you fall asleep. And, this one is a biggee for me, I don't look at the clock whenever I wake up in the night - it just gets my brain going and stressing about how I'm not sleeping. One book really helped me, but I can't remember the name - maybe The Sleep Solution?

[SR2727]

It's a struggle, I hope you manage to get some rest 🙏

[SR2727]

Thank you for the recommendations! I definitely think I'll give the meditation a go and I'll try to get stricter with not looking at electronics before bed (I feel like this is a part I do struggle with alot)

[DodgeDhanda]

Hi SR2727.

I used to & sometimes still do struggle with sleep & I spend almost a decade on 2 to 3 hours of sleep a night.

Now during ur down time what do U do to keep ur mind busy & stop it from going 1000 mph ? I started playing thinking games on my mobile phone & I found that the harder the game the more energy U use up & the more U get ur mind tired the better things will eventually become & a little sleeping pill will aid that too.

Lastly

I wish U love & light on ur journey

[SR2727 in reply to DodgeDhanda]

Hi! I usually do some reading or listening to podcasts. I think I really do need to just reduce my stress and then that will hopefully get my sleep back to normal. Thank you for the kind words!

[DodgeDhanda in reply to SR2727]

Overthinking things is an automatic response to the stress around us & it does take time to get it to a manageable stage unless U work on it & hopefully the more U let go of the sleep will come naturally as U want it to. Remind ur brain everyday to chill & write it on a piece of paper large enough for U to see anywhere in ur bedroom & look at it last thing at night & tell ur brain to chill & think of the things that give U peace .