Looking for sleep advice 😴💤

[Sleepyhead00]

Currently on about night 6 with little or no sleep (usually average 1 night per week when a get about 5 hours). I’ve got pillow sprays, and all the usual stuff, my bloods vitD etc are all good but I really need to to sleep 😩. Any words of wisdom would be appreciated, thanks.

[Painny]

I really struggle with sleep 🛌 too. Hands on heart I can easily go without any sleep for 10 nights in a row, I get agitated, restless, brain pain …plus I have a neighbour who sleeps in the day and is awake at night who enjoys making deliberate noises to disturb 💁‍♀️

My local pharmacy gave me “sleep better” lavender. You Rob it on your forehead and temple. I use it but the effect is very minimal or none really.

Hope you managed to get some sleep

[Yassytina FMA UK Volunteer]

Hello, I did go threw a stage where insomnia kicked in and however I tried too switch off nothing worked, I got a temporary medication too take from doc and it broke the habit I got into , sleep deprivation. Is horrid , I’m a real grump if I don’t get my sleep 😏not always easy as I have sleep apnea so have too wear a mask even if I manage 4/5 hours and sometimes the rest is without it I need more sleep as I get older but conditions do play a part for sure. I still use lavender pillow spray and headache balm ,I do find the smell of lavender is relaxing x

[JoseT]

get tryptizol or Ambien for sleep. It is critical you can sleep regularly.

there is a new sleeping drug on the way... very promising

healthline.com/health-news/...

[Cat00 in reply to JoseT]

Sounds great, I wonder when it might come to the UK?

[Cat00]

I'm currently in the middle of a clinical trial for chronic migraineurs with insomnia. I've had insomnia for 35 years. The scary thing is it's steadily getting worse, so I'm pretty desperate. Last time I didn't sleep for 4 nights I ended up having a huge nervous breakdown, it took weeks before I could sleep for more than 2 hours a night. I lost 2 stone in 3 weeks, it took over a year before I became able to function again.

The trial uses a system called Sleepio, all the sleep hygiene, mindfullness part is rubbish, the only part that I think that might work is the "Sleep restriction" part. It's exhausting, I've had restricted sleep for 3 weeks now and it's not really doing anything yet but then my insomnia is deeply ingrained.

It's essentially the proactive part of CBT-I if you are up for a challenge I'm sure there's loads of stuff on the internet about it, might be worth a try? It certainly works on some people.

[JoseT in reply to Cat00]

Why you dont take ambien for sleep? There are people with chronic insomnia taking ambien for many years

[Cat00 in reply to JoseT]

You're only allowed Ambien style meds for short term use in the UK. I get 10 zopiclone for roughly every 6 months and I have fight for that.

[JoseT in reply to Cat00]

omg, thats terrible

[JoseT in reply to JoseT]

i just sent you a pm, i think there is a workaround

[Crossstitch1]

Ooh...I know...its horrid isn't it....I have tried everything but have found acceptance is the only thing that has worked for me. I am happy if I get 5 hours....and delighted to get the rare 8... I find a nice routine easing myself to bed helps ...Epsom salt bath, sleepy tea, massage feet, if all that fails I just put a dvd on of any movie that I know the script off by heart with no shouting and fighting etc..so I'm not wondering what happened next...guaranteed to get at least some sleep!

[Delilahmy]

I have used magnesium sleep spray and think it helps xx good luck … losing sleep is not good ….

[MaggieSylvie]

I went through this for years, and this year, my new GP put me on Pregabalin - not for sleep, for a few other things, but - oh golly - what a long, deep, refreshing sleep I am getting! You may have to watch out for being a bit sleepy during the day, but I may be suffering from that from other reasons than the drug. Have a chat with your GP.

[TeddyandGimli]

I cannot recommend Sleepio enough. Actually worked for me after 20 years of rubbish sleep.

[Piddlysmam]

I've suffered insomnia for a long time too. I now use a weighted blanket which, although very sceptical at the start, I would not be without now. Some nights I also listen to some ambient sounds (rainfall, ocean etc) or Ed Sheeran recently. I tend to doze off before it's finished most nights. Good luck, it's horrible being sleep deprived. 😴😴