Can't sleep

[winnietyson]

When I first stopped smoking I was fine but the last few nights I've still been awake at 3 or 4am. I'm using a 16mg efag. Anyone got any ideas??

Thanks

[ChrissieG]

Hi Winnie - nice to meet you.

How long have you stopped smoking for? The reason I ask is that I was awake until after 4am this morning and I stopping smoking a week ago. So is it still early stages for you?

Sin has gone to find something that should help us - fingers crossed!

[winnietyson 21 Months Winner]

Hi yes it's 2 weeks ago this coming Wednesday

[ChrissieG]

I'm so sorry, I was struggle to respond as the reply to this tags weren't working!

Oh that's fantastic and well done you!

So you are 5 days ahead of me, so when did your sleepless nights start (I'm worried now!!!)

[winnietyson 21 Months Winner in reply to ChrissieG]

Friday night!

[Hidden]

I'll be with you in just one minute, I have to do something else first

[ChrissieG]

Okay, so this is obviously to do with stopping smoking, but the thing is what can we do about it?

I have been taking camonile tea at night but forgot last night - up until last night I have not had a problem sleeping, but having said that, you didn't have a problem sleeping before Friday and haven't been taking camomille tea so I can't actually recommend camomile tea to you because I don't know what would have happened last night if I had taken it!

Does any of that make sense?

Sin should be here soon, I hope she hasn't forgotten us!

[winnietyson 21 Months Winner]

Well I'm going to increase the nicotine in my efag and see if that helps! Someone else I know was the same and did that and it helped him! He's now been quit for 6 months and is sleeping and slowly cutting down the nicotine

[Hidden in reply to winnietyson]

Hi Winnie, unless you find you're struggling on 16mg during the day I would hang fire before you move up. I think just about everyone who stops smoking experiences the disturbed sleep problem for the first maybe 2 or 3 weeks. I don't think any one gives credit for how stressful and how much of a change stopping smoking is. Your brain is like "what the hell is going on here". It's like when you go on holiday or any big change in your life it always disrupts your sleep a little. It will get better fairly soon - honest.

[ChrissieG]

Thank you Sin - no worries.

So how long have you been on this site and have you found it has helped you?

[Hidden in reply to ChrissieG]

haha, sorry about that, but I was on my phone first but I couldn't write a big reply on my phone as that would have driven me to take up smoking again so had to wait for laptop to rev up then hubby wanted me to fill a form in for him. haha, its like being back at work again multi tasking.

[ChrissieG]

So you are on 16mg at the moment. I used to smoke around 20 a day and was told to use 18mg for as long as I needed it and then cut down gradually.

So maybe yours is a little bit low?

[winnietyson 21 Months Winner in reply to ChrissieG]

This site is brilliant and I found it a few days before I quit!

[ChrissieG in reply to winnietyson]

Hi Winnie - ah that means we must have joined at around the same time! Brilliant!!! Please keep in touch and let us know how you are getting on with your stop. And if you let EmJay know your stop date she'll keep a record of your progress for you.

Say hello when you come online again and I hope your sleeping improves

Bye for now

Chrissie x

[Hidden]

Hi Winnie and Chrissie. It's nothing fantastic but it has pretty much always worked for me since I found it when I first stopped smoking. I read a blog called Zenhabits by Leo Babauta. zenhabits.net/ We've mentioned him a few times of this site as some of his posts can be related to some of the problems that people stopping smoking encounter. The site is basically about forming good habits and sometimes kicking out bad habits. Oh and Leo stopped smoking too.

Anyway its a bit like counting sheep, as simple as that. Lie in bed and breathe in and count 1 when you breath out count 2 and so on til you get to 10. Once you get to 10 start again at 1. Your mind may start to drift while you're counting to stuff that's happened through the day or anything really and you might find yourself counting up to like 20. Once you realise you're losing count, stop all thoughts and go back to 1. Keep doing this, concentrating the mind solely on counting 1 as you breathe in 2 as you breathe out, 3 as you breathe in and 4 out and so on. It focuses your mind on just one thing, every time your mind starts to drift to other stuff bring it right back to the task in hand - counting and breathing. Most of the time it works a dream and you'll soon be fast asleep.

Also Chrissie, this is a bit rich coming from me because I do it more or less every night but sitting at a computer until bed time is a bad idea. The light coming off the screen tricks your mind into thinking its still daytime and of course there was all the chatting we did too that stimulates your mind instead of winding down before bed, so something to be aware of. Also the clocks did go forward yesterday, so if you all went to bed at the time you normally do, then don't forget your brain was thinking hey, what are you doing, its not bed time yet, you may not have been ready to sleep. I always find there's nothing worse than going to bed too early, you end up awake half the night. Hope this helps you both.

[ChrissieG]

Hi Sin

Thank you so much, I'm definitely going to try that! And I'm going to check out the website! And I do agree that we were chatting a lot last night and I did go straight to bed afterwards so my mind was still whirring around a bit with all the conversation (but it was fun though!)

So I think I will be switching off a lot earlier tonight - so tired now though, oh I'm such a sleep monster I hate not being able to sleep!

Anyway thanks again Sin and good luck Winnie - I hope you manage to get some sleep tonight!

xxxxx

ps I see the duplicated posts have gone now!

[Hidden in reply to ChrissieG]

Don't sleep too much today or you won't be able to sleep again tonight.

[ChrissieG in reply to Hidden]

Hi Sin - I just had an hour and I set my alarm to make sure it was just an hour, and I actually feel better for it!

I could have slept longer though, but like you say, I did not want a repeat of last night tonight!

xxxxxxxx

[ChrissieG]

ha ha ha - you've just reminded me of my working life!!!

Thank you so much for doing that Sin - I really am going to try it you know, just reading your words was relaxing me!!!

winnie has been suffering for the last 3 nights so I desperately hope that doesn't happen to me, I'm such a mardy if I don't get my sleep!

Anyway have a wonderful afternoon and I'll catch you later

Bye for now xxx

[ChrissieG]

Hi Sin

I just typed a response to you and when I submitted it it said "looks like your post has been deletted" - how bizarre.

I just wanted to say thank you so much again for going to all that trouble - I really do appreciate it and I will definitely be trying it if I have the same problem again.

And as for multi tasking at work - I know exactly what you mean!

Have a wonderful afternoon and I'll catch you later

Bye for now

xxxxxxxxxxx

[Hidden in reply to ChrissieG]

That's OK. Maybe, just maybe its all going a bit weird on here because the techno peeps behind health unlocked are finally getting round to the task of making this site work better on a mobile - fingers crossed. See you laters

[jillygirl Administrator Queen Bee]

Hey Chrissie and winnie, Sinfree`s breathing exercise for getting to sleep does work . I used to do it when I first quit.

[ChrissieG]

Hi Jilly

Thank you so much. I am definitely going to try it myself, but I am also going to recommend it to one of my colleagues at work who is a terrible sleeper!

I think I'm going to try it even if I'm not having trouble sleeping!

xxx