sleep deprived

[coolkitty1934]

i have been very stressed for a while now and because of that i cant fall asleep and when i do i wake up from a nightmare its been weeks since i have had a good nights sleep and im starting to shut down i cant function

[kaliska0]

You should probably find a therapist to talk to. Dealing with stress induced insomnia requires dealing with the stress and medications or supplements for sleep are usually of limited help. Insomnia is just a symptom or result of your stress problem so that is what really needs treated to fully get rid of the insomnia.

Aside from finding someone to help you manage your stress reaction in the US doctors would recommend "sleep hygiene". I haven't seen a specific term used by those from the UK but some said their doctors recommended sites like sleepio.com. It seems to follow the same ideas. Sleep hygiene is overall just a group of things to do to signal your body it's time to sleep and suggestions on making your bedroom more comfortable.

What ends up working depends on the individual but usually you want to avoid things like electronic screens right before bed, keep the bedroom cool , use white noise to cover any other sounds, and then come up with some trigger behavior or routine to do before sleep. Some simply make themselves a certain tea and drink it quietly without distractions like tv, take a bath/shower, read a book or listen to an audio book for a specific length of time, etc... Any quiet activity you can link to sleeping every single night at the same time before then going to bed. There's an article on sleep foundation.org with a much more detailed list of suggestions to follow sleepfoundation.org/sleep-h...

It can also be useful to write a journal entry of the things you can't stop thinking about to get it out of your head. Sometimes just thinking things through won't make your brain stop replaying the problem but writing it down is closer to actually saying it to someone. Your mind then considers it dealt with and finally let's the problem go for the day.

Some supplements like b vitamins, magnesium, or phosphatidylserine can sometimes help the body deal with stress or anxiety and as a result reduce sleep problems. OTC sleep aids like melatonin or valerian root might have some effect. Generally these things are very mild if they work at all but they can help some without much risk of negative effects.

If you have the money there are eeg mediation headbands that have greatly helped people dealing with stress or anxiety. They record your brainwaves and give feedback using levels of sound. Usually nature sounds that are also relaxing to listen to. Unfortunately they are still a bit expensive. I'm hoping the tech gets cheaper in the next few years.

[Alex2308]

Alimemazine and valerian roots. That's what I do before bed.

[Mariechristine]

Story of my life.

I now have night cough, to make things worse.

I spent my entire life, trying to sleep well.

It’s Awfull.