Unable to sleep

I am the opposite- you will not want to hear from me because I could fall asleep anywhere and do!

Welcome, my advice to you is if you do not want to be shouted at stay clear of political threads. The majority, but not all the people are very pleasant and helpful.

I'm no help either as I'm like you Charleygirl, majority of the time anyway.

I'm new here too Linjoy, so far so good with nice people.
I feel as though I've lost the ability to sleep even on medication. I'm awake an hour after dropping off and have a fractured few hours from then til morning. It's horrible and feels like the brain is misfiring on this front.
Hope someone has some suggestions here.

Thanks for replying will avoid politics??

Hi Linjoy welcome to GN.

I am terrible at sleeping, every so often I take Nytol for 4-5 days to try and get some sleep.

I am just as tired in the morning as when I go to bed, I go the gym and keep busy during the day until I am exhausted, drag myself up to bed, snuggle down and shazam I am wide awake, my mind goes into overdrive and I lay worrying about worries I didn’t know I had.

Hope you sleep well tonight ???

Welcome *Ellianne I hope you enjoy looking around and joining in.

The two threads where I can promise you will be treated kindly are "Good Morning" and "soop's kitchen". The latter takes a lot of getting used to because it has been around for a while so some of us "know" others very well having practically experienced all the traumas.

Some of us also have meetups so that may be something else to look out for.

Welcome. I assume you've Googled all the things about insomnia so won't go through them with you.

I was prescribed sleeping pills but told to only take them every other night as they are addictive. I was prescribed anti-histamines for the alternate night. I found I felt queasy and weepy after the anti-histamines so cut down the dosage and slept badly just the same as when I took the full dose. I have stopped taking them now and instead have sleepy tea and a couple of pills from Holland and Barrett which has the same effect. So I sleep well when I take the sleeping pills and badly when I don't but at least I don't seem to be weepy. I think it is probably trial and error for each of us. I didn't get on with the normal over the counter pills as I felt terrible the next day. Good luck

Hi nonnie thank you for your replies what dosage of antihistamines were you on and how long did you take them for

I’ve only been on ere a couple of weeks and I love reading most of the threads.

I, too, struggle with sleep and some nights manage less than two hours. My fitness tracker monitors my sleep patterns and I average four hours a night which isn’t great.

Any hints and tips would be really appreciated!

Have you tried reading Say goodnight to insomnia and a book by guy meadow called The sleep book I've found them both userul

Hi nonnie what are the pills you get from Holland and Barrett please

I’ve found that if I have a glass of wine in the evening, I fall asleep quickly but wake up a couple of hours later and then just can’t get back to sleep for ages. I seem to have a good night’s sleep if I need to take Ibuprofen....works like a sleeping tablet for me.

Hello linjoy and welcome. I also can struggle to sleep, isn’t it frustrating? A GP once advised taking the old fashioned anti histamines that make you drowsy. I tried but felt so dreadful all the next day decided not for me, may be worth a try. I can sleep well for a week, for me that’s about 6 hours, then have a couple of nights with 2-4. I’ve stopped fighting it, and try to just accept it. My mantra is ‘it doesn’t matter if I don’t sleep, I’ll be fine tomorrow’. I read, listen to an audio book, music or the radio, make a cuppa, try relaxation exercises or just get up and potter about. What I don’t do is worry about it. The GP has prescribed a sleeping tablet as a sort of safety net for me if I have little sleep for several nights in a row. My prescription is for 20 which usually last over a year. If you have been happy with medication which has stopped working talk to your GP, there may be an alternative. I’d second the advice about the politics threads which can be shall we say robust, I stay away, others enjoy them. Something for everyone here.

Why does there seem to be an assumption that just because someone is a new member, they are bound too delicate to discuss politics with those with opposing views? For all we know any new member could be a real firebrand.
Welcome Linjoy

Hear hear Ilovecheese!

Hello Linjoy and you too Fran3669 and welcome. (god I sound like David Frost there!)

If it’s any consolation, I bet half the country won’t be getting much meaningful shuteye tonight in these humid conditions!
?

Hi Linjoy I get antihistamine tabkets from home bargains.
I take to when I have had a couple of bad nights and need to sleep.
I also Listen ri slwep guided meditation on u tube via my pad.
I know at least one other GNer wgo likw me listens to Jason Stephenson.
It will take a few nights to get the hang of it.
I also listen to Audio books which you can order and download from the library.

Grrr heat has got me!
Sorry for typos pressed post intead of preview.

I take 2 antihistamine tablets.
I listen to guided sleep meditation with Jason Stephenson.

Hi cherry tree thanks for replying what antihistamines are they and what's the dosage .Do you take them every night?

I found phenergan did it for me I took very little (about 10 - 20 mg) and it helped me nod off. Can’t say whether it is the placebo effect.

I have never taken anything for insomnia, because for me it’s maybe one night in two weeks, when I feel like I don’t sleep at all, I recognise quite early that I’m not going to sleep, and lie there hour after hour, and eventually panic sets in because it’s getting light, or I start hearing early morning traffic

Then all the following day, I feel like I’ve got a dreadful hangover, I drag myself through work, have an early night, then I’m okay again for a while, quite often I just get up and read for a couple of hours, and have a cup of tea, but I know I’m not going to sleep

I can’t see any pattern to it, if I was retired, I probably wouldn’t worry so much, but I’m definitely not very sharp after next to no sleep

The glory of being retired is that it doesn’t matter if you have a sleepless night because if your body needs it you can have a snooze at any time. I think that helps you be more relaxed about not sleeping and then often you sleep better. I also find the more tired I am the less well I sleep so the trick is to be as rested as possible, if that makes sense

Whitewavemark

I’m sure that’s true, if one of my sleepless nights falls on the weekend, I don’t panic about it, and eventually manage a couple of hours sleep

Yes sara you wait after a few months of retirement you’ll be sleeping just fine, and even with the odd restless night, it matters not a jot.

Hi Linjoy, I am a chronic insomniac, currently in a phase of acceptance. Have gone through everything possible in the last 30 years or so, even to a sleep consultant at the other end of the country! But, earlier this year I signed on with Sleep Station, I found some of the programme helpful, although the sleep restriction was a killer and I couldn't complete it fully. You get on line support and advice almost daily. To get it for free I just gave my GP's contact details and it came through immediately. I have also been using a Mindfulness meditation book. I really thought I would sleep so much better when I retired, sadly not the case, it's got worse. Good luck.