Irregular Insomnia, how to deal with

I sometimes get spats of insomnia, ill lay in bed for hours unable to sleep a wink. This is happening again right now, except I got up to type this. I don't have anything to do tomorrow so I'm thinking of just rolling with it and watching a movie.

Thoughts?

I'm having the same problem (right now!).

I still don't really know how to deal with it except for just stick with it and eventually fall asleep. It sucks though.

I would normally just take some sleeping pills but I don't have any. man a few of those and a beer put me right out.

I'm still awake. my eyes hurt. itchy tasty. I guess ill watch another movie.

But damn, this is why I wish I had a couch. I could just watch crap till I fall asleep but all I have is a futon mattress with no frame in the living room. I need to get a frame for that damn mattress.

Do you have a job? That usually does it.

I keep having these fucking nightmares where I'm like a fucking sheep or... Fuck, I can't really remember. Oh well, I'm sure they don't mean anything.

I can only go to sleep when I'm so exhausted I pass out. I usually run on a 36 hour cycle or so. It is an endless nightmare. If I know I have to wake up for something, no matter how late into the day it is, I can't sleep at all. It's 2am now, just got home from a concert, and I have a train at 9am. There's almost no chance I'm sleeping.

I had a dream a few weeks ago where I was swimming in an ocean that was literally made of little people. Then I washed ashore and they all started chasing me?

That's on topic, don't you even say otherwise.

The best way to deal with it, is trying to know why it happens. Ask yourself why can't you sleep and look for your answer among your thoughts.

• Try not to have caffeine in the four or five hours before your planned bedtime.
• Turn off the computer an hour before your planned bedtime, as well as the television and the Xbox, and do something that is mentally taxing. Reading is a good option.
• If your mind is racing unconsciously, let it. Fighting it only prolongs your conscious neural activity. Having a series of psychedelic thoughts bleeding together is a sign that you are mentally fatigued, and that you're actually close to sleep.
• Drink water. Being hydrated makes sleep easier. Paradoxically, a glass of water in the morning will help you wake up.

Do some push ups to tire yourself out a little bit and then do stretches.

Stretching helps and makes it easier for you to feel comfortable and relaxed in bed, which can help you fall asleep.

yeah go out gor likea half hour jog it helps clear your mind up.

Watch last years Lincoln, puts me right to sleep everytime I watch it.

Get some Ambien. Every other month I'll have a night of tossing and turning for hours, but if I take half a pill I'll be asleep in 15 minutes.

@historyinrust: Great answer.

Also exercise regularly. It will help normalize your sleep cycle.

I've had insomnia for years.

• Avoid electronics in those hours before bed
• Read, it fatigues the eyes
• Avoid coffee after 2 pm
• Exercise early in the day
• Drugs. As in pills or medical marijuana
• Practice meditation and learn to free your mind

Get a job and work out regularly. You'll be sleeping normally in no time.

Routine, man!

I have a pretty bad tendency to stay up into the wee hours of the morning on weekends and it makes my sleep schedule hell. When I try to go to bed at 11:00-12:00 every night, I do better with sleep.

I also have a problem with thoughts racing through my mind as I lay down to sleep, but the longer I let them go, the further I get from sleep.

Yeah I should exercise more, but its winter. Very cold for a jog. And I lost my job about a week ago so thats probably why i'm more restless than usual.

A bowl of soul diesel will fix that right up.

I get the same thing sometimes. Work overnights 10-6 and used to be when I first started would come home go right to bed but now being there almost a year I wont be able to go to bed til like 12 or 2 sometimes later or sooner depending. Today I was tired so I went to bed around 10 only to wake up around 1 and tried to go back to bed but couldn't so I just got up. That's really all you can do I guess for me it messes me up because then I'm tired at work. Overnights suck too people just shouldn't work that shift it messes with your body too much.

Get up every morning at the same time, no matter how tired you are. After a couple of days it'll sort it self out

but how do i deal with irregular insomniac games

I'm completely seriously nonsarcastically recommending medical marijuana. Get some really, really heavy indica. Weed sleep is some of the best sleep I've ever had in my entire life.

Bob Ross. Lots and lots of Bob Ross.

I used to have huge issues with sleep so I started watching Bob Ross or at least having it on in the background for a couple hours before I want to sleep and I was always so relaxed by the time I went to bed that I would fall asleep quickly.

I get like that sometimes too. I've tried sleeping pills and sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. I read somewhere that people with insomnia should not take sleeping pills, though. Exercise doesn't help for me, it actually wakes me up a bit. My problem is that my mind won't shut up and I think about the most random stuff.

I eventually looked online for sleep/sound conditioners and took a chance and bought a Marpac Dohm-DS Dual Speed Sound Conditioner. It emits white noise that blocks out noise from other rooms or outside and it puts you to sleep- it actually worked for me. I will say that I wish it had more than two speeds, because some of the louder noise can still be heard.

This works wonders for getting you to sleep but it screws around with your REM cycle. The real answers are already mentioned in this thread though.

• Make a bedtime routine and stick to it, even on the weekends.
• Cut caffeine after 2PM or at least 6 hours before bedtime.
• Avoid cell phones or TV's because they mimic the light from the sun, this tells your body that it is daytime and that screws with your circadian rhythm.
• Exercise regularly (for some people exercising at night actually keeps them from falling asleep)
• eat foods that are high in vitamin B6 (tuna), tryptophan (Elk Steak, hummus, honey, milk or walnuts), lactucarium (green leafy vegetables), chamomile or passion-fruit tea.

If white noise puts you to sleep, I fear it's confirmation that you're a robot.

@devil240z: Zopiclone.

This.

I be so tired when I get back home I wish I could stay awake.

Read a book.

Work out, wash your house, paint the kitchen, go jogging.

Basically get tired before trying to sleep.

I try to stay awake an entire day then pass out on a somewhat evening hour

@devil240z

Drink some chamomile tea, then take 5mg of Melatonin about 20 mins before you go to sleep. Get the melatonin tablets that dissolve in your mouth. Melatonin is OTC and a natural sleep aid.

For whatever reason, if I'm having trouble sleeping, I turn on the tv and leave on like A&E or ESPN just running reruns of Duck Dynasty or Storage Wars. You don't watch the shows, just leave it on for background noise.

@monetarydread: Idk dude, I never really have any issues, nor do my friends when it comes to using it for sleeping purposes. If it does actually do what you say, I'm certainly not aware of it. If anything, my tolerance has grown a bit I've been smoking consistently for about 2-3 years now, so I may need more than the average person for a full knock out. It helps me sleep wonderfully though. It affects everyone differently I suppose.

Study about the effects of drugs on sleep

Cannabidol enhances wakefulness

Sleep Disturbances in Marijuana Users

Basically it aids in falling asleep, but it shortens the amount of time you stay in REM sleep. More research might be needed though because it appears that some people who consume cannabis have longer periods of Stage 4 sleep, though this is not necessarily as beneficial to recovery as REM sleep.

What about when you lay in bed and close your eyes, but remain conscious for the eight or so hours when you should be sleeping, conscious of the fact that you're conscious? Because I feel like I'm on the verge of that.

Edibles are great for this too.

not as good as a Z-drug sleep or some of the more heavier anti psychotics can bring hardcore sleep. Indicas are good but its better to have these other psycho actives like the Z-drugs or Anti psychotics, or benzodiazepam like valium are great for sleep.

You can buy melatonin in various forms. It's basically the hormone your body produces as you grow tired. Makes you feel sleepy. Pretty darn good for helping you fall asleep.

Melatonin is my wife's sleep aide of choice. I personally think it's a placebo, but she swears by it.

Try doing away with caffeine for a month and see if this helps. My brother-in-law had pretty severe insomnia, but turns out he was chugging about 2-liters of Mountain Dew on a daily basis.

What's your sleep pattern on the weekends? Do you regularly stay up all night on the weekdays and then binge sleep on the weekends?

What's your nightly routine? Do you fall asleep with the TV on all night? Do you read a book before bed?

As said above, avoiding screens and caffeine/sugar for a few hours before bed, as well as exercising go a long way.

A couple other things you can try:

- Music: This is hit or miss for people. I'd recommend a playlist of music you know well so your brain doesn't listen to the words and pay attention, or just classical/wordless music will work really well. Podcasts and audiobooks are also great if you just need some noise to fall asleep to, although again try and pick things you have heard before or you'll probably have the opposite effect (Unless you pick something you're not interested in).

- Ambient Noise: I found this works for me a lot better than just music, YouTube has tons and tons of different ambient noise tracks that can get pretty specific. I always loved the sound of rain hitting the roof of a car while you're inside it. 10 hour version is awesome!

- Meditation: This is a big one. If you practice meditation you can relax your mind and it makes getting to sleep a lot easier. Its the only real long term solution that works for me. Again, youtube has some awesome meditation tracks, or just go find some yourself. I tend towards Japanese meditation tracks or even Gregorian chanting (So relaxing and centering!). You can do it without music if you find it distracting as well. It helps me focus my mind.

Oh, another big one to consider is vitamins. Are you getting your proper vitamins? Get a multivitamin or something. That'll help quite a bit.

Check your health in general. In my case the insomnia comes from when the weather is doing its worst to me (nerve & muscle diseases), but several years ago it was every night because my head wasn't right with depressions and shit all the way from childhood and teenage years. And I had a far worse diet back then, too.

(Simple solution is to.. say you go sleep at midnight regularly? Do not activate your metabolism, only drink liquids after 8pm. That's enough to help most bodies eventually relax their systems and allow sleep. It's also good for your health.

Listening to this helped me immensely with my insomnia

Most insomnia is either psychological (perhaps fear of what will happen when you sleep) or because you have pent up energy.

Not having a job, things to do with your time that work out your brain, or lack of exercise.

So, if you don't have PTSD, Night Terrors, or some other psychological issue that makes you fear sleep or some kind of chemical imbalance in your brain that causes some kind of pathy, you may just have a lot of pent up energy and knowing you don't really have to do anything makes you even less wanting to shut down. Sometimes exercise can help or a good read as others have suggested. If it becomes a serious problem, you should see a doctor. It could be something more serious.

This threads a week old, I know. This is general advice based on my experience which is not at all based on any facts as I am not a doctor.