Insomnia
 

So for the last 2 days I’ve not been getting very good sleep and today is probably the worst I’ve ever felt. Went to bed for 2am and haven’t managed to sleep since with all the tossing and turning. It’s so **** because I know how important a healthy sleep cycle is and having a bad one can decrease life expectancy and increase complications. How am I supposed to adjust my sleeping patterns if I can’t even fall asleep to begin with? :( I’m 20 years old and I probably shouldn’t be worrying that much, but it’s really hard to focus at work and trying to revise two modules. I suppose right now what I really need is some advice and reassurance

The problem with sleep problems is the more you worry about them, the worse they seem to get. If you have a lot on your mind, its hard to switch off and everything seems so much worse in the middle of the night.

Try not to think "I'm not going to sleep" when you go to bed and try to get a bit of exercise during the day, try to limit screen time before sleep and just let your body do the rest.

I hope it gets better for you Sherzy, being unable to sleep when you're exhausted is the worst. Hopefully its just a blip and you'll be back sleeping well soon :love:

..do you have an evening, night time sleep routine, Sherzy..?...I mean, calming things that you do to prepare for sleep...(...although you don’t get it..?...)...relaxing your thoughts/mind, is so important...

Sherzy when I was 20 I was getting like 3-4 hours of sleep soooo many nights :joker:

And I turned out alright........... oh wait no I didn't

But really you should be alright :dazzler:

...oh wait...yeah, Jersey’s okay, actually...:laugh:..


...do you have stuff going through your head that it’s hard to switch off, Sherzy...worries etc..?....

Try having a bath with some lavender bath soak about an hour or so before bed, buy some camomile tea and drink a cup after your bath

That’s the thing I can’t really stop worrying about these problems because I’m a hypochondriac. I’m definitely gonna have to come up with a daily routine and try to lead a more healthy life from now on. No one should ever have to go through this :love:

I don’t have a routine right now, but I’m definitely gonna try one. Before I used to study in the evening and play PS4 through the night to about 1/2am in the morning. I’ve had no issues with my sleep but tonight it’s just got worse. However, the new year is almost upon us and I can actually put this resolution into action :dazzler:

Jesus you must have had it rough then. How do you even manage stay awake with 3-4 hours sleep? Ngl I could do with at least 3/4 hours right now

Well I do think about life in general, in particular family, academics, work, social life and whether everything is worth it. I do question myself a lot

This sounds really lush. I usually bathe through the day so this could be something I can try. Maybe light a few scented candles too? :smug:

...yeah, routine is really important if you find it hard to close down into sleep mode, like you do...closing down from things like the Internet, all social media etc and interactions..?...and googling stuff..:laugh:...maybe just zone out wit( your music and try to relax your body and mind...focus on ‘closing down your body, bit by bit’...and ending with your head a d thoughts...there are also aromatherapy/herbal sleep diffusers for your room..I’m not sure of their effectiveness, but they may help...

...and at night/sleep time, you question yourself..?...because as our bodies start to become less active and more restful, it gives space for our thoughts to stir into action...during the day, in earlier hours...maybe even before lunch...?...allow yourself 1 worry from that little store you have, something that you think, you might even be able to do something to ease a little..?..but even if that’s not possible, allow yourself a set time amount to think about that worry, to try to break it down a bit...and then put it back because you’ve done your worrying for the day...don’t allow it back into your thoughts again until the next day...on your terms, in your time..in daytime...

These are things that I definitely could try but things like the internet and social media is gonna be difficult. I suppose I’ve never really had time to myself so definitely focusing on my wellbeing and actually trying to better myself may improve my quality of life. Plus, this has only ever happened once and I can make sure it doesn’t happen again. I’m just waiting on a call from a nurse so I can get a little bit more help, but this has definitely helped me :)

Nights doing homework last minute, nights out, etc. followed by class and/or work the next morning.. it was a mess. :laugh: Most of the time I didn't even feel tired once I got out of bed from what I remember but I'd also usually recharge with a couple good sleeps following the hectic nights. I think it's important to not get used to a lack of sleep like every single night :shrug: I couldn't do that now though. Just one night of only 3 hours and I'm dead the next day :skull:

If it's nerves or something mentally that's stopping you from sleeping then I think you can find good routines to combat that as mentioned by others. But idk any :worry:

Suppressing these thoughts will be easier said than done but minimising them may work. The key is to leave all the worrying for daytime so you can relax during the night. Sounds easy but will my mind allow it, we’ll have to see

I think I’m sort of in similar situation to you with regards to the studying and whatnot. I’ve not had a single day off this semester and the only time I’ve had the opportunity to unwind is the winter holidays. I think I just saw the opportunity to relax a bit too much and have too many late nights, which really messed up my sleeping pattern of going to bed at 11pm and waking up 7am.

I should probably just drop the controller. Too much shell shock from playing COD

...don’t suppress them, they need to have your attention also..they’re obviously very important things that are occupying your headspace...allow them daytime attention, give them thought...and if you can, chip away at them...even the tiniest amount will reduce their size and importance..?...but try to take the control of not allowing them to decide when they’re going to visit you..you’ve given them your attention in your own time, and it’s important that you do that...

This is actually really useful when coming to terms about yourself and where your life is headed. Everyday I think negative thoughts and I’ve only been told to think positively, when there’s nothing to positive about. If I can just think about times where I’ve actually succeeded and where things went right then I can try to think about those more.

Have you tried not sleeping at all for one day and then waiting for the next night to get back on track (like I assume you're not gonna be sleeping tonight)? Would that not even help with getting tired the next night, like you're just restless at night regardless of how little sleep you've had? I mean I wouldn't say pulling an all nighter is good but it might get your sleeping pattern back on the right track if you're absolutely exhausted and get to sleep at a good time.

:joker: noooooooo

Well here’s the thing... I’ve tried to do an all-nighter before but I just end up falling asleep anyway but this time i can’t seem to do it. It’s weird because when I don’t have the intention of sleeping, I doze off but when I do I just can seem to do it. Yesterday, I napped for about an hour or two during the day so that’s probably why. It doesn’t look like I’m getting any sleep tonight so I’m definitely gonna have to sleep at a more reasonable time

..that’s why it’s important to allow those layers to ‘have their say’, to give them some of your attention...but you decide on the time, it’s not for them to decide...because at night time, they’re going to get less of your attention anyway, as you’ll be tired...so giving that time during the day is better for them also...I imagine there are lots of positives that you can use as balances, it’s just sometimes hard to find them because our total focus is on the negatives...we allow the negatives to lead us where they want to take us...and your successes will be many to create that balance as well, it’s just chipping away at the ‘head monsters’../..reducing and taking away their power, so that you’re able to see and feel those balances again...:hug:..

I guess choosing to ignore them is difficult so trying to come to terms with them is the best way. Honestly, thank you so much for the advice and I’m definitely taking it on board when I go to sleep tonight.

You and everyone else :hug:

Read a book in bed for half an hour, that should at least help you get to sleep to begin with. My sleep pattern was A MESS in my early 20's, it got to the point where I was sleeping from 6 or 7am into the afternoon. Switching from tech / TV before bed to reading really helped.

If it's night waking though, that's something I've yet to crack myself :think:. I only get intermittent bouts of it (I'd say only 3 in the last few years, each lasting 3 to 4 weeks) but yes it's awful. I'd get to sleep fine then wake after about 2 hours feeling horrendous and be unable to get back to sleep, sort of drift in and out of a half-sleep state all night where any little problem in life feels amplified x 100, and then feel progressively worse all day due to sleep deprivation, and then same again night after night.

Weirdly it tends to disappear as quickly as it starts for me. One night I'll just sleep through fine and that's it sorted :shrug:.

as ever with the "I cant sleep" threads its pretty pointless to ask advice unless you give details of

1 do you take caffeine in its various forms. If so when and when is the last time during the day

2. what time do you get up each day and does it vary (like at weekends)?

3. what physical exercise do you do each day?

4. do you eat at regular times ?

5. WHat alcohol do you take?


Your insomnia could be medical could be related to anxiety/depression but unless you rule out lifestyle factors such as my questions above its pretty hard to tell.

I'm with ya there laddy. I've been battling sleep problems and depression lately, they both feed into each other innit.

It can be near-impossible with a sleep problem to figure out whether it's caused by anxiety/depression or causing anxiety/depression... the physical and emotional strain caused by lack of sleep is massive and really underestimated.