Hey guys I'm back talking about sleep problems. For the past few weeks I haven't been able to sleep very much. I don't have any stomach problems or anything I just can't sleep. I haven't gotten to sleep before 3 in the morning in over a month now. I have really bad anxiety problems and stuff like that but have had problems in the past with anxiety meds and plus I really hate having my indentity altered by taking these meds. I'm immune to nyquil which used to put me right out, I'm also immune to benedryl which also used to knock me right out. I have been taking melatonin yet it hasn't seemed to help me much. I'm really getting sick of this. I'm thinking it could be due to a lack of exercise but I've always had this problem even when I exercised a lot. I have to imaginative of a brain I think and I freak myself out a lot. I wanted to know if anyone has any ideas on helping me to sleep. I'm just getting more frustrated which just leads to less and less sleep. If someone could tell me how to turn off my brain it would be great. Thanks
Sleeping
- Thread starter Jeff D.
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Help Support Crohn's Disease Forum:
jeff, i have the same weird body clock as you right now. the only way i can ensure i'll sleep, is if i wait till i'm absolutely knackered and my eyes are closing, before i go to bed. otherwise, i will lie there wide awake and get frustrated that everyone else is asleep and i'm not.
i try to keep to a routine at the end of the day, especially if bedtime is looming and i'm not tired. i'll have a hot shower, get my pjs on, do the last bits of tidying and housework that need doing, then have a cup of tea or hot chocolate, and lurk around the internet. sometimes i play really boring games like mahjong... just to quieten my thoughts down. other times i'll curl up with a book, and read until my eyes feel heavy.
i dont take sleeping meds... i have only ever resorted to them when i've literally had no sleep for more than 2 nights. i also try not to nap in the day, as that always gives me an energy boost and makes me less likely to sleep at night.
i try to keep to a routine at the end of the day, especially if bedtime is looming and i'm not tired. i'll have a hot shower, get my pjs on, do the last bits of tidying and housework that need doing, then have a cup of tea or hot chocolate, and lurk around the internet. sometimes i play really boring games like mahjong... just to quieten my thoughts down. other times i'll curl up with a book, and read until my eyes feel heavy.
i dont take sleeping meds... i have only ever resorted to them when i've literally had no sleep for more than 2 nights. i also try not to nap in the day, as that always gives me an energy boost and makes me less likely to sleep at night.
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Jeff D. said:
Hey Jeff try hot lactose milk or water and honey a couple of hours before your ready to crash. And try taking a gravol. Sometimes it works for me and sometimes it dont
Tammy
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I'm the same way, I can't sleep until I'm basically passing out, and sometimes that means I don't fall asleep until 5:30 a.m. ....I tried it too, to get into PJs and have a cup of tea and put on my favourite movie, but no luck....
I've never tried gravol, but it's not gluten-free so that doesn't work for me.
Maybe we all just need to have a good drink at night to knock us out :ycool:
~ Lisa ~
I've never tried gravol, but it's not gluten-free so that doesn't work for me.
Maybe we all just need to have a good drink at night to knock us out :ycool:
~ Lisa ~
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Jeff D. said:If I was 21 I would definitely take a few shots of vodka or something and I would go right out.
I sometimes wish someone could just hit me over the head with a baseball bat.lol
Ah yes, I always forget about the 21 years old rule...guess i'm spoiled here in Canada :tongue:
The method does work though, trust me I've tried to a few times
~ Lisa ~
I bet it would. My friend is Ukrainian and his parents let him drink whenever he wants so every so often gets a few shots of vodka so he can get to sleep early. I wished my parents let me do that.lol But also up until a few weeks ago I couldn't drink because of my medicines.
I used to drink camomile so that I could get rid of constipation. Now that I think about it I used to fall asleep in class a lot back then but I don't know if that was due to the camomile or due to waking up at 6. I'll have to give it a try.
Thanks for all of the suggestions
Thanks for all of the suggestions
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Jeff D. said:
I'm a Ukrainian too so guess that's where I got the idea from
. You'd be surprised what a good shot of vodka will help with. Some of my family said it works for a fever, too! And it was how my dad got rid of his horrible cold last week. I hope the tea works for you!
~ Lisa ~
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I've heard that Valerian Root helps... never tried it myself... but you can buy it at most drugstores or walmarts I think... its by the ginko baloba and other herby things.
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Are you getting less sleep, like less than 6 hours? I only have trouble falling asleep at a specific time if I slept more than 7 hours that night, took a nap, or drank some caffeine.
funny.. after posting about my own lack of sleep, i actually slept in today till 10.30am. feel great
jeff, i dont know how long caffeine stays in your bloodstream.. how about taking caffeine out of your diet completely & see if theres any change. i am on caffeine-free coffee, tea, coke these days - they taste just as good as the originals.
jeff, i dont know how long caffeine stays in your bloodstream.. how about taking caffeine out of your diet completely & see if theres any change. i am on caffeine-free coffee, tea, coke these days - they taste just as good as the originals.
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Maybe it depends on how immune you are to coffee...I drink once or twice a day, sometimes 3 times depending on how bad my hypothyroidism is acting up, and that has never affected my sleep. I think when you're a coffeeholic like me, the only time it hits you is if you go without it for a day and suffer from withdrawal symptoms...
~ Lisa ~
~ Lisa ~
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Try making sure you have a quiet, secluded, dark place to sleep. Make sure you do nothing but sleep in that spot. Try to do relaxing activities before you sleep. Maintain a schedule even if you do not get to sleep make sure you get up at the same time.
And from what I understand you can build up an addiction to caffeine within 24 hours, and an intolerance.
And from what I understand you can build up an addiction to caffeine within 24 hours, and an intolerance.
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I have a lot of trouble sleeping as well. It seems I'm tired all day, then by the time evening comes around I start to become less tired. I can't fall asleep unless I get to the point where my eyes are threatening to close. At that point, if I don't get to bed quick enough and fall asleep it seems like my brain kicks in full drive and I'm unable to get to sleep at all.
Have you tried reading in bed? Sometimes I would read in bed by a dim light that I could easily turn off and it would help me get to sleep. Sometimes it would work too well and I would fall asleep and drop a book on my face.
One hurdle is adjusting; if you're always not getting to sleep until a certain time then your body clock is used to it.
Have you tried reading in bed? Sometimes I would read in bed by a dim light that I could easily turn off and it would help me get to sleep. Sometimes it would work too well and I would fall asleep and drop a book on my face.
One hurdle is adjusting; if you're always not getting to sleep until a certain time then your body clock is used to it.
Kev
Senior Member
Here's what works for me... short naps only during the day, no matter how tired I am. No caffiene of any type (and it's hidden in stuff, like Coke N Mountain Dew) as of noon.. Go to bed at a decent time, get up at a decent time (even if still tired. A best plan.. nap later if you need it - see above cautionary note - keep a regular schedule). Sex is great for getting us males to nod off... ask any woman. And if it isn't an option, even partnerless, then there is that old standby... works for me. Turn the TV on low to something boring N leave it there... It's distracting enuff to derail that mental train that is going in constant circles. I've also found focusing on something, like an alarm clock that ticks, does the trick... One to avoid is the warm milk at bedtime, that will just as likely have most of us running to the bathroom all thru the nite. Right?
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Gees, talk about sleeplessness myself tonight! I've been yawning for the last 4 hours, and have to wake up in 5 hours the latest, but can't fall asleep for the life of me.
Here's what I learned (and what they claim) in psychology -- sleeping with some sort of light helps your body reset its normal sleep clock of that average 8 hours. Maybe give that a shot too...
~ Lisa ~
Here's what I learned (and what they claim) in psychology -- sleeping with some sort of light helps your body reset its normal sleep clock of that average 8 hours. Maybe give that a shot too...
~ Lisa ~
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I tried Melatonin for a few nights, didn't make a dramatic improvement so I stopped. Did seem to help me get to sleep faster.
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I got my first 7 hours of sleep 3 nights ago after four months and it felt great but oh, so odd!
Just having surgery I am hoping the trend comes back (I was up last night with D - expected for about a month they say while the bowel reshifts)
Before I was aiming for a few hours like you, and the only thing that worked for me to grab those was attempting a stay awake no matter what during the day routine - hard as it was I had to get up and stay up until I was passing out at midnight-1-2-3-whatever and I have to get up with my wee ones at 7 every day.
Hope you see some sheep soon....
(and for sure, no caffeine past supper I have been told...although Kev's noon call may work even better - unsure as I have had, sadly none of my fav caffeine drinks for almost 4 months....sigh....)
Just having surgery I am hoping the trend comes back (I was up last night with D - expected for about a month they say while the bowel reshifts)
Before I was aiming for a few hours like you, and the only thing that worked for me to grab those was attempting a stay awake no matter what during the day routine - hard as it was I had to get up and stay up until I was passing out at midnight-1-2-3-whatever and I have to get up with my wee ones at 7 every day.
Hope you see some sheep soon....
(and for sure, no caffeine past supper I have been told...although Kev's noon call may work even better - unsure as I have had, sadly none of my fav caffeine drinks for almost 4 months....sigh....)
Kev
Senior Member
Yeah, just for clarification... I used to drink coffee to fight my body's urge for a post noon - mid afternoon 'nap' (back in the days when I was mortified by that).. Now, I don't fight it, and I don't interfere with it... (hence no caffeine past noon)
