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I agree with these, except that I'd try cutting out caffeine altogether for a while. I notice the difference if I have any at all so generally drink decaf these days.
Write down anything you're anxious about/haven't done yet, so your brain knows it's in hand and can stop reminding you about it in the middle of the night.
Keep yourself hydrated and your bedroom reasonably cool as we sleep better at lower temperatures.
Try reading before bed.
Listen to a calming podcast. Test match special or Desert Island Discs are good for me.
Do a gratitude journal or think of three things before bed that you're grateful for. It helps with the happy hormones and mild depression is linked with insomnia.
Yoga and Pilates are good with regulating your body which helps with insomnia.
Try and get to sleep well before 12pm at times as your sleep quality can be better and also you are less likely to become anxious if you wake up in the middle of the night as there would be plenty of time to get back to sleep before you have to get up.
Listen to a muscle relaxation script on YouTube.
Good luck! I do a lot of these and they help keep it in check, so I sleep badly maybe once a week rather than every night.
Some great tips, Nix.
"The opposite of love, after all, is not hate, but indifference."
I get it a lot - mainly similar to the kind Clareman describes - waking up, can't get back to sleep, though I don't have long Covid thankfully.
Earplugs can be useful to avoid getting woken up. White noise machine similar. Eye masks now that we're coming into early sunrises.
Audio books are quite effective for me - short stories seem to work better - Audible must think I'm the world's biggest David Sedaris fan.
Valerian root can assist sleep though I do find if it's not happening in the first place it won't really change that.
And as said above, having a plan for sorting out the things that might be keeping you awake is huge. Often easier said than done I know. (If anyone wants to make a bit of spare cash 'taking care of' a difficult boss let me know. I jest of course!...)
My wife struggles with insomnia at times, and finds these help:
Physical exercise - if she's been for a run, she always sleeps much better.
No looking at mobile or laptop after 20-21:00 (bit tricky if you want to know the football results)
Going to bed at a regular time - during the week, we're always in bed for 21:30 - 22:00, with the alarm due to go off at 07:00.
Don't have a big drink of water just before you go to bed - helps when it comes to 2am toilet trips. Eating earlier also seems to help.
My wife sometimes has a lot of work stuff on her mind, so at bedtime, she's started making a list of everything she has to do the next day, and reckons that clears her mind a bit.
If you can't sleep - read or do something, rather than just lie there getting frustrated.
"Valerian root can assist sleep though I do find if it's not happening in the first place it won't really change that."
I bought a small bottle of 'fleurs d'oranger' on a trip to Morocco about 10 years ago. Which is some sort of argon oil/rose water/orange essence mixture. Used to dab a couple of drops of it on my wrists before bed. Agree with you it's more of a sleeping aid than an actual tonic. Still got some left I just found it on the side.
I suffer from it intermittently. Overall I get the best consistent nights sleep from the following.
1. No Alcohol 2. No caffeine within 3 hours of going to bed. 3. being properly hydrated. 4. Regular exercise 5. small dinners no later than 3 hours before bed.. certainly not high carb dinners close to bedtime. 6. regular bedtime schedule... your body has a clock, if you mess it around it will mess you around. 7. Silicone Earplugs ( keep them clean), if noise disturbs you. 8. breathing exercises. 9. Counting or simple math .. I count backwards in steps of three from 500 ( 500 497, 494, 491, 488 etc) or combine it with breathing.
My favourite breathing exercise is taking a deep breath then holding it for 10 seconds, exhale slowly. Do the same for 15 seconds. do the same for 20 seconds, then 30 seconds, and 40 seconds, but only to a point where you're comfortable, and not gasping for air. IF you're wearing earplugs it helps to listen to your heartbeat whilst doing it.
If I can't get back to sleep after doing this for 2 to three minutes then: , a 15 minute walk, followed by a quick showier, and a change of nightclothes if sweaty,
IF that doesn't work, then its up for two or three hours playing a game or watching TV, because there's no point fretting about it, it just makes it worse.
Best thing about WFH in the COVID world at the moment is being able to take naps during the day if you lost sleep at night.
I also have Radio 4 Extra on quietly all through the night. So if/when I wake up in the night stressing about something (which I do most nights), I wake to a play, comedy or generally something 'easy' to listen to (and distracting...) and drop off again usually within 10-15 minutes.
I have an understanding wife who used to wear earplugs, but actually can now sleep through it anyway.
Alcohol can help get me off to sleep initially, but I'll then usually wake in the middle of the night and find it harder to get back off to sleep.
I would suggest don't worry about it do not lie there trying to force yourself to sleep. Get up and write down whatever's on your mind as making a list helps declutter your brain and failing that get out of bed and do some exercise.
I have a small tumor on the brain which causes tinnitus , going to sleep at night was a nightmare as all I could hear is ringing, the best thing I did was get a blue tooth pillow I just whack on a podcast and within 10 minutes I’m sound asleep, also try CBD oil 30 minutes before you go to bed
And Bowles is onside, Swinburne has come rushing out of his goal , what can Bowles do here , onto the left foot no, on to the right foot
That’s there that’s two, and that’s Bowles
Brian Moore
Easier said than done but the best advice is to try not to worry about it too much. You may think you haven't slept a wink but if you were observed in a sleep lab you would be getting lots of little sleeps you don't notice. The body gets the sleep it needs - that's why nobody dies of insomnia.
Have suffered from it my whole life. I've come to the conclusion that nothing works I've tried just about everything and none of them have had any effect. I think the best thing is try to accept it and admit that this is just how it is. Since I've adopted this mindset it feels less of a problem, it's not great but it's more manageable!
Have suffered from it my whole life. I've come to the conclusion that nothing works I've tried just about everything and none of them have had any effect. I think the best thing is try to accept it and admit that this is just how it is. Since I've adopted this mindset it feels less of a problem, it's not great but it's more manageable!
Cheers all for the advice always been a sufferer but the last 14 months or so have reallly made it worse , like many loads going on in my head most of the day trivial and important and just can’t switch off . Walk one of the dogs just before I turn in which has helped the thought pattern a bit but still not enough to get through the night unscathed , rarely drink these days stop drinking tea by lunchtime don’t drink coffee At all .
Cheers all for the advice always been a sufferer but the last 14 months or so have reallly made it worse , like many loads going on in my head most of the day trivial and important and just can’t switch off . Walk one of the dogs just before I turn in which has helped the thought pattern a bit but still not enough to get through the night unscathed , rarely drink these days stop drinking tea by lunchtime don’t drink coffee At all .
Ok here it is not quite Clives match report but I will take my shot. Last night I sat down on my couch with my blankets and a pillow lots of water and some sports drink as well as a bucket to be ready for the following adventure . I finally took an Indica Edible with 10MG THC to help me sleep like a baby .Keep in mind in my 55 years on planet earth nothing illegal passes my lips.(THC is legal where I live). Nothing happened for probably over an hour then all hell literally broke out . My heart rate climbed as I watched it on my wrist fitbit from 87 all the way to 130 and I completely melted down .I had the sweats and my legs started to tremble like I had Parkinson's.I had to call my wife down confess to her I had taken a drug (yes I never told her beforehand )and see if anything . I started to have a panic attack while she told what a fcuking idiot I was which really did not help. I started to feel a far away feeling and kept repeating the question "as I going to die and why am I such a fcuking idiot ". My heart rate would calm back down but then I walked out side to get fresh air and it flew up to 120 again and I feel very nauseous hense the bucket. Now as most people know those are textbook heart attack symptoms and with me having long Covid I was lost between calling an ambulance and trying to calm down which I eventually did. My wife stormed up to bed leaving me to suffer alone but by midnight my heartrate had stabilized,legs had stopped shaking and I didnt need the bucket thankfully.Of course i was even more wide awake if that is possible trying not to fall asleep in case I died did not help. After 3 more hours wide awake I felt good enough to climb the stairs shake my wife awake to ask her if she wanted to have sex because its supposed to be great when you are high and I promised to try to satisfy her this time .After another fcuk off you druggie comment I had to retreat with my tail between my legs I know I deserved that haha. For the next 4 hours I sat on the couch wide awake and after breakfast (still a bit queasy mind you )I am typing this report to say I never had a worse night in my entire adult life without one second of sleep.I know that is impossible to believe but its true. No more edibles or any form of THC for me in fact I an crushing 9 delicious Sea Salt chocolate squares right now and dumping them what a waster of $50 Happy Easter to one and all
Ok here it is not quite Clives match report but I will take my shot. Last night I sat down on my couch with my blankets and a pillow lots of water and some sports drink as well as a bucket to be ready for the following adventure . I finally took an Indica Edible with 10MG THC to help me sleep like a baby .Keep in mind in my 55 years on planet earth nothing illegal passes my lips.(THC is legal where I live). Nothing happened for probably over an hour then all hell literally broke out . My heart rate climbed as I watched it on my wrist fitbit from 87 all the way to 130 and I completely melted down .I had the sweats and my legs started to tremble like I had Parkinson's.I had to call my wife down confess to her I had taken a drug (yes I never told her beforehand )and see if anything . I started to have a panic attack while she told what a fcuking idiot I was which really did not help. I started to feel a far away feeling and kept repeating the question "as I going to die and why am I such a fcuking idiot ". My heart rate would calm back down but then I walked out side to get fresh air and it flew up to 120 again and I feel very nauseous hense the bucket. Now as most people know those are textbook heart attack symptoms and with me having long Covid I was lost between calling an ambulance and trying to calm down which I eventually did. My wife stormed up to bed leaving me to suffer alone but by midnight my heartrate had stabilized,legs had stopped shaking and I didnt need the bucket thankfully.Of course i was even more wide awake if that is possible trying not to fall asleep in case I died did not help. After 3 more hours wide awake I felt good enough to climb the stairs shake my wife awake to ask her if she wanted to have sex because its supposed to be great when you are high and I promised to try to satisfy her this time .After another fcuk off you druggie comment I had to retreat with my tail between my legs I know I deserved that haha. For the next 4 hours I sat on the couch wide awake and after breakfast (still a bit queasy mind you )I am typing this report to say I never had a worse night in my entire adult life without one second of sleep.I know that is impossible to believe but its true. No more edibles or any form of THC for me in fact I an crushing 9 delicious Sea Salt chocolate squares right now and dumping them what a waster of $50 Happy Easter to one and all
Ok, which one of you toerags has hacked CLAREMAN's account?
"The opposite of love, after all, is not hate, but indifference."
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We've all been there Danny 
