Trouble sleeping

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
Constance said:
My husband bought me a little sound machine for Christmas, and I go to sleep every night to the sound of the ocean. It's wonderful!

Controlling your thoughts and your breathing can help more than anything. Force yourself to breath deeply and slowly, establishing a rhythm. Think of someplace peaceful, like the seashore or a deep green forest. Exclude all the day to day stuff, and concentrate on relaxing your body from the toes up.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately sound machine would not work for me... I'm deaf.
 
I have had trouble with insomnia from time to time. For me, it was always when one of my babies began sleeping through the night - and all of mine were very late to do this. Well, I would find that they were sleeping through and I was still waking up throughout the night or unable to get to sleep in the first place! It took a concerted effort on my part to start sleeping again but here are the things that helped me:
Exercise early in the day. Enough to get tired. But not too close to bedtime or it can actually refresh you and make it harder to sleep.
Melatonin supplements.
A hot bath just before bed.
Making the bedroom completely dark.
No activities in the bed other than sleep (and sex, if you're lucky.) If you're tossing and turning, get up. Don't eat a snack or anything in bed. Also, don't watch TV in bed. In other words, make the bed a place that your body learns to associate only with sleep.
Keep the bedroom temperature on the cool side.
Use a very low fan for the white noise and the soothing sensation. (I know the noise doesn't apply in your case.)
Don't use alcohol near bedtime unless you know it helps you get a whole night's sleep. When I drink before bed, I fall asleep almost instantly but I wake up a couple of hours later and I can't get back to sleep.

Good luck, LadyCook. I know what a frustrating problem this is.
 
I've also had a few close friends who suffer from anxiety issues who've slept horribly till the doctor prescribed anti-anxiety meds.

PS - just found out in the last year that bananas were the cause of my heartburn too, ladycook. Glad to know it's not just me!
 
Fishers mom raises a good point - bed is for sleeping (and sex) and nothing else...no phones, no laptops, no tv. Your body realizes that when it goes into bed and under the blanket, it is time to sleep - you should not disrupt this rhythm by introducing other non-sleep related items into your bedroom.
 
It's interesting, I usually have no trouble sleeping. If I do, as I said, a hot bath seems to work. Now and then though, I will lie there totally unable to sleep--knowing that I should be tired but not even feeling tired. When that happens, I get up and get on the computer. I put sleep out of my mind and write. The funny thing is, I often have more inspiration at these times and I can get quite a bit done. When I have written for awhile, I am often able to go to sleep.

So, if you truly are not able to get to sleep, try not trying. Of course this would only be an occasional solution. If you are having difficulties with sleep on a regular basis, you should definitely see a doctor about it.

:)Barbara
P.S. You mentioned reading a boring book. Reading a boring book does not put me to sleep, it just aggravates me. Reading a book I enjoy sometimes relaxes me enough to sleep.
 
flukx said:
Fishers mom raises a good point - bed is for sleeping (and sex) and nothing else...no phones, no laptops, no tv. Your body realizes that when it goes into bed and under the blanket, it is time to sleep - you should not disrupt this rhythm by introducing other non-sleep related items into your bedroom.
Click to expand...
no problem with that. my bedroom is for sleeping only, I open the window about 2-3 inches for air flow. I have no tv in the room, no laptop either in there. Just the bed, dresser, desk, lamp and a chair.
 
My biggest problem is trying to get to sleep. I worry about everything going on in my life and can't stop thinking. I have been stretching every night for 10-15 minutes right before I climb into bed and it has been helping. I also focus on one thing that makes me happy (sounds cheesy but I imagine large fields of flowers and myself walking through them) this seems to help me relax and eventually fall asleep.

I also stiffen my entire body and relax one part at a time until my entire body is slightly tingling, from my neck to my toes. This really helps, my husband does this too.

I hope you find sleep soon! :)
 
Your best bet will be talking with your doctor.

I was going to offer my father to tell you some of his stories, but since you are deaf then they won't really phase you. His stories do wonders for others though.

I have not heard of triptophan being banned Amy. It occurs naturally in lots of foods so I don't know how a ban would work. Turkey is what it is most commonly associated with. Everyone thinks they get tired after Thanksgiving dinner because of it. Triptophan only make you tired on an empty stomach though. What people really get tired from on Thanksgiving is over eating.
 
GB said:
Your best bet will be talking with your doctor.

I was going to offer my father to tell you some of his stories, but since you are deaf then they won't really phase you. His stories do wonders for others though.

I have not heard of triptophan being banned Amy. It occurs naturally in lots of foods so I don't know how a ban would work. Turkey is what it is most commonly associated with. Everyone thinks they get tired after Thanksgiving dinner because of it. Triptophan only make you tired on an empty stomach though. What people really get tired from on Thanksgiving is over eating.
Click to expand...

Burp!! Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...
 
GB said:
Your best bet will be talking with your doctor.

I was going to offer my father to tell you some of his stories, but since you are deaf then they won't really phase you. His stories do wonders for others though.

I have not heard of triptophan being banned Amy. It occurs naturally in lots of foods so I don't know how a ban would work. Turkey is what it is most commonly associated with. Everyone thinks they get tired after Thanksgiving dinner because of it. Triptophan only make you tired on an empty stomach though. What people really get tired from on Thanksgiving is over eating.
Click to expand...


I was referring to the pill form. I have not purchased L-tryptophan in pill form from a health food store since prior to 2002, but did hear about problems & the pill form being banned or taken off shelves.

Tryptophan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
Last edited:
I didn't read the whole thread but you can try melatonin. It is naturally produced by your body, you can purchase it OTC from your pharmacist and it has no residual effects in the AM (usually). Works well for occasional sleeplessness.
 
Alix said:
I didn't read the whole thread but you can try melatonin. It is naturally produced by your body, you can purchase it OTC from your pharmacist and it has no residual effects in the AM (usually). Works well for occasional sleeplessness.
Click to expand...

:) I take Melatonin every night have been for years and years. It can take a few nights for it to kick in. Melatonin is made by your body but as you get older it makes less and less. I like the Source Naturals brand it is a sublingual which means it dissolves under your tongue meaning it will only take about 20 minutes to fall asleep. Its peppermint flavor 2.5 MG works like a dream. I used to take a whole one for a year or two but now I get by with about a quarter of the pill. Its also supposed to be a powerful anti-oxidant. If you have a lot on your mind it doe's not work as well but after a while you learn that bedtime is just that bedtime. I always tell my self not to think about what is bugging me if in fact something is bugging me when I go to bed, because you know you will think about it as soon as you wake up.
I used to have a terrible time falling asleep and not able to stay asleep in the early morning now I love going to bed I sleep like a baby.
 
Thanks jpmcgrew! You were the best info I could have given on this! LOL!! (BTW, newsletter on its way to you)
 
I have learned that propping a book on the bed, so it can't fall and wake me, light as low as it can be, while still allowing me to read works. When I can't sleep, it is because I am worried, so if I read and get involved in the story, I think calmly about the plot of the story not my worries and then, suddenly I am asleep.

Also, I do Taoist Tai Chi. Check the website at Taoist.org, and learn about us. If there is one near, it will energize you for an hour or two after the practice, and then you can sleep for seven hours straight. Wonderful stuff.
 
:) All I know is some of us just can't fall asleep no matter what we do and we need a bit of help, Iv'e taken Melatonin at least 15 years and have no intention of stopping, As I said before if you are wired it doe's not work as well. So what I mean is you do hafto work on not running thoughts over and over again . I have mastered the ruminating which is in my mind the biggest cause of not being able to sleep.
 
jpmcgrew said:
:)Melatonin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Click to expand...
Thanks for this JP. I have taken melatonin at different times when I had trouble sleeping but not lately. This article says there is research to suggest that it may improve thyroid function for ladies "of a certain age". I didn't know that but I've been wondering if my thyroid might be a little sluggish - I think I'll get some melatonin tomorrow.
 
:) I think good sleep also involves clean bedding a cool room ,fresh air from a cracked window in the winter and cool air in the summer.I can not sleep with any kind of light even from the clock even the full moon can bug me. I want it pitch black.Oh and a big glass of water by the bed. A down comforter is the best sleeping for me no top sheet no blanket no cover. Just a down comforter inside a duvet like they do in Germany, Australia etc. The down regulates the heat from your body wicking away the heat or warming you as you need it.. Pretty amazing really.
I have lighter down comforters for the summer and heavier ones for the winter.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Kaneohegirlinaz
Another Way To Share Food
Replies
4
Views
358
Kaneohegirlinaz
Kaneohegirlinaz
Linda0818
I guess it's true that we shrink during the day
2
Replies
39
Views
912
Linda0818
Linda0818
B
Can I use a smoker box on charcoal?
Replies
8
Views
317
taxlady
taxlady
rodentraiser
Trying to thaw a beef roast
2
Replies
34
Views
2K
rodentraiser
rodentraiser
K
Trader Joe's Cinnamon Coffee Cake Mix Review...
Replies
0
Views
924
kleenex
K

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom