Count sheep? Warm milk? Soft music?
I have not read Dr Dements book, but wonder what those here who have had problems getting to sleep and what they find effective.
As a person with lifelong difficulty getting to sleep, mostly due to my own bad sleep habits- no exercise- daytime naps- racing thoughts etc, this is important.
In retrospect, it is possible sleep apnea goes back many years and possibly was involved in my sleep problems.
Please limit this to natural life style approaches and what works for you.
Thanks-
tomjax
Getting to sleep
11 posts
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Sleepless on LI
- Posts: 3997
- Joined: Mon May 30, 2005 6:46 pm
- Location: Long Island, New York
Tomjax,
Does this happen no matter what time you go to sleep? My first thought would be that the therapy is working so well, that maybe you're just still full of energy when you try to go to bed. I know that since therapy started working for me, what used to take me three seconds from when my head hit the pillow to when I was snoring now takes sometimes a good half hour or more to fall asleep.
My mother, who should have been a holistic healer with her bag of natural rememdies, used to give us warm milk when we had trouble sleeping. I don't know if it was a mental thing where mind took over matter and it would work or if there really is something in it that puts you to sleep. I think there is, though. I've read that chicken soup is also not only "food for the soul," but medicinal in treating colds. I think warm milk may fall into that category, too. Hey, you're the pharmacist here; you should know about this stuff.
What do you have to lose? Try a glass of warm milk, maybe a relaxing warm bath and think pleasant thoughts when trying to fall asleep. No worrying about your bills or your job, etc., that may bring stress and adrenaline to the surface. Happy, relaxing thoughts, even if you have to make things up.
Last suggestion? Try not to get upset over it, too, when it's happening as that will probably only make matters worse. Try to not think about, "Damn, I've been laying here now for 40 minutes and I'm still wide awake." I know that would keep me up even more.
Good luck. Hope this changes for you soon.
Does this happen no matter what time you go to sleep? My first thought would be that the therapy is working so well, that maybe you're just still full of energy when you try to go to bed. I know that since therapy started working for me, what used to take me three seconds from when my head hit the pillow to when I was snoring now takes sometimes a good half hour or more to fall asleep.
My mother, who should have been a holistic healer with her bag of natural rememdies, used to give us warm milk when we had trouble sleeping. I don't know if it was a mental thing where mind took over matter and it would work or if there really is something in it that puts you to sleep. I think there is, though. I've read that chicken soup is also not only "food for the soul," but medicinal in treating colds. I think warm milk may fall into that category, too. Hey, you're the pharmacist here; you should know about this stuff.
What do you have to lose? Try a glass of warm milk, maybe a relaxing warm bath and think pleasant thoughts when trying to fall asleep. No worrying about your bills or your job, etc., that may bring stress and adrenaline to the surface. Happy, relaxing thoughts, even if you have to make things up.
Last suggestion? Try not to get upset over it, too, when it's happening as that will probably only make matters worse. Try to not think about, "Damn, I've been laying here now for 40 minutes and I'm still wide awake." I know that would keep me up even more.
Good luck. Hope this changes for you soon.
L o R i
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Guest
Tomjax,
It is tortuous to stay in bed if I can't sleep, so I just get up until I am really ready to fall asleep. I recommend a quiet activity, like reading, or maybe even something really passive, like watch TV. An herbal tea is a soothing addition (no sugar added, or you might stay up longer because of the sugar!). If your sleep clock is such that you are staying up later and later each day, then it is important to skip daytime naps and any exercise close to bedtime.
Also, think of a bedtime ritual you might like to instigate for yourself to help you wind down an hour before you want to go to sleep. I did that with my children and find it also works for adults.
These are just suggestions that work for me. I hope you find a solution that works for you soon as insomnia or poor sleep habits will ruin the best of treatment for sleep apnea. I find I have insomnia-like episodes since I started my Sleep Apnea treatment just because it takes a while to adjust to this new ritual that was introduced to me. Likewise, I now have dreams I remember. There are some that wake me up and I really want to get out of bed! So, I get up and wait for rest and relaxation to come. It usually does within 30 minutes or so.
FF
It is tortuous to stay in bed if I can't sleep, so I just get up until I am really ready to fall asleep. I recommend a quiet activity, like reading, or maybe even something really passive, like watch TV. An herbal tea is a soothing addition (no sugar added, or you might stay up longer because of the sugar!). If your sleep clock is such that you are staying up later and later each day, then it is important to skip daytime naps and any exercise close to bedtime.
Also, think of a bedtime ritual you might like to instigate for yourself to help you wind down an hour before you want to go to sleep. I did that with my children and find it also works for adults.
These are just suggestions that work for me. I hope you find a solution that works for you soon as insomnia or poor sleep habits will ruin the best of treatment for sleep apnea. I find I have insomnia-like episodes since I started my Sleep Apnea treatment just because it takes a while to adjust to this new ritual that was introduced to me. Likewise, I now have dreams I remember. There are some that wake me up and I really want to get out of bed! So, I get up and wait for rest and relaxation to come. It usually does within 30 minutes or so.
FF
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Fatigue Fighter
- Posts: 118
- Joined: Fri Aug 26, 2005 8:24 pm
- Location: California
sleep problems
It seems that again I was not clear in my original post.
I failed to clarify that all the lifelong sleep problems were to a large extent, my own fault.
Even in college (1958) I would be uncontrolably sleepy in class and fell asleep often. I would go to my room when I had an open class and go to sleep. Now I could not get to sleep at night and it was a vicious circle.
I took sleeping pills once I was a pharmacist. There was virtually no warnings about the dangers. I got sleep.
Then in the mid 80's I HAD to be without any sleep aids and HAD to solve the problem on my own.
I did and this is one reason I discourage sleep aids.
Now that I do not work- another long story- I lost my license because the shrinks thought my drowsiness at work was due to substance abuse when all I had was sleep apnea,
I had long before given up sleep aids and only get to sleep with my own determination.
I use a variety of things. Reading is the most effective way to get drowsy. Mental fantasy trips also help. I develop story lines and imagine writing a book and this helps.
My point is that most of my sleep problems were my own fault. Now with cpap, the only time I have a problem is when I take a daytime nap and cannot sleep at night.
I am asking what techniques others do to get to sleep.
What works for you?
I failed to clarify that all the lifelong sleep problems were to a large extent, my own fault.
Even in college (1958) I would be uncontrolably sleepy in class and fell asleep often. I would go to my room when I had an open class and go to sleep. Now I could not get to sleep at night and it was a vicious circle.
I took sleeping pills once I was a pharmacist. There was virtually no warnings about the dangers. I got sleep.
Then in the mid 80's I HAD to be without any sleep aids and HAD to solve the problem on my own.
I did and this is one reason I discourage sleep aids.
Now that I do not work- another long story- I lost my license because the shrinks thought my drowsiness at work was due to substance abuse when all I had was sleep apnea,
I had long before given up sleep aids and only get to sleep with my own determination.
I use a variety of things. Reading is the most effective way to get drowsy. Mental fantasy trips also help. I develop story lines and imagine writing a book and this helps.
My point is that most of my sleep problems were my own fault. Now with cpap, the only time I have a problem is when I take a daytime nap and cannot sleep at night.
I am asking what techniques others do to get to sleep.
What works for you?
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Sleepless on LI
- Posts: 3997
- Joined: Mon May 30, 2005 6:46 pm
- Location: Long Island, New York
Yes, I certainly misunderstood your post.What works for you?
Just laying there and waiting for Mother Nature to take her course. Some nights it's within minutes. Other nights it could be 30-45. Guess it all depends on how tired and warn out I am from the day. Since CPAP, it's usually a little longer than minutes.
Last edited by Sleepless on LI on Wed Sep 07, 2005 11:27 am, edited 1 time in total.
L o R i
Prior to xPAP I was so sleep deprived I'd lay down and be asleep in 2 minutes (as proven during my sleep study).
Now I've had treatment for over 4 weeks I'm starting to catch up on my sleep debt and it now takes me 3 minutes.
I guess I still have a long way to go.
Now I've had treatment for over 4 weeks I'm starting to catch up on my sleep debt and it now takes me 3 minutes.
I guess I still have a long way to go.
The CPAPer formerly known as WAFlowers
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Mare
tips for sleeping
If you're reading to get sleepy, try to do it outside of bed. It's good to keep television and any activity besides sleep (with one exception) outside of the bed. That way your body is trained that when you go to bed, you're there to sleep. I agree with another comment posted, if you can't sleep in 20 minutes, get up and do something. The longer you try to sleep without success, the more agitated and awake you will get. Also try covering your alarm clock or any other clock in the room so you're not watching the time.
One more tip: Try to get your 8 hours of sleep so you won't need that nap!
One more tip: Try to get your 8 hours of sleep so you won't need that nap!
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rock and roll
- Posts: 1222
- Joined: Mon Nov 01, 2004 7:30 pm
- Location: Texas
getting to sleep
As I said, most of my earlier problems were my own fault due to my own bad sleep habits .
Before I was dx with osa, I was having very bad daytime drowsiness, but when I went to bed I was totally awake and had difficulty getting to sleep.
If I was home during the day, I could get sleepy very easy and doze off, but not at night. Hence the viscious circle.
R/R if you mean Benadryl, that is a good help, but again my ignorance when I had sworn off sleep aids again caused problems.
I increased the dose to 100 mg- 2 caps- and ended up in the hospital with acute prostatitis-. It causes urinary retention. There is also a tolerance to it that limits its effectiveness. Gotta take it only occasionally.
I took one last night as I have most of the week because of some very serious sneezing- I sneeze sometimes 20-30 times in a row.
Probably cigarette allergy. another bad habit.
Before I was dx with osa, I was having very bad daytime drowsiness, but when I went to bed I was totally awake and had difficulty getting to sleep.
If I was home during the day, I could get sleepy very easy and doze off, but not at night. Hence the viscious circle.
R/R if you mean Benadryl, that is a good help, but again my ignorance when I had sworn off sleep aids again caused problems.
I increased the dose to 100 mg- 2 caps- and ended up in the hospital with acute prostatitis-. It causes urinary retention. There is also a tolerance to it that limits its effectiveness. Gotta take it only occasionally.
I took one last night as I have most of the week because of some very serious sneezing- I sneeze sometimes 20-30 times in a row.
Probably cigarette allergy. another bad habit.
11 posts
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