Cant Sleep

lazicat

So tired each night & cant seem to sleep until its almost light.
Its driving me mad !!

salamander

I go through the alphabet by country (authors/bands/artists/plants) that usually does the trick for me.

charleeh

Hi,

Have you tried mediating? I find it really helps me with relaxing my body and mind. it helps me cope with pain too.

There are lots of free meditations on youtube.... cd's on amazon and ebay.

Its hard when you are ill and not using up energy

Also lavender scents help sleep.

Avon do a sleep balm. So do badger balms. - both on ebay.

I hope this helps

Best wishes,
Charleeh

Bydand1980

I know what you mean Lazicat, my sleep pattern has been well and truly mucked up since this latest flairup began. A few weeks ago I went three nights without sleeping at all because of the pain and not been able to lie on my side without about hitting the roof!

Wish I could offer some advice but I've tried various suggestions from reading, to music, to various herbal remedies. Sometimes it can help eventually but if I can't sleep it just wont happen, even strong sleeping tablets couldn't knock me out! The only thing that really works for me is camping outdoors, something to do with fresh air and no artificial light and returning to a 'natural' sleeping patern.

My only words of reassurance is that it will eventually pass, it usually does for me anyway.

ToastierShorti

It's horrid, isn't it.

Sometimes I put my i-pod on repeat and listen to various pieces of classical music that I know by heart and lose myself in each note. BUT, that is not so easy when pain keeps me awake.

I've even been know to have conversations with it, reminding it that it is only a feeling and I am the greater being!! Probably means I should be certified, but hey ho!

When I was studying counselling, one of the tutors introduced me to a technique that I have taught all my family:

In your mind,
imagine pain as either a black mass or something you dislike immensely.
imagine the freedom of pain as a calm colour or somewhere you can picture that is relaxing for you.
Then breathe in the calm colour and breathe out the black mass (or thing you dislike)
With each breath, imagine the black mass being merged with the calm colour, becoming first grey until the calming colour (or relaxing picture) wins over.

It works for most people I have shared this with, and it is one of my coping mechanisms for many stressful situations I find myself in, pain being one.

Really hope you feel better soon.

TS

ichabod6

Listen to Radio4extra, the old Radio7.
It knocks me out every night and during the night.
I havent heard a programme throughout for over 26 months.

villier

Not very nice Lazicat I am like that myself most nights, what works for me is I get up and come into sitting room either read a magazine not a book or watch tv nothing intense, I usually have a cup of tea(de-caf) until I start feeling sleepy then go back to bed, I learnt this through a pain management course, we are all different what workss for one may not work for another, good luck........Marie xx

elainebadknee

Lazicat

No wonder your'e not sleeping with all youv'e had to put up with in recent times...
I use my Chilled CD's or I-Pod or read a book, do a puzzle....Its awful sleep deprivation...

((Hugs)))

Elainexx

villier wrote:

Not very nice Lazicat I am like that myself most nights, what works for me is I get up and come into sitting room either read a magazine not a book or watch tv nothing intense, I usually have a cup of tea(de-caf) until I start feeling sleepy then go back to bed, I learnt this through a pain management course, we are all different what workss for one may not work for another, good luck........Marie xx

elnafinn

I agree with Elaine. You are not sleeping well because of what has/is going on in your life and it seems that when one wants to sleep the mind becomes extra active and things go round and round in your head and can get a little out of proportion. Things seem so much worse at night than in the day. It is true too that as it starts to lighten, one is able to sleep then, which is not often ideal.

I am afraid I have no suggestions other than what others have mentioned. After a few nights without sleep one is often so fatigued that one falls asleep before the thinking begins and are not woken up either because the sleep is so deep.

You have my sympathies.

Gentle hugs
Elna x

applerose

It is terrible not having enough sleep, isn't it? Having a banana and a glass of milk just before bed has nearly always helped me sleep. Not recently though. I went to see my GP a few days ago because I'd hardly slept in 2 weeks. A mixture of arthur flaring and too much thinking when I go to bed. He has prescribed Amitriptyline so help me sleep and also to help with the arthritis as I don't take anything else for that. I hope you start sleeping well soon.