anyone else have trouble sleeping?

hello all,

i recently realized that ive been having difficulty sleeping, probably for about a year now.  i thought it was because of the stress from law school, so i understood why i didnt get much sleep during the semester.  but now, its the summer and i dont really feel stressed, yet im still not sleeping well.  i would say that since sept of 08 i've had issues sleeping.  about half of the days in the month i have trouble falling asleep and sometimes staying asleep.

is anyone else going through the same thing?  any reasons why i cant seem to sleep?  when i hit the bed, im so tired, yet i cant seem to fall asleep, adn find myself waking up a few times randomly.

any advice on what to do to get my sleep rhythm back to normal?

thanks for your help.

 

when i have problems sleeping i take valerian root. it's just an herbal pill you can pick up at any like GNC or whatever, and you take one at bedtime and it helps relax your muscles during the night so you don't tense up and end up rolling around all night and whatnot. it works for me~

hope this helps

~*~Gela~*~

I don't know what to tell you except that I'm in the same boat. I've tried everything - Kava, L-tryptophan, Bedtime Tea, Yoga, Tylenol PM and the other sleeping aid.... and I'm just too anxious or something. People tell me that having 2 kids is stressful and I tell them no its not, but I'm starting to wonder because lately I feel like I'm on the verge of a nervous breakdown. I can't sleep, I'm up 3 or 4 times a night, and I'm exhausted in the morning. If you can find something, let me know, because I'm right there with you.

a friend of mine whose mom is a psychiatrist suggested the following to me:

she said that they use this in depressed patients.  you have to re-boot your sleep rhythm.  to do such, you go to bed at your normal time every night, and wake up at 4 a.m. and do it for a week.  by that time, your system will have acquired a "sleep debt" and you should be able to sleep.

i dont want sleep aids because they're so addictive.  so i may try this technique come next week.  at least if i wake up at 4, i can get more done!

good luck :)

You might also want to give some thought to how many stimulants you are using.  Coffe, tea, caffinated drinks?  Diet pills?  ADHD meds?  Other "natural" pills?

Naps during the day can also throw you off.

 

EDIT: Exercise during the day might help a lot.

I have trouble sleeping lately.  I attribute it to not working and not being in school.  When school is in session I do not have problems falling/staying asleep.  I believe... I am just understimulated and bored. 

Some thoughts to add:

• Though you may not "feel" stressed, your body still may be stressed.  It may also just be used to the bad sleeping habits law school probably forced on you.
• Be sure the hour or so before bed is a relaxing time - that means little reading, NO TV or computer time.  Often when I have a bad night the computer is the culprit.
• I have heard the "wake up at 4am" plan before - it might be worth a try.  But first I would set a reasonable bedtime and wake up time, and actually wake up and get going in the morning.  If I lay around for a while in the morning, it often makes that night's sleep difficult.
• make sure you are getting a little bit of natural light during the day.

Hope you find something that helps.  If you don't feel better in a couple of weeks, go see your doctor.

Recently I've been having the same problem. Pain in the ass, because I'm quite tired, but my body seems fully awake. I toss and turn, move, shake my legs, etc. But all I want is sleep!! I hate it.

I've started taking tylenol PM. I'm trying to refrain from taking naps because I think that messes up my sleeping schedule. Tylenol PM does work for me, but yeah, it's not something I want to be dependent on.

Good luck :) and sweet dreams haha

One of the most important things to do is get into a routine, and stick with it. Go to bed and get up at the same time, every day. This includes weekends - don't sleep in! You need to train your body to expect to be asleep or awake at certain times.

Also... make your bedroom cool and totally dark.

i just wanted to say thank you to everyone who offered advice, i really appreciate it.  also, im gona try turning the tv off an hr before bed, i thnk that's what keeps me up pretty late.  if that doesnt work, then here come 4 a.m. mornings!

thanks again.

Apparantly exercise (reasonably intense) can really help you sleep. Also, make sure you're not eating too soon before you try to sleep.

I've had this sort of problem for years, it's just really hard for me to fall asleep. Some nights it's better, some it isn't. But because yours is a fairly recent thing, I bet you'll be back to normal soon :)