<p>I was just sitting here, can’t sleep, and thinking, “I should ask on CC what to do” And who better to ask then the parents, maybe they’ve got some experience with their kids.</p>
<p>So I have insomnia, pretty bad really. No trouble staying asleep, just falling asleep. Usually this is fine, since I’m an engineering major and usually have lots of work to do anyway. But now it’s kinda ruining my winter break.</p>
<p>I’ve completely given up caffeine (except for an occasional iced tea) and sodas as well. No meds that could cause trouble, either, except for claritin. I was thinking of trying benadryl instead (since it causes drowsiness) but I need it to last all 24 hours and my mom’s leery of having me take both.</p>
<p>So - any advice then? I would certainly appreciate hearing some stories…even if they don’t really have to do with my problem. Thanks.</p>
<p>Just imagine yourself being in an imaginary world and you “adventuring” it. Sure worked well when I was in elementary school; Now I have to think about reality…and sleep on it >_></p>
<p>Son has insomnia problems and here are some of the things his Dr. mentioned. Give up ALL caffeine–even hidden caffeine like in chocolate, etc. Get regular exercise every day. No alcohol. Meditation. He started listening to meditation CD’s in bed at night and they seemed to help him relax and fall asleep much quicker (doesn’t work every night, but definately helps).</p>
<p>I’ll second the meditation thing and definitely regular exercise. When I was your age I had trouble falling asleep and I used to “meditate” on untying a rope with lots of knots…the concentrating on something keeps your mind from wandering and becoming anxious. Do yo have anxiety in your life in general?</p>
<p>Perhaps keep a journal and relax your mind from dwelling on worries and things to do. Make your sleep place serene; clutter around me can be too stimulating. Give yourself time to relax before going to bed.
(Just adding more suggestions)</p>
<p>My S and Husband have insomnia. H went to the sleep clinic when he was a graduate student at Duke and they had some advice you have been given - no caffeine; no alcohol; exercise daily but I believe not too close to bed or it will jazz you; keep the same routine every night; get in bed only to sleep. Both S and H use a fan religiously to help them fall asleep. I just bought my S the sleep CD at Brookstone and he swears that it helps him; so much so that he has downloaded it so it can travel with him. As for meds, both over the counter and prescription, that is for your doctor.<br>
Good luck!</p>
<p>Try to train your body to know when it’s time to sleep by following a routine right before bed. I think it can be as simple as listening to a classial music CD as you try to fall asleep. If you listen to that CD every night and don’t listen to it at any other time, after a while I’m guessing that it would act as a type of signal telling your body that it’s time to sleep. </p>
<p>If insomnia continues without abating, see a doctor. I’m assuming there are physical problems that can cause insomnia that your doctor will want to rule out, and he/she will be able to give you better advice than all of us.</p>
<p>I have wireless headphones to connect with radio or computer, I listen to NPR in the dark at bedtime --one of two things happens: 1) program is very interesting and worth listening to and then I may stay up but am relaxed and don’t mind remaining awake…usually I drift off before the end of the program anyway OR 2) program is only marginally interesting, so it briefly captures some of my attention and I drift off to sleep within about 10 minutes. You could do the same with an audiobook or relaxing music, if you prefer. Some people use CDs of nature sounds ( waves, bubbling brooks. etc.).</p>
<p>The point is : I am not worrying about not sleeping and I am not chasing crazy or disturbing thoughts around in my own head keeping myself awake. Whatever I am listening to transports me out of my own head and that’s what does the trick.</p>
<p>try taking yourself off the Claritin. I know that it says that it shouldn’t impede your sleep but I’m always leary. Meds can change a lot of things. The only medicine that does not affect me is Flonase.</p>
<p>Exercise is the best sleep aid. Go for a walk or run.</p>
<p>I’m impressed with all these healthy suggestions by other parents. On the other hand, a doctor can also prescribe Ambien. I use it when I face some big life changes and find insomnia wrecking me, night after night. I take it for a few weeks, just to ensure a proper 7-hour sleep. THen, with my days strengthened, I can usually address better what’s troubling me in real life (or it fixes itself). Then I pick an easy weekend to go off of it again, because one thing it does is suppress dreams so when I go off of it, I tend to have all-too-vivid dreams or nightmares for a few nights, which is unpleasant, but not as unpleasant as the endless insomnia problems.
Months go by without any need for it, but then something happens in real life that’s a big change and I’ve got insomnia again…so I use the ambien for awhile again, then wean off of it, as described.
I don’t know how your family feels about this.
I once had a doc tell me the only thing unsafe about Ambien is if you get hit by a truck carrying a shipment of it. I think that doc was too blase and it should be looked at as a short-term bailout that will let you unhook yourself from unhappy nights every night.
In addition, I strongly support all the healthier routes the other parents suggest as your best long-term solution (meditation and exercise).
I’ll add to that healthy list: hot bath or shower (relaxes muscles), drink hot milk, eat bananas (contain potassium or something that relaxes muscles).</p>
<p>Jbusc, I had a similar problem like ten years ago, and I solved it by removing all of the clocks from my room. To this day I do not have any clocks, watches, etc. of any sort in my room and never have a problem falling asleep and staying asleep. For mornings when I have to be up for an early flight I use a telephone wake up service.</p>
<p>As far as medications–my advice is to try everything else first. Dr. put my son on Ambien (jumped the gun IMO) before trying these other suggestions. The Ambien made him crazy–of course he didn’t remember any of it. His roommate would find him wandering the dorm or campus, visiting in rooms with people he had never met before, he would clean the hall bathroom, make phone calls to people. The next day he had no memory of any of this. I witnessed the same weird things when he took it at home on a break. He would think he had slept all night, but really was up wandering through house, waking up others and having nonsensical conversations.</p>
<p>We took the Rx and flushed the pills and I called Dr. and told him never to prescribe them again for son.</p>
<p>I also have a friend who uses Ambien. She makes phone calls about 1 hour after the takes the med and has these long conversations that make no sense–we (her friends) have learned this now and when she calls at that time of night we say “R. you have taken your sleep med., hang up and go to sleep–DO NOT CALL ANYONE”.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone…I really appreciate all the responses :)</p>
<p>I have a clock, but I never look at it. It’s not backlit either, so I can’t see it when lying down.</p>
<p>I tried the whole meditation-calming music/sounds-etc thing a while ago but I just seem to get bored too fast. Everyone tells me I shouldn’t, but lying down and reading a good book for an hour seems to work better than anything.</p>
<p>I don’t want sleep meds cause I need something permanent, and up until recently, all Rx sleep aids are indicated for temporary only. A new one’s just come out, Rozerem, that’s safe for long-term use, but I’m hesitant to put anything in my central nervous system before it’s been out for a couple decades at least </p>
<p>I’ve heard about the claritin before also (that it makes people kind of jumpy, restless, or sleepless) but I haven’t had much time to experiment, since I don’t want to go off it suddenly (I’ve only missed like one or two pills in the last decade, and my allergies+asthma have been 100% in check for years). I’ve moved to taking it earlier in the day, though. I suppose at some point I have to figure out if it’s causing trouble or not. I do remember having insomnia long before I started taking it though.</p>
<p>Well…I have rose bowl tickets so I’m going to try to make sure I’m rested enough for tomorrow :)</p>
<p>I always have trouble falling asleep regardless of how long I’ve been awake, exercise levels, etc. The solution for me (I refuse drugs) is to read. I always read a novel or history book to try to get tired enough to fall asleep. It works fairly well but has a double edge in that sometimes I get interested enough in it that I force myself to stay awake longer to finish a chapter.</p>
<p>Many WONDERFUL suggestions here. I have just one more to add to the above. Get up within 30 minutes of a selected time EVERY day. Never nap. This can be really rough to do when you’re sleep-deprived, but over a several day period, this (paired with the suggestions others have posted) can really help. Also, if you don’t fall asleep within 20-30 minutes, get up. Do something boring until drowsy. If your mind is racing, worrying, problem-solving, jot everything down. Be patient, most of the time these suggestions will help you resolve sleep onset insomnia.</p>
And who better to ask then the parents, maybe they’ve got some experience with their kids.</p>