<p>My D has had sleep issues off and on for much of her life. She has tried various things with some success at least for a time. She is fully aware that this latest bout is stress related. She feels tired at the end of the day. She can fall asleep but wakes about 2 hours after falling asleep, this pattern continues much of the night. She feels she is not getting into a deep sleep. Adding to her frustration is she wakes up and is hungry. The other night she finally turned on the TV at 3:30 am for a couple of hours. When she wakes up she begins thinking about all she needs to do or starts itching her bug bites and can’t fall back asleep. </p>
<p>What she is already doing-
getting plenty of physical exercise during the day
avoiding caffeine
sleeps with socks on (she finds this helps)</p>
<p>I was thinking I would suggest some sort of CD. Whether relaxation music or meditation. I notice there seems to be two types. Guided meditation and relaxation and simple music or sounds.
Looking for some suggestions of good CD’s or other ideas.
She does not want to take any sleep meds.</p>
<p>I have an even worse case of insomnia,and I’ve found that only two things help:
PaulFromStokeUK -the music on his youtube account. Some of his compositions lull you to sleep
Not recommended- go a day or two with minimal sleep. Then you’ll be able to fall asleep much more easily the next day or two. But it’ll also make you overly tired on the days you don’t get rest, which is why I don’t suggest it. It does work though. I’ve fallen asleep in as little as 5 minutes after going 24+ hrs without sleep</p>
<p>when S was young he often had problems sleeping and we gave him a melanonin supplement. He also has Aspergers and apparently many individuals on the autism spectrum suffer from insomnia / sleep disorders due to low levels of melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone that is triggered by the dark or low levels of light and helps the body prepare to go to sleep. It is also found in milk which is probably one reason why milk is so often used to deal with insomnia.</p>
<p>If it’s a temporary thing, benadryl is pretty safe and non-habit forming. Getting away from computer and tv screens for an hour or so before bed can be good.</p>
<p>It’s concerning though, that she is waking up frequently during the night. Does she have any breathing problems? Does she ever find that she wakes up a few hours before her alarm is supposed to go off? Sometimes altered sleep can be a sign of a depressive episode.</p>
<p>Turning on the TV puts me to sleep right away. Have her just leave the TV on all night. I find a news channel does a better job, perhaps the drone of the incessant chatter puts me to sleep.</p>
<p>I know how frustrating it can be, I wake up at least 3 times a night.</p>
<p>My DH & DD have had sleep issues all their lives and tried all sorts of things. One of the most helpful things has been just relaxing and trying not to stress it. If you are in bed long enough to count to a given number (choose your own-100, 200, 500, 1000) and you have not fallen asleep, get out of bed and do something for 10-20 minutes, then try again, but letting go of the stress and frustration helped more.</p>
<p>Sadly both of them definitely sleep better and more solidly from about 3 or 4AM until 8-10 AM. My DH will wake up when any teeny noise happens, but after 5AM the phone can ring and he will not even stir. Part of it is simply innate circadian rhythm. I don’t know if one can successfully shift that.</p>
<p>When my mind is racing because a lot of things are going on in my life, I start at 300 and count backwards by 3s. I read about it in an article. I have to really engage my mind to do this exercise. I find that I often get to place where I start screwing up and have to go back to that same number for another try (last time I did this, the number I had to return to for a few times was 180). I’m usually asleep not long after I start making mistakes.</p>
<p>Counting distracts my mind from those things that make my mind race. That’s usually enough to let me get to sleep.</p>
<p>Don’t lie in bed thinking about how you can’t sleep; instead think about how tired you are.
Don’t study in bed - associate bed with work or stress.
Try a warm bath before bed to relax yourself.
If you haven’t fallen asleep in 30 minutes, get up and do something for a little while. (Read another chapter…) Don’t associate lying in bed with NOT sleeping.
Take a Tylenol before bed. Tylenol works by elevating your pain threshold. For us this seems to work for “emotional pain” eg stress, as well as physical pain. This can help to break the cycle.
When I wake up in the middle of the night, and can’t seem to fall back to sleep, I use the time to pray. I always seem to fall asleep while praying anyway!</p>
<p>Some people sleep better if the room is really dark. Does she have good blinds? She might want to try covering up all the little lights in the room (computer, stereo, clock radio).</p>
<p>I take melanonin when I am traveling. It puts me into very deep, restful sleep, even if it’s for a short sometimes. I have never taken sleeping pills. I don’t feel groggy when I wak up after taking melanonin. I have read some negative things about melanonin, but never experienced any myself. Of course, I only take it when I travel, so I don’t know the effect if it’s taken more on a regular basis.</p>
<p>Have her try eating a small snack right before she goes to bed, like half of a sandwich or a piece of fruit. If she’s waking up hungry, it could be that her blood sugar is dropping. Maybe not, but it’s something really easy to try.</p>
<p>I’m diabetic and sometimes have episodes of low blood sugar during the night or early morning. I’m not sure why but if my blood sugar drops low, I wake up and can’t go back to sleep. Generally, if you’re hungry, even in non-diabetics, your blood sugar has dropped.</p>
<p>Tylenol PM works well, also. My middle son can get “wound up” and he will occasionally take a Tylenol PM to ensure he falls asleep quickly. My husband said he grabbed one on accident instead of a regular Tylenol and ended up taking a nap in the middle of the day. My pharmacist friend told me that he often recommends Tylenol PM to people who come to the pharmacy and ask what will help them get a good night’s sleep. In general, I would encourage the OP’s D not to get up, not to eat and not to turn the TV on. I know for myself any one of those things would make me immediately “awake” and I would have difficulty falling back to sleep. I either try to keep my eyes closed and just let my brain wind down or sometimes I will grab a book close to the bed (so I don’t have to stand up) and read until I fall back asleep. I also have found through the years that I don’t sleep as soundly when I snack late at night so I really try not to eat anything within an hour or so of bedtime.</p>
<p>I saw a doctor recommend that you lay in bed and starting at 300, count backwards by 3 - seriously - he said the combination of boring task/concentration will relax you and put you to sleep . He said he uses this all the time and never reaches 0.</p>
<p>Don’t watch any TV for at least an hour before bedtime. </p>
<p>Don’t drink any alcoholic beverages within 4 hours of bedtime. (People who do are especially prone to falling asleep for a few hours and then waking up when the blood sugar effect wears off.) </p>
<p>Don’t drink any caffeine after about 2 pm or so. </p>
<p>Go to bed about the same time and set the alarm for the same time every day. </p>
<p>Rub lavendar water on the soles of your feet. Dampen a tissue with it and stuff it inside your pillow case. </p>
<p>Take a warm bath with epsom salts shortly before going to bed. </p>
<p>If you do wake up and can’t fall asleep with a half hour or so, get up and read something really boring, e.g, material you have already read, for 20 minutes or half an hour. Do not watch TV or use your computer. </p>
<p>Exercise during the day, but not too close to bedtime. </p>
<p>“When she wakes up she begins thinking about all she needs to do”</p>
<p>I read somewhere that it helps to quickly write down nagging worries that wake you – the theory is that is lets you stop obsessively cycling through them because they’re safely written down on a to-do list. </p>
<p>"or starts itching her bug bites and can’t fall back asleep. "</p>
<p>Maybe keep some anti-itch cream next to her bed? Again, if she <em>does</em> something about it, maybe her mind will let the thought go and she can fall asleep faster.</p>
<p>hunger can definitely contribute to insomnia…a light snack before bedtime as others have suggested can help. </p>
<p>also, people tend to sleep best in a cool room- around 68 degrees. A fan can help (also can block out noise if shes a light sleeper).</p>
<p>I work with a neurologist who is a sleep expert. His advice:
-Go to sleep at about the same time each night, and awaken at the same time each morning. Wide fluctuations between workdays and days off can further impair your sleep.
-Try not to nap. If you do, restrict this to about an hour per day, and do it relatively early (before about 4 in the afternoon).
-If you are not sleepy, either don’t go to bed or arise from bed. Do quiet, relaxing activities until you feel sleep, then return to bed.
-Avoid doing stimulating, frustrating, or anxiety provoking activities in the bed or in the bedroom (watching television, studying, balancing the checkbook, etc). Try to reserve the bedroom and especially the bed, for sleep and sexual activity.
-Perform relaxing activities in the hour before bedtime
-Make sure your sleeping environment is as comfortable as possible, paying attention to temperature, noise, and light
-Do not eat a heavy meal just before bedtime, although a light snack might help induce drowsiness
-It is sometimes helpful to place paper and pen by the bedside. If you find yourself worrying about completing or remembering a task the next day, write it down and let it go.
-If you awaken and find you can’t get back to sleep, arise from bed and do quiet, relaxing activities until you are drowsy. Then return to bed.
-Place clocks so that the time is not visible from the bed.</p>
<p>Waking up every two hours is actually a normal sleep cycle. So your D is not inherently not getting her deep sleep. Most people rouse or come close to rousing every two hours. Reassure her that this is normal. The problem is if she can’t fall back asleep. If she realizes that she is "right on her two hour schedule’ she should congratulate herself and say “see you again in two hours”.</p>
<p>I’d also suggest that she try foam earplugs. There are some really bad ones out there. She should look for a soft earplug - I personally like the purple Flent’s , but my D who is quite petite needs the pink ones for women because they are very small (I find them too small).</p>
<p>As a strategy, if she falls asleep on her side, she can get used to putting the earplug only on only the “uphill” side. This way she is in her silent cocoon for falling asleep, but then when she rolls over or sleeps on her back, she is not cut off from the world. When she wakes up after 2 hours, it’s back to the cocoon again until you fall asleep.</p>