<p>I’m not a very religious person, but I find that I sleep most soundly when I say my prayers. If I forget my prayers, it’s a bad night. </p>
<p>I don’t know whether that makes a case for praying, or for establishing (and sticking to) a bedtime routine. Either way, I’ll take whatever works.</p>
<p>I use the NightWave Sleep Assistant ([Amazon.com:</a> NightWave Sleep Aid Assistant Blue Light Night Wave: Health & Personal Care](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001C3H4FI]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001C3H4FI). It shines a soft blue circle of light on the ceiling. You stare at the light as it rhythmically dims and brightens, and synchronize your breathing with the rhythm of the light. [NightWave</a> Sleep Assistant for Insomnia Blue Light Travel Edition from ActiveForever.com](<a href=“http://www.activeforever.com/p-4839-nightwave-sleep-assistant-for-insomnia-blue-light-travel-edition.aspx]NightWave”>http://www.activeforever.com/p-4839-nightwave-sleep-assistant-for-insomnia-blue-light-travel-edition.aspx) gives a better description, but it costs more than on Amazon.</p>
<p>I find that concentrating on the light shuts off all of the thoughts running through my head, and my eyelids start to droop every time the light dims. By the time the light shuts itself off 7 minutes later, I’m asleep or pretty close to it. The only drawback is that the light might annoy a roommate.</p>
<p>I’ve also used Calms Forte (homeopathic) and I really like a new melatonin supplement called Midnite.</p>
<p>I thought of sleep apnea, which can occur in young, normal weight people, but since she is tired due to staying up when she wakes up this doesn’t seem likely. Sounds like stress management issues. She could also go to her student counseling center for this in addition to trying remedies mentioned above.</p>
<p>It helps me to wear a t-shirt to bed (shoulders get cold without), but not any kind of pajama pants or long nightgown (they get twisted up in the covers and it wakes me up).</p>
<p>Also, I read for 15-20 minutes before bed. I think it clears the worries/stress out of my mind if I focus on something different right before turning out the light. I will read longer if I am stressed, I know from experience that it is best to be sleepy on those particular nights when I turn out the light. If I wake up and can’t go back to sleep in 10 minutes, I just turn on the light and read some more (obviously this works better if you are sleeping alone!) until I am sleepy again. I don’t read anything too serious (or if I really want to work my way though a non-fiction book, I might read it for 10 minutes, then switch to a fantasy or general fiction or mystery or sci fi for the last 10 minutes minutes).</p>
<p>Thanks for all the suggestions. Some she already does but I will suggest others and remind her of some of the things that have helped in the past. She lives in a studio cottage so her bedroom is also her living room, the place she studies etc. That makes it more difficult to reserve the bed for just sleeping.
She used to nap in the afternoon but has eliminated that. She doesn’t drink alcohol. She used the warm milk when she was in high school with some success so I will definitely remind her of that.
intparent- She sleeps in sweatpants tucked into her socks so she doesn’t scratch her bug bites in the night. I suggested a boring book next to the bed.
Stevensmama- I ordered her the Nightwave. Her only roommate is her dog. I doubt he will care about the light.
I am not sure if the hunger is a result of stress and anxiety or low blood sugar. She is the type of person who needs to be kept fed or gets very cranky. I know she often eats a late breakfast and eats her main meal between 4 and 5. It is possible that she needs to add a snack before bed.</p>
<p>I actually don’t recommend a boring book. The whole point is to distract my mind from the events of the day, so it has to engage me. Just not too… scary. Or worrying. Don’t read “The Hot Zone”… or anything else that adds to your list of things to worry about. No news magazines (but sports or food magazines are okay 
). Also, I sop on the caladryl just before bed when I have bug bites.</p>
<p>FWIW, my son kicked a bout of insomnia (at college, freshman) by exercising every day and then not sleeping for one whole night (got him back on track).</p>
<p>A friend of mine recommended he not do Tylenol PM, because it would become easier to be dependent on that, since it was so accessible. Not sure what to think about that, but it was an interesting take.</p>
<p>Jolynne- that is interesting. My D called this afternoon and said she slept better last night. I don’t know if it was because she was finally just exhausted after several days of very little sleep. She also said she took an additional run in the evening.
She has used sleep aids in the past but does not like them. She has used Benadryl, Tylenol PM and Trazadone (by prescription).</p>
<p>I would stay away from the Sports magazines as well, intparent, if you are a Detroit Lions fan ;)</p>
<p>Transplanted from Lions territory to Vikings territory about 25 year ago 
I sleep much better now…</p>
<p>I highly recommend the book Power Sleep by Dr. James Maas. It’s a very informative, easy read and addresses all the issues you mentioned. Some tips I remember from it are:
Never nap after 4 pm, no caffeine after 6 pm (including chocolate and cola), no screen time right before bed, keep bedtime consistent even on weekends. </p>
<p>As another poster mentioned, it is normal to wake every few hours between sleep cycles; everyone does it but most people don’t remember because they go right back to sleep.</p>
<p>Does your D use her computer at night? I have a terrible time getting to sleep if I use the computer after 9 or 10 PM. After an hour or two online, I get a second wind or something, and I can be up till 1 or 2 or later. It’s clearly not good for me in the evening. (She says, as she reads CC at 9 PM…)</p>
<p>During high stress periods I sometimes take a really hot bath with lavender bubble bath. Lavender aromatherapy is widely recognized as a beneficial mental relaxation therapy. It is certainly worth a try as there is no downside.</p>