Sleeping problems.

[Dooze]

Anyone else had trouble sleeping? I don't know if it's happening because I'm at uni, but for the past year or so I've had trouble sleeping when at uni and for the past few weeks since I've been back I've had the same problem.

I always find it difficult to get to sleep here and although I tend to get tired around 12/1 and go to bed then, it's a case of being unable to turn off and if I get to sleep I find it happening around 5/6/7 in the morning. Plays havoc with my uni work as well, since I'll be getting to sleep then and end up missing lectures and seminars due to the alarm waking me up and me being just too tired to go.

I've not slept since Monday night/Tuesday afternoon when I woke up and I feel awful. When I had this problem last year I found myself using painkillers to essentially relax me to the point where I'd just fall asleep, although I've a ridiculously high tolerance so it would take 6/8 tablets of 30/500 co-codamol to have an effect. Taking them almost daily though, I think my tolerance has got even more mental because they don't even effect me now. I've tried the doing an all nighter trick and then sleeping around 9/10 in the evening, but that tends to work for that night and after than I'm back to square one.

Any of you had this problem, and how did you get over it? I'm going to register with the doctors here at uni I think and see if they can help me out, although I imagine they'll be hesitant to prescribe me anything so won't really do much for me.

Sorry for the giant post, but just interested to know if anyone has suffered from this before and sorted it out? It's really affecting my studies and I can't imagine it doing much for my health as I'm constantly tired and being awake for so long can't be doing me any good.

[deadeyedixie]

had problems sleeping since i used to be a postie 19 years ago, i left 11 years ago and havent been the best sleeper since.

Some advice, dont use alcohol to help you sleep (you will have a worse sleep), try not to eat anything just before bed, do some exercise, eat as healthily as you can, drink water, dont play video games just before bed (you dont want too much stimulation just before bed), cut down on caffeine

docs are less likely to prescribe you stuff these days but will if you grab them by the throat!!

[wilbobisback]

I've suffered from insomnia for a few years. (Hence some of my posts at stupid o'clock some nights.) I've found the only thing that helps is a shower before going to bed, then a hot drink & good book to help me chill. Works sometimes, not others.

[wrexhamandy]

I used to get it quite bad. I found that going dinner too late (as well as no coffee), having a drink or two (I know you shouldn't), not watching TV in bed and reading a word-heavy book which isn't tooooo exciting (like Lord of the Rings) helped me.

It is a horrible and frustrating thing, hope you get it sorted mate.

[14theroad]

Originally Posted by Dooze

Anyone else had trouble sleeping? I don't know if it's happening because I'm at uni, but for the past year or so I've had trouble sleeping when at uni and for the past few weeks since I've been back I've had the same problem.

I always find it difficult to get to sleep here and although I tend to get tired around 12/1 and go to bed then, it's a case of being unable to turn off and if I get to sleep I find it happening around 5/6/7 in the morning. Plays havoc with my uni work as well, since I'll be getting to sleep then and end up missing lectures and seminars due to the alarm waking me up and me being just too tired to go.

I've not slept since Monday night/Tuesday afternoon when I woke up and I feel awful. When I had this problem last year I found myself using painkillers to essentially relax me to the point where I'd just fall asleep, although I've a ridiculously high tolerance so it would take 6/8 tablets of 30/500 co-codamol to have an effect. Taking them almost daily though, I think my tolerance has got even more mental because they don't even effect me now. I've tried the doing an all nighter trick and then sleeping around 9/10 in the evening, but that tends to work for that night and after than I'm back to square one.

Any of you had this problem, and how did you get over it? I'm going to register with the doctors here at uni I think and see if they can help me out, although I imagine they'll be hesitant to prescribe me anything so won't really do much for me.

Sorry for the giant post, but just interested to know if anyone has suffered from this before and sorted it out? It's really affecting my studies and I can't imagine it doing much for my health as I'm constantly tired and being awake for so long can't be doing me any good.

I have had major problems with sleeping in the past and your post describes some of the issues that I had going on, I also studied the subject in some depth although it's important to say that I'm not an expert on insomnia by some way. The first thing that strikes me about your situation is that you have a busy lifestyle at the moment and especially with your uni work your brain will be very active. Some of my suggestions may come across as obvious but where relaxing enough to settle down to sleep is concerned the simplest solutions often work the best.

Firstly and probably most importantly you need to make sure that your time is planned and organised. A lot of people who have to work and study switch to auto-pilot in terms of getting things done by deadlines and if you keep all of the time organisation in your head then your mind will be constantly burdened by what you have to do and when it has to be done by. Before you settle down write down your plan for the following day including what you have to do and when/how you are going to do it. This sounds simple but will take a lot of the stuff that is floating around your head away and you will feel the difference straight away as you relax. You will be amazed at how much crap you are struggling to keep in your head and worrying about forgetting.

This can be even more effective if each week you write down a rough plan for the coming week; you can alter this as the week progresses. My feeling is that this is the best place to start for you having gone through the same myself. Your brain needs to be clear to settle down to a good nights sleep so put the **** down on paper and leave it there until the next day. Sounds simplistic but it worked for me.

Don't just write down your work plan either. Write down anything that you find you are thinking about whether it's money issues, friendship issues.... anything at all. It all helps to stop it whizzing around your head as you try to sleep.

If your insomnia is due to anxiety then taking painkillers will make it worse, particularly if you are worrying about addiction to them. In terms of prescribed drugs doctors may prescribe flouoxetine (prozac) to help with balancing the chemicals in your brain, especially if your problem is linked to the fact that you're burning yourself out mentally and physically. This will help you sleep but is best avoided in my amature opinion as it will treat the symptoms but will affect your concentration, unless you sort out the organisation aspect first the problem won't go away.

Let us know how you get on.

[Iesty]

when i was at uni, i was finding the transition from a sleepy village outside of mold where everything was pitch blackk and quiet, to the hustle and bustle of city centre living in liverpool very hard. i dont know if you are in the same situation though Dooze - where are you going to and where from?

it got to the point where i had to listen to music to send me off to sleep. it worked for me, especially the mellower stuff in my collection. classical music is actually quite nice to listen to when falling asleep, and i have done so many a time to the Lord of the Rings soundtrack.

although sometimes nothing can help drunken flatmates coming in at 3 in the morning and putting their music on full blast!

[Nobby]

As I suffer from migraine's the doc put me on beta blockers. They prevent me from sleeping so to combat it he has given me zopliclone, which are sleeping tablets. Instructions on the box include "Warning, may make you drowsy"

[Rooster1982]

Try googling a drug called Pizotifen - I've tried it for sleep and migraine problems, but it can have a lot of side effects...made me sleep like a baby though!

[Rk11]

I had a period a few years ago where I just couldn't sleep for more than an hour. My new thing before I go to bed is I listen to a football podcast. I concentrate but have my eyes shut and eventually I become less interested and will nod off. Make sure you don't have it on repeat though

[Drury-red]

I always go to bed about 1ish n then cant get to sleep till about 4/5 even 6 sumtimes then i hear everyone getting up so i just get up to

Try jogging berfore you go to bed and get into a ritual etc