In the listening to your body category I would add to check your hydration and warmth levels. Cold feet will keep me awake as will needing another glass or two of water.
And in the "distracting yourself" category I would add the time-honored camping tradition of promising yourself that you will not fall asleep until you hear X sound -- an owl hoot, a coyote, a train in the distance. Somehow while you're busy listening for that particular sound the rest of the brain gets quiet enough to sleep. My other go-to technique is to find a form of counting that takes some, but not a lot of brain power. Like counting upward by threes or counting backward from 1000.
MY insomnia is the type that lets me fall asleep then rudely wakes me up about 3 hours later and keeps me up for the rest of the night. Although I can't always get back to sleep sometimes using the relax techniques described helps as does writing things down. I've had this problem for 21 years (since my youngest was a baby and wouldn't sleep through the night) and although it can come and go it's often with me for months at a time. Menopause has probably increased it with the frequent night sweats and hot flushes waking me up.
BETHPROVERBS31: regarding snorers. I was a terrible snorer. Seasonal allergies, milk allergies and such all combine to a continuously stuffy head.
In May of this year I started a running program, Couch 2 5K. My first few weeks were awful as I tried to breath while running. Eventually the running cleared out my head. Somewhere around week 4 (out of 9) my wife told me I wasn't snoring anymore! What a blessing!
KDORRIS73
9/9/2009 12:29:27 AM
Just in case there are any other non dairy lovers like myself DO NOT try to substitute warm milk with warm soy milk. BLECH I'm still shuddering......gross
The shopping channel has been helping me sleep for years, the same thing over and over at low volume does the trick!
MAGZOR
3/10/2009 6:45:57 PM
When I was working nights, I wouldn't get home until 5 maybe 6am and then I'd be back at work for 6pm. To help me sleep, I invested in a sleepmask coz I couldn't afford blackout blinds and i began programming my CD player to repeat the same 3 songs on low volume through the night.
I don't think the music could be called white noise but it does help.
DICODIVA
3/7/2009 8:30:19 PM
I struggle with interrupted sleep. At times I go on a 2 - 3 hour sleep a day which is not a good thing when your job requires critical thinking. Now that I'm on my fourties I;m determined to get in shape and make healthly a part of my life, I've managed to only drink 2 cups of coffee a day to get me by. I spin (cycling) 2 hours a day 4 times a week and am learning to eat healthier. My family laughs at me because I'm a true believer in banking/storing my sleep. So 1 day a week, I take the phone off the hook, put sign on my door that reads knock at your own risk. I have also signed up my husband for golf, so he is gone at 5 am and returns later in the day. I manage to sleep on and off throughout the day and feel somewhat replenished with relaxation by the time he returns. I get a lot of flack and get called lazy, but these people that judge me also give me quite a bit of compliments on how maticulous my home is and that's because I'm so energized from spinning I burn off some of the energy doing chores daily. My point is, find what works for you and ignore what others think.
I see you are a newlywed BethProverbs31 - you'll eventually get used to it! You can always try earplugs. I usually fall asleep before my husband, who occasionally snores, and if I wake up and hear him, I just concentrate on the noise and it puts me back to sleep. Sort of like counting sheep. I vote for sleeping together, snoring or not!
BETHPROVERBS31
11/17/2008 3:59:56 AM
I agree with CANUCKER08...my white noise is a fan going all year round. My husband gets mad because he likes to be warm, but I just tell him it's a trade off because his snoring keeps me awake if I can't drown it out! Does anyone have any ideas for how to deal with a snorer? Short of sleeping somewhere else, I don't know what to do. If he isn't snoring, he is mouth "puffing" when he exhales. Changing positions doesn't work to stop it. Makes for some long nights and sleepy days for me (and him when I elbow him 20 times a night). Can anyone help?!!!!
I can agree with the de stress and loosing up the body. When I had physical therapy, my therapist and I talked about different techniques I could us while laying down in the mornings to help my hips and knees. She also told me that I can use the same easy, slow movements to help me sleep at night. Between that and meditation now, once asleep, usually no one can wake me up... I love it and after 6-8 hours, I am wide awake and ready to face the next day.
It's nice to see that I'm already doing some things right - I do the relaxing thing (tensing and releasing muscles) most nights, and I find it helps a lot!
Also, great tip about the warm milk - I can't stand the taste of warm milk, but it would probably be a lot better with vanilla in it.
MCATHY1
12/4/2007 8:12:16 PM
A glass of warm milk before bed really does prepare you for sleep.
Chronic pain can make it difficult to get a good night's sleep but restful sleep helps with pain management. Here's how to break the vicious cycle of pain and sleep.
