Sleeping tips

[Dead...Again]

Late to the discussion, but I would recommend changing pillows. I was having trouble staying asleep until I switched to one of those memory foam pillows. It is firmer than I was used to, but after I got used to it I sleep better.

[wigz]

Bit of experience with this on my end. I got pretty sick a few years ago, panic attacks, burn out, sleeping issues, anxiety, depression. The whole package. I was waking up a few times a night, or not sleeping at all. Stress + work + family/relationship issues. I essentially went over a cliff. The only reason I'm not committed is probably because of the fact that I sought professional help, took a year off work, and had my family and friends helping.

Sleep helps with a lot of things, especially with the body, the mind is a completely different domain. If you're stressed out, seek help. Sleeping pills should be the last resort. I know, I took pretty strong stuff for a month or so... it's a band aid. Time is the only thing that heals. Things like Atavan(.5mg to 1.5mg) are extremely strong and really not a long term solution. I took that for a month, sure I slept, but it didn't solve anything. It essentially only keeps you functional for a few weeks then it worthless. It's also highly addictive and you can become entirely dependant on it.



1) Eliminate stimulants from your diet (caffeine, tea, cigarettes, cocaine/other drugs, b6+b12 + other b vitamins)
2) Reduce unnatural light exposure. This something that has helped me get better sleep over a long period of time, it won't help right away. Use f.lux on your computer. It'll adjust automatically the amount of 'blue light' emanating from your computer screen. It'll make things look orange during night time, but trust me, it helps. I've been suffering less eye strain and it'll help your brain realize it's night time and you should get some sleep.
3) Seek professional help - There are people out there who's job it is to keep you healthy. There's no reason to suffer.
4) Exercise if you can. Being active gets your body to use any pent up energy, or at least expend frustration/stress/anxiety/depression like energy into a more positive thing. Exercise has been proven to improve mood and sleeping habits.

As for waking up during the night, don't become to obsessed with getting a full night's sleep. Everyone's sleeping habits are different. I wake up once a night sometimes, no big deal, I get up, take a piss, grab something to drink, blow my nose etc... and go back to bed. Stop worrying about things you can't fix 'then and now'. The more you think about something, the worse it gets. The worse it gets, the less sleep you'll get.

Give it time. Time heals just about any kind of trauma, illness, stressor, etc. Your hard work will pay off.

[juneau]

Thanks for all the tips guys!

On a side note, I just spent two days away and forgot to take my chemo tablets with me. The second night there I had a peaceful complete sleep, which isn't' a surprise as it takes about 48-60hours for the medication to fully leave my system. Once I got back home I took my tablets out of the bottle to take, put them in my pocket, and then promptly forgot lol. I releaside I hadn;t taken them about 10hours later just before I was getting ready for bed. Took them anyway and slept through.

I hope my little timeout from my chemo could have hit the reset button.

[Coffeeworld]

Melatonin. Over the counter supplement that will knock you right out.

[baconoclock]

Melatonin. Over the counter supplement that will knock you right out.

Sleep advice from someone named coffee

[Duke{CLR}]

Melatonin. Over the counter supplement that will knock you right out.

+1 to this, it's even approved for pilots to use. I have also found Sleepytime tea to be better then the straight chamomile stuff.

I have a fan in my bedroom for some white noise and when I'm on the road I run the fan in the room.

[Rand{CLR}]

+1 to this, it's even approved for pilots to use. I have also found Sleepytime tea to be better then the straight chamomile stuff.

I have a fan in my bedroom for some white noise and when I'm on the road I run the fan in the room.

+1 to the white noise fan. I have trouble sleeping in beds other than mine as is, but it's much harder if I don't bring a portable fan and have that for the noise and a bit of a draft on my face. It's way, way too quiet without the white noise.

-Rand