Insomnia!

I only get it when I'm really, really tired and I fall asleep before 9pm (because I'm naturally a nightowl and if I go to sleep too early, that throws my whole rhythm off) so then I wake up between 3 or 4 regular as clockwork and I just get up and do something until I'm tired and then I fall back asleep.

I never lay there and TRY to sleep. It just doesn't work.

I can avoid it, if I know I'm tired, by taking an afternoon nap, which enables me to stay awake until after 11, and then I don't have any problem sleeping through to six or seven.

If it's because I'm worried about someone or something, I just read and deal with it. Because I know sleep won't come until I stop worrying.

I'm a night-animal too! If I get a snooze in the afternoon early enough, I can then go to sleep at 11:30 pm and get up at 5:30 am and all is well. But if I don't get a spiffy afternoon snooze, plus I've had a worrisome day, plus I've had no exercise, plus I've eaten too late..............then sleep may not be easy.

I go to bed about eleven and get up at five. But I need my after lunch snooze.

The best sleep comes in total darkness.

Yeah - I used to feel guilty about napping - because it felt like such a guilty pleasure - but I read some research that said nappers live longer.

You feel like you're sleeping more - but you're not - you're just breaking it up.

Read a philosophy book ! This does it for me in less than 10 minutes.
(Make sure its not too heavy so that it doesn't wake you up when it falls out of your hand).

Now that's funny!

I use Valaian root with Passion flower in a pretty good dose.

I'll check it out. Have you tried L-Theanine? I understand that might work as well.

I will have a few days of an insomnia spell regularly-- eventually I get so tired after 4-5 days of this that I will fall asleep before midnight (an achievement! Normally it's never before 1-2 am) and a more normal biorhythm will come back. When I have my insomnia spell, I won't be able to sleep before 5am or so...then get up for work at 8am.

The best thing I found is regular exercise, nothing else works as well.

A holiday?
I don't know, I normally get it when I'm under immense pressure and work until bedtime then can't sleep. Chumly you're a musician... sometimes what helps me is if I lie in bed and gently imagine I'm playing the piano, something relaxing like a chopin prelude or something, really trying to feel each note with my mind, and it kind of stops my 'stream of consciousness' and I drift off.

Right-oh exercise works..............only sometimes the pressure of teaching sort-of immobilizes me from exercising. Good reminder to exercise every day.

Thanks!

Alas, for the last year I've been teaching Electrical and I have not done any live gigs

I've used live gigs as an outlet for energies that now sometimes don't have a natural escape vent. Teaching Electrical does not allow me much artistic expression.........but it sure consumes my time and efforts.

So if i imagine playing and singing as a way to drift off to sleep, it may not have the same relaxing effect it does with you................I think it would only remind me of what I'm missing.............however maybe noddling on guitar would be a plus.

noddling = noodling

it's a vicious circle - when you're stressed and exhausted, last thing you feel like doing is exercise....and then you lie there for hours with a racing mind.

i was thinking of this thread last night.... i could not fall asleep for the devil and then i really had to WORK to sleep...it felt like so much effort. everything uncomfortable, itching, i thought about how i'm posting about lying in bed unable to sleep and posting on a2k that i'm lying in bed unable to sleep and posting on a2k that i'm......waaaaah it was like one of those mirrors reflecting into infinity,
didn't help with sleep either. today i'm spent, but MUST drag self for at least a quick run.

Insomnia. Many of us have this but we actually have what could be called sleep disturbance as we sleep irregular hours, particularly as we get older.

The key to needing regular sleep at regular times is work and interaction with others. If you do need to be up at 8 and work till 5 etc then you need a process to keep you on track. You know all this of course.

Our bodies do operate on regularity, in many functions. Once that regularity is disturbed geyying it back is often virtually impossible.

I gacve up years ago as my sleep was so erratice when my doc asked my pattern my reply was "Erratic". Some periods it was sleep for 2 hours, wake up and get tired in 1 hour and back to bed. Others I slept 18 hours straight. Others I couldn't sleep at all.

Once I stopped worrying about when and if I did sleep it became much easier as the pressure was off. I could be arratic and it affected nothing you see.

I agree fully with the person who says don't lie there waiting to sleep. The longer you lie there the hatrder it gets and the harder it is the next time. Give it 20 minutes then get up. Don't eat. Don't watch TV or internet or computer stuff at all as they all stiimulate the brain. So read that philosophy book, truly, it is the best way to calm your mind if you do something reasonably boring.

When you lie down you need to develop a process where you do not lewt your mind just wander and select random topics for you as it tends to pick the stress out and worry you with it which is the vicious circle.

Instead understand that you, at any stage, can stop the thoughts you have and insert others. You just have to be aware tio do it. Read up on cognitive behaviour therapy if you like, online will tell you enough.

Most of us think we have no control over our thoughts, particularly when trying to sleep. Au contraire. We have total control. If you can clear your mind and do relaxation stuff that's the route to go at sleep time. I've never been able to clear my mind but I have finally learnt to choose the topics and eliminate the auto selection of misery stuff.

Exercise of course is one of the great processes for our entire body and mind but most of us get tired thinking about it. If you can exercise, do it. It is the most likely thing to help overall due to the tiredness it brings and the natural chemicals it releases.

If you can't exercise then try and focus on not worrying about not being able to sleep. Hard but the more you worry about it the less able you are to sleep.

Dark and quiet are the best for sure.

Warm bath before bed. If you have a partner then a jointy exercise is perfect, for men particularly. If not then alternatives?

But do not lie there waiting. Godot does not come to you.

yep, that sounds about right.

and self-hypnosis or auto relaxation. many ways to go about it, but best is to learn one and practice it. but even with years of practice it is sometimes harder than other times.

Yipes~ I'm gonna take the dog for a walk. That tends to fix things up for me. And if not, at least the dog is happy.