I can never sleep, I do everything I can think of but nothing works. What should I do?

Question

What should I do in a case of Insomnia?

Answer 1

According to a recent study, one sleepless night sabotages creativity and coping skills. Without sleep, the "walking wounded" are less spontaneous, flexible and original. Unable to break out of intellectual ruts or come up with a fresh perspective, they become rigid, stick to tried-and-true approaches to problems and can't deal with unfamiliar situations. If they concentrate hard enough, they can perform routine tasks or well-known, well defined emergencies--unless they lose a second night of sleep. Then even performance of mundane or familiar chores suffers.

Chronic insomniacs have more problems getting started in the morning than normal sleepers and often feel so exhausted after work that they forego leisure activities and social engagements. The stress of trying to perform well despite their sleeplessness may lead to depression and other psychological problems. Individuals with chronic sleep problems that cause excessive daytime drowsiness, such as the breathing disorder called sleep apnea, may have so much difficulty with attention, concentration or memory that they perform as if their IQs were ten points lower than they actually are.

Disrupted sleep and sleep disorder cost business as much as $70 billion annually in lost productivity, industrial accidents and higher medical bills, according to the Institute for Circadian Physiology in Boston. Sometimes the toll is even higher. Falling asleep at the wheel is second only to alcohol as a cause of car accidents. In all, 200,000 to 400,000 collisions involving drowsy drivers occur each year and claim as many as 6,500 lives.

The best solution may be the most obvious: more and better sleep. In a study at Detroit's Henry Ford Hospital, sleep researchers found that healthy people who slept just one additional hour felt better, became more alert and performed better on the job. Their conclusion: "Ideally, you should sleep until you're slept out. You should awaken spontaneously without an alarm clock and feel fresh and vital in the daytime."

for the sake of better sleep:

1. Keep regular hours. The best way to ensure perfect nights is to stick to a regular schedule. If you sleep late one morning and rise before dawn the next, you can come down with a home-bound version of jet lag. To keep your biological clock in sync, get up at the same time, regardless of how much or how little you've slept.
Try to stick close to your usual sleep schedule on weekends and holidays as well as workdays. If you stay up late on Friday and Saturday nights and sleep-in the following mornings you may give yourself a case of "Sunday-night insomnia": You get to bed early to be bright eyed on Monday morning and try to sleep, but you can't. The harder you try, the more wakeful you feel. When travel or work throws of your routine, try to maintain some semblance of regularity. Eat your meals at the same times you normally do. Try to get some sleep during your usual bedtime hours. And return to your normal schedule as soon as you can.

2. Exercise regularly. Exercise enhances sleep by burning off the tensions that accumulate during the day, allowing both the body and mind to unwind. While the fit seem to sleep better and deeper than the flabby, you don't have to push to utter exhaustion. A 20 to 30 minute walk, jog, swim or bicycle ride at least three days a week--the minimum for cardiovascular benefits--should be your goal.
But don't wait too late in the day to exercise. In the evening, you should be concentrating on winding down rather than working up a sweat. And don't expect early-morning exercise to have any impact on the tensions that build up during the day. The ideal exercise time is late afternoon or early evening, when your workout can help you shift gears from daytime pressures to evening pleasures.
3. Cut down on stimulants. North Americans drink 400 million cups of coffee a day and get extra doses in tea, cola drinks (including diet colas) and chocolate. Some people seem sensitive to even small amounts; others build up a tolerance.
If you're a coffee lover, have your last cup of the day no later than six to eight hours before your bedtime. Its stimulating effects will peak for two to four hours later, although they'll linger for several hours more. Late-evening caffeine can make it harder for you to fall asleep, diminish deep sleep and increase nighttime awakening.

Caffeine isn't the only dietary sleep-robber. Tyrosine, a substance found in chocolate, Chianti and cheddar cheese can trigger heart palpitations in the night. Diet pills contain stimulants that can keep you awake. Other drugstore drug interactions can also disrupt you nights. If you're taking any prescription or over-the-counter drugs, ask your doctor whether they may affect your sleep.

4. Sleep on a good bed. A good night's sleep starts from the bottom up. You're less likely to get deep, solid, restful sleep on a bed that's too small, too soft, too hard or just plain too old. Unfortunately, we tend to get used to our old mattresses and box springs--just like a broken-down pair of old running shoes--and may not realize they've gradually been losing their comfort and support. If your bed is older than eight to ten years, use our on-line bed check to determine if it is ready for retirement. In selecting a new sleep set, follow Goldilocks' rule: Try a variety of mattresses and choose the one that feels just right for you.
5. Don't smoke. Nicotine is an even stronger stimulant than caffeine. According to several studies, heavy smokers take longer to fall asleep, awaken more often and spend less time in REM and deep NREM sleep. Because nicotine withdrawal can start two to three hours after their last puff, some smokers wake in the night craving a cigarette. When smokers break their nicotine habit, their sleep improves dramatically. In one study, two-pack-a-day smokers who quit cut the time they lay awake in bed by almost half.
6. Drink only in moderation. Alcohol is the oldest most popular sleep aid. Although a nightcap is a habit for many, liquor late in the evening may mean problems throughout the night. Even moderate drinking can suppress REM and deep NREM sleep and accelerate shifts between sleep stages. Too much alcohol with dinner can make it harder to fall asleep and too much at bedtime can make it harder to stay asleep. As the immediate effects of alcohol wear off, REM sleep-which alcohol suppresses-intrudes upon other sleep stages, depriving your body of deep rest. You end up sleeping in fragments and waking often in the early-morning hours.
7. Go for quality, not just quantity. Six hours of good, solid sleep can make you feel more rested than eight hours of light or disturbed sleep. Limiting the time you spend in bed to what you need and no more, deepens sleep; allowing yourself to doze on and off for many hours leads to lighter, more fragmented sleep. Don't feel that you have to log eight hours. If five hours are enough to recharge your battery, consider yourself lucky. You're not an insomniac, just a naturally short sleeper.
8. Set aside a worry or planning time early in the evening. If you lie in bed thinking of what you should have done during the day or have to do the next day, try to deal with such distractions before getting into bed. Make lists so you don't feel you have to keep reminding yourself of things to do. Write out anxieties or worries and possible solutions. If daytime distractions follow you into bed, tell yourself you'll deal with them during the next day's worry time.
9. Don't go to bed stuffed or starved. A big meal late at night forces your digestive system to work overtime. While you may feel drowsy initially, you'll probably toss and turn through the night. Avoid peanuts, beans, fruits or raw vegetables that can cause gas. And stay away from snacks (like pastries or potato chips) that are high in fat -- they take longer to digest.
But if you're dieting, don't go to bed hungry. A rumbling stomach, like any other physical discomfort, interferes with your ability to settle down and slumber through the night. Have a low-calorie snack, such as a banana or apple, before turning in.

10. Develop a sleep ritual. Before you can slide into sleep, you've got to leave behind the distractions of the waking world. Even very young children find it easier to make the transition into sleep if they repeat a few activities, such as saying prayers or reading a story, every night.
Your sleep ritual can be as simple or as elaborate as you choose. It might start with some gentle stretches to release knots of tension in your muscles or with a warm bath. Maybe you like to listen to some quiet music or curl up with a not-too-thrilling book. Whatever you choose, be sure to do the some things every evening until they become cues for your body to settle down for the night.

Answer 2

Counting sheep does nothing for me... instead I mentally go through the list of my mother and her 9 brothers and sisters and each one's children (my grandmother had 50 grands). If that doesn't work, then I go through the fifty states and their capitals, starting with Florida and working my way up the coast. Usually I'm asleep before I get to Michigan, which is on the top of the second column. Once in a long, long while, that's not enough either, so I take out a book and read until I get sleepy again.

Answer 3

I've had the same problems. Some answers.
1. try to take care of all the problems in your life that control your brain every night and keep your brain from resting.
2. Drink a crapload of alcohol before bed.
3. Seek professional help, could be psycological, could be physical.
4. forget sleep... people sleep too much anyhow.

Answer 4

Considering all the things that you have already tried and all the bad advice you seem to be getting here, I would make an appointment with your family physician and let him/her ask the right questions to try to solve your problem.

Most doctors can ferret out solutions to these problems without resorting to sleeping pills. There may be a very simple reason you cannot sleep, that you have not realized. (it could be as simple as what you wear to bed, your type of bedding, extraneous noises, the amount of light in your bedroom, etc.)

Let a professional try to solve this - you'll be healthier if you do.

Answer 5

There are a lot of great articles and information on how stress can effect sleep at ( http://www.reducingstress.net ). there are also many tips for solving the problem. Also, there is a link to the stresseraser which is a great biofeedback device that can help you get to sleep.

Answer 6

try suplementing your body with 5 HTP supplements. 5-hydroxytrytophan is the precursor to seratonin, you body's natural sleepaid. In top of that take some GABA . You will be nock out and sleep really good and wake up rested.

Answer 7

I have a hard time getting to sleep too! Ive tried this technique of meditation called vipassana - where you concentrate and focus on feeling your breath on your upper lip. when your mind wanders, bring it back and try to concentrate again. (this has helped a lot with my sleeping) I couldnt sleep as my mind was too busy thinking of all kinds of different things. Try it - cant hurt!
ALSO avoid caffine after lunch time!! it makes a big difference!

Answer 8

see a doctor immediately. try 2 avoid taking sleeping pills, they r too addictive and have a lot of side effects

Answer 9

Adjust the bedding/pillows, and think of what your life would be like if everything was perfect. Then try to dream it.

Answer 10

drink some coffee,
smoke a cig,
snort some coke

just kidding, those will keep you awake.

shoot up some herion
that will put you right to sleep,
or should I say you will "nod off"

Answer 11

Talk to your doctor. There are many things you can do, Some include sleep medicines.